Saturn and Pluto are two of the more feared planets in our solar system and in early 2020, they’re meeting up in the zodiac. Saturn is boundaries, limitations, and fears. Pluto is extremes, warping and distortion. In conjunction, they become like each other, Saturn is taken to Plutonian extremes, whereas Pluto becomes concrete and realized. Saturn is poisoned or made “radioactive” by Pluto, whereas Pluto is weighed down and made heavy by Saturn. Put them together and you get a planetary complex surrounding issues of extraordinary gravity: apocalyptic fears, indomitable hatreds, systems of oppression.

Ways to Find Out More About Saturn and Pluto

One of the best summaries of Saturn-Pluto that exists anywhere is in Part V: Cycles of Crisis and Contraction, of Richard Tarnas’ magnum opus “Cosmos and Psyche”. You won’t get the whole thing here but you can read parts of his chapters about the Saturn-Pluto cycle below:





You might also enjoy a talk I had on The Astrology Podcast about Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, with Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock. Just please don’t count the number of times I nervously mutter “Y’know”.

I also made a fairly doomy 1.5 hour lecture on all this called “Sunshine, Rainbows & Daisies: Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn 2018-2020” which shows how this cycle has coincided with human rights abuses, racial discrimination, genocide, terrorism, hate groups, fascism, world wars, cold wars, intractable conflicts, disease, etc.

So far in my public musings on this transit, I have tried not to sugarcoat things, tongue-in-cheek titles notwithstanding. I’ve also kept a fairly broad lens on this transit, focusing on some of its broader mundane correlations. Inevitably we have to wonder “How will this impact me?” So I’ve decided I’m not just going to tell you about all the bad stuff anymore, I want to give you some ways to assess how bad or not bad it will be for you, some basic truths to remember and some practical things you can do to cope with this transit. So I’ve come up with 5 tips that I hope will help provide you with some measure of comfort and perspective, to survive this Saturn-Pluto conjunction.

Tip #5: Remember All Transits Must Pass And Have Passed Before

All transits, good or bad, must eventually pass. Even if you’re born under bad transits, things can change through secondary progression with the passage of enough time. Even Saturn, the planet of time, is subject to the finite duration of transits. Here is the entire timeline of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn.

December 20th 2017 – Saturn enters tropical Capricorn, co-present with Pluto

Saturn enters tropical Capricorn, co-present with Pluto April 6th 2019-May 28th 2019 – Saturn is within 3° of Pluto but does not complete a conjunction because of retrogradation

Saturn is within 3° of Pluto but does not complete a conjunction because of retrogradation December 6th 2019 – Saturn is again within 3° of Pluto

– Saturn is again within 3° of Pluto January 12th 2020 – Saturn perfects its conjunction with Pluto at 22° Capricorn 46′.

Saturn perfects its conjunction with Pluto at 22° Capricorn 46′. February 17th 2020 – Saturn departs from the 3° range of Pluto

Saturn departs from the 3° range of Pluto September 10th-October 13th 2020 – Saturn is again within 3° of Pluto due to retrogradation but does not complete another conjunction

Saturn is again within 3° of Pluto due to retrogradation but does not complete another conjunction December 17th 2020 – Saturn enters Aquarius, officially ending its co-presence with Pluto

Saturn enters Aquarius, officially ending its co-presence with Pluto February 2021 – Saturn is 10° past Pluto out-of-sign, a full decan’s worth. The transit is done. They’re not even co-present again until 2052.

That’s the extent of it. So regardless of how this Saturn-Pluto conjunction interacts with your chart, it is important to remember that it is temporary. This should amount to some measure of comfort. Be comforted! Now!

What helps me as well is to remember not just that all transits must pass, but also that transits have mostly all happened before, and here we are, humanity is still live and kicking. Saturn and Pluto join up in a similar part of the zodiac every 735-6 years.This is because 25 Saturn orbital periods is approximately equal to 3 Pluto orbital periods. Here is my poorly done illustration of this cycle. If you’re over the age of 36 or so, you’ve already lived through the last Saturn-Pluto conjunction in late Libra, and if you’re over 72 years old you lived through the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in mid-Leo. If you watched the video above where I’ve gone through Saturn-Pluto cycles from different historical eras, it’s a reminder that while there may be really tough experiences associated with this transit, people have always pulled through and we will again.

