Power vs. Freedom
March 22, 2023
Pluto enters Aquarius
(March 23, 2023)
In the late 1700s, Jean-Jaques Rousseau wrote
“Freedom is the power to choose our own chains.”
Like us, Rousseau was on the precipice of a Pluto in Aquarius transit (1777 – 1799), the last one we had since Pluto has a 248 year orbit. The world was about to go into a whole new political territory, and it was during this transit that the US Constitution was written.
Pluto was the Roman God of Death, a derivative of the Greek Hades. You could find him standing at the gates of the Underworld with his three-headed hell hound Cerberus (the three heads symbolizing the past, present, and future). Although most immediately associated with destruction, obsession, control, and death, Pluto also represents wealth (underground resources), transformation, and the evolution of the soul.
Aquarius is a sign of futurism, innovation, and progress. It rules technology, groups, and collaboration. Ironically, although the most populist of signs, Aquarius is also seen as a symbol of independence, individuality, and eccentricity. The zodiacal Aquarius is portrayed by the water bearer, an optimistic symbol of the Gods bringing essential nutrients to the Earth.
Over the next 20 years, Pluto’s intense domination and demand for metamorphosis will push at the free-spirited autonomy of Aquarius. This will surely force some zig-zagged boundaries, present the possibility of technological infinites, and generate seemingly improbable solutions to global and local problems. We are entering a time when weighing the roles of Power and Freedom in our personal and public lives will become a daily task.There will be no choice but to make decisions that are both limited by the resources we have (climate change) and unlimited in their ethical implications (AI). Power and Freedom are not mutually exclusive, and their cryptic tug of war is how our humanity evolves.
On an individual level, these are two words that are inescapably linked to our growth and personal evolution. These topics are something I have been exploring for years in my client Tarot sessions. Power can be oppressive or liberating, while freedom exhilarating or overwhelming. And while Pluto in Aquarius seems like a match made in hell (no pun intended), darkness seems to only be contained when given real agency and liberty to play and create.
So, where does your Freedom end, and Power begin? Or is it vice versa?
