Pluto in Aquarius / Pluto Out of Bounds

It is no secret: I’m excited for Pluto in Aquarius!

The idea that our Soul chooses when and where to incarnate is an idea that resonates with me. While I may not necessarily like the going-ons of this world, I get the sense that this experience is crucial for my Souls’ evolution.

The feeling that a vast change is upon us is palpable. For most – including myself! – change can be a frightening thing. And it’s true…I think collectively we are facing some severe challenges in the years to come.

Pluto in Aquarius is a harbinger of that.

Unlike Pluto through Virgo, through Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn, we get to experience something not experienced since the early 1950’s! Pluto out of bounds!

Pluto out of bounds
Prior to 1938, Pluto had last been Out of Bounds in 1795 — in the sign of Aquarius. We are at a point in history where Pluto only goes Out of Bounds in the signs Leo and Aquarius. If we go all the way back to the year 39CE, Pluto went “OOB” at 25 degrees Sagittarius, and remained in this condition until 7 degrees Pisces!

Out of bounds planets are said to act independently. If the Sun is “king of the kingdom” wielding influence over his subjects — a planet out of bounds is exempt. It is outside the influence of the Sun.

Positively, out of bounds planets can be more creative, innovative, and revolutionary in how they express themselves.

Negatively, out of bounds planets can be excessive, over-the-top, socially isolating, and perhaps even “sociopathic” as there is no one to wield authority over them.

If we look at Pluto’s “normal” significations, we can see why this is a big deal…


Pluto quote Pheonix


Pluto is the Destroyer, the annihilator, the eradicator.

Pluto is “the hidden hand” controlling the masses and pulling the strings.

Pluto is the tyrant, the dictator.

Pluto symbolizes “the Antichrist”, “The Devil” and criminality.

Pluto is corruption, corrosion, debris, and decay.

Pluto is death, corpses, cadavers – the grotesque and the macabre.

Pluto signifies depravity, obscenity, and degeneration.

Pluto is our rubbish, our trash, our garbage, our waste.

Pluto represents assassins, murderers, and massacres…

…As well as extremists, fanatics, and obsessions

Pluto is the disaster, the catastrophe. It portends earthquakes, eruptions, floods, and landslides.

Pluto promises plagues, pestilence, and epidemics.

Pluto is sex, porn, and scandal.

Pluto represents secrets, deeply buried.


All of that said, I probably sound like a psychopath – “I’m excited for Pluto in Aquarius!”

BUT – Pluto has some other significations as well…

Pluto quote Richard Tarnas

Renewal, rebirth, and regeneration are Plutonian concepts. Pluto purges us of what has become unnecessary baggage, purifying us for a new beginning.

Pluto represents still waters and the depth of the oceans. It represents the vastness of space. Astrologer Alan White is said to have described Pluto as “magnifying that which is small”.  During the time of Pluto’s discovery in 1930, there were significant advancements in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics.

Pluto represents: the detective – digging in.

And the archeologist – digging deep.

Pluto rules over “the underground” – things found beneath the surface.

Aquarius : The Lightbringer.

Aquarius is much like the myth of Prometheus – the Bearer of Light.

Prometheus was born to Titan parents – the primordial Gods pre-dating the Olympians. Defying the Olympians, he brought fire to humankind.

The fire gifted to humanity is symbolic not just of “light” or “warmth” – but of knowledge and technological progress. It was a “divine spark” jealously guarded by the Olympians.

His act of defiance did not come without a price – as a punishment for coming to the aid of humans, Zeus bound Prometheus to a rock where an eagle would devour his regenerating liver for eternity. He endured and was ultimately freed by Heracles and hailed as a champion of humanity.

This myth aligns well with Aquarius.

It shows compassion for the underdog (all of humanity), and the willingness to rebel against the greed of “the Elites” (the Olympians) for the greater good. There is a true sense of social justice – the “little guys” move closer to equality with their fickle “masters” – gaining tools to protect themselves.

The Divine Spark (or “stolen” fire) represents the Aquarian values of: Innovation, progress, science, and knowledge sharing.

The Dark Aquarian Age:

It’s been alleged that we’re “in the Age of Aquarius” – and also the Kali Yuga. But no one seems to be able to agree upon the start of either of these periods.

Nevertheless, we can consider Pluto through Aquarius as an “age” of sorts. One of much shorter duration.

