Pluto Ingress into Capricorn 2008

Pluto, Capricorn and Initiation

     The planet of power entering the sign of power and initiation for the next 17 years (until 2023-4), will see Humanity go through a major planetary crisis. The 250 year (Phoenix) cycle of Pluto in Capricorn carries the great danger of power hungry tyrants that want to rule and take over the world, versus an awakening Humanity, who through the power of transformation, have the opportunity to reclaim their lost power and walk through the purifying fires of initiation.

This planetary crisis represents the culmination of many lesser crises that have been slowly building through Pluto’s transit in the previous sign of Sagittarius - particularly in the field of fundamentalist religions.

Sagittarius represents the ideas that are wrestled from the mind of god and expressed through the highest human ideals. Pluto’s transit through this sign has brought about a great regeneration and rearrangement of ideas and philosophical thought whilst conspicuously intensifying a rigid adherence to old religious traditions.

The arrow of Sagittarius that has pierced and precipitated the higher fiery clouds of thought now returns to imbed itself into the earth of Capricorn. Capricorn’s work now is to take what has transpired, codifying and consolidating it into new ethics and principles (laws), that can be followed within the social milieu.

Both Pluto and Capricorn are closely related to the theme of initiation, the expanding degrees of awareness that are achieved over many lifetimes. Pluto rules the first ray of will or power and Capricorn expresses this ray very potently.

Pluto is the Lord of the Underworld, symbol of the unredeemed psyche and the burning ground of the candidate who must run the gauntlet of testings for initiation:

”Two of the other non-sacred planets—Mars and Pluto—function in connection with the sacral centre (Mars) and the solar plexus (Pluto). This latter planet becomes active in the life of the man who is "becoming alive in the higher sense, his lower nature passes into the smoke and darkness of Pluto, who governs the lesser burning ground, in order that the man may live in truth in the higher land of light." [1]

Capricorn is symbolized by the northern hemisphere winter solstice, the darkest time of the year – where spirit finds its deepest incarnation into matter. Pluto represents the underworld (the unconscious) whilst Capricorn is the mountaintop of spiritual (or material) achievement, hence Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn brings these two poles together, dragging that which lays submerged into the light of day. Ultimately Pluto resurrects the ‘slain self’ upon the single horn of the unicorn at the mountain summit. The unicorn is the transformed goat of Capricorn where the duality of heaven and hell is transcended and all that remains is ‘is-ness’ or ‘being’:

”… the Scapegoat, in the wilderness, redeems … the sacred Goat that merges in the Unicorn and lifts impaled upon his golden horn the vanquished form—in these the mystery lies hid." [2]

Pluto is the Lord of Death whilst Capricorn is a sign of death. The tenth sign represents perfection and the mountain summit symbolizes the end of the journey or completion. Capricorn also represents crystallization and Pluto is its destroying agent. In this immanent cycle, Humanity will probably see the best and worst outcomes of the various expressions of Pluto in Capricorn:

 The Pluto ingress chart has been set for New York as it is a major planetary centre for the Western nations. There are three such charts for the ingress as Pluto goes retrograde and direct throughout 2008. However the first ingress gives some of the best indications.

Pluto, the Cusp of the Aquarian Age and the USA

The cusp of any astrological age is around 500 years and two of Pluto’s complete orbits of 248 years each, corresponds to this figure. The cusp of the Age of Aquarius started around the time of the American and French revolutions, the discovery of Uranus and the dawn of the Industrial Age in the late 1700’s.

Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn was in 1762, a period that saw a lot of dissatisfaction brewing between America and Britain, finally culminating in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Britain tried to discipline its American child and found that it had grown into an independent adolescent that was not fond of taking orders and more capable of governing itself. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, transiting Pluto  was conjunct Benjamin Franklin’s Sun (in Capricorn) and Jefferson’s Uranus.

Much of the dissatisfaction then was over taxes, money, power and control and there is no reason why the same themes will not predominate in this current cycle; it might now be the rest of the world seeking to escape from the USA’s control!

Transiting Pluto played a critical role in destroying the values of the old world, leaving its mark in the USA horoscope: Pluto in Capricorn; hence this nation will be going through its first ‘Pluto return’ relatively soon, in 2022. Pluto opposes Mercury in the USA chart:

”Mercury  opposite Pluto  can make for a very persuasive argument and at its extreme, bring much force and pressure on others to conform.

One of the worst traits of Pluto  in the second house is the enormous financial institutions and corporations that have selfishly cornered much of the nation’s wealth, with the Cancerian tendency to hoard and hold onto. This intense materialisation inherent in the Capricorn -Cancer  axis is a major challenge for this nation to transcend. It is what makes America  hated and envied by some foreign nations and religious traditions.

On the other hand, Mercury  opposite Pluto  can give great insight and probing into the unseen and subtle realms, hence an ideal aspect for those pioneering the intuitive sciences.” [3]

Pluto Ingress Chart: Stellium of Planets in Aquarius

Therefore, just as Pluto’s transit through Capricorn in the 1700’s led to revolution, the same could occur again in this cycle - the world is overdue for it. The sign and planet most intimately associated with revolution is Aquarius and Uranus.

In the Capricorn ingress chart for 2008 (January 25, 9.37 pm, N.Y.), there are several planets in Aquarius: Sun, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury and the north node. Hence Pluto on its second 250 year cycle brings a potent pattern of Aquarian revolution for Humanity.

With these kind of planetary placements, there is much opportunity for Humanity to learn deeper co-operation with one another, learning what true Aquarian group work is all about. There will also be much dissension with the existing status quo and very obvious disparities between the old ways of doing things and their need for drastic overhaul. These many planets in Aquarius will also foster a greater humanitarianism, philanthropy and a spirit of right relations.