Tip #4: Understand How/If This Transit Interacts With Your Natal Chart

Believe it or not, one major reason you should not freak out about this transit is that it can only be significant for certain areas of your life, some more central, others more peripheral. In some cases, there may be parts of your life, even large parts, which are largely unaffected by this transit. There are at least 3 ways to understand what significance this transit may have in your own life.

A) What area of life is this transit significant for, and does it even apply to you?

Everyone has an Ascendant in a particular sign, and the relationship of those signs to the Ascending sign and nearest angle is what gives each of those signs a particular relevance for a specific topic in your life. This is also known as the whole sign house system. So depending on where Capricorn was relative to the horizon at the time you were born will tell you something about the area of life this transit will have significance for. Even if you have nothing in Capricorn and no planets in aspect to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, you’ll still feel the chill of this combo in a particular area of your life.

However, even people with the same Rising sign won’t experience it the same way because in Hellenistic astrology, transits are only considered important if they are activated as a timelord. Now, I still think that to some degree you experience transits whether they’re activated as timelords or not, however there seems to be something about the annual profections cycle which accurately prioritizes certain transits over others.

So you’ll know if the Saturn-Pluto conjunction is a more highly prioritized transit for a particular area of your life if:

Your annually profected sign is Capricorn or Aquarius (especially if it’s Capricorn), because Saturn will be your ruler of the year.

Your annually profected sign contains your natal Saturn or Pluto, because transits from these planets will become highlighted for the year alongside your ruler of the year.

I’ll be going into more detail about your expected experiences in each house under Tip #2, so this will have to do for now.

If you’re Capricorn Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 1st House of Self, Identity and Appearance. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 0, 1, 12, 13, 24, 25, 36, 37, 48. 49, 60, 61, 72, 73, 84, 85, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Sagittarius Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 2nd House of Money, Possessions and Resources. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 1, 2, 13, 14, 25, 26, 37, 38, 49, 50, 61, 62, 73, 74, 85, 86, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Scorpio Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 3rd House of Siblings, Locality, Mobility. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 2, 3, 14, 15, 26, 27, 38, 39, 50, 51, 62, 63, 74, 75, 86, 87, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Libra Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 4th House of Home, Parents and Foundations. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 3, 4, 15, 16, 27, 28, 39, 40, 51, 52, 63, 64, 75, 76, 87, 88, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Virgo Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 5th House of Pleasure, Recreation, and Children. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 4, 5, 16, 17, 28, 29, 40, 41, 52, 53, 64, 65, 76, 77, 88, 89, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Leo Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 6th House of Duty, Service, Injury. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 5, 6, 17, 18, 29, 30, 41, 42, 53, 54, 65, 66, 77, 78, 89, 90, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Cancer Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 7th House of Partnerships and the Public. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, 31, 42, 43, 54, 55, 66, 67, 78, 79, 90, 91, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Gemini Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 8th House of Losses, Debts and Unseemliness. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 7, 8, 19, 20, 31, 32, 43, 44, 55, 56, 67, 68, 79, 80, 91, 92, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Taurus Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 9th House of Teachers, Travel and Divinity. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 8, 9, 20, 21, 32, 33, 44, 45, 56, 57, 68, 69, 80, 81, 92, 93, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Aries Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 10th House of Reputation, Career and Authorities. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 9, 10, 21, 22, 33, 34, 45, 46, 57, 58, 69, 70, 81, 82, 93, 94, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Pisces Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 11th House of Allies, Honors and Awards. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 10, 11, 22, 23, 34, 35, 46, 47, 58, 59, 70, 71, 82, 83, 94, 95, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

If you’re Aquarius Rising, Saturn and Pluto will be transiting through your 12th House of Enemies, Weaknesses and Blind Spots. This will be a bigger deal to you than most if you are age 0, 11, 12, 23, 24, 35, 36, 47, 48, 59, 60, 71, 72, 83, 84, 95, 96, etc. at the time of the conjunction.

B) What points or planets in your natal chart witness the conjunction, if any?

Anyone with angles or planetary placements in the vicinity of 22° Capricorn, Cancer, Aries or Libra will bear the brunt of the Saturn-Pluto transit. Out of these, Capricorn and Cancer will likely be the hardest hit because it’s the sign of the conjunction and the one opposing, whereas a square to placements in Libra are preferable than placements in Aries, because at least placements in Libra will be in superior position to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction. Here’s a picture of the signs and degrees most vulnerable to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction.