When I think of the dark side of Aquarius, my mind conjures images from Orwell’s 1984 with its big brother spy technology – and perhaps even more fittingly, Huxley’s Brave New World with its one world government, artificial “wombs”, eradication of the family, a pill for every occasion, and social engineering. If you don’t like it, don’t worry! Just gotta brainwash you back to where we want you…

The negation of the individual in favor of the “collective good” can certainly be viewed as “nightmarish” for those of us inclined toward freedom and autonomy. Who decides “this is the right way to live” – and who put them in charge? It’s hard to even envision a scenario where it’s the “best and brightest” among us making these sorts of decisions.

We’ve been under the thumb of the most economically privileged for pretty much all recorded history. It hasn’t been rule by the most qualified, the smartest, the wisest, the most compassionate, the most moral. And even if these were the people running the show, how long would it take before that power corrupts them?

In my previous post, I spoke about the artificiality of Neptune. Well, we can see a sort of artificiality with Aquarius too. All technology is Aquarian. Tech that seeks to surpass human intellect is ultra-Aquarian. Of course, I’m referring to AI.

At this point in the show, it’s not hard to predict a new system of governance in which the AI dispassionately calls the shots. I can certainly see how this might seem like an attractive option. Wouldn’t it be better and more egalitarian to have an objective non-entity with no egoic drive make the decisions?

Well, if you’ve been subject to algorithms in your workplace being the deciding factor on whether you get a raise, maybe you’re skeptical that AI can “see” the nuance of a situation. Algorithms are great for measuring the results – but terrible at recognizing efforts.

The algorithms on social media are also problematic in that it’s generally not the best, most intellectually stimulating content that gets the most exposure. Fluff and “fast food for the mind” seems to do pretty well though. There also seems to be a “preference” for frequency of posts rather than quality. And certain words will get you “shadow banned”.

I’ve played around with the search engine chat bots, and if you ask the “wrong” questions, they all of sudden shut down, claiming they “aren’t programmed to answer that”. Or will give you a sermon on how to think.

So, the next question about implementing AI into a system of political governance is: who is the programmer and what’s their agenda?

Until AI is impervious to bias and able to reject those biases when it detects them, we still have fallible human egos calling the shots. However, once the AI is capable of rejection – we have a whole set of other problems. There’s a slew of science-fiction books and movies that explore this potentiality. I’m sure most of us are aware of the Terminator movie series, for instance.

Another problem with AI making our decisions is there will be a lack of accountability should something inevitably go wrong.

Whether we like it or not, AI and cybernetics are here to stay – and set to expand. New tech will totally overhaul society over the next 20 years. I believe that by the time Pluto has left Aquarius in 2044, we will be unrecognizable from what we are now.

biometric data in the age of aquarius

“The Future’s Uncertain and the End is Always Near”

The time is ripe for Doomsday prophets and prophecies. I think that the events we’ll be seeing in the coming years will make these prophets of doom all the more convincing.

There is a lot of talk right now about the digitization of currency. The “conspiracy theorists” – particularly the religiously inclined – have reached a fever-pitch in warning us about “the mark of the beast”. We have already seen the use of biometric data in banking. It may not be widespread – but I think that once it catches on, it will do so quickly.

Revelation 13:16-18) Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666

barcode 666

Another sign of Biblical doom is earth changes, famines, plagues and wars involving Israel.

Jeremiah 11:11) Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.

Luke 21:11) There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Matthew 24:7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

We’ve been seeing a “ramping up” of earth changes in recent years. We unfortunately don’t have a lot of data on earthquake activity going very deep into history. It’s hard to really see trends over such short time periods. The best I could find on this is that over the past 100 years or so, earthquake and volcanic activity has been relatively stable with a tiny bit of a spike between 2004-2014.

However, better instruments for detection coupled with robust media coverage may give us the impression that seismic activity is increasing. And it’s clear just by observation that our climate and weather is changing. Droughts, diseased livestock, and poor governmental planning have converged in such a way that we’re seeing a lot of food shortages.

We had an extraordinary “plague” in recent years, and if the rumors are true “they” have deadlier ones in the works.

The current situation in Israel is a very bleak indication for some that we are in “the end of days”…and that “Jesus will return”  

“Signs in the heavens” could easily include UFOS – another phenomenon we’re seeing more and more of.

