Our Promethean Moment

As Pluto, the god of the Underworld, enters Aquarius, we can expect big changes and transformations in science, technology, and the internet to follow. Pluto (death) of the internet/social media, as we know it and a rebirth of a new way to access and interact with the thoughts of humanity will follow.

Prometheus, is a Greek Titan, a god of fire, his name means "forethought". He is often considered the "true" archetype to represent the sign of Aquarius. If you don't know the story associated with Prometheus, let me provide you with a little background.

Prometheus raided Mt. Olympus and stole fire from the gods. He gave this valuable gift to man and taught how to use this gift in metalwork; he is associated with science and culture. Zeus, angered by the action punished Prometheus by chaining him to a Mountain where a giant eagle ate the Titan's liver every day. Prometheus, being immortal, suffered this act over and over...until Hercules finally released him. The moral lesson can be seen as a warning against overreaching and the potential repercussions of challenging higher powers. Hercules, by the way, symbolizes virtues such as strength, faithfulness, and selflessness.

This metaphor is apt for retelling as Pluto enters Aquarius and lends his power and shadow toward innovation, and new technologies, creating an evolutionary jolt for mankind.

Pluto tipped his toe into Aquarius briefly last year (March) just as Chat GPT and AI came into mass consciousness. He is once again entering Aquarius on January 24, 2024. Pluto spends many years in each zodiac sign due to its slow orbit, and its presence in Aquarius can be indicative of transformative and revolutionary changes in societal structures, technology, and group dynamics. The effects of Pluto are likely to be seen over an entire generation rather than in specific individual experiences. Pluto's influence is usually slow, building in the backrooms slowly over time. However, in quick and forward Aquarius, Pluto will quicken his pace and reveal surprises and awe. Those you thought would never lose power in the areas of science, innovation, and technology will likely be replaced, rapidly.

Since Aquarius is a constellation of a human figure pouring water from the heavens, this sign deals with humanity itself--its ideas, worldviews, and complex social structures. It is the last of the fixed signs, wanting to create enduring structures that capture the ideals of humanity. It represents the space where ideas and models of structures are born. Hope, in the face of Pandora's box, the liberty and opportunity for each of us to reach our full potential, free access to knowledge, and self-determination. The other human signs, Gemini - Virgo - (and partly Sagittarius) endow us with facts, discrimination, and philosophy culminate in Aquarius where we get to "pour" those collected "waters" into ideas, invention, technology, and community and see what sprouts up. Aquarius is lightning-quick, young, emotionally detached, and chaotic. Timelines will be jumping at warp speed.

Here are some potential themes associated with Pluto in Aquarius:

1. Technological Transformation: signifies profound and transformative changes in how society interacts with and utilizes technology. Significant advancements, breakthroughs, or revolutions in scientific and technological fields, space, aviation, electricity, mining of minerals, and medical advances.

2. Collective Evolution:  Intense transformations in societal norms, pushing for greater equality, freedom, and social justice on a collective level.

3. Intellectual Revolution: Signify deep and transformative changes in the way humanity thinks, communicates, and processes information. 

4. Power Dynamics in Groups: Changes in power dynamics within groups or societies. Push for more equitable distribution of power and a transformation of traditional hierarchical structures.

If we look at this Pluto in Aquarius previously we find some interesting history: The following is edited info from this article. Catherine has a very insightful 2 part series on her website. Catherine Urban, has a fabulous two-part series on Pluto on her website- here, I highly recommend.

1777-1798 The 1780’s and 1790’s are considered a bridge between the Age of Enlightenment (the flourishing of social sciences, individual rights and humanistic morality) and the Industrial Revolution – the flourishing of machinery. Democracy was up-and-coming political ideology of this era, ousting Monarchies. The composition of water is first understood, new elements are discovered – and planets, too (Uranus). Inventions: cast iron, hot-air balloons, steamboats, smallpox vaccine, cotton gin and lithograph.

1532 – 1553 King Henry facilitates a Protestant reform changing the major power holder of the time, the Catholic Church.The Scientific Revolution in 1543 with Copernicus’ publishing of “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres,” which formally pitched the heliocentric model. Also, several “firsts” in printing Guttenberg's printing press became more accessible to average people during this time, disseminating information more broadly.

1041 – 1063 Around July 4th, 1054, a supernova is observed and recorded by several different cultures all around the world. For 23 days, it remained bright enough to be visible in the daylight. This event eventually helps historians sync the various calendars of the different cultures on all continents, bringing a sort of unification of time-recording systems. Movable type printing is invented in China; the first book in history to include formulas for gunpowder and bombs as well as how to build a double-piston pump flamethrower and magnetic compass. 

795 – 819 this era boasted values such as “The ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr. Mathematic systems such as the Arabic numerals many of us use today emerged from this period, including the introduction of the number “0,” algebra, and perhaps most interestingly, the word algorithm.

Each of the technologies discovered during these times: gunpowder, movable type, heliocentricity, and steam engines sent humanity reeling. Now the dawn of the Information Age of AI will do the same. Pluto will reveal the evil and wonder of big tech, power, and hidden wealth; It will awaken humanity's worst inclinations and highest ideals. With the power of the gods delivered to our hands, we will need to expand our consciousness to handle the power wisely. We are being taken to a new way of being whether we like it or not.

If profit and the financial bottom line are our only concern, we are "playing with fire." Knowledge acquisition can not be purely capitalistic but must be integrated into humanitarian aims.