Jan 21, 2024 | by Daniel Giamario |
What Happened on Saturday, January 20, 2024!
At 5:46am PST, the Sun conjoined Pluto in its yearly conjunction at 29Capricorn59. Just 21 minutes later, at 6:07am PST, the Sun entered Aquarius. Later that same day, at 4:50pm PST, Pluto also entered Aquarius.
We can recall that Pluto first entered Aquarius on March 23, 2023, and remained there until June 10, 2023. Later this year, 2024, on September 1, Pluto will once again briefly retreat into Capricorn. Its third and final ingress into Aquarius happens on November 19, 2024. There was no triple ingress the previous time Pluto entered Aquarius in 1777-1778.
I find this to be a most unusual situation, which I will explore more deeply here.
Age of Aquarius? Or The Age of The Shadow of Aquarius (and Capricorn)?
Outer planetary conjunctions, such as the yearly solar conjunction with Pluto, can be seen as seed points for at least that year. Planetary ingresses into a sign can be seen the same way, seeding the entirety of the respective planet’s journey through that sign. We can perceive here the Plutonian yearly seed point, as well as a once-every-248year Pluto in Aquarius seed, lasting until January 19, 2044, when Pluto leaves Aquarius for Pisces.
But what is being seeded?
It’s All About Pluto and What It Intends
Within the TOTAMS and Shamanic Astrology Paradigm™, Pluto symbolizes the “Underworld” initiation process. This always includes irrational and chaotic circumstances which induce surrender and are not easily understood by the rational mind. Almost always it involves composting all that needs composting. Out of compost comes new life. I very much prefer this imagery for Pluto to the oft-used “Phoenix rising from the ashes”. It is not a punishment, but a natural process.
In a modern psychological context, Pluto compels a descent into the “shadow”, a controversial term that does not refer to evil, but instead to the deeper contents of the psyche which awareness has not yet been able to reach. Above all, it is a descent, and in no way related to celestial consciousness or “love and light” spiritual bypassing, a favorite residence of Aquarius. The corollaries of a Plutonian initiatory process include “shamanic death and rebirth” and the “Dark Night of The Soul.”
The highly unusual and unique combo of the Sun seeding Pluto in the final minutes of Capricorn, followed by both entering Aquarius on the same day, suggests that our real work is to continue to perceive and inquire into the shadows of both Aquarius and Capricorn. Certainly, related to this, is the remarkably weird fact that the 2020 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction perfected at 0Aquarius! I have previously speculated that this Aquarian conjunction may have been what initiated the entire now ending and beginning precessional cycle.
Since the 1990’s I have been on record stating that the beginning of the Aquarian Age (Constellation, not Sign!) was in 1998-1999, but included all four ages. Please see the Shamanic Astrology Handbook and this article.
I have also consistently emphasized that few signs are more misunderstood and over-glamourized than Aquarius. The emphasis is on the shadow of Aquarius, and not its over-idealization as being about peace, love and harmony. It can also be recognized that the Sun conjoining Pluto and the ingress of Pluto into Aquarius is in reference to the sign and not the constellation. To unpack the meaning and contribution of the Water Bearer Constellation is an entirely different subject, and it’s the conflation of the two that I am calling out here.
The Shadows of Aquarius AND Capricorn
Capricorn Shadows
- Patriarchal Hierarchical Control
- Giving power and authority to those without any spiritual initiation or practice
- Extreme materialism; elimination of Soul, Spirit and Aether
- Quarterly profits over long term concern for future generations
- The love of linear progress and economic expansion
- Absence of empathy and compassion
- The ends justify the means
Aquarius (the Sign) Shadows
- Collective hive consciousness, absent personal sovereignty and self-hood
- Democracy becoming the tyranny of the majority and the rise of the egregore and mass formation psychosis
- Too much reliance on technology and science, giving way to technocracy and scientism
- Light polarization, spiritual bypassing, hopium and the rise of the “New Cage” Movement
- The lack of awareness of the shadow itself and the non-recognition of evil
- Love as an intellectual concept rather than an authentic Feeling
- The ends justify the means.
Since the invention of the sign-based zodiac in late Babylonian and Hellenistic times, the planet Saturn has been identified with both Capricorn and Aquarius. It is rather easy to see how both these signs, as well as Saturn itself, can be highjacked by patriarchy. This is especially obvious now that global humanity finds itself in the depths of Kali Yuga at the end and beginning of a Great Turning of The Ages.
Pluto’s Intent and Initiatory Purpose
Pluto, as it travels through each sign, reveals the shadow of that sign. Pluto delivers to a sign the same sorts of experiences that happen to individuals with major dynamic Pluto aspects with their inner planets or angles.
Pluto’s purpose is to compost, even eliminate, all that is decayed and not life-supporting to Earth and all life, including humans. It’s a natural process and has little or nothing to do with right or wrong (human judgments) or the Christianized Karma of reward and punishment. It’s as natural as Winter following Autumn. The end of Kali Yuga is, indeed, Winter. Empires rise and fall. A species will flourish and then fade. Rudolf Steiner once said that the Earth may need to die in order to resurrect. In India, one story involves Shiva and Shakti. In this particular telling, Shakti represents the Earth and her aliveness. She has an agreement with Shiva who represents the destroyer. Her agreement is that if things become so toxic and non-life-supporting, Shiva has permission to destroy, i.e. compost the entire creation. This has happened before and could well happen again.
The unusual and unique pattern here is:
- Pluto entered Capricorn in January 2008
- Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn 2019-2020
- Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction at 0Aquarius27 on December 20, 2020
- Sun-Pluto Conjunction on January 20, 2024, at 29Capricorn59
- Three Pluto ingresses into Aquarius, the final one being November 19, 2024
It seems pretty clear to me in these final years of Kali Yuga, the Fourth Turning, the end of a precessional cycle, and so much more, that global humanity is being given ample opportunities to become aware of and to own the shadow of both of these signs. All seems up in the air and only Great Mystery knows.
TOTAMS’ Mission and Purpose
TOTAMS’ mission and purpose is to be aware of all this and to employ our signature ThreeWorldsApproach.
In addition, as a school, we do our best to offer individuals clues to help discern life purpose and to connect with other Seed People to contribute to the future world we can co-create together. All this operating within an evolving and organically growing Mystery School that values above all the truly human sovereign being we really are.
Sabian Symbol
Lastly, here is Dane Rudhyar’s quite relevant Sabian Symbol interpretation for 30degrees Capricorn:
“PHASE 300 (CAPRICORN 30°): A SECRET MEETING OF MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR EXECUTIVE DECISIONS IN WORLD AFFAIRS.
KEYNOTE: The power to assume responsibility for crucial choices arrived at after mature discussions with those who share this power.
We are all aware now of the work of secret committees in the White House and at all levels of the government. The student of esoteric philosophy believes in the existence of what has been called an “inner Government” which has the power to direct or guide the evolution of our planet and of mankind. Some people speak of “occult Hierarchy,” or of the “White Lodge.” Here again what is at stake is a “seeing through” the facts of telluric processes and human history — assuming that these facts are at least in part the outcome of the decisions of a supreme Council of quasi-divine Beings. Obviously the symbol can also refer to what occurs at the more ordinary level of business and politics. At any level, it refers to the highest form of social interaction.
This is the last symbol belonging to Scene Twenty and related to the zodiacal sign Capricorn. We see in it the culmination of social responsibility and a reference to EXECUTIVE POWER.”