Pluto in Aquarius: Technocratic Dystopia or Decentralized Utopia?

With Pluto moving into Aquarius for the next twenty years (holy crap!), astrologers are predicting everything from an AI-run technocratic dystopia to a decentralized “New Age” utopia.

I’m here to tell you that both are possible and likely to occur together while Pluto is transiting the contrarian sign of Aquarius.

How is that possible?

You see, Pluto works in extremes. The planet of the underworld represents the essence of polarity. As a rule, Pluto brings about personal and societal transformation marked by the most empowering highs and the most turbulent and emotionally intense of all lows.

Pluto exposes corruption and negativity that’s long been hidden or ignored. Pluto also creates laser-focused energy that, when acted upon by the collective will, helps dismantle the old worn-out ways of the past in favor of something new.

In the case of Pluto in Aquarius, I believe we’ll see both Plutonian realities. We’ll see the exposure and subsequent doubling-down of the “shadow side” of technological advancement. This will bring with it the dawning of a new technocratic state marked by ever-increasing surveillance and decreasing privacy under the guise of what’s best for the group and what’s deemed necessary in the name of “progress.”

We’ll likely also see an increased pull toward a new type of collective individualism that stresses the importance of community and the individual rights of each person, without one being viewed as exceptionally more important than the other. And, of course, with Aquarius in the mix, “decentralization” will soon become far more than just a buzzword.

By the conclusion of this transit, our reality will look markedly different from today's world. We’ll live in a society far removed from our current structure and deeply immersed in technology, the likes of which we’ve never dreamed of.

The Great Transformer

Pluto is the underworld planet of death and rebirth that exposes the seedy underbelly of the archetypal energy of the sign it’s impacting. With Pluto in the mix, the darkest influences and experiences can no longer be shrouded in obscurity or secrecy. Once exposed, there’s often a corresponding “doubling down” on that which is toxic—a desperate attempt to hold on to what’s crumbling due to psychological and emotional attachments that have little to do with the real-time value of the situation, relationship, or institution that’s falling away.

In modern astrology, Pluto is known as the “Great Transformer.” It rules death, rebirth, transmutation and the alchemical process. Pluto is the destroyer of old worlds and the builder of new ones. Its energy forces us to face toxicity and purge anything and everything that no longer serves its original purpose. While the process of surrender can be excruciating, once Pluto’s finished its work, it demands a clean break. After the rubble is cleared away, Pluto empowers us to create something more aligned with our true needs and desires.

Pluto transits bring about themes of power and control, both collectively and individually. Wherever Pluto visits, it exposes who has the power and exactly how they wield it.

Power To The People or Power Changing Hands?

The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was from 1777-1798, just after the onset of the American Revolution. During this time, we saw the French stand up in support of the New World against the British, the ratification of the Articles of Confederation (the first US Constitution), the subsequent birth of the first modern-day Democratic Republic, and the start of the French Revolution.

With Pluto in Aquarius, it seems grass-roots rebellion is inevitable.

Many view this historical evidence as proof that Pluto in Aquarius will put power back into the hands of “the people” and, while that will surely be the intention of any impending revolution, what this example actually supports is that power will be re-distributed into the hands of different people.

While a representative government is a big step in the right direction versus a monarchy or dictatorship, as we conclude the United States of America’s first Pluto return, who really holds the power?

So You Say You Want A Revolution? 

Pluto’s entry into Aquarius marks the beginning of a social and cultural revolution where theories and ideals once considered “fringe” move to the front and center of our collective consciousness. It’s a time when those exiled from the mainstream for their “alternative” viewpoints will eventually become vindicated. At the same time, the establishment and consensus rule-followers will, in turn, be the ones who are exiled.

Capricorn is all about hierarchy and social convention. That’s why Pluto in Capricorn strengthened the plutocratic pecking order, where fewer and fewer elite individuals and massive corporations consolidated more and more power and control over our everyday reality. Pluto’s transit through the sign of the systems, rules and regulations also made it abundantly clear exactly how much power government and corporate institutions have.

While Capricorn and Aquarius share the same stern planetary ruler, Aquarius operates in a way that is uniquely unconventional and non-hierarchical. Rules and systems under Pluto in Aquarius have more significant potential to benefit the many rather than just an elite few. We must also remember that what’s best for the “majority” isn’t necessarily what’s best for all concerned.

Pluto’s transit through Aquarius may bring a time when personal freedom will merge with collectivism to create a new, hybrid system that recognizes the importance of what’s good for the group without also demanding excessive individual sacrifice and martyrdom—or it may not.

It’s difficult to say precisely what the resulting societal structure will look like on the other side of this influence. However, we can be reasonably confident that the power and control systems will become less centralized, at the very least.

Weird Science

Aquarius is the sign of eccentricity, cultivating outside-of-the-box, genius-level ideas and innovations. Pluto in Aquarius can bring extreme shifts in the direction of our current technology and new inventions that alter the course of our society. Notable Pluto-in-Aquarius inventions from past cycles include the steamboat, the battery, the bicycle, the first-ever inoculation, and the cotton gin. This time around, in the age of social media, AI, Web3, robotics and cryptocurrency… who truly knows where this will all lead?

Aquarius governs electricity and the internet and could bring about a time when we become starkly aware of our total dependence on both things. Everything from grid failures and EMPs to discovering a new way of cultivating energy is possible under this influence.

