THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OUTER PLANETS: URANUS, NEPTUNE, PLUTO

Since Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have, recently, changed signs for the first time in many years, it’s a good time to talk about what these planets signify in astrology, and how they show up in our lives.

Ancient astrologers had not identified Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto because you need a telescope to see them, but some were aware that there were probably other planets beyond Saturn. The planets they could see with the naked eye were special, and they called Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn the five wandering stars. Then, of course, they had a direct relationship with the two luminaries, the Moon and the Sun. These seven celestial bodies were the foundations of Hellenistic astrology, and assigned each of these planets as rulerships of the zodiac signs. The five wandering stars ruled two signs each, and the luminaries, the Sun and Moon ruled one sign each in a balanced, sophisticated system.

Many centuries later, when Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered by astronomers, modern astrologers didn't know what to do with them, initially, but ended up assigning them to the zodiac signs. So, this is how Uranus came to rule Aquarius, Neptune rule Pisces, and Scorpio rule Pluto. However, I practice the Hellenistic tradition, and I don't associate Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto with those signs as modern astrologers do. I follow and practice the traditional rulership of Saturn ruling Aquarius, Jupiter ruling Pisces, and Mars ruling Scorpio.

So, for me and other astrologers that follow the ancient tradition, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto do not rule any of the signs, but that doesn't mean they're not important. These planets still have significance. The seven traditional planets are more personal because they're in signs less often, whereas Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are in signs for much longer. So, they represent generations, generational shifts, collective consciousness, and how collective consciousness and cultures shift globally.

With the outers all changing signs within the same time frame, this is significant for societies, geopolitics, and the collective. Pluto is now fully in Aquarius, Neptune entered Aries, and Uranus has moved into Gemini. This indicates big, structural changes for the world.

In terms of your personal life, they can and do still represent changes that you’re going through, but since the outer planets are in a sign for many years, the shifts they symbolize in your life are gradual although they are more potent if they are closely aspecting an important planet or point in your birth chart. For example, with Pluto now in Aquarius, if you're an Aquarius Rising, Sun, or Moon at an early degree, then this Pluto in Aquarius transit is going to be impacting you more intensely right now. But, if you don't have any planets in Aquarius, then the Pluto in Aquarius transit will still be indicating a deep dive into the Aquarius part of your birth chart, but its potency isn't as strong.

Because we can’t see these outers with the naked eye, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto don't really become known until they connect with one of the traditional planets. They tend to intensify the significations of the other planets they connect with making things more extreme. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are illuminated when they meet up with one of the traditional planets that you can see, especially if they Moon is activating them through an aspect. These outer planets are hidden, and because of that, they tend to symbolize what’s going on behind the scenes or subconsciously. But, when the Moon aspects them, then their story gets brought to the surface.

Uranus

Uranus was first discovered in 1781. It spends roughly seven years in a sign. And, as I mentioned, modern astrology assigned it to Aquarius, but, traditionally, Saturn ruled Aquarius, and still does for those of us that practice the ancient tradition. I find Uranus to be a lot like Mercury and Mars. Uranus is all about freedom, disruption, surprises, rebellion, innovations, sparks of brilliance. Uranus is electric, like a streak of lightning, and a sudden earthquake. It shakes things up, is spontaneous and erratic. Those qualities describe Mars and Mercury in many ways.

Uranus is the unconventional, it needs to do things differently. It symbolizes revolutionizing society, culture, and the world. Uranus wants to break free. It wants to revolt. It wants to do things differently. It wants to progress forward. Uranus can represent social and political progressive movements, but not everyone who is Uranian is socially or politically progressive. You-know-who in the white house is a perfect example of that. His Sun is conjunct Uranus in his birth chart, but he’s not progressive. He is, however, quite Uranian in the sense that he disrupts, shakes things up, and acts erratically. Uranus can spark chaos, and that is exemplified by him.

Neptune

Neptune was discovered 1846. It’s in a sign for roughly 12 years. Neptune was named after the Roman god of the sea, and is associated with water, dreams, intuition, spirituality, subconscious, illusion, confusion, dissolving, what's real and not real, what is ideal. There is a transcending of time and space with Neptune.

Neptune is like a cloud. Anytime Neptune is significant in the sky, it's almost like we're in a cloud. When someone is deeply immersed in their imagination, or they’re delusional, they're in a Neptunian cloud. Neptune signifies delusion, imagination, creativity, fantasy, and moving beyond. Neptune shares a lot of significations with Jupiter, but it's more of the extreme version of Jupiter.

