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Although retrograde Pluto may get less airtime than the well-known retrograde Mercury, its invitations are just as impactful, influential, and worthy of our attention. Pluto retrograde is a spin back through the underworld. A deep dive into transformation. And reclamation of our shadow. It is an invitation to come into communion with the parts of ourselves that we have yet to accept so that we can reclaim every aspect, light and dark, of who we are.

When will Pluto go retrograde in 2023?

Pluto retrograde will last from May 1 to October 11, 2023.

What is Pluto retrograde?

Pluto is called an “outer planet” in astrology. It is designated as such because it lies outside the asteroid belt, unlike the inner planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars—which exist in the asteroid belt.

While the inner planets move quickly and change between signs and make aspects each week, the outer planets move much more slowly. They symbolize the years of our life. When we connect with the movements of the outer planets, which also include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, we connect with larger divisions of our experience. When they move, we feel this shift deeply. When they transition, it means a whole new era for us.

Pluto lingers in each zodiac sign until the age of 21 and is retrograde for five to six months each year. In March 2023, Pluto left Capricorn, which it had called home since 2008, and entered Aquarius for the first time since the 1700s. On May 1, 2023, Pluto began its retrograde in Aquarius, where it continues its retrograde rotation until it reaches Capricorn again on June 11. Pluto will remain in Capricorn until it returns to Aquarius in January 2024. It will continue this back and forth motion several more times until it settles in Aquarius and will remain there until 2043.

What does Pluto retrograde mean to you?

The moment we are in now is something like two worlds — the old and the new. Pluto in Capricorn is the old, or existing, and Pluto in Aquarius is the new, or future. Pluto, and therefore us, took one step forward into Aquarius and one step back into Capricorn. With more steps in each direction, we dance deeply with change. We are preparing for a new era. And this retrograde is an integral part of the dance.

Although retrograde Pluto may get less airtime than the well-known retrograde Mercury, its invitations are just as impactful, influential, and worthy of our attention. There is a theory that the further we look from Earth, the more complex, obscure, mysterious and subtle the astrological invitations and planetary frequencies become.

Pluto, named after the Roman god of the underworld, is located at the edge of our known solar system. Like Mercury retrograde, it has an indelible effect on us. Unlike Mercury, which represents, among other things, linear thinking and the logical mind, Pluto’s influence cannot be grasped by reason alone. It is a process of death, rebirth, transformation, power and the unconscious. It represents the unseen, mystery and hidden aspects of self and humanity. These are deep reserves within us that are not often used. These are our shadows, darkness and vulnerabilities.

Retrogrades in astrology represent “again” words such as revisit, reconsider, revisit, rebuild, revise, etc. They are one step back to allow many steps forward. They are a sacred pause that invites us to look around, to review who we are and the path we are on, to integrate our lived experiences, to consider past journeys left behind, to complete what needs to be done, and to reach the present, through center and aligned before proceeding forward.

Retrogrades remind us that no matter how hard we try, life is not linear. Our journey is cyclical. We move up, down and in any other direction. And our inner world is no different — especially under the influence of Pluto.

Pluto digs. It brings to light. He asks us to be with the darkness. Pluto retrograde shows us what lies within, waiting to be realized. Waiting for acceptance. Waiting for closing. Waiting for our presence. Awaiting healing. It digs deep into our hidden inner caves, the subconscious, the emotional body hidden within us.

Here we review what is ready for transformation. During Pluto retrograde, we may find what we call “old” emotions, stories, or pain resurfacing. And while transformation is rarely easy, it is deeply nourishing.

It is where we feel imprisoned that Pluto asks us to find freedom. It is in experiences where we have felt powerless that Pluto invites empowerment. And it is through the crack from the inside that Pluto receives light into the dark spaces. If old stories, wounds, or fears surface during this time, give yourself grace. How can you make friends with this part of you? What awaits on the other side of this wound? How would you feel going down it? What does this part of you need? How can you ensure safety when traveling with this?

Pluto represents aspects of humanity that many find uncomfortable. Journeying through our inner shadow and facing what sits within the discarded parts of us is not easy. However, it is necessary. And it is deeply healing. Pluto is the missing piece of the puzzle that brings us home to the wholeness of our human experience. This retrograde encourages us to be vulnerable as it peels back layers to sit with what lies beneath. To witness for ourselves the parts we have renounced and cast into the shadows, all in order to achieve acceptance and rebuild ourselves, piece by piece. To bear witness to that which kept us in chains, dim, powerless and afraid, so that we may remember our freedom, strength and light.

Your invitation

With Pluto retrograde, allow the cyclical journey of your becoming and incongruity to be what it is. Not only are we in retrograde space, but we’re dancing deep within Pluto’s epoch-defining transition from Capricorn to Aquarius. This dwarf planet lives in realms beyond our control, beyond our understanding. Our participation in this is surrender, presence and grace.

Allow your humanity to be as messy as it wants to be this time. Because we literally take a step back, take the pieces apart, make a mess, and then put them back together in a way that is aligning, empowering, freeing, and authentic, all in time for our forward movement.

Learn more about how astrology affects your life, including astrological events such as lunar cycles, your Sun, Moon, and rising signs, how journaling can help you connect with current influences, and more with Jordan Marie at Girl and her Moon.

About our contributor

Jordan Marie is the founder of Girl and Her Moon, a platform and community that explores the soul through the lens of astrology, tarot, and energy healing. She is an author, intuitive astrologer, energy and soul guide, and host of Girl and Her Moon, The Podcast. She inspires herself every day to be a mirror for you to see all that you really are, you in all your infinite capacity, in full expansion, in infinite possibility and love.