With Aquarius ruling astronomy and aerospace travel, this era could see humans reaching new cosmic heights! Landing a man on Mars, interstellar space travel, and other feats of engineering previously believed to be impossible suddenly won’t seem far-fetched.

True to its revelatory nature, Pluto will also expose the dark side of scientific discovery and manipulation, along with the nefarious use of newfound technologies. With Pluto in Aquarius, scientific rigidity and dogma will reign supreme and topics involving the scientific disciplines may become increasingly polarizing.

Pluto in Aquarius marks a time of unprecedented technological innovation where the benefits and the drawbacks of our current technological advancements will become abundantly clear and impossible to ignore. This newfound discernment around our use of technology is likely to spark profound changes and significant scientific advances that aim to correct our past mistakes that are intended for the betterment of humanity.

Pluto in Aquarius: The Main Events

March-June 2023: Pluto’s First Dip into Aquarius 

Beginning on March 23rd, Pluto will take its first teeny-tiny dip into the enigmatic sign of Aquarius until June 11th, 2023. This is a major activation of the Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in December 2020. Remember the wildly unprecedented shifts in our society and collective culture in 2020-2021 while this energy was most active? The fresh results of those changes will be triggered and exposed during this time.

This first dip into Aquarius will also provide a powerful preview of the Pluto-in-Aquarius societal changes and personal themes that we can expect to intensify after Pluto moves fully into the humanitarian sign of progress and innovation on November 19th, 2024.

2026-2028: Uranus in Gemini Trines Pluto

This will be the birth of a new technological “Golden Age.” During this period, we’ll be more easily able to determine what’s what with our use of technology in its current state and make innovations and adjustments that set us off on an unusual, yet positive, new path. Uranus trine Pluto will be mainly centered around communication technologies and scientific discoveries, facilitating genuine human connection and a more remarkable ability to share original ideas benefitting humanity.

In Gemini, Uranus in trine with Pluto could substantially impact Social Media, profoundly transforming how we engage with others in the internet age.

2028-2029: Saturn in Taurus Squares Pluto

Saturn in Taurus will have a re-stabilizing effect following the lengthy de-stabilization era of Uranus-in-Taurus, which created a new level of strangeness that shook up everything from our economy to our food supply. But getting there will require Saturnian sacrifice 

We can expect crackdowns on how we utilize the internet and new technology as we reach the end of the seemingly positive technological revolution brought on by Uranus in trine with Pluto. New rules, regulations, and punishments may be imposed on cyber-criminals and everyday people who use the internet to push back against a system growing increasingly more technocratic.

This transit will likely bring a crisis and call-to-action for Millennials and Boomers due to the T-Square Saturn & Pluto forming with the Pluto placements for these generations.

2031: Saturn in Gemini Trines Pluto

Saturn in Gemini solidifies and stabilizes the new advancements in global communication technologies in 2026-2028 during the Uranus trine to Pluto. This transit also brings a re-stabilization and harmonization after the Saturn-square-Pluto crisis of 2028-2029.

2033: Jupiter Conjuncts Pluto

The last two Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions have brought about massive redistributions of wealth, the likes of which our modern society has rarely, if ever, seen before. On a societal level, this could bring more of the same.

Personally, this transit could fuel intensity around freedom and profoundly dramatic transformation across many areas of our lives! For those being impacted most directly, this empowering Plutonian energy will expand on our deepest desires. Once a Pluto transformation is made, there’s no returning to how things once were. Bridges will be burned, but the end result will be a more meaningful and aligned life.

2035-2036: Saturn in Leo Opposes Pluto

This transit marks the culmination point of what was seeded at the time of the last exact Saturn-Pluto conjunction back in 2020 when both planets were transiting the restrictive sign of Capricorn. Saturn brings a reap-what-you’ve-sewn type of energy, and Pluto’s exacting nature refuses to keep the shameful details of our past exploitations buried. Much of what comes to pass on a personal and societal level throughout the period surrounding Saturn’s opposition to Pluto will directly reflect how we handled the Saturn-square-Pluto crisis of 2028-2029.

For those who dove right in and took responsibility for their response to the crisis, this opposition should be nothing to fear. For those who took a less direct approach or created an even bigger catastrophe, now’s the time to face those demons.

Just as the Saturn square to Pluto that came before it, the opposition will impact Millennials and Boomers more intensely, especially those Pluto-in-Leo Boomers. During this time, the Millennials will reach their “midlife crisis” transits while the Boomer generation will be approaching their one-and-only Uranus return. For more on the primary planetary cycles impacting each stage of life, check out this webinar series.

2041: Saturn in Libra Trines Pluto 

This transit brings a final re-stabilization and harmonization period after the Saturn-opposing-Pluto regrouping and crisis culmination period of 2035-2036. This is where the changes of the last 18 years are solidified before we enter the next big Pluto transit through Pisces.

January 19th, 2044: Pluto Leaves Aquarius

By the time Pluto leaves Aquarius to enter fully into Pisces, the world as we know it will likely be unrecognizable. We’ll have undergone a major societal crisis and transformation with personal implications that will change each and every one of us.

This Pluto in Aquarius transit will have forced us to view the world differently, to take stock of what’s truly important, and to put greater thought into how our actions impact not just us in the here and now but everyone and everything in this world for generations to come.

Regardless of where we end up, I think that last bit will make the journey worthwhile.

Written by Heather Eland

©2023 Astrology with Heather—All Rights Reserved