Pluto was first discovered when it was in the sign of Cancer, where it started its journey in 1913, just before World War I (WWI). After WWI the power factions in for instance Russia were in complete disarray, first after the collective murder of the entire family of the Tsar, and the rebellion of the suppressed nation; the result was thorough and lasting, a true Pluto action. Pluto remained in the sign Cancer for 25 years while the European world, its countries' boundaries, its empires, were being ravaged. The power of the aristocracy and monarchies belonged to a previous zodiacal cycle of Pluto a completely new cycle of power had started the power of the "common people" (Cancer). In a way, it's easy to compare the sign Cancer to the fourth house, especially when mundane astrology or the 'astrology of the world' is being discussed. Toward the end of Pluto's sojourn in Cancer, the forerunners of the Second World War (WWII) could be noticed, a time in which a dictatorial demagogue (Pluto) tried to control the masses (Cancer) who didn't shun collective murder of those who in past times were thought to have had power.
In Western Europe the passage of Pluto through "the fourth house" of the mundane chart thus correlated with the rumbling of wars, although WWII did not truly start until Pluto entered Leo
In 1937/1938 Pluto began a 20-year period in the sign Leo. If we divide the horoscope circle in eight phases - like the Moon's eight phases- one can compare 0 degrees Cancer with a New Moon, a moment at which all is still unaware and the fundament of the entire following cycle needs to be build first - or shaken up as was the case with Pluto when it was in the lowest 'house' of the world's horoscope. The most dramatic period coincided with the point 0 degrees Cancer - 15 degrees Leo, for after that point, when Pluto had arrived in the next (waxing) phase of its total cycle - after WWII -, renewed building and a collective baby boom started. Of course 'children' also fall under the sign Leo.
After Pluto's ravaging at the lowest point in this western "world's horoscope", when for instance weapons were discovered for mass destruction (the atom bomb), Pluto began to proceed upwards in the world's horoscope, rebuilding from the 15 degrees Leo point or, putting this differently, from the first semisquare of Pluto toward the turning point, the first square, at 0 degrees Libra.
The second phase thus started at the first semi-square and finished when Pluto reached the point of the square.i.e. at 0 degrees Libra. Rebuilding was continued during this entire period; people worked very hard, and the nations (Cancer, with which it all started) achieved more and more power over their destinations. Power and money go together, and people continued to earn more to spend. Around the 1960s earnings became higher still, and slowly but surely the people who in a previous Pluto cycle were suppressed, began to earn enough money to obtain power and, ultimately, also status.
Thus, while Pluto travelled through the first quadrant of the new cycle -which started at 0 degrees Cancer- a total turn-around of the powers that were took place. In Russia and Eastern Europe a new dictatorship had risen: that of the people's collectives with a lot of mutual espionaging going on. The time had arrived for the next phase, namely the one from 0 degrees Libra to 0 degrees Capricorn, from about 1971 - 2008. Halfway through this quarter-cycle this new dictatorship in Eastern Europe would start to fall as well, with Pluto in the 8th sign (Scorpio), midway in this second quadrant from 0 Libra to 0 Capricorn.
Matters concerning Pluto often appear to be bloody events, but alltogether it seems that we are in a Pluto-cycle during which "the people" no longer are suppressed.
Right now we have reached the end of this 'waxing' phase of Pluto, halfway through the horoscope's zodiacal circle. During the latter part of Sagittarius we notice that all over the world people hanker after safety, certainty and freedom, and wherever in the world people still are suppressed, they want to escape to the free West, which by now feels nearly inundated by the suppressed of other countries.
What will happen when Pluto will reach yet another new quadrant? To stay with the Moon cycle terminology, this will start in 2008 when the waxing phase has finished and the waning phase starts, i.e. the Full Moon point.
On January 26, 2008, Pluto will move into Capricorn for the first time, to then travel retrograde into the tail end of Sagittarius between June 14 and November 27 of that year. From November 27, 2008, Pluto will stay in Capricorn for 15/16 years 2008-2024.
The increase of population is now at its peak, and if Cancer means birth and Pluto is -of course- the most important and collectively strong factor, we may presume that this increase will last until 2008 and will decrease thereafter! Because unfortunately, the populationgrowth creates tremendous problems in Western Europe, living space (Sagittarius) becomes smaller and smaller, with the result that collective migrations are now taking place, looking for space and individual possibilities to expand. The population growth keeps demanding more and more regulations for the simple reason that we, 'the people', can't always cope with the concept of freedom and misuse our planet and the still open spaces so badly because we're still fighting for our own safety, thereby endangering the safety of others and of nature itself. Pluto is now still in the quadrant of 'mutual relations' between people (Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius), but the planet will move into a more collective quadrant (Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces) - the quadrant which asks us 'how will we all find a space that keeps us individual yet together; how will the world work it out on a grander scale?'.
A new kind of suppression is noticeable already the suppression by rules that are imposed upon us by outside forces, the authorities (Capricorn). It is also possible for us, individuals, to try if we can work with fewer rules by using our own disciplines better, by taking responsibility ourselves, as members of 'the people'.
Action is always followed by reaction. Whenever we take too much freedom individually, without regard for others, there will be a reaction. This may be imposed upon us by the ruling powers. During the sign Cancer the people murdered these rulers in order to claim power for themselves.