Anyone with angles or placements in the vicinity of 22° Pisces, Scorpio, Taurus or Virgo will have a much easier time of this transit, because these signs are sextile or trine Capricorn. In this case the Saturn-Pluto conjunction may be experienced more positively, able to benefit from the wisdom earned by the hardships of others, and appropriately hardening one’s defenses and reasonably adopting appropriate precautions. It’s more strengthening and fortifying than challenging.

Anyone with angles or placements in Gemini, Sagittarius, Leo or Aquarius are generally ignored. However, anyone with angles or placements in the vicinity of 8° Gemini or Sagittarius will technically form an antiscia relationship with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, which some equate to a kind of hidden conjunction or opposition, but don’t sweat it too much. Placements in Capricorn or Aquarius, even if they make no degree-based aspect with Saturn may still be affected by their ruler Saturn coming into conjunction with Pluto but it would be a more general thing as opposed to a specific event.

The only sign which is more or less untouched by the transit through Capricorn are any placements in Leo (with the exception of those with the Sun in Capricorn, or with Saturn and/or Pluto in Leo), which are in aversion to Capricorn without mitigation, except perhaps for when the Sun transits through Capricorn or when any lunations or eclipses are configured with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, because the Sun rules Leo.

Aspects from Saturn, especially the hard aspects, bear down on the angles and planets it touches. Saturn weighs down on, criticizes, scrutinizes, depresses, pressures, imprisons and weighs the essential worth of wherever it goes. Pluto deconstructs, extremizes, warps and transforms what it touches, making big things small and small things big.

Example: Saturn, Pluto and Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, was born when the Sun was at 21-22 Capricorn,. Even without a birth time we can tell that early 2020 will be a particularly significant transit for him. Saturn and Pluto don’t just reach their conjunction close to his natal Sun, but the date of the conjunction is the date of his solar return as well. Considering he is such a prominent public figure as the CEO of Amazon, one wonders what this transit might signify for him. It could be many things, but I imagine it could be a time of intense public or governmental scrutiny of his company and even his personal life, which is already the case as Saturn and Pluto have begun nearing his Sun. One possibility is that it could mean Bezos re-evaluates his priorities in life, and perhaps decides to resign from Amazon or go in a completely new direction. In any case, it may mark the end of an era of sorts.

Aspects from Saturn-Pluto to your Natal Planets

Your experience with the transit may greatly vary depending on the kind of aspect and the kind of planet/celestial objects it aspects in your natal chart.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Sun

These transits may coincide with your embodiment of the empowered fear principle, either in terms of hardening one’s heart and mind to become like a villainous character serving one’s own ends, or through a monastic trial of discipline to become like a stone standing against evil and callousness. In either case, you’ll never be quite the same again after this transit.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Moon

These transits may coincide with a particularly shattering period of depression, worry, loneliness or fear under the hard aspects. The softer aspects should promote emotional resiliency, and it may be the task of people who interact it with it more harmoniously to be of aid to those who are not.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Mercury

These transits may coincide with being privy to secrets or other sensitive information that are difficult to talk about. This may be a time when one has to be more careful about what they say, avoiding disclosing forbidden knowledge so as to avoid causing problems which could be wide-ranging or otherwise have high stakes attached to them. This can be someone who gets ensnared in a nasty legal dispute or entrenched in solving a difficult intractable problem.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Venus

These transits may coincide with a more morose, dark or severe aesthetic inclination. One may feel rejected and excluded from enjoying the finer delights of life, for a time. It may also be a time where you are more distant in social contexts, preoccupied or obsessed with something forbidden or salacious, something they want but they can’t have. Under the softer aspects this may stay in the realm of fantasy, but under the hard aspects things could get complicated.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Mars

These transits may coincide with the presentation of a monumental challenge requiring a phenomenal degree of courage and effort. This can also present situations of great danger and true evil. This may leave you feeling profoundly discouraged, even scared, having trouble finding motivation to get up and take action to slay the monster.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Jupiter

These transits may coincide with a test of your natural talents, faith and confidence. Under the hard aspects, you may be entrusted with a high-stakes responsibility that you feel is just beyond your abilities to properly handle. Under the soft aspects this may result in being able to take concrete steps to make dreams into realities.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Saturn

