US PLUTO RETURN: its significance for the economy – Feb to Dec 2022

One of the most significant astrological transits we’re in the midst of now is the US’s Pluto Return. Pluto is the slowest moving planet in our solar system, taking almost 250 years to orbit the Sun (and hence to return to the same place in an astrology chart). 

Below you can see the chart for the United States (4th July 1776) on the inner wheel, and on the outer wheel the current positions of the slow moving, outer planets. You can see natal Pluto in the 2nd house at 27 Capricorn, and the current Pluto position at 28 Capricorn.

As with most outer planet transits, there are 3 exact hits of the Pluto Return – 20th Feb, 11th July and 28th Dec 2022. So essentially this whole year is characterised by the transit, with the likely peak intensity being around the middle hit in July.

Pluto is sometimes described as creative destruction. It brings deep challenges and irrevocable change. It is a transit of endings. Pluto is such a slow moving planet that its effects take some time to play out even for an individual (you’re not likely to experience a Pluto Return personally, unless you get really good at your Daoist Immortality practices! But you will experience other Pluto transits through your life). For a nation, the full impact of this transit will take many years, if not a few decades, to be fully seen. However, economic problems that have been slowly building for years are now coming more into the light.

The house a planet is located in denotes the area of life most impacted by the energies of the transit. The 2nd house relates to money, finances and with, regards to a country, the economy. Right now inflation is out of control and the Federal Reserve has started to increase interest rates and reduce its balance sheet to try and reign it in. As a consequence, markets across the board have nosed-dived in recent weeks.

The narrative out of Washington is that inflation is being caused by the war in Ukraine, and has been labelled the Putin Price Hike. The real reason is the unfathomable amount of money printing that has happened since the pandemic and associated economic slowdown. Here’s a fun chart showing the total number of dollars in existence over the last 50 years:

While it’s nice to think it feasible to conjure new money out of the magician’s hat, alas all it ultimately does is dilute the value of the money everybody has, and sooner rather than later bring the high inflation we are now witnessing. This appears to be the most immediate effect of the US’s Pluto Return. But in truth, this is a small scale manifestation of a bigger shift that’s happening.

On the macro timescale, one might argue that the Pluto Return is indicative of the imminent end of the US empire’s position as global economic leader, as exemplified by the US Dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. (By way of comparison, 

For some amazing non-astrological analysis on this, and the history of the various global reserve currencies, check out the work of billionaire investor Ray Dalio, and especially this 40-minute video which summarises the predictable rise and subsequent decline succinctly.

It describes how we are in the final stages of the US dollar being the reserve currency of choice. This fits very well the US having a Pluto Return in its house of finance. While the Pluto transit only lasts through 2022, it is such a huge one that the consequences will play out over the coming years and perhaps decades. But the damage is now done and the eventual end of dollar’s domination appears inevitable rather than possible or probable.

Now, whether this means that lasting recession and major economic hardships are around the corner is impossible to say (well for me, anyway). With some skilful financial sleight-of-hand I imagine it’s possible to prop the current system up for many years to come. Eventually another currency will rise to take the dollar’s place; Ray Dalio expects that to be the Chinese Renminbi.

Looking even further ahead, it could be argued that the entire fiat monetary system is broken and that too is destined to fail eventually. The notion that government’s can simply print more money at will seems ludicrous, and once enough people realise the whole system is smoke and mirrors, trust is gone and so is its value. But that’s a story for another time.

[As a fun aside, take another look at the birth chart (inner wheel) for the US shown above. You’ll see 3 planets close together – the Sun, Jupiter and Venus. This configuration perfectly symbolises a famous phrase from the US Declaration of Independence. Can you work out what it is?! If so, leave your answer below.]