Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty.
-Bertrand Russell
Yesterday at 4:28 am pt, we had a Pluto Cazimi in Aquarius. This piece in particular has been hard to write because Pluto is so loaded. So is the weight of the world.
The words finally started poured out organically once I started my period today & entered my lunar return a couple hours after the moon entered Scorpio.
Since Pluto ingressed into the sign of Aquarius last November, I've been in my own katabasis (especially with my Midheaven in Aquarius).
To start, let’s first address what a cazimi is. A cazimi occurs when a planet aligns closely with the Sun (we call this a conjunction), infusing both planetary energies with a heightened sense of clarity and power. Pluto, the planet of the underworld & transformation, lays bare to what is decayed, hidden, or entrenched in shadow.
When Pluto enters the Sun’s spotlight, there is no room for illusions—only the stark reality of what needs to be transformed or released.
This Monday, the United States swore in its newly inaugurated leadership that ironically coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Personally, it has felt so incredibly oppositional, confusing. I refused to turn on the TV, but I could feel the energy of the collective even with the screen turned off. The fear. Being on edge.
One of the most powerful words MLK delivered is from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. I highly recommend reading the full speech to feel this dichotomy yourself.
MLK’s vision of justice and equality is quintessentially Aquarian. His natal Mercury is 11° in the sign of Aquarius if that’s not telling enough. The sabian symbol of 11° Aquarius is:
“During a silent hour, a man receives new inspiration which may change his life.”
Aquarius can at times be eerily prophetic. MLK ends his speech with:
“-I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land-”
The next day after King delivered this speech, he would be gunned down, he would be assassinated.
Pluto’s energy pulls whatever sign it touches into the underworld, compelling us to explore the depths of its shadow frequencies. In this process, we are confronted with questions about our beliefs, values, and the structures we’ve constructed to navigate our human experience. Pluto Cazimi in Aquarius makes us confront both the existentialism of the human condition, of human progress, and strengthen the causes we choose to stand for.
MLK’s vision is a future-forward dream of unity and freedom for all. Yet the current political landscape is clearly marked by oppositional values. And this poses a question that cuts to the heart of Aquarius’ paradoxes: How do we reconcile conflicting visions of progress and freedom?
In Aquarius, one of the tallest orders & challenges is to become “the visionary,” the progressor who moves the world and society forward. But to do so, we must first confront the shadows of Aquarius that we’re currently seeing play out in the world: censorship, nihilism, rigid dogma that alienates the “other,” institutionalized systems of control, and intellectual elitism. These shadows manifest when ideals of progress and freedom become so rigid that they suffocate the very individuality they claim to champion.
Pluto in Aquarius will have us grapple between future-forward vision becoming so focused on the collective that it forgets the humanity of the individual... to the other Aquarian spectrum where we can become so fixated on contrarianism and standing apart that we as individuals lose empathy and trust in others.
Individuality without connection breeds isolation.
This is our collective katabasis journey. We will explore if it’s possible for freedom of expression to thrive without dogma or rigidity creating censorship and stifling the individuality of others. Over the coming decades, each of us will be called to envision what freedom looks like on a personal level and to choose the social causes that are worthy of our time, energy, and devotion.
Regardless of who is in power, Aquarius throughout history has seen many times disruption giving rise to grassroots movements, rebellion—a focus on the people. Aquarius begins by forming micro-communities that support new movements, ensuring that no one belief, no one dogma, institution holds too much power. It’s a form of equilibrium that the universe has woven into the archetype of Aquarius. Progress isn’t handed down from above; it rises from the collective ingenuity and collaboration of individuals.
Sidenote: The above art piece showcases Zeus who transformed into an eagle and abducted Ganymede, a mortal prince to become the cupbearer to the gods. This act of bearing nourishment for the gods is directly mirrored in the symbolism of Aquarius as the Water Bearer, who provides life-giving waters to humanity.
So…the big question is how do we begin?
How do we start this pluto journey? Our own katabasis into Aquarius?
With Mars in Cancer rx right now, we may naturally latch onto the comfort of the old. But just because it’s familiar doesn’t mean it was ever truly working. Aquarius often brings its greatest ideas forward during times of existential adversity, when we’re forced to confront the limitations of what we’ve known and dare to imagine something different.
And it’s solution is not wrapped in easy answers. If it was, I don’t think I would need to write and explore this. There’s no clear roadmap ahead and my fixed scorpio moon and mercury naturally dislikes that.
Aquarius is confusing, elusive, abstract in this way. This water bearer doesn't progress through proven roadmaps but through experimentation instead. And also, let's not forget that America was founded on an experiment of democracy. To see if we can uphold it.
What can you do? Start at the individual level. Do not give in to nihilism. Do not succumb to fear. Being emotionally reactive to the theater of media or the stunts of those in power is the kryptonite we are here to overcome. Instead, uplift people. Empower them. Start small.
This creates a powerful ripple effect that can’t be understated. Share your ideas and invite others to be curious. This curiosity builds bridges, fosters human connection, and ensures that creativity and empathy remain at the forefront of Aquarian progress.
This Cazimi marks the beginning of this katabasis—a descent into the underworld of Aquarian themes. Fear, Pluto’s domain, will be our guide. The journey begins now. And while it will be messy and uncomfortable, it is also necessary. We won’t see the extent as to what has unfolded until 2043. And it may even be unrecognizable.
And it's easy to give into apathy. Nihilism. Have you ever seen a Sagittarius lose faith? It's not pretty. But I think a crisis of faith is also a part of the human experience to find it again. And the Lunar Nodes entering the signs of Pisces & Virgo will further facilitate this. We go through this underworld journey to understand our place in society, the world at large by first tending to how we treat ourselves, our mind, our spirit, and how we treat the people around us.
This Cazimi, I invite you to not give into the fear of these times. We need each other now more than ever. Let this be an opportunity for us to examine the authentic roots of what freedom means for us, equity. Equality. Without losing our empathy, our humanity in the process.
Let’s carry forward the Aquarian dream of progress, not as a fixed ideology, but as a living, breathing practice that honors both the collective and the individual.
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