These transits may coincide with confronting the possibilities of one’s greatest fears and weaknesses, especially under the hard aspects. Under the soft aspects, these confrontations will be more indirect, just a particularly dark part of the cycle preparing you for your next hard aspects from Saturn. If this is your Saturn return, this passage into maturity will be brutal for your generation. Especially if you were born in the early ’90’s, when Saturn was conjunct Uranus and Neptune, you will have come from an extraordinary wall-busting Saturn in Capricorn period coming into an inordinately fearful wall-building Saturn in Capricorn period. It will be the clash of the radical architect dreamers and the stone tyrants. The children born in late 2019-early 2020 will be implacable survivors.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Uranus

Unless Uranus is somehow a more personal planet to you, by being on an angle or closely aspecting your Sun, Moon or Ascendant ruler, this won’t be experienced as a singular event, but a more general period characterized by a disruptive restriction or burden on their personal autonomy and freedom of expression, especially under the hard aspects. Under the soft aspects there may be novel ways to take advantage of the situation, unpleasant as it may be.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Neptune

Unless Neptune is somehow a more personal planet to you, by being on an angle or closely aspecting your Sun, Moon or Ascendant ruler, this won’t be experienced as a singular event, but a more general period with the feeling of disillusionment or hopelessness from waking up to a horrible reality, a crushed dream. This is especially true of the harder aspects, but under the soft aspects these tragedies are witnessed indirectly and from afar.

Saturn-Pluto Aspects to one’s natal Pluto

Unless Pluto is somehow a more personal planet to you, by being on an angle or closely aspecting your Sun, Moon or Ascendant ruler, this won’t be experienced as a singular event, but a more general period with the feeling of a farewell, a generational juncture, the changing of the guard. Under the harder aspects there is a resistance to passing on from or accepting the new role, under the softer aspects this process is more organic and natural.

C) How are Saturn and Pluto configured in your natal chart?

What roles does Saturn fill in your chart? If you’re Capricorn or Aquarius rising, Saturn is the planet that actually represents you, and its conjunction to Pluto would be very personal, in a sense as if “you” are meeting Pluto. If you have Saturn in the same sign as your Ascendant, then Saturn is a very personal to you, in your cautious outlook, your fear response, your preference for caution and deliberation. If you have a lot of placements in Capricorn or Aquarius, Saturn fuels a lot of what you deal with in different areas. Pluto does not rule any signs, but if you have it in a close aspect with your Sun, Moon, angles, or Ascendant Ruler, it could be considered a more personal planet. Bottom line: If Saturn and Pluto are not involved with these personal points, you have less to worry about because Saturn and Pluto are more tangential to the main course and point of your life.

What aspects do Saturn and Pluto have with other planets in your chart? If you have Venus and Jupiter in good or stressful aspects with either of them, it could mean your experience with these planets is easier, even if it makes conventional goods in your life harder or more complicated. If you have Mars in harmonious or stressful relationships with either of them, it could be that much more of a frustrating lifelong experience with Saturn and Pluto. If you have them in aspect with Mercury, Uranus or Neptune, it could make your experiences with Saturn and Pluto more variable, wacky, unpredictable or surreal. Bottom line: If you have Saturn and/or Pluto configured in a more positive way with positive planets, then your experience with Saturn is going to be more positive generally whatever is happening with transiting Saturn and Pluto.

And finally you need to look at the relationship between Saturn and Pluto at the time you were born. If you were born close to a major phase of Saturn and Pluto, especially the conjunction (1947-48, 1982-83), opposition (1964-65, 2001-03), waxing square (1955-56, 1993-94), or waning square (1973-74, 2010-11), then your life is likely tied in some general way to this cycle, especially if you were born with Saturn or Pluto angular, or with the Sun and Moon in hard aspects to Saturn and Pluto.

Example: Saturn, Pluto and the Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born during the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo. Not only that, but he was born when the Sun was conjunct Saturn and Pluto in Leo, so we know he interacts with this cycle in a more personal way. What role is he most known for playing? The Terminator, a killer robot from an apocalyptic future where machines have conquered humanity. He got this role in 1982, and the film was released in 1984, coming out of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction.