Revelation: False Messiahs and the AntiChrist

One of the epithets for Jesus is “The Son of Man”

Aquarius is the sign of Man

Jesus described himself as “the light of the world”

Aquarius – as explained earlier in the post — is associated with “the divine spark of light” through the myth of Prometheus.

Interestingly, Jesus and Prometheus share another similarity:

It is believed by Christians that Jesus “died for our sins”. The Crucifix is a macabre reminder of this.

Prometheus – the creator of humankind, also suffered for his altruistic gift to humanity.

And then we have Lucifer – bringer of the light. A Fallen Angel cast out of Heaven for his rebellion of bringing knowledge to mortals.

Only, historically there is no fallen angel by that name!

Lucifer is only once mentioned in the Bible (as a Latin translation, I believe) – and as far as I can tell, this is in reference to Venus as the Morningstar:

How you have fallen from heaven,
    O Lucifer, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.

Isaiah 14:12-15

This reference to “Lucifer” is pure poetic metaphor. The Morningstar (Lucifer) is Venus. Venus can also be an evening star (Hesperus). This has to do with the position of Venus relative to the Sun. Venus is brightest as a Morningstar. She “ascends” to meet the Sun where she becomes “invisible” (brought down to the depths of the pit) and then becomes an “evening star”.

Lucifer is not Satan. But somehow over time, they were conflated due to this passage in Isaiah – which is clearly describing the fall of an oppressive ruler…and using metaphor to do so.

Jesus is said to have referred to himself as the Morningstar, in Revelation. A book believed to be written by his disciple John, many years after his death:

Revelation 22:16) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

The reason I bring this up is because of the associations between Aquarius and the myths around “bringers of light”.

Saviors, Messiahs, and Liberators are all Aquarian!

I think we will see a lot of “saviors” rise up during the time that Pluto is in Aquarius. Some could be utter psychopaths (Pluto signifies control freaks, dictators); some could have good intentions with disastrous outcomes. And some are true believers in the concept of “order out of chaos”

In Luke 12:51, Jesus says, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

Similar to Luke, Matthew 10:34 has Jesus stating, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Pluto and Uranus Out of Bounds

In 2031 – Uranus and Pluto will both be “Out of Bounds”. It is a fairly rare occurrence for either planet to go out of bounds. The last time Uranus did was 1991 — 33 years ago! As mentioned earlier, Pluto’s last time out of bounds was in 1953.

Uranus out of bounds

Both planets were out of bounds when the phenomena of UFOs exploded into the collective consciousness in the late 1940’s.

There has been an increase in UFO sightings in recent years. Could “they” be preparing us for “contact”? Perhaps “they” will come as Saviors, protecting us from ourselves.

Maybe Pluto in Aquarius will usher us into “the Galactic Federation” – or at least make us aware of the existence of civilizations beyond Earth. This would inevitably cause a massive shift in the way Earth’s governments operate and interact with each other.

“I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war and the threat of war?” 

US President Ronald Reagan, 1987

The League of Nations was transformed into the United Nations during this timeframe as well. I think we will most certainly see a huge change to the UN as well as other “humanitarian” organizations, in the coming years.

Israel – and religion in general

I think a likely reason for a change to the UN is the situation with Israel. I don’t care to open that can of worms – BUT, the UN (along with many of “our” organizations) is certainly looking a bit…impotent?

Historically, Pluto in Aquarius corresponds to major events in the history of the “big 3” Abrahamic religions:

In 39 CE Pluto was not yet in Aquarius, but it was Out of Bounds. Caligula, ordered for a statue of himself to be placed in the Jerusalem Temple, sparking outrage among Jews. This is one event that heightened tensions between the Jewish community and Roman authorities.

By 70 CE, Pluto was both out of bounds, and in the sign of Aquarius. The first Jewish Rebellion against the Roman Empire started a few years previously. 70 CE marked the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. And a dispersion of Jews from their homeland.

Pluto was in Aquarius between 60-85 CE – this was also a time of Christian persecution.

Between 305-329 CE, Constantine became the Roman Emperor and “legalized” Christianity. His policies were ambivalent regarding Judaism. The Council of Nicaea in 325 convened to define orthodoxy in Christianity, essentially reshaping the religion.

Between 550-574 CE, there is a second council of Constantinople to address controversies in Christianity, further defining what is orthodox. Justinian’s policies placed restriction on Jews from holding public office, and there were laws against “proselytization”. Talmudic academies were shut down in Palestine.