Now the people (that is, 'we') have gained power and occupy positions of political influence and authority. Will these same authorities this time be killed in a hostile manner, or will the people (we) show that we can handle individual freedom by actually accepting responsiblity?
Responsibility or rule? Rules originate when people don't take personal reponsibility; where there is chaos rules need to be created in the interest of the collective safety. Whenever we accept personal resonsibility, we'll need far less rules. Will it become possible during the Pluto in Capricorn period to have global governments that are formed by us, i.e., governments we personally created - apart from a collective new global dictatorship (also created by us) which will impose all sorts of laws and rules? The promise Pluto in Capricorn gives us is not at all a bad one - but are people capable of listening to their inner voice, or will they only take liberties and permit themselves to do as they like, at the cost of others? That is the question. Can we, "the people" who wanted the power in fact handle power? That is the question. This is always the question when Pluto occupies the tenth house of an individual's chart; power and the lack of it in relation to our social status are the order of the day in such cases. This theme exists because Pluto tries to use power in a pure, clean way, NOT at others' expense. Will it become possible to observe that our global governments will show far more prudence? - that people will take reponsibility for their own actions? - (just listening to our inner voice and our conscience should be sufficient) - so that all the objectionable rules will no longer be necessary? We will be tested from 2008 onward, and to begin with we might experience lots of noise and violence before we finally understand and can put it in practice - for Pluto is not a surgeon who leaves festering wounds. On the contrary should wounds occur they will be noticeable and they will cry out to be cleaned.
What can we do as individuals, when we are powerless and feel bullied by the collective powers? Just this: bring the power back to where it belongs - to ourselves. We, as people, have no power over circumstances beyond us, no matter how much we try to attain omnipotence to cover our fears. All we have is power over our own reactions and our inner life. Every individual is able to make a difference in this world. Our inner voice is far more important than any dictatorship - no matter whether this is a dictatorship of the times, of fashion, of status, or of entire global governments. Let's free ourselves of the dictatorship of status, of striving and distancing ourselves from ourselves. Take the power back and keep it with you; lead your life in harmony with your inner self, with nature and the people around you. Let's busy ourselves with all this rather than perish in the maelstrom of the collective force of social status, positions and powerful respectively powerless relations. We are in a prolonged Pluto cycle in which we must learn how to handle power, a cycle in which individuals ultimately need to be free to be their own self, without this happening at others' expense. Pluto in Capricorn appears to be the culmination of what was happening during Pluto in Cancer, when the planet was discovered and showed us that power belonged to the people. The people, that's us, you and me and all the others. Can we create a better world with Pluto in Capricorn by showing that we need fewer rules from the outside world and simply listen to our inner rules - the rules we all possess anyway?
We haven't reached that point yet in the coming year Pluto will first be making a conjunction with the Galactic Centre (at 26 degrees Sagittarius). In 2008, times will have changed again, and personally I definitely feel I'm still in the Pluto-in- Sagittarius phase, so that I cannot do better than speculate what will occupy us in the future. Still, astrology shows us in theory which themes will become of importance. It is evident that from 1995, when Pluto began its journey through Sagittarius, a huge revival of near "obligatory success" in the world took place. Sagittarius is rather expansive, very enthusiastic and full of vision. The economy continued to exist by the grace of all sorts of slogans regarding visions of the future that, for a great deal, rested on pantomime and balderdash. All this took place in a world full of advertisements of succesful power brokers making telephone calls in the streets for instance. Reality will overtake them all from 2008 on. I will be breathing with considerable more ease when all this economic coaching and all the balderdash about huge sums of money will become more realistic. However, I will also sadly say farewell to that part of the period Pluto-in-Sagittarius that brought us a great stimulant for meeting other peoples, other cultures, much travel, and the adventures of new worlds.
Living 'in the Now' is really better suited to Pluto in Capricorn than to Pluto in Sagittarius, for Now we live in the Future (Sagittarius). Capricorn is Time itself. Collectively we will be living in the Now more and more our future depends on it. The past and its abuse of power will certainly be brought to light and cleaned up, but unrealistic visions of the future will also belong to the past.
We will handle the principle of living in the Now better; day after day we need to be aware of how we regard the world using our own reponsibility rather than someone else's, which is helpful to others. By the year 2008 I will start living in the Now, and I'll be discovering how this feels, this new period with Pluto in a new sign and in a new quadrant. My quess is that it won't be easy-going during the first few years as large 'tension aspects' will occur with Uranus, Saturn and Pluto in the cardinal signs in 2010. The world will change, that's a certainty.
Hopefully we will witness large corporations, so powerful now and misusing these powers, (and made up from the people who took over the power at the beginning with Pluto in the "fourth" house) go under in favour of a better use of power. A better use which is not at the cost of others, and which will show more responsibility for the environment in which we live and which we share with each other, and this will not depend on outside factors, but on us. Our status might become ruined, but that is 'only' ego.
Our soul will want to express itself and will call for us to join our inner being so that we will be able to stand strong and whole in the outside world - not with a false status, not under the yoke of leaders or even boards and committees busy only with attaining status. Actually, 'status' will be out of fashion once Pluto will be in Capricorn ... ah, what a liberation!
http://www.astrologie.ws/plutocp.htm
