Welcome to Plutocracy
A New Series on the Progression of Power
Welcome to Plutocracy - The Progression of Power, a new 12-month series from
and Politics & Pentacles! We are taking a generational look at power, privilege, and politics, specifically through the long and cataclysmic transits of Pluto.Over the next year, we will move Memento-style through Pluto’s time in each sign of the zodiac, beginning in September with Pluto in Aquarius, followed by Pluto in Capricorn (October), and so on. Each month, we will look at the defining events of that transit, the key players in those transformations, and notable people to be born during that era. Working backwards through the signs might seem a bit unconventional, but Pluto wouldn’t have it any other way!
This series will only be available to paid subscribers, but this intro is free to everyone.
Planet X from Outer Space
First, let’s talk a bit about Pluto.
No, not the Internet-based TV platform.
Uh, no - also not the adorable Disney dog.
Yes, we mean the planet. Fine… dwarf planet. Whatever.
And yes, we also mean the Greek god of the underworld.
Pluto the Planet was discovered in the Kuiper Belt in 1930, but its existence was suspected a bit earlier. In the mid-1800s, Uranus was the seventh and farthest known planet in our solar system. However, its orbit was… wonky. Well, a lot about Uranus is wonky, but that’s a story for another series.
Scientists studied the fluctuations and concluded that another as-yet-unknown planet’s gravitational pull was interfering with Uranus’ orbit. That planet turned out to be Neptune, our 8th planet, which was discovered in 1846. However, after studying Neptune’s impact on Uranus’ orbit for about 50 years, they realized it didn’t fully account for all of the fluctuations. Something else was at work…
Something that was hiding in the shadows.
Something living even farther out than Neptune.
Something we only knew existed because of the chaos and disruption it caused.
In fact, this thing was so elusive that it was dubbed “Planet X”. That sneaky-B-of-a-Planet-X turned out to be Pluto, and yowzers, was it a little planet with a big punch!
What’s in a Name? Myths, Money, and Mayhem!
Of course, this disruptive galaxy-dweller needed a better name than Planet X. The options were narrowed down to three choices: Cronos, Minerva, and Pluto. Minerva was excluded because the name had already been assigned to an asteroid. Cronos was also excluded because staff at Lowell Observatory didn’t like the astronomer who favored this choice (no, seriously - it was that level of petty). That left Pluto, a name as mythologically rich as this new planet!
Greek mythology is not my specialty, but I do find the twisted family trees to be fascinating. Can you imagine Zeus on Jerry Springer??? The results would absolutely conclude he WAS the father. Of like, everyone and everything. Zeus was the Nick Cannon of mythology, making offspring faster than the mainstream media makes misleading headlines. But I digress… okay, back to Pluto!
Pluto was one of the six surviving children of Saturn (another dude with progeny issues) along with siblings Zeus (Jupiter), Poseidon (Neptune), Demeter (Ceres), Hera (Juno), and Hestia (Vesta). I will not try to break down that family tree because it is really more of a twisted bramble. Pluto was also married to Persephone, who - as the result of relations between brother Zeus and sister Demeter - was also his niece that he possiprobably abducted while she was out picking flowers. Fam - this is why we choose the bear!
In Greek mythology, the name Ploutōn, ruler of the underworld and “the god most hateful to mortals”, has over time merged with Ploutōs, or “wealth”. It is also connected to plêthos (abundance), from which we get plethora.
This has also given us the word plutocracy - “government by the wealthy”, which can be aligned with any other political system. This often-pejorative term came into use in the early 1600s, and has been associated with greed, corruption, poverty, violent class-warfare, and (eventually) downfall.
Some of the most famous plutocracies were the Roman Empire and the Empire of Japan (prior to WWII), and Nazi Germany used the term disparagingly to refer to wealthy Jewish citizens. There are some who believe that the United States is on a path to plutocracy.
Interestingly, modern geochemistry also has plutonium, a radioactive element that was used to create the devastating atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945. All that creepy backwoods-niece-banging aside, you can see how Pluto has continued to be an agent of change in modern times!
Scorpio Stings
Unfortunately, Pluto’s planet status was not long for this world. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto to a mere dwarf planet. So rude! This contentious decision continues to draw arguments even today.
Where astronomy has diminished Pluto’s importance, astrology is keenly aware of the power this diminutive ball of ice and rock can wield. Its effects have been described as “a tsunami at the speed of a glacier”. Death, disorder, destruction, chaos - transformation whether you want it or not!