Schwarzenegger was not the only person locking into this Saturn-Pluto event. Linda Hamilton, who plays the steely badass Sarah Connor was born under the Saturn-Pluto square in 1956. Michael Biehn who plays Reese, a freedom fighter from the future, was also born under that same Saturn-Pluto square from 1956. The director of the film, James Cameron, was also born with the Sun conjunct Pluto in Leo. Could there be a more perfect description of Saturn taken to a Plutonian extreme than the Terminator?

Back to Schwarzenegger – he was first asked to run for Governor in 2001 – in the midst of the next Saturn-Pluto opposition. It was from this opposition that he eventually became the Governor of California, where he was also known as the Governator. It will be interesting to see what new role he comes to at this next Saturn-Pluto phase. He and Linda Hamilton will be starring in Terminator: Dark Fate in November 2019, potentially their last turns in their Terminator roles.

It would be appropriate since this would essentially complete the “Terminator” cycle, beginning at the 1982-83 Saturn-Pluto conjunction and ending at the 2019-2020 Saturn-Pluto conjunction. You’ll notice that his synchronization with this cycle is not necessarily negative – but the Saturn-Pluto complex absolutely sums up the qualitative nature of his role as an unstoppable robot killer, the Terminator. Will he continue to carry on his political career in 2020, starting the next phase? All we know is that the Saturn-Pluto conjunction will be a recurrence transit, and in this case, the end of an era.

Bottom line: If you’re born at major axes of the Saturn-Pluto cycle, this conjunction is going to be a more personal one for you, especially if you were born at the previous conjunctions in 1947-48 and 1982-83 because it would be experienced directly as a recurrence transit, regardless of whether or not it makes any specific degree-based aspects to their angles or planetary placements. You would have to look at the previous conjunctions, squares and oppositions between Saturn and Pluto to determine what specific theme runs through those times.

Tip #3: Imagine the Worst Case Scenario And Be Wrong

Imagine the worst case scenario because (and I do risk jinxing it by saying this) you’ll either be prepared for the worst or relieved. This might be setting the bar a little low, but one pronounced fear during the last Saturn-Pluto conjunction of 1982-1983 was the threat of nuclear annihilation. In November 1983, the movie “The Day After” was released which depicted the effect of a nuclear bomb with terrifying realism. It was quite an event, watched by over 100 million people when it was broadcast, still one of the highest rated/most watched films released for television.

This coincidentally followed two actual close calls with nuclear annihilation in September and November 1983 when Saturn was within a few degrees of Pluto. So it’s clear that the topic was close to the surface of people’s minds and close to manifesting in reality. The important thing to remember is that while there was a grounded fear of a nuclear apocalypse, there ultimately wasn’t one. So the conjunction presents many of our worst fears, since Pluto empowers the Saturnian motivation of fear. Whether those fears actually come to pass is another question. In other words, if we can get to 2021 without experiencing a full-blown nuclear apocalypse, then maybe whatever you’ll go through is manageable. You can rest easy now! Man, I’m good at this.

Tip #2: Consider Making A Sacrifice

Now before you think I’ve gone all Wicker Man on you or something, hear me out. Back in ancient Mesopotamia, solar eclipses were regarded as bad omens for leaders, and still are to some degree. So one of the ways they’d get around this was by making some poor soul king for a day at the time of the eclipse, and after it had passed they’d kill him and reinstall the old king. Because apparently all it takes to avoid a cosmically ordained destiny is a little sleight-of-hand trickery. A mistaken identities scenario fit for a disappointing local county pantomime is apparently enough to offset the very will of the gods. A little razzle-dazzle tap-dance showstopper with jazz hands will distract even the mightiest cosmic order, apparently.

In any case, maybe this is dumb, but instead of letting yourself be the subject of this transit, you could intentionally choose something else to become the subject of the transit. You could try to “be” Saturn, and “sacrifice” something expendable related to the transit you’re having. How does one act like Saturn? Saturn weighs, scrutinizes, criticizes, and bears down wherever it goes. In doing this Saturn usually signifies scenarios where we have to evaluate the essential worth of something, whether it is worth keeping or (despite hating this phrase) “letting go”, choosing an easy way out versus a harder and more rewarding path. Now this might be an exercise in futility. Killing a cockroach to be a stand-in for your own transits portending your own death will likely not stop you from dying, if that is your fate at that time. But free will is an extremely convincing illusion, so illude away! It will either stand-in for the transit, or it will just be part of what you’re fated to do. At least this way you get to pick your poison.

