This article is about the Pluto Return of the United States, which will include a review of the recent astrological events of Pluto in Capricorn for the United States, which includes the development of the pandemic for this country. First it’s important to define the symbology of Pluto, its planetary behavior, and its location in the United States’ second house of Capricorn.

WHAT DOES PLUTO IN CAPRICORN REPRESENT FOR THE UNITED STATES?

Pluto’s orbit is the longest of all the zodiacal planets- about 248 years. When Pluto completes a full orbit around the zodiac, it is called a Pluto Return. Annually, it moves in reverse for about half of the year and progresses forward during the other half. When a planet begins to move backward it is “stationing retrograde” and when a planet begins to move forward it is “stationing direct”. Planetary retrograde periods symbolize revisiting, reflection, and reconsidering things associated with that planet. Planets in direct motion symbolize an ability to move forward and break new ground. Since it moves the slowest, Pluto is only able to progress a couple of degrees each year. It takes Pluto anywhere from 12-30 years to move through each sign of the zodiac based on varying speeds.

Pluto is the planet of power and control, corruption, obsession, devastation, and resurrection. As a generational planet, Pluto is associated with anything that impacts an entire generation. It can be the effects of a powerful influence, which is why it’s associated with persuasion or even “going viral”. It can also signify hidden truths, exposing secrets, investigations, the ability to exercise agency, and the underworld. The concept of death and rebirth is the most common signification of Pluto.

The sign of Capricorn represents material achievement, business, systematic regulation, government authorities, monetary support, and economic structures. It also represents being cautious, conservative, serious, and patient. Capricorn is the planet of tradition, long-term strategy, and the urge to produce tangible results.

Furthermore, in the birth chart of the United States, this degree of Capricorn lays in the second house of finances, resources, and values. The second house can represent property, the means of giving and receiving, expenditure, food, income, security and contentment, the ability to satisfy your own needs, and your relationship to the land. This means these second house subjects will be the most relevant themes of this Pluto Return.

With Pluto in Capricorn in the second house, all of these significations come together in an infinite array of possible manifestations. Plutonian energy is being expressed through Capricornian significations in the realm of second house subjects. For example, this could look like the exposure of secret U.S. government corruption or the rebirth of traditional U.S. economic structures, government control, and who decides to give the U.S. monetary support. It represents things like supply chain issues, inflation of food prices, landlords, debt ceilings, the 1%, wealth inequality, banks, and stimulus checks. The U.S. population has been struggling with income and the ability to satisfy their own needs. There has been an emphasized lack of security and contentment of the population. Overall, the concept of “American Values” has been bastardized beyond recognition. The phrase “out with the old and in with the new” is relevant here.

The pandemic has been a catalyst for the rebirth of American values. It’s the only thing that can put enough pressure on this country to motivate us to make changes in the realm of government, money, and what is important to us.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

A birth chart is an astrological snapshot of where the planets are in the zodiac the moment a person, place, or thing is born. It is widely agreed in the astrological community that the U.S. Sibley chart has an accurate birth time of the United States; July 4, 1776 at 5:10 PM. In this natal chart, Pluto is sitting in the second house at 27º33 of Capricorn. The Pluto Return of the United States began when Pluto returned to the sign Capricorn at the end of 2008. The height of this astrological event will be at its peak when Pluto reaches 27º33’ Capricorn in 2022. This means that anything that was established on July 4, 1776, like the constitution, is reaching the end of an extremely significant cycle. This Pluto Return will complete itself when Pluto leaves the sign of Capricorn for good at the end of 2024.

Currently, Pluto is only a few degrees away from completing its orbit and it will pass over 27º33’ Capricorn three times. As Pluto approaches this U.S. natal degree, the events associated with the Pluto Return of the United States escalate. So the recent behavior of Pluto is extra potent and relevant for the United States.