Astrology
Pluto is the modern co-ruler of Scorpio, the fixed sign of deep waters and associated with the scorpion, eagle, snake, and/or phoenix. This is a duty it shares with traditional ruler Mars, which carries the lower, more personal vibration of Pluto. As such, it is associated with the 8th House, again an often feared and misunderstood placement.
The 8th house rules death, taxes, sex, the occult, “other people’s money” - all the darker, more mysterious and verboten sides of life. Where mortals fear to tread, Pluto gleefully skips through the barren decaying fields of taboo. Yeah, uh… now that niece-wife thing makes more sense.
In mundane astrology, the 8th House also governs national debt, financial links to and resources of other countries, deadly disasters, power conflicts, and oppressed people. When bad things happen, we immediately look to see what is going on with the placements of Mars, Pluto, and any activity in the 8th House.
Tarot
If Tarot cards were planets, you might think that transformational Pluto would be the Tower, but that card is actually ruled by little brother Mars. Okay, with all of that 8th House energy, Pluto must be the Death card, right? Sort of. The Death card is governed by Scorpio, and as such, it brings with it the energy of co-rulers Mars and Pluto.
In reality (and Rider-Waite-Smith world), the card assigned to Pluto is Judgement - the next to last Major Arcana. This card symbolizes being called to account for past actions, both helpful and harmful, so we can see what no longer serves and must be torn down. It is the culmination of change before the old cycle is complete and another begins anew. Judgment is the last vestiges of “what has been” being burned off so that only the enlightened lessons can be carried forth into the next iteration.
Yes, Pluto is the “change or die” energy that many fear, but few truly understand. Unfortunately, much like in astronomy, Pluto and its associated tarot cards often go without their due respect and reverence. Like the Tower, Death, and Judgement, folks spend more energy avoiding the transformation than they would use if they just dealt with it!
Back Like a Bad Penny
However, that’s not how we at Rebellious Resources feel about this galactic wonder!
Since Pluto moves at the speed of a glacier, its transits are more generational. Pluto spends anywhere from 12 to 32 years in a single zodiac sign, and takes an average of 248 years to complete a single eccentric - or highly elliptical - orbit around the Sun.
None of us will live long enough to see our Pluto return, which is when transiting Pluto hits the same degree and sign as it was in your natal chart. However, countries, businesses, financial institutions, and governments can potentially see one or more Pluto returns. This makes it the perfect planet for tracking the evolution of society, wealth, and power throughout the ages.
During a Pluto return, the transiting planet will bring its tsunami of transformation to that entity, and specifically to the zodiac sign it is inhabiting. There may be additional aspects that draw on the power of Pluto, and any Houses involved will also get a special focus.
One country that is currently experiencing its Pluto return is the United States of America. All this shit hitting the fan? Completely on-brand not only for a Pluto return, but also for the current transit of Pluto in Capricorn!
Capricorn is the CEO energy of the zodiac. It runs the world, demanding to be in control and in the money. Our capitalistic system of Money Culture is the embodiment of Pluto in Capricorn, and it is in its death throes as it prepares to transition into Aquarius after a few years of retrograding back and forth between the two signs.
Okay, so… if we get through the election and survive our Pluto return, everything is good in the U.S., right?
Well, not exactly.
In fact, not even remotely.
Are We There Yet?
While most astrologers will tell you that the U.S. is coming to the end of its Pluto return, I’m telling you that it’s really just coming to halftime.
The 2024 election season is like the 2-minute warning in the second quarter of the Super Bowl: do the best you can to put your team in a strong position for the second half of the game. Sometimes, that means having a leading score, and at others, that means being tied. This time, it means doing our damn best not to lose any more of the civil rights we’ve gained, while getting our players off the field and into the locker room without any serious injuries.
Why do I say we’re just going into halftime and not the end of the 4th quarter? Because the natal chart for the U.S. is not the only chart at which we need to be looking. Usually, when a country is founded, so is its government, but that’s not the case here. Our government actually has a different chart than our country, with entirely different houses, placements, and transits.
One of those placements is Pluto in Aquarius, which means the U.S. government is about to enter its Pluto return… and that is why our series begins there.
Want to know more? Please subscribe to Politics & Pentacles! You’ll get our Plutocracy - The Progression of Power series starting in September, along with exciting posts about current events, economics, and history, all with an astrological twist. We keep it fun and fascinating, so join our community today!