“What or how should I sacrifice something?” you might be asking. You could think of this in terms of the house Saturn and Pluto are passing through in your chart.

Capricorn Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 1st House

Maybe this means paring down your style to be more functional, simple, ascetic, age-appropriate. Maybe this means giving up on covering up the bald spots and embracing a fully shaven head. Maybe this means giving up on coloring your hair and embracing your destiny as a silver fox or silver vixen, or a white fox or a white vixen. With Pluto in the mix however, it might be something more extreme than just a makeover, something which reflects a dramatic internal transformation as well as an external one at this time. In any case, maybe the thing you “sacrifice” is whatever helps you hang on to this idea of youth and embracing your age and the gifts of maturity.

Sagittarius Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 2nd House

Instead of letting Saturn and Pluto annihilate your finances, maybe it’s time to do a deep clean and be Saturnian toward your stuff. Weigh how much value it really has to you. Does it “spark joy”, or nah? Make some of your money back through a yard sale, or put some things on the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or ebay. For extra Saturn points though, you could donate it to Goodwill or think of other people in your life who could use it, and give it away freely. With Pluto in the mix however, there is something especially traumatic or cathartic about the process of going through your old possessions. So maybe “sacrifice” that which is superfluous to you.

Scorpio Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 3rd House

In a house associated with everything quick, mobile and fleeting, Saturn and Pluto could slow things down to a grinding halt. Maybe this is a time when your typical mode of transportation is out of commission, or your local area is being dug up and renovated, and you have to find new ways around to get where you want to go, or a new commute becomes a long arduous bore. Maybe “sacrifice” the notion of getting around quickly, deliberately take the slow scenic route with all the byroads, take in a new podcast. With Pluto in the mix, there is something especially profound or rotten about this area of your life at this time. This can also be a time when your relationships with neighbors, siblings, cousins or close friends can become icy. You may have to decide or who is and isn’t worth keeping around your neck of the woods.

Libra Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 4th House

Maybe it’s time to get real about where you’re located. Maybe this means setting down some roots to establish your home base of operations. That could be moving back “home” to be closer to familial support or it could mean finally leaving that hometown for good. This could mean moving back to take on the responsibility of caring for elderly or unwell family members.With Pluto in the mix, there is something especially traumatic or cathartic about this area of your life at this time. If you have no plans to move, maybe evaluate how secure your home is and consider an emergency preparedness plan. Stock up on supplies, just in case. Maybe sacrifice the security of familial help or the comfort of having your own place far away from them, and embrace the responsibility of being part of a family.

Virgo Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 5th House

Maybe there are recreational activities you can’t keep up with anymore. Maybe it’s drinking and partying. Maybe it’s lavish spending and large living. Maybe it’s a passion project, an art or hobby you devote yourself to, an extracurricular as it were. Maybe it’s time to take it seriously, find a way to make money from it or have it really support your mission in life, or it has to go to the wayside. In the context of children, it could mean embracing your responsibilities to them rather than indulging them, even if they reject you. It could also mean accepting that there are limits to how much you can control them. With Pluto in the mix, there is something especially profound and transformative about this area of your life at this time.

Leo Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 6th House

This could be a time when you are feeling imprisoned (more than usual) by your daily routine, your work, maintenance and duties, weighing the worth of it all. This could also be a time of facing significant health issues, especially after a period of neglect. Instead of just letting this all happen to you, make this Saturn-Pluto transit mean the moment you turn this ship around. Embrace the grunt work, make a plan to get out of it, prioritize accomplishing your most important duties, especially those surrounding your health. Sacrifice comfort, feel the burn. With Pluto in the mix, the stakes may be especially high in this area of your life at this time.

Cancer Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 7th House

This could perhaps be a time when you feel cloistered and trapped by a relationship, when you reach the limits of your patience and decide to establish boundaries to protect yourself. As unromantic as it is, you may have to harshly judge the worth of your relationship. If it continues, it will be stronger for having been tested. If you are currently single, relationships may arise in which there may be some utilitarian advantage for one of the parties, alongside affection and companionship. There could also be the possibility for manipulation and coercion through unbalanced power dynamics. With Pluto in the mix, there may be something especially poisonous or profound in this area of your life at this time. You may have to sacrifice detrimental habits and behaviors in order to formalize or improve a relationship, or sacrifice the comfort of having a partner.

