In the same way that people have birth charts, so too do countries. And in the same way that people are affected personally by major transits to their charts, so too are entire nations. One of the most important transits is that of Pluto, and it is very interesting to note that Pluto will soon be having a major impact on the chart of the United States, as it is approaching a direct opposition to the US Sun – the most important planet in any chart, indicating national identity, the heart of the country and everything a country stands for.
Pluto is all about deep transformation, and one that comes about through some form of destruction first. It is a creative destruction, but one that first has to clear away everything that is old, not working and dysfunctional. The ultimate purpose is to build a new structure, but the process is always a long and difficult one. Pluto transits are about as difficult as it gets, and in one way or another the US will be irrevocably changed through this process.
Pluto signifies death and rebirth. What exactly will die is impossible to predict. At its worst it could be the complete collapse of the nation, as happened in June 1990 when Pluto was conjunct the Sun of the Soviet Union chart and their entire empire was destroyed. Maybe instead it will signify an end to the rampant capitalism and greed that has come to be such a feature of the western world. Maybe the population will revert back to the core principles on which the country was built, and embody more of the caring, family-values side of Sun in Cancer rather than its lower expression of defensiveness, oversensitivity and fear. Only time will tell.
The energy of this transit is now building and will first become exact in March 2014. Pluto hits the US Sun a total of 5 times between then and Nov 2015, with the biggest impacts likely to be April-May 2014 and Aug-Nov 2015. For the astrologically minded amongst you, click on the image above to view the chart for the first Pluto-Sun contact. The inner wheel shows the US chart and the outside wheel the current transits.
One of the difficulties with Pluto transits is that it indicates events/situations that are hard to see, and so often come as a big shock. Two fairly recent events of Pluto impacting the US chart give a flavour of its power:
On September 11th, 2001, Pluto was almost exactly on top of the Ascendant in the US chart – along with the Sun this is one of the most sensitive and important points on the chart.
Through most of 2009 and 2010 Pluto opposed Venus in the US chart. Venus signifies money, finances and the economy, and certainly this was a dark and difficult financial time for the country and its populace.
Whatever happens, this is a critical time in the history of the United States, and some big structures will be destroyed in one way or another. The only really positive way through this transit is to cooperate with the destructive Pluto force and to willingly allow everything that is rotten to collapse, so that a new, healthy foundation can be built. Any attempts to continue through the transit in the same manner will almost certainly end in disaster.