Since 2008, the important United States events have been a reflection of this Pluto Return. This started with the United States electing the first Black president, Barack Obama. It was followed by The Great Recession when the United States government began to use federal taxpayer funds to bail out struggling financial institutions. It continued with the election of the 45th president and now the pandemic.

PLUTO’S MOST RECENT RETROGRADE CYCLE & THE PANDEMIC

Earlier this year, Pluto stationed retrograde on April 27, 2021. After 23 weeks of moving in reverse, Pluto stations direct at 24º19’ of Capricorn on Oct 6, 2021. This is the last time Pluto will switch directions before the United States has its Pluto return. So I think it is a significant event to analyze in terms of degree and planetary motion.

Pluto has passed over 24º19’ of Capricorn four times over the past 18 months. I will be analyzing the events associated with Pluto at this degree to uncover how it shows a pattern of pandemic milestones. I will also be analyzing the dates that Pluto stationed retrograde and direct within that time. Keep in mind, when Pluto changes direction or hits an important degree, the effects of that activation can happen a few days before or after it perfects due to its lingering nature.

PLUTO’S PANDEMIC MILESTONES

You can’t astrologize the pandemic without mentioning the most anticipated astrological event of the century. It was the day that Saturn, Pluto, and the Sun were all conjoined at 22º of Capricorn near the South Node- Jan 12, 2020. This extremely rare event became the astrological marker for the beginning of the pandemic. The first American case of Covid was reported a week later, which means it was contracted within days of the January 12th event.

• In modern history, the first time Pluto reached 24º19’ of Capricorn was March 3, 2020 when the pandemic started getting serious in the United States. This was within days of the U.S. allocating $8.3 billion to fight the outbreak and a national emergency was declared.

• The total number of confirmed cases across the U.S. surpassed 1 million when Pluto stationed retrograde on April 25, 2020.

• A second wave began hitting the United States the second time Pluto exactly hit 24º19’ of Capricorn during its retrograde period on June 19, 2020.

• Some high profile political figures, including Trump and his wife, contracted the virus when Pluto stationed direct on Oct 4, 2020.

• The alpha variant began to spread in the United States when Pluto hit 24º19’ of Capricorn a third time on Jan 4, 2021.

• A new threat, vaccine hesitancy, began to cause a drop in vaccine demand when Pluto stationed retrograde April 27, 2021.

• The fourth time Pluto hit 24º19’ of Capricorn was Sept 27, 2021 when it was reported that the number of deaths had officially surpassed the Spanish Flu and was named the deadliest pandemic in recent American history.

Pluto will not be passing 24º19’ of Capricorn again, but I suspect the following Pluto stations will continue to reflect pandemic milestones until it fully leaves Capricorn at the end of 2024. It first will leave Capricorn in early 2024, but will retrograde back into Capricorn later that year. When Pluto leaves Capricorn a second time, it will not return again.

This analysis is limited to only a few key Plutonian events during the pandemic. If we looked at Pluto’s interaction with other planets, we could uncover even more relevant stages of development. But for now, I think this was a sufficient initial evaluation of how Pluto’s most recent retrograde cycle has been a reflection of the pandemic’s progress.

IMPORTANT CLIMAX DATES

The climax of the Pluto Return of the United States will involve three conjunctions to 27º33’ Capricorn. The first will be on Feb 20, 2022. The second will be during its retrograde period on July 11, 2022. The third and final time will be after it stations direct on Dec 28, 2022. The events associated with these three conjunctions will be the most relevant to the climax period of the Pluto Return of the United States.

If we are looking at this Pluto Return like a storytelling narrative arc, 2008-2019 was the exposition, the first two years of the pandemic has been the rising action, and the climax will be Feb-Dec 2022. The falling action will be from 2023 until the first time Pluto leaves Capricorn on January 21, 2024, and the conclusion will play out from then until Pluto leaves Capricorn for good on November 19, 2024.

After that, Pluto will be in Aquarius for 20 years bringing a renaissance to social systems, governmental decentralization, our airwaves, the Internet, and how we detach from traditional mindsets and structures.

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