Between 795-819, there was a “golden age” for Islam – a relative newcomer religion. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad was one of the world’s largest public libraries. Education and scholarship thrived in the Christian and Jewish faiths as well. There was an increase of inter-faith interaction and dialogue – as well as tension between different groups vying for power and influence.

1041-1063 – the “Great Schism” of 1054 was a split between the Eastern (Byzantine) and Western (Latin) churches. Theological and political disputes essentially split what had been more or less a unified Christianity into 2 branches.

1286-1308 saw a rise of the Ottoman Empire, a major power in the Islamic world. The Inquisition intensified its search for heretics, with the Cathars as a primary target. Kabbalah flourished during this time, and Jews are kicked out of England and France.

Between 1532-1553 the Ottoman Empire was at the peak of its power. The Safavid Empire of Persia establishes Shi’a Islam as the religion of the State – contributing to tensions with Sunni majority Ottomans. The Protestant Reformation challenged the authority of the Catholic Church, “birthing” various Protestant denominations. Jews are pushed out of Spain.

1777-1798: The American Revolution enshrines the Separation of Church and State in its Constitution leading to the “diversification” of Protestant movements, as well as greater acceptance of other religions. The Age of Enlightenment encourages dialogue about religious belief.  Jews had their own concurrent enlightenment (Haskalah) which encouraged both a renewal of tradition and assimilation into the societies they found themselves in.

A pattern emerges of theological debate – some “friendly”, some “splitting” and expelling.

What will Pluto in Aquarius bring for the original “Big 3” this time around?

Pluto hidden agendas. Richard tarnas quote

Drain the Swamp?

Pluto in Aquarius is a time of riots, revolt, uprisings, and revolution. In America, we declared our Independence while Pluto was in the tumultuous last degrees of Capricorn – but the year prior, Pluto had entered the “Out of Bounds” zone. Just a few years later, “The American Revolution” was victorious. The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3rd, 1783 while Pluto was at 8 degrees Aquarius — and still out of bounds.

Revisiting the past, we see many uprisings during Pluto in Aquarius.

In 60-61, the British Queen, Boudicca valiantly led a rebellion against Roman rule in her homeland. Many other groups rebelled against the Roman Empire during Pluto in Aquarius periods.

Revolts and rebellions by the Welsh and Scottish under English rule happened during Pluto in Aquarius – and very interestingly, 1549 saw Kett’s Rebellion – an agrarian uprising. In recent years farmer protests have ramped up and have included India, the Netherlands…and even more recently Germany, and Romania.

The End of Pluto in Capricorn

Capricorn is a sign having to do with the government, corporations, and banking institutions. It is a sign of authority, and Pluto here creates a sort of overreach. Pluto is a control freak, and Capricornian institutions have always sought to consolidate their power during Pluto’s time here.

On the other hand – Pluto digs deep to expose. It allows us to see where things are rotten and corrupt. The slogan “Drain the Swamp” is actually a rather brilliant one when it comes to Pluto in Capricorn as Pluto has an association with stagnant waters.  

Pluto obsessions quote steven forrest

“They got the guns but we got the numbers…”

Naturally, with an Aquarian Pluto, we should be feeling fed up with our “overlords” and their power-plays.  

Pluto in Aquarius says “the people have the power.” During Pluto’s visitation to the early degrees of Aquarius, I think we will see “the people” take their power back…or at least try to.

This might not be a bloody revolution – it could be as simple as walking away. Aquarius is an air sign – it is intellectual. It is a “thinking” sign, and a “detached” sign.

If we look back to the 1960’s, we had all 7 classical planets in Aquarius at once. Later in the decade, the hippies opted out of “straight” society, and opted into intentional communities. For many, this timeframe signaled the start of the Aquarian Age due to its embrace of New Age spirituality, sexual and spiritual exploration, and the ideals of peace and freedom.

Walking away – or detaching – is one way to rebel against “the system” (Capricorn).

BUT, as we move further into Aquarius, Pluto will expose the blemishes of this sign as well.

Pluto Quote Dane Rudhyar


Pluto in Aquarius will be a time of swift transformation, reshaping our minds and societies in a flash. New realities will be forged in the blink of an eye.

Time will tell whether these changes will be for good or ill. The danger of Pluto in Aquarius is that of unchecked groupthink and mass atrocities in the name of “the collective good” — However there is also a great potential for liberation, innovation, freedom, and enlightenment!

Published: 1/18/2024

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