The Astrology of Transition
There is an air of change descending from the heavens. At this moment, the planets Saturn and Pluto both hover at 29° of their respective signs, Aquarius and Capricorn, and are poised to bring us into a new astrological era. Saturn enters Pisces on March 7th, and Pluto makes his first entrance into Aquarius on March 23rd. While Saturn will stride forward into Pisces, taking up residence in that watery realm for the next two and a half years, Pluto will dip back and forth between Aquarius 0° and Capricorn 29° for the rest of the year. The feeling is deep and powerful, and change is undeniable.
the chart of the moment at the time of writing this piece. note the positions of Saturn and Pluto at 29° of their respective signs.
The 29th Degree in Astrology
While we look ahead to great planetary shifts like these, I want to bring awareness to the power of this particular moment. The 29th degree of a sign is the final moment of energetic expression in that sign. Each zodiac sign takes up 30° of space, and planets travel from 0° to 29° in each sign of the zodiac. The 0° symbolizes a sense of newness, a fresh, pure energy, full of potency and hope. The 29° speaks to us about transition, wisdom, applying the lessons of the previous 28° to what lies ahead. Each are notable symbolic positions.
With Saturn and Pluto both at 29° of Aquarius and Capricorn, we are deeply rooted in a feeling of liminal waiting. We can be eager to see what’s next, or what lies around the corner. We can be anxious to finally move on, to get out of our own way, to find a change of pace or scenery, and that is all indeed well deserved. But first, we are asked to linger, and then contemplate, at a celestial crossroads before we proceed on our paths. In myths, protagonists were often met with a forked path, or confronted by magical creatures, like the Sphinx in the case of Oedipus, or like the centaur Nessus, in the case of Heracles, challenged to show their tenacity, their wit, and their strength in a moment of transition. There are no Sphinxes here for us, but the moment feels strangely similar—we’re paused at a critical point, and only our wisdom will carry us forward.
Pluto in Capricorn Has Changed You
Where were you in January of 2008? It was a long time ago, and life was so different than it is now on so many levels. You’ve grown up, perhaps, or radically changed. At that time, Pluto had just entered Capricorn, bringing a soul-level overhaul to whatever part of your chart is ruled by Capricorn. Pluto, named for the god of the afterlife, the psyche, transformation, obsession, control, and power, has changed you in a very specific, personal way. What comes to mind when you look at your natal chart and observe that Capricorn house? What old truths no longer stand? What expectations have shifted, and what has been exposed as untrue, unhelpful, or inauthentic?
In terms of his impact on the collective, Pluto’s time in Capricorn has sought to up-end the way we understand how power is structured, maintained, and used. Capricorn governs themes of organized resources, governments, bureaucracies, corporations, PLUTOcracies, and even financial markets. Pluto is the planet that reveals rot and hypocrisy. It’s unclear if Pluto exposes abuses of power, or facilitates them, or both, but either way, power dynamics and their deep impacts are Plutonian themes. In 2008, when I first entered college, the subprime mortgage crisis cause a market crash here in the U.S., and since then our economy has been in turmoil. At the end of Pluto’s time in Capricorn, we’re seeing the very troubling underbelly of many of our social systems, as the economy strains, the housing market is prohibitive to many, and environmental disasters become more and more newsworthy.
On a personal level, the part of your chart governed by Capricorn has been changed forever by this transit. Personal experiences with Pluto orient us to deep, authentic, real alignments with power. Pluto is the transformer, and pushes us to choose, again and again, our most brave, unapologetic self. Rather than forecast what Pluto will “do” when he enters Aquarius, I’d like to encourage everyone to reflect on what’s happened as Pluto has moved through the sea-goat’s sign. You deserve to honor and integrate those experiences, before rushing on to the next phase of life. Pluto will never touch this part of your chart again—you’ve been worked over by this planet in this house for the last time. This calls for reverence, self-compassion, self-congratulation, and lots of appreciation for how strong you are, and have become.
Saturn in Aquarius & Revolutionary Information
Saturn entered Aquarius in March of 2020, and while that journey through the sign of the water-bearer has been far shorter than Pluto’s time in Capricorn, it is still quite significant. Saturn has been in his two signs of domicile (Capricorn and Aquarius) since 2017, bringing an extreme pressure to the collective.
Saturn is our planet of time, rules, restrictions, boundaries, and responsibility. He asks us to grow up, to get over our obsession with instant gratification, and to find true maturity. Remember that Saturn was once considered an agricultural god—the element of time is crucial for any healthy garden. The slowness of Saturn forces us to learn from our mistakes, and eventually, to find masterful orientation to our own lives.
Saturn, the task-master, in Aquarius, the social organizer, was expected to bring a restructuring to things like communication, social networks, and new technologies. Much of Saturn’s time in Aquarius was colored by a series of squares to Uranus in Taurus, and many revelations around resources, the environment, our financial systems, not to mention a worldwide pandemic, were all brought to the fore. As Saturn is poised to leave Aquarius, more questions about AI are proliferating than ever, and we certainly feel like we’re staring ahead at a strange, technological future.
What has happened for you in the house in your chart governed by Aquarius since 2020? If you have your natal Saturn in Aquarius, congratulations, you’re wrapping up your Saturn return. A powerful test of entering “adulthood” has been completed, and you’ve learned so much, I’m sure. Make sure you’re taking stock of all that’s happened for you since 2020. The world has changed so much, and we are all now wiser, more aware, more alert to the importance of true community than ever before.
A Pause, Before the Change
And so as Saturn and Pluto loom large at the last degrees of these wintry signs, I encourage you to not anxiously look ahead just yet. So much of astrology asks us to forecast and fling ourselves into the future. We do this naturally as anxious humans just trying to stay on top of the wild world we live in. It’s understandable. But if I can emphasize one astrological piece of advice right now, it is this:
Considering the powerful changes that the planets have brought our way, I want to reiterate that at this time, we should reflect on what has transpired, before forcing a prediction of what’s to come. Leave room for unanswered questions, as you end important storylines that have been with you since 2008. Feel proud of the progress you’ve made on your own in challenging astrological weather. Celebrate your growth and strength. Reflect on what still deserves tending in the garden of your heart. Prune, weed out, harvest what you can. Don’t believe that inner critic who says you’re stuck. Find comfort in the transition, knowing that the universe carries you from one phase to the next with grace and compassion. Most importantly, be gentle with yourselves and the people in your lives, as we all move through this very impactful psychic, cosmic, emotional territory.
For now, know that it’s OK to not know what’s next. Digesting and appreciating the beauty of what’s transpired is where the real magic is right now, and you deserve to know it fully.
A KEY TO THE HEAVENS
Use this chart to find the themes connected with your Capricorn and Aquarius houses in your natal, to discern where change has occured over the past several years.