Pluto Ingress: Libra Rising

Libra is the Peacemaker and seeks justice and fairness for all. Libra’s ruler Venus is also placed in Capricorn, very close to Pluto, guaranteeing some intense transformations in planetary relationships. Venus is the hierarchical ruler of Capricorn, relating to the great ‘Mystery of Makara’, or the relation between the solar and lunar angels (soul and body).

Pluto is associated with the probing and revealing of the great mysteries, and perhaps in this next 250 year cycle, something major may be revealed to humanity. It has for instance, been prophesied by the Master D.K. that the fear and mystery around death will disappear in the next couple of hundred years.

Also conjoining Venus and Pluto is Jupiter in Capricorn. Exoterically all these planets in Capricorn can increase human greed and avarice where the love of money (and fear of not having it) reaches new depths. (Hence the financial crashes mentioned earlier.) However, esoterically Jupiter is the ruler of the second ray of Love-Wisdom and holds an interesting position in Capricorn, around the themes of love and material things:

” Jupiter … falls in this sign. This fall must be studied from two angles, for Jupiter in its lowest aspect gives the fulfilment of desire and satisfied demand, whilst in its highest Jupiter is the outgoing expression of love, which attracts magnetically to itself that which is desired—this time the good of the whole. In Capricorn, therefore, Jupiter reaches its lowest point of expression in the densest material aspect, and then—as love and selflessness triumph—this lowest aspect vanishes and disappears. It is to the "fall" of the highest aspect that the symbolism refers, and then later to the fall or disappearance of all that is base and low. Love is fallen and blinded when desire is rampant; desire vanishes when love triumphs. Neptune is often spoken of as falling in this sign and for the same reasons … both fall in Capricorn, when the Christ life and consciousness come to full fruition.” [4]

As Libra relates to the theme of money (as do these three planets), it seems that this will be one of the major crises that Pluto will trigger. The world is primed for an economic meltdown, something that started happening a few days before the Pluto ingress into Capricorn. As detailed in the above table:

Libra Soul Ruler, Uranus

Uranus, soul ruler of Libra and personality ruler of Aquarius, acts as a pivotal point or bridge between the personality and the soul of the chart. Its placement in Pisces represents a conflict between the discriminating, analytical, critical Western mind (Virgo) on the one hand, and the cultivation of acceptance and unconditional love (Pisces) on the other.

In this fifth branchrace of the fifth subrace of the Fifth Rootrace (5.5.5) where mind has been developed to the ‘nth degree’, the cultivation of these Piscean qualities are one of the best things Humanity can learn from this departing age. Nevertheless, the critical and separative aspect of Virgo has been potently energised these past 500 years; it constitutes the ‘dweller’ or shadow of this Fifth Rootrace. Quoting from an essay about Uranus in Pisces:

“Therefore, Uranus ’ passage into Pisces  may signify a far more occult  approach to consciousness unfoldment, through for instance meditation , telepathy  or mediumistic inspiration. It is the task of the more advanced Pisces to be a mediator between the unconscious and conscious, as opposed to being a medium. The difference is one of mental polarisation instead of the emotional, the watery Pisces’ point of least resistance.
... With the planet of technology (Uranus ) in the sign of artistic expression (Pisces ), the world may seem some unusual and original art  forms birthed …
As Uranus  is the planet of occultism (the science of the unseen), its passage through Pisces  (the sign of mysticism), may see some glimpses of the unique new groups to emerge in the coming Age of Aquarius .
Uranus  moving through Pisces  may signal the start of some major breakthroughs in the Science of Esoteric Psychology …
One of the major healing  keys with Uranus  in this last sign of Pisces  is Liberation through releasing the mental and emotional influences of the past. Uranus is also about unique self-expression and yet Pisces is about non-ego and in some case non-identity! There exists therefore, a certain tension in maintaining these pairs of opposites . Uranus is also about serving the greater good, and Pisces about sacrifice in selfless service, therefore the combination of both may stimulate the world to look after its bereft and downtrodden a little better. There may be more compassion expressed for some nations and groups, applied with the salve of Love-Wisdom (the Second Ray ), one of the major rays to pour through Pisces.” [5]

Pluto for Capricorns: Races and Nations

Those with the Sun in Capricorn will obviously be going through some major renovations, individually and collectively. The Jewish Race is a Capricorn personality and a first ray soul, so Pluto’s ingress to Capricorn will have a profound effect upon them.

It may well signal the rising of anti-Jewish feeling in  the world but also the resolution of long-standing problems; they may well have to traverse their racial ‘underworld’ in order to transform the Jewish character, especially in relation to the ‘Scapegoat’ of Capricorn and other sterotypes. This may well have a profound effect in Israel where one third of the world’s Jewish population live and are engaged in ongoing conflicts with the Palestinians.

Australia is also a Capricorn personality (as is Greece, India, Japan, Spain, Austria, Brussels and Paris), and Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn occurs on Australia Day, January 26^th! All of the above nations will go through some torrid times no doubt, as Pluto reveals the hidden, forcing these entities to look at themselves and what is in need of transformation.

Some very dark and ugly revelations may emerge and the point of least resistance for many of these Capricorn personalities (who are not necessarily that integrated or mature), will be to default to the power aspect of Pluto and Capricorn and exercise total ruthlessness. India and Japan may be two nations in particular to monitor in this respect.

There is much in the world in need of desperate change and it seems in many areas that this change is not happening quickly enough for many reasons: Humanitarian, economic, political, social etc. Pluto in Capricorn will force these needed changes whether we are ready for them or not. Bring it on!

© Phillip Lindsay 2008.