Is the patriarchy taking its last gasps? As Draconian reproductive laws are instituted, and zealous wars intensify, that sure doesn’t seem to be the case. Yet, astrologers are visualizing this fate in our metaphoric crystal balls. The reason for this bold prediction? In a word, Pluto.
Since its discovery by telescope in 1930, Pluto has earned its place in astrological lore as the cosmic force of power, alchemy, mystery, and control. The icy, far-out dwarf planet became known during a time of global upheaval, just before the Great Depression and on the brink of World War II. From death to rebirth, destruction to regeneration, Pluto has been given domain over our most intense transitions. Because it’s so far away in space, it also governs things that are hard to see: secrets, scandals, hidden power structures.
What does this have to do with the patriarchy, you ask? For the past 16 years, Pluto has been on a shadowy trek through authoritative Capricorn, the zodiac sign associated with government, banks, big business, and father figures (i.e. patriarchs). Ever since, it’s lifted the veil on some insidious truths.
Way back in 2008, Pluto marked its entrance into Capricorn with a massive mortgage crisis. Banks needed to be bailed out by the government, and the economy essentially crashed. But there was a glimmer of hope, too. The United States elected its first Black president, Barack Obama; the spirit of change was in the air.
Ah, but Pluto can be a trickster. The work was clearly not done; there was much more to be dredged up around toxic masculinity, in fact. The #MeToo movement went viral in 2017, bringing shocking takedowns of powerful men who seemed formerly impervious to reproach.
In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe and states stripped women of their reproductive rights. The same year, a groundbreaking revolt broke out in Iran, a response to the horrific death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the “morality” police. Women cut and burned their hair in the streets, and men protested alongside them. While this movement did not topple the regime, it did reveal the depths of global outrage at patriarchal oppression.
As Pluto makes its grand exit from Capricorn this November 19, we are a long way from being free of male-dominated systems and the powers behind them. But the cloak of invisibility has been lifted. This 16-year cycle has pulled back the curtain on how power operates. After November 19, Pluto won’t return to Capricorn for basically 250 years, but it’s certainly leaving its fingerprints behind.
What comes next? The answer lies in Pluto’s upcoming journey through Aquarius, a sign of revolution, innovation, and the collective. From November 19 to Jan. 19, 2044, Pluto will ignite a new era of transformation, one that could radically redefine power structures and usher in a future where equality and freedom take center stage.
While that might seem like a far-off ideal, Pluto has been known to deliver extreme shifts when it enters a new sign. While Capricorn clings to tradition, Aquarius is all about breaking free from convention and embracing the future.
The last time Pluto moved through Aquarius was from 1778 to 1798, and the world went through seismic shifts, from the American Revolution to the French Revolution. This era also dovetailed with the early days of the Industrial Revolution, which completely changed how societies functioned as we replaced farmed and handcrafted goods with machine-made and processed ones.
Pluto’s return to Aquarius could usher in another wave of societal transformation, and astrologers already feel it brewing. There could be a push toward systems that are more egalitarian, tech-driven, and inclusive as we move away from top-down structures to a more collective, grassroots energy.
Aquarius doesn’t follow norms—it encourages us to break away from what’s expected. Gender roles, relationship models, and even how we define success could all undergo radical transformation. By the time Pluto moves on to spiritual, fantasy-fueled Pisces in 2044, society may be divided by a totally new subset of categories, ones that don’t have much to do with gender at all.
Still, in this golden age of digital developments, we can’t help but feel unprepared for what this next Pluto cycle will bring. Or maybe we should say, reveal. The best we can do is go in with eyes open.
As Aquarian astronomer and polymath Galileo (born Feb. 15, 1564) said, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered.”
“The point,” he continued, “is to discover them.”