Richard Tarnas in his book, Cosmos and Psyche, says that Neptune is associated with “the transcendent, with the dimensions of life, to which all that transcends the limited, literal, temporal, and material world of concretely empirical reality, myth and religion, art and inspiration, ideals and aspirations, images and reflections, symbols and metaphors, dreams and visions, mysticism, religious devotion, universal compassion, the impulse to surrender, to dissolve boundaries and structures in favor of underlying unities, healing and wholeness, the disillusion of ego, boundaries, and reality structures, so on and so forth.”

Pluto

Pluto was discovered in 1930. What's interesting is that it was discovered during Aquarius season, which is ruled by Saturn, and Pluto got a lot of the significations of Saturn, like death, darkness, and transformation. Pluto, as the furthest of the planets we relate to, spends about 15 to 20 years in a sign.

Pluto signifies depth, extremes, power, and rebirth. Tarnas, in Cosmos and Psyche, describes the nature of Pluto “to press towards greater intensity to the extreme, to be compelling, deep, grounded in the depths, drawing on the power of the underworld, driving whatever it touches to an overwhelming potency.” Obsession is another word that describes Pluto. A deep obsession of something. Going to the depths.

Pluto also represent power and power dynamics. It can bring your attention to unequal power dynamics, imbalances and abuses of power. It digs deep and uncovers the muck, offering us a rebirth. It reveals the deeper truth about something, which is a lot like Mars. Mars is power and a truth teller, and Pluto uncovers what has been hidden bringing it to the surface. And, when Pluto and Mars meet up, there is extra intensity and attention on power and truth revealing what is real.

In true Pluto fashion, things need to die in order to be reborn. One thing I don't love is that Pluto has gotten associated with transformation, and while it can and does signify transformation, all of the planets have the power of transformation, just in different ways. Saturn is transformative. Mars is transformative. Venus is transformative. Jupiter is transformative.

Of course, Pluto goes to the depths, and has a tendency to make small things big. It represents small things being magnified. It intensifies what it touches, so something that might seem like a tiny matter is now a big matter. Issues that would, normally, be minor are, now, being experienced as major. Sometimes, this is positive, and sometimes it's quite challenging. What I do love about Pluto, though, is that it offers an opportunity for rebirth, to be a new version of yourself, and be reborn.

How The Outers Affect You On A Personal Level

Pluto is in Aquarius for twenty-years, so its changes for you, personally, are going to be very gradual. Sometimes, you won't notice this transit at all, but you'll notice the changes more when Pluto is aspecting another planet in your chart, or when the Moon is aspecting Pluto activating its story. As Pluto moves through the sign of Aquarius over the next 20 years, it will meet up with different planets, and it could meet up with different planets or sensitive points in your chart depending what signs you have planets in in your chart. You will notice and feel that shift when that happens, if that happens for you.

Aquarius Risings, in particular, are now going through a rebirth process for the next 20 years. This is true of Aquarius Suns and Moons as well, but, especially, Aquarius Risings because your Rising sign is all you and how you identify. Anyone who is Aquarius rising is not going to be the same person in 20 years. You're going to be going through a deep transformation of self, how you identify, and what you identify with. You're going to reinvent yourself, and you might reinvent yourself multiple times within this twenty-year Pluto in Aquarius period.

This happened to me when Pluto was in Capricorn for 15 years. I have a stellium in Capricorn, including my Sun, and I am a completely different person now than I was in 2008 when Pluto first moved into Capricorn. If you met me back then, and, then you met me now, you'd be surprised on many levels of who I am now compared to a decade ago. I've gone through major identity shifts, and have reinvented myself multiple times. I have been multiple versions of myself. And, while the rebirth process is full of challenges as it’s a period of deep, personal growth, I love rediscovering myself, discovering new versions of who I am, and reinventing myself.

As another example, if you’re Gemini Rising with your ascendant at an early degree, then Uranus is highly potent for you right now. Uranus then describes the experiences you’re having in your life right now, and that's something to pay attention to. But if Uranus isn't in your Rising sign, and it’s not near your ascendant or any planet in your chart, then the Uranus in Gemini transit probably isn’t significant for you right now.

You might have a prominent Uranus in your chart, however. As an example, I have Uranus in a house with no other planets, but it is squaring Mars close by degree, which amplifies the Mars energy in my chart, and speaks to how much of an entrepreneur I need to be, how much I need to be my own boss, how I don't like people telling me what to do, and need to do things my way.

The prominence of these planets in your life, and how their transits are impacting you will depend on what aspects they’re making in your birth chart. I can help you unravel that in an astrology reading.

But, I encourage you to pay attention to what has been shifting, both internally and externally, in your life since Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have changed signs.