The Astrology of Planetary Return: Civil War on the Horizon?

America is experiencing its first “Pluto Return.” What does this mean? What has it meant in the past? And ultimately what will it mean for America? Let’s explore the death and rebirth of the USA.

Planetary Returns are of special significance in astrology. They set the tone for the next cycle of that planet and the energy it directs and represents. Astronomically, this is when the planet in question returns to its position that it occupied the moment of your birth.

For instance, every 18 months or so, Venus will return to her original position in your natal chart. We call this “Venus conjunct Venus.” Venus rules over what we like and attract, money, leisure, and feminine energy. So when she comes back to your natal position, this represents the themes that we will deal with the for the next cycle, so pay attention to what occurs around these days if you know your chart well enough.

This doesn’t mean that the things that happen around the return will be exactly what you will deal with for the next cycle of that planet. However, there will be many parallels with that energy. Similar problems or blessings will crop up over and over for the foreseeable future.

Pluto is a slow moving planet. So much so that we never see a “Pluto Return” in our lives. It takes 248 years to orbit the Sun, hence, we can never live long enough to see such an event. But countries can. In fact, America is approaching its very first. And this is a very, very important milestone.

Some would say we are already in the midst of this Pluto Return. In fact, I am one such person. The events are all around us. Five years ago, no one would have ever believed the insanity that the pandemic has brought, nor the amount of protests and violence in our streets over politics. These are the symptoms of Pluto coming home to roost.

But there are other factors in play as well. America’s chart has Mercury opposite to Pluto, natally. And, for the last several years, we have been experiencing exactly that. In part, this interpretation is that communications, (Mercury) are being manipulated (Pluto). And that is certainly true. Propaganda has been ramped up to levels we have never seen before in this country.

But what’s more, whenever we have an opposition aspect, there is “projection” present. This means that whatever it is sitting opposite that planet, in this case Mercury, we “project” the energy of the other planet opposite to it represents. With Pluto transiting there, what we project is what we see as bad, corrupt, or evil. Pluto embodies and represents the dark side of our nature, the underworld. Hence, both sides of the political coin see the perfect set of flaws projected out and away from them. There is little self reflection.

But Pluto provides a very valuable service. He burns away the rot and decay within us. What is left is the pure essence, renewed. It can be painful, though. It is a time of testing. But it is the phoenix bird, personified. What is destroyed leaves ashes, and the phoenix rises again from those ashes, reborn and reinvogorated. This cycle repeats over and over again, eternally.

Well, now it is America’s turn. She has never felt this before, so it will be particularly painful. Our ideals are being thrust into the fire, forged as iron to be melded and molded at the edge of a hammer and anvil. But make no mistake, it is the people who experience this. Brother against brother, sister against sister, neighbor against neighbor. What looms is the very real possibility of civil war. That is, unless we can reconcile our differences.

Rome’s second Pluto Return took place at a time you would most definitely expect, 461-468 AD. Esentially, this was the “fall” of the Western Empire. But, 248 years earlier, it went through its first. The empire was tested and changed during the Severan Dynasty, but it prevailed. It survived. A few decades later, it embraced Christianity and was changed forever. And I believe that the USA will also prevail. It will change irrevocably, too. But we will survive.

Pluto conjunct Pluto in America’s chart will go exact at February 22nd, 2022. Which is not far away. Though, as I said, this process is aleady happening. And further, this will only be the first of many passes that it will make. Outer planets such as Pluto will roll over a point in a chart, then turn “retrograde,” appearing to move backwards, hit that point again, then turn direct and strike it a third time. However, depending on circumstances, it can be mroe than this. And by my count, America will get hit four times. That’s a lot.

But what makes this worse, is that after it’s first pass in February, Pluto will “pivot” within “orb of influence” of that degree. This means that when Pluto begins to move backwards in our sky, he will basically be sitting so close to 27 degrees Capricorn, that it’s as if he is a drill bit, grinding down on this very spot. And when planets turn retrograde, they become more powerful and more of the energy they exude. So this first pass will be excruciatingly potent. Like a mortar and pestle, Pluto will crush all under its considerable weight.

Be prepared for those following months to be very intense, indeed. Good luck to you all. I hope you do your part to help this great nation become its highest manifestation of itself and its ideals. But be ready to sacrifice. This is not one where you’ll get to sit on the bench.