Intuitive Astrology: Pluto Retrograde 2022

Pluto moves slowly, only traveling through a couple of degrees of the zodiac each year. This ultra-slow movement means that Pluto has time to really dig its heels into the lessons, teachings, and gifts that it brings to each degree of the zodiac.

Whenever a planet moves slowly, as Pluto does, its retrograde motion is often one that we don’t notice as much on a conscious level.

Retrogrades occur when a planet appears to be moving backward from our vantage point here on Earth, but as Pluto hardly moves, this apparent backward motion is not one that we can really see too clearly, at least not with our eyes.

For our Third Eye however, it’s a different story, as it gets very activated under a Pluto Retrograde. While Pluto’s movements are slow on the surface, on the hidden layers, in our etheric body, and in our subconscious, the energy moves strong.

Ancient astrologers believed that when a planet entered retrograde it was traveling through the underworld, or our subconscious, unearthing hidden messages, secrets, and things that hide in the shadows.

Pluto is considered the Lord of the Underworld, so this enhances the shadowy energy. In a sense, the keeper of the underworld himself is being invited to look over his own shadows, his ignored intuitive messages, and his own subconscious to weed out anything that needs to be addressed or no longer has a place.

Pluto Retrograde 2022

In 2022, Pluto begins its retrograde journey on April 29. One of the most notable things about Pluto’s retrograde is that it will once again perfectly align with the natal pluto of the United States.

Pluto first made this alignment in the United States chart on the auspicious 22nd of February 2022, but will now revisit, helping to dig up and unearth any skeletons or shadows in the closet that need to come to light. You can read more on the Pluto Return of the United States here.

Interestingly, this is also the third last time Pluto will Retrograde in the sign of Capricorn. This means that it is getting ready after 10+ years to wrap up its journey in this earth sign. As this journey comes to an end, its lessons are only going to intensify.

Pluto is a transformative force and rules over the cycle of death and rebirth. While in Capricorn it has been working hard to bring change to powerful corporations, governments, long-established financial intuitions, and the world of big business- all areas that are touched by the combination of Pluto and Capricorn.

Pluto still has much to do of course, but hopefully by the time Pluto leaves, the collective would have used Pluto’s powers to make positive transformations in these areas.

In our own lives, Pluto entering Retrograde is a time when we can reflect on our own transformative journey.

Pluto’s last retrograde ended in October 2021, so since this time, how have you transformed? How have you used the energies of Pluto to confront your shadows and come out stronger and reborn?

Pluto embodies the process of death and rebirth. It is always present in those moments in life when we undergo the process of moving from maiden to mother or ashes to phoenix.

The darker more painful sides of these transformative journeys can sometimes come to our attention under a Pluto Retrograde. While we become more sensitive to them and how they have moved and changed us, they also allow us to gain clarity and strength around just how far we have come.

If you made big, life-altering decisions in October 2021, or if a significant event happened close to that month, you may find that new insights are revealed to you, or perhaps a new way of approaching things becomes necessary.

A simple, yet helpful way to look at it would be to think of Pluto stationing direct in October 2021 as the rebirth stage of your transformation journey and the retrograde as sort of the death or end stage.

Change, endings, and the idea of loss can always be a scary thing, but remember, Pluto’s energy is often subtle and delicate. Its slow movements give us time to adjust, time to grieve, and time to pause and figure out what we need to get done.

Pluto Retrograde is nothing to fear, it is our opportunity to slowly and steadily clear the path, reinvent things that have become stagnant, and keep leveling up on our journey through this incarnation.

It is also interesting that just a day after Pluto enters retrograde, we have the first Eclipse of 2022- the Taurus New Moon Solar Eclipse.

Eclipses always represent change and transformation, and often unlock doors to higher states of consciousness. Couple this with Pluto’s entrance to the underworld, and we definitely have a strong theme that will course through much of Eclipse Season.

By the time Pluto stations direct again on October 8, 2022, we will have a much clearer understanding of our next chapter on the always constant road of transformation. We are likely to find ourselves ready to begin a new stage of our lives, free from whatever past shadows we have worked on.

And if it’s anything, it’s nice to remember that pictures of Pluto show a love heart pattern on its surface, showing us that through every transformation a deeper love is possible.

How to Use the Energy of Pluto Retrograde

Retrogrades are often strongest at the time they start and the time they end, so April 29 and October 8, 2022, are the best windows of opportunity we have to use the energy of Pluto Retrograde.

Assess your life since October of last year, what changes have been made and how do these changes need to be tweaked or adjusted?
Honor any desires for quiet, reflective contemplation
Get in touch with your shadow side, what needs to be shown the light?
Confront what you are afraid of, know that it no longer has to hold power over you
Release what is no longer in your control
Release any shadows from your past that are contributing to blockages or pain
Step into your power