After having been retrograde since April 21, 2017, Pluto is now slowing down now for his direct station which will occur at ~23 degrees of sidereal Sagittarius on September 28, 2017. Pluto will remain in direct (forward) motion for about seven months and then will retrograde again next year, on April 23, 2018. His retrograde cycle lasts for about five months every year. (Please note, I am a Neo-Vedic astrologer which means I work with the outer planets but don’t assign them rulerships over signs. I also use the sidereal zodiac exclusively.)

So what is a retrograde planet? It is a planet that appears to be moving backward in relation to our perspective from the Earth. It doesn’t really go in reverse, but as a result of the variations of orbital speeds between the Earth and planets during certain times of the year, it appears to be moving in reverse motion. Additionally, it appears from Earth that a planet is just beginning to move slowly forward again, this is called “direct station” or a “stationary direct.” This is what will happen on September 28, but we may be feeling it now, and also for about 10 days after the direct station as well. A stationary direct planet is extremely strong (noticeable), and that would be for either “good or bad” depending on what it specifically represents in a natal or mundane horoscope.

Pluto is the Roman name of Hades, the Greek god of death and the underworld. Thus in astrology, Pluto is symbolic of death and renewal, regeneration, and transformation, and further represents what is in the unconscious, which must be made conscious. Pluto is also a higher octave of Mars, and in its more evolved expression, represents divine will and the power of transformation. Its lower manifestation reflects a more negative side of Mars—which can be extremely willful, controlling, and explosive.

Retrograde planets often bring delays in the areas they influence. For example, in the coronation chart for North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, Pluto has been retrograde since last April in the all-important 10th house which represents the leader and the karma of the nation. It has been retrograde in the 1st house of the U.S. Kelleher chart as well, which is the house that represents the U.S. at large. Pluto correlates directly with nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, and during the retrograde cycle, it may appear that there has been little progress in the North Korean international nuclear crisis, and in fact, the crisis seems to be getting worse over time as the U.S. and allies in the U.N. are having to go back and deal with a longstanding issue that was allowed to grow out of control in the past. Once Pluto stations direct, we may finally begin to see some new forward momentum in this nuclear crisis.

Pluto will station direct exactly opposite the Sun in the 7th house of the U.S. Kelleher chart which can be indicative of the strength of the American leadership to help to successfully resolve this conflict with North Korea. The fear many astrologers have is that the opposition (stand-off) between the U.S. Sun and the stationary-direct Pluto could indicate some exposure to grave danger as this conflict could be met through a superior show of force. The weeks and days around a Pluto station are often associated with violence, accidents, and explosive events. Things can rupture. So it’s a good time to be extra-mindful of this and work on creating peaceful vibrations, because “with our thoughts, we create the world.”

Another possible manifestation of Pluto stationing opposite the U.S. Sun is that we will be hearing more about the nefarious attempts of the Deep State to thwart the current U.S. administration. This is because the Deep State is symbolized by Pluto, planet of plutocracies, crime syndicates, hidden agendas, and secret organizations, and the Sun represents the current leadership. The opposition of Pluto and Sun can point to a battle between these two powers, and the coming to light of some very dark secrets.

On the personal level, the retrograde motion of a planet intensifies its strength but turns its energy more inward and more intensely. According to astrologer Steven Arroyo, “Pluto represents a commitment to act upon our need for transformation, to incorporate the higher levels of consciousness into our very being, knowing that all desires and attachments will have to be brought to the surface and purged and that all our true motives will have to be faced. At this level of consciousness, one is no longer satisfied with mere knowledge or infatuation; one wants to bring all one’s mental and emotional resources to bear in the transformational process (Astrology, Karma and Transformation, p 48).

During the past five months of Pluto retrograde, you may have been going through a deep process of inner examination relative to what Pluto is influencing through its transit to your natal chart. For an example, if you are Scorpio Rising with Venus in the 2nd house of Sagittarius, then the Pluto transit could have been affecting issues related to money, and such matters could have come under deep review and healing in the past five months. Now, these days around the direct station of Pluto may be pivotal ones for some kind of release and possibly new insights and understandings coming out of Pluto’s slowly turning tide.

The Pluto station is occurring with the transiting Moon (the Goddess) conjunct Pluto and in sidereal Sagittarius in Purva Ashadha nakshatra, which is ruled by an ancient Vedic and Puranic goddess named Apah who (among other things) represents the karmic churning (purification) we all must undergo in life. This process is especially intense during the festival of Navaratri/Nine Nights of Mother Divine which is happening now (September 20-29 in the U.S.). Pluto stations in the auspicious pushkara navamsa of this nakshatra, which emphasizes a cleansing that leads to the reaping of good fruits. The direct station occurs near the end of the Navaratri festival when the Divine Mother’s healing energy and transformational power reach a crescendo. Purva Ashadha’s final gift is the shakti of invigoration, and the true remembrance that in the big scheme of things, we can’t lose.