Gemini Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 8th House

This might be a time when you’re feeling imprisoned by debt, fees, bills and other losses, which may be financial, related to a partner or previous partner, or in the event of someone’s death. This may be a time when you are vulnerable to participating in a crime or an underhanded approach to achieving something. Perhaps the sacrifice you could make in this case is to forgive a debt owed to you. Perhaps reflect on those who have passed on in your life and consider what they would have wanted you to do in their memory, or what they would have wanted for you. Honor their wishes in some way. With Pluto in the mix, this may be an especially spooky and profound episode in your life at this time. Whatever you sacrifice should be something that hurts a bit to give.

Taurus Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 9th House

You might feel like you’re reaching a brick wall in your studies, an obstacle to your free movement of mind and potentially your free movement in or between countries. You may have to give up on a belief or philosophical idea that isn’t working, or alternately, give up on the idea that going any further is going to be easy. This could mean embracing the criticism of your ideas and your works, or acknowledging the limits of your ideas and working them back up from the ground again, or going back to school or taking courses to build up an area of deficiency. With Pluto in the mix, this may be an especially profound and humbling area of your life in this time. You may have to sacrifice being “right” for a while.

Aries Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 10th House

This can be a time of great advancement but also perilous at such a great height. You may find yourself in morally compromised situations involving coercion and manipulation. There may be great fear and trepidation in dealing with bosses and authorities. You may even be cast as a villainous figure yourself, especially in the event that you have to finally set boundaries with your bosses and tell them “No”. With Pluto in the mix, this may be an especially precarious and profound area of your life in this time. Maybe you have to sacrifice a short-term advancement or gains for the sake of long term goals, in weighing what you really want to do with your life.

Pisces Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 11th House

This may mean you have to give up having certain people as friends or colleagues, either because they are no longer of real use or benefit to you, or because you have to stand up for a less popular colleague for an important reason which causes you disfavor with others. You may have to choose who your real friends are, who your real allies are. You may have to give up awards and accolades which are not due to you and give credit where you know it is properly deserved. With Pluto in the mix, there is something especially trying and profound in this area of your life in this time. Maybe you could sacrifice the spotlight and give a boost to those you consider deserving and are little known, try using your own power and platform to raise up others.

Aquarius Rising – Saturn and Pluto Transiting in your 12th House

You may find yourself going to places outside of your comfort zone where you haven’t been before, especially sad, lonely and forgotten places of great suffering: prisons, retirement homes, hospices, hospitals. You may find yourself in quiet, isolated places, by your own volition or not. You may encounter strangers with unclear motives and you won’t always be welcome or trusted where you go, and you may suffer downfalls at the hands of haters and enemies. One way you could nullify some of these 12th house associations is by extending forgiveness to people who’ve wronged you. Never to say what they did was okay, but to not bother yourself anymore with them. Insulate yourself from these less pleasant characters in your existence. This may be as simple as walking away from an argument on social media, letting someone get the last word in, pulling off the road and counting to 10. Maybe you can sacrifice the addictive burden of holding a grudge.

Tip #1: Don’t Stop Living

Generally speaking, “don’t die” is a pretty good strategy to survive most things. While you roll your eyes, let me explain what I mean. Surviving life is one thing, but living life is quite another. You might survive if you live in fear of every obstacle and every monster under the bed, but you won’t live much of a life either. Spoiler alert: no one survives this place. No one gets out of here alive. Death will come to us all someday. However, as much as death is inevitable, so is the life that precedes it. So to some degree, to whatever extent is possible, you still have to carry on with your life despite the horror show. There will still be jokes to laugh at and problems to solve, beauty to witness and create, things to fight for and believe in, joys and victories to be won, new discoveries to be made and new dreams to be had. You have to because these are as inevitable as the things we fear and dread. They never completely go away, but life goes on in all its ugliness and splendor. Fear can be reasonable, but it can never be a sole guiding principle. Survive when you have to, but live whenever you can and don’t stop.

I gave quite a bit of information in this article but if you’re interested in what I’d have to say about your natal chart specifically, you can pick out a time for a session with me here. Best of luck.