Pluto is an extremely powerful planet that symbolizes death and rebirth but even more importantly: regeneration. This planet takes 248 years to complete a cycle around the zodiac, meaning that in a human lifetime we may only live to experience half of Pluto’s revolution around the sun. Because of its very elliptical orbit, it takes Pluto anywhere between 12 and 30 years to make its way through a sign. At its faster speeds, Pluto orbits closer to the sun than Neptune. When Pluto is in Scorpio, it is at its fastest speed and is the closest to the sun that it gets. This means that during its time in Scorpio Pluto’s energy is closer to Earth as well and perhaps more influential than at any other period.
When Pluto transits any astrological sign, it brings major change and plants a seed for revitalization in that area of life. When it went through Scorpio, the sign that it rules, that also symbolizes death and rebirth, it triggered the deepest and darkest parts of the collective subconscious mind. Scorpio energy is emotional and intense and not afraid of things seen as taboo. It is fascinated by death, the nature of power itself, and dark humor. Pluto in Scorpio was not only an intense and scarring time, but it was also a secretive time as many things that we experienced were expected to remain unspoken about.
If you look at pop culture during this time period you see super stars Madonna, Prince, and Boy George, who all challenged societies view on sexuality, purity, and gender. Our television shows for children we extremely perverse– Rocko’s Modern Life (1992), Ren and Stimpy (1991), and Beavis and Butthead (1993). These are shows that most of todays parents would NEVER let their children watch. We also grew up during the AIDS epidemic: being taught that sex can kill you, the War on Drugs which was more of an instruction manual than a deterrent, and with news of how the environment was in trouble which made us terrified that the world was going to end.
We grew up in a lot of ways feeling powerless and vulnerable without a proper outlet. For most of us these things were not up for discussion as it made our parents feel uncomfortable. I remember having a gay uncle growing up and that was NOT something that was ever openly brought up. Pluto in Scorpio brought to the collective subconscious a renewed depth. As this generation has aged and rebelled, we have become the ones to face family curses and to break long chains of abuse and family secrets. We refuse to remain silenced and to give respect where it is not earned. As many of us are now raising our own children, we insist on doing things differently and not passing down those same traumas.
The Pluto Signs as Generations
Pluto was in Scorpio from November 1983 to November 1995 (minus 2 periods of around 3 months due to Pluto retrogrades). This timeframe coincides very closely with what sociologists deems as the Millennial generation. It is very interesting to look at how Pluto’s movement through the signs lines up with all of the generations as it really explains a lot of what the people in these generations experienced. After Pluto was in Scorpio it moved onto Sagittarius (1996-2008) where Pluto influenced Generation Z to be intensely free and opinionated. This time period also completely transformed long distance travel, another Sagittarius theme, due to the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in the US on 9/11/2001. Next, Pluto moved into Capricorn (2008-2023) where it has transformed financial markets are peoples attitudes towards work in general thanks to the market crash in 2008 and the Covid pandemic which greatly increased the amount of people to working from home. In 2023 Pluto will switch signs again which I have already written a separate article about (click here to read my article on Pluto in Aquarius).
Prior to Pluto in Scorpio, the generations do not line up quite as neatly with the Pluto signs. Poor Pluto in Virgo got completely left out (which almost poetically makes perfect sense). The time that Pluto was in Virgo gets split between Generation X and the Baby Boomers, however I feel that they fit in better as part of Generation X. The Baby Boomers seem VERY much to fit the archetype of Pluto in Leo (1939-1957) as this symbolizes intensity in feeling special and that their opinions matter most. The world is currently being politically ran by mostly the generation of Pluto in Leo who will not hand over their power easily as they either refuse to give it up, or do not trust the younger generations do handle it properly. Pluto in Virgo (1958-1971) was intense about health and revitalizing routines. Pluto in Libra (1972-1983) was obsessed with relationships and fairness and even created the notion of participation trophies.
Other Trauma Indicators
We can get a better understanding of the time frame that Pluto was in Scorpio by analyze it in combination with the two indicators of trauma and shame in the birth chart: Chiron and Black Moon Lilith. We can then start to focus on what we need to do to heal. Chiron shows our deepest and most painful wound that feels impossible to ever heal. We tend to deny our own wound until we are ready to face them and instead focus on helping others heal in this area so they never feel the same way. Lilith represents what triggers us and the part of ourselves that we feel ashamed of and try to push down. This will inevitably lead to eventual explosions of rage as nothing can stay pushed down forever and built up pressure only leads to more violent explosions. Lilith can become a darkness inside of us that we may resort to when we feel cornered or like we have no other choice.
Understanding Chiron and Lilith: Facts and Legends
Chiron is a special breed of space material known as a centaur. Although commonly mislabeled as an asteroid or comet, it is neither because its orbit does not remain inside of the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) or out in the Kuiper Belt beyond the solar system (beyond Neptune). Chiron has a very unique orbit that weaves its way between planets to spend time in both areas. It spends time in the far reaches of our solar system, to the areas that we cannot see and our unconscious minds live, and then returns to the light–the areas that we can see without a telescope. This is the perfect metaphor for what Chiron does as he brings things from the subconscious to the conscious. This can obviously be an extremely painful thing to go through but it is a necessary part of growth and healing. Once you have begun to accomplish healing your wound you will be much better equipped to help others to heal from their own traumas. In mythology, Chiron was a healer who was shot in the foot by an arrow that was poisoned by the gods causing him excruciating pain. He was unable to heal himself and since he was immortal he would have to bear this pain for all eternity. Chiron eventually escaped his pain by convincing the gods to let him die.
Lilith (Black Moon Lilith) is a mathematical point in space calculated based on the position of the moon. According to Judaic mythology, Lilith was the first wife of Adam who was created by God alongside of Adam. When it came to having sex, Lilith refused to submit and obey as she felt that she was an equal partner to Adam. This caused Lilith to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, and gave her the burden of shame to always bear. Then God created Eve who was very submissive to Adam. Lilith then became known as a demon. She has came to represent shame in general and the dark feminine, often being portrayed as a demon woman. Lilith also represents how we may lash out when we feel that we have no other option. This the area of ourself that we feel ashamed of and that we try to exile. However, the more we try to suppress things, the more powerful that they can become. When the Lilith part of us eventually comes out, its wrath is like daggers. To heal this part of us we need to learn to accept it and incorporate it into ourselves.
To see the Part II–combinations during Pluto in Scorpio of Chiron and Lilith, check out my next article that I will soon link here!
