Revisiting Three Predictions About the U.S. Pluto Return

Back in 2019, towards the end of the Donald Trump’s first presidential term, I published an article in the Mountain Astrologer magazine about the then-impending U.S. “Pluto return”—when that distant planet would be completing a full circuit for the first time since 1776. In the course of that piece, I listed seven possible manifestations of what we might expect from that pattern—I’ve posted three of what I regard as the most relevant of those below. (You can find all seven in the full article, which has been reposted by Astrodienst, here: www.astro.com/astrology/tma_article210208_e.htm ) As I also pointed out in that original piece, this planetary aspect technically became exact in the early 2020s, but that was really just the “seed-planting” time for the energy. As a result, its full effects would only become fully apparent in the years following that initial trigger period. (Towards the end of that article, I wrote, “I don’t think would be excessive to speak of the entire 2020’s as representing the peak period of America’s Pluto return.”) I’ll leave it for readers to decide how much of what I wrote may or may not have been prescient. -R.G.

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2. Based not only on those earlier Pluto returns of both Rome and England but on what we already see happening in the U.S., it’s also safe to say we can expect to see a growing mood of social unrest in the country—possibly bordering on a civil war-type atmosphere. Notice I said “type.” Do I personally believe that could result in an actual “civil war,” with neighbors shooting and attacking each other? While even a few politicians have hinted at that possibility, I think that’s unlikely. But there’s little question there will be strong—and potentially violent—emotions bubbling up to the surface these next few years. What could possibly trigger such an extreme level of anger and unrest? Well, let me count the ways. In addition to hot-button issues like abortion, immigration, political corruption, and income inequality, it’s likely that whoever wins the next presidential election in 2020 will elicit a firestorm of reaction on the opposite side of the political divide. If Trump wins, that would trigger much frustration and anger among his detractors, while his loss certainly would not be taken well by his supporters either, to put it mildly.

4. Falling as it does in Capricorn, the impending Pluto return strongly points to explosive scandals or falls from grace involving prominent individuals, be those politicians, celebrities, religious authorities, or business leaders. Previously hidden corruption, including sex crimes or possibly even treasonous activities, will be exposed to the light of day. Will that extend to the very highest political office of the land— i.e., the President? Impossible to know for sure, but it will undoubtedly be a challenging time for whoever is occupying the Oval Office at the time, whether they be Republican or Democrat. [Jeffrey Epstein, anyone? - R.G.]

6. Another effect that strikes me as worth mentioning centers around the growing threat of autocracy. It’s no secret Pluto can behave quite dictatorially at times, and we’ve already started seeing signs of that not only in Donald Trump’s unabashedly forceful style but in the rise of various far-Right neo-fascist elements throughout the country. (While it’s true that we’ve been seeing the rise of “strongman”-type governments in several countries besides the U.S. in recent years, that’s more likely due to the influence of the current Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, along with the fact that transiting Pluto has been opposing its 1930 discovery point of 17° Cancer in recent years, too.)

Even here, I was surprised to find some intriguing parallels from that period of America’s half-return of Pluto in the 1930s. Though now largely forgotten, America in the 1930s saw the rise of various pro-fascist groups around the country including the Silver Shirts, Black Legion, Khaki Shirts and Fascist League movements. While for the most part this trend remained outside the mainstream, it received support from no less prominent figures than Ezra Pound and Charles Lindbergh. And in 1934, the U.S. came perhaps the closest it’s ever come to a true fascist coup d’état, when democracy was nearly subverted by a cabal of wealthy individuals and businessmen but prevented by Major General Smedly Butler. As one article described it:

Fascism had reared its head in Europe, and the world had yet to make up its mind what it thought about it—that would come later, in World War II. Many thought that the best way to pull America out of the Great Depression was to install a dictator—even the New York Herald-Tribune ran a headline called ‘For Dictatorship If Necessary.’ Although the newspaper’s article was in support of FDR, a group of wealthy financiers believed that America should indeed have a dictator. . . So, they began to plot a coup d’état that would later come to be known as the Business Plot, or the Wall Street Putsch.

It’s startling now to realize that had it not been for General Butler, America could have gone in a dramatically different direction during the 1930s, similar to Germany. So, with Pluto now coming up to its first full return, does this mean that an elected candidate—Trump or otherwise—will try to exert even greater control over our country’s government? A related possibility could be that Trump loses the 2020 election but simply refuses to abdicate the Oval Office, thus creating a constitutional crisis. Or could it be simply mean that wealthy plutocrats will consolidate their already formidable control over the country, such as through more corporate-friendly legislative measures and judicial appointments?

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Postscript: In 2024, I published an extended article in The Astrological Journal that looked back on what had transpired under the Pluto return thus far— that piece can be found here: https://www.astro.com/astrology/in_usplutoreturn_e.htm. As I also pointed out in that article, incidentally, the U.S. is actually experiencing two other planetary returns besides Pluto’s during the 2020s; in addition to a Uranus return, which will be exact in 2027 and 2028 (but is already being felt), there is a Chiron return, which was technically exact in 2024 and early 2025. The combination of these three cycles certainly suggests this decade is destined to go down as one of profound change—and likely upheaval—for the United States.

Ray Grasse is a writer, astrologer, and photographer based in the American Midwest. He is author of ten books, most recently In the Company of Gods and So, What Am I Doing Here, Anyway? His websites are www.raygrasse.com and www.raygrassephotography.com.