If you have ever googled “when does Pluto move into Aquarius” and been mightily confused, you’re in good company. The answer is not simple and the meaning in the choreography of this series of astrological movements is difficult to grasp.
These days, the whole internet is familiar with the concept Age of Aquarius and it’s astonishing how ubiquitous discussion of Pluto’s movement into Aquarius has become. This is an indication to me that the current Pluto transit is already unlike any other. Even those who don’t consider astrology remotely useful will readily agree that we seem to be at the end of an era, on the cusp of something new that is terrifying in its strangeness and unpredictability. The old ways aren’t working and the new ways have yet to be conceived, at least by us third rock surface dwellers.
Some background: when Pluto changes signs, it takes about two years to fully transition into a new sign. Pluto moves back and forth over the cusp (the imaginary dividing line between two signs) until it ingresses far enough into the new sign that its retrograde path no longer takes it out of sign.
For example, if you were born between 1983 and 1984 like I was, your Pluto is in either the last degrees of Libra or the first degrees of Scorpio, depending on exactly where the planet was in its weave between the two signs at the hour of your birth.
The same thing is happening now between the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius. During 2023-2024, Pluto will move into Aquarius three times, regressing back into Capricorn each time except the last.
So what exactly is this multidimensional change and how is it happening to us? Let’s look at the data.
A summary of Pluto’s movements in 2023-24 including important aspects:
The first ingress and regress :
♒️ Pluto entered Aquarius for the first time on March 23, 2023, sextile the sun in Aries, square the moon and north node in Aries, and quincunx mars in the last degree of Gemini at the IC point between 3H and 4H
♒️ Turned retrograde at 0 Aqua on May 2, 2023, trine moon in Libra, square Jupiter in Aries and sextile Neptune in Pisces, still square north node
♑️ Moved back into Capricorn on June 11, 2023, sextile moon in Aries and Neptune in end of Pisces, trine mercury in Gemini (0 degree orb), opposite Venus in Leo, square Jupiter and north node in Taurus
♑️ Went direct at 27 Capricorn October 10, 2023, square mars at end of Libra, trine Uranus in Taurus, sextile Neptune in Pisces, square north node in Aries
The second ingress and regress:
♒️ Pluto will enter Aquarius again on Jan 21, 2024, conjunct sun in Aquarius (0 degree orb) and square Jupiter in Taurus (the “coronation”)
♒️ Turns retrograde at 2 Aqua on May 3, 2024, square Venus in Taurus, sextile mars in Aries and Neptune at 29 Pisces
♑️ Moves back into Capricorn on Sept 2, 2024, trine Venus in Libra and Uranus in late Taurus, quincunx Mars in Gemini (again at the IC point) and sextile Neptune
♑️ Goes direct at 29 Cap on Oct 12, 2024, square mercury in Libra, trine Uranus in Taurus, sextile Neptune in Pisces
The third and final ingress:
♒️ Enters Aqua for the third time on Nov 19, 2024, sextile sun at 28 of Scorpio, opposite moon in Cancer and mars in Leo, trine Uranus in Taurus, sextile Neptune in Pisces and north node in Aries. Here it will stay until 2043 when the dance between Aquarius and Pisces begins.
General Overview
Throughout its direct and retrograde steps, Pluto makes sextiles with objects in late Pisces and early Aries (notably Neptune) and squares with objects in late Aries / early Taurus and Libra, notably Jupiter and the north node.
At the start of the journey, we see a difficult relationship with the future, family/generational conflict—“irreconcilable differences” expressed through escalating rhetoric. In the middle of the journey, there is a brilliant coronation, a moment when the new path becomes clear for a blinding second before the atmosphere passes into tension again. But all the while the dream is held by Neptune, and at every step Pluto is guided by an unstoppable vision. The old masters may not like it, but they must accept it eventually.
What actually prompted this research is the the moment of the second ingress into Aquarius, which I referred to as a “coronation” above. This will take place on Jan 20-21, 2024 in conjunction with the sun. Let me just restate that to underscore the significance: when Pluto moves into Aquarius for the second time, it does so exactly in concert with the Sun at an orb of 0°. The sun enters Aquarius once a year and the fact that Pluto is accompanying her, within literal minutes of a degree, displays a stunning example of divine orchestration.
But extracting comprehensible meaning from this dance is… overwhelming. Instead of an analysis, I found myself constructing something more like a myth or parable about a personified Aeon—a character that represents the transition to a new age. You can picture this Aeon like card 20 of Crowley’s Thoth major arcana.
Parable of the shift of an Aeon
The new Aeon, a squalling babe, tests his mother to exhaustion and emasculates his father by supplanting him in her heart.
As he takes his first steps into the world, the young Aeon falters and turns back to his parents. His mother gives him gifts. His father hardens against him.
The young Aeon is schooled by a priestess his mother saw in a dream. His father scorns him for submitting to women. But the father is becoming aged and weak, his allies scarce.
With the power of his ancestors and the will of the people behind him, the initiated Aeon challenges his father. A debate ensues in a public forum and the father is seen by all to be unfit for rule.
The Aeon is crowned, despite his jealous father’s wishes. The people are carried away with the hope of his arrival.
His mother is ailing. The adept Aeon returns home and she passes her gifts to him. She clings to him but he must leave.
The temperate warrior Aeon offers amnesty to his father’s last remaining allies. Those who refuse the offer find themselves ostracized, sabotaged by their own people or laid siege by their neighbours.
His father is dead and the mature Aeon confronts his father’s legacy. He settles debts and frees slaves. He convenes a council for governance. He worships at the temple and receives powerful visions.
The enlightened Aeon, imbued with wisdom and needing nothing more from the world of men, leaves his land and his people. He wanders alone until he encounters strangers by the sea. They invite him onto their vessel. He boards, knowing this is his destiny.
Conclusion
I’ll leave you to ponder what that means for you as an individual, in whatever space and at whatever frequency you find yourself.
In a collective sense, we’re receiving a renewed exhortation to stop playing the pre-built fantasy game of consumer-driven wish fulfillment and surrender to a higher expression of being. Call it Christ consciousness or the buddhi mind or whatever else you fancy. This is the realm where our galactic friends and family dwell, and we are building a bridge.
