The book that renewed my hope for the future is astrologer Rosie Finn’s book Persephone’s Revolution: Pluto’s Path to the End of Empire. I feel like every astrologer should be reading and recommending this book.

It took twenty years of research, but Finn succeeded in charting Pluto’s Out of Bounds cycle from 1808 BCE to the present. For those of you who haven’t read my post entitled “Out of Bounds”, it may be helpful. Tony Howard and Steven Forrest have also written a lot about Out of Bounds planets if you do a search for their articles online.

Finn’s book reads more like historical analysis than astrology. Those of you reading this post who can’t quite pull the trigger on wanting to learn about astrology might make an exception here.

Pluto’s declination cycle, which is its movement north and south of the celestial equator, has been entering what is known as Out of Bounds territory for the past 4000 years. These cycles are remarkably predictable, thanks to Finn’s research.

Because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the standard solar maximum ends at around 23.26 degrees declination, at the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. I know this is a terribly confusing way to describe it. Allow me to simplify.

The Tropic of Cancer sits at about 23.26 degrees north latitude. This is the furthest northern point on earth where the Sun can shine directly overhead, which happens on the Summer Solstice. The same is true for the Tropic of Capricorn, which is 23.26 degrees south latitude, where the sun shines directly overhead at the Winter Solstice. The Equator, or mathematical center/ circumference of Earth, is at 0 degrees. Degrees of latitude begin at 0 degrees both north and south of the Equator, dividing the planet into two separate hemispheres.

Astrology is the observation of astronomical patterns from the perspective of planet Earth. Observing patterns is how any discipline of study begins. What Finn’s charts in her book is a significant pattern that has repeated itself roughly every 248 years, which is the length of time it takes Pluto to complete its orbit.

Pluto’s orbit is eccentric, elongated and inclined (slanted at 17 degrees). Pluto orbits at an incline and the Sun is not at the center of its orbit. Its orbit is more oval-shaped, with an eccentricity that makes it appear as if its trying to escape our solar system. To understand this better, it might be best to quote a direct passage from Finn’s book:

“The planet we live on, Earth, travels in the orbital plane, neatly moving in a near-perfect circle, in a near-perfect plane with the other planets. However, Earth, like many of the planets, tilts. This tilt changes over time. Imagine a twirling toy top. A quick twist and the top both rotates and revolves. When the top begins to slow down, it wobbles. This is like the Earth. Our wobble currently takes roughly 26,000 years. 

As the Earth’s tilt changes, it moves more and more into alignment with the 17 degree inclination of Pluto’s orbit. To say it another way, Pluto’s orbit and Earth’s tilt are moving into alignment. Earth’s equatorial plane (the Equator extended out into space) is moving into alignment by degree and direction with Pluto’s inclination. Planets as they move through space in relationship to the Earth’s equatorial plane is called declination.”

The cycles Finn charts begin with Pluto at 0 degrees declination, North or South. The beginning of the OOB cycle she titles Vision. About every 65 years, a significant shift happens. From Vision, the cycle peaks at Power, begins to recede into Justice, then bottoms out at Reform. Power is when Pluto moves in extreme declination OOB (23.44) to the north and Reform is when Pluto moves in extreme declination OOB to the south.

For example, the current cycle we’re in began in 1863 with the American Civil War and the Taiping Rebellion in China. It’s best to quote Finn here:

“At the beginning of the Vision time, both the U.S. and China were poor, under-educated and under-developed nations in internal chaos. By the end of VISION, an alliance between China and US, changes in government in both countries and an increased value on industry and science kicked off the building of the two most powerful empires in history.” 

Finn’s research shows that when Pluto moves OOB in extreme declination to the North (1938-1949 was the last time), cycles of oppression, war and abuses of empire get pretty extreme. We entered a Reform period August 2025 and lasts until 2035.  Finn says we are on the path of renewal.

This is all fine and great and not exactly reassuring if the cycle is just going to continue again in perpetuity. However, as I quoted Finn above, because Earth is more now closely aligned with Pluto’s orbit, this 2025-2035 stretch will be the last time Pluto goes out of bounds for the next 3000 years. We are living at the end of a 4000 cycle. 

This is a reason to keep going. To hang on and work on fixing what is broken – socially, politically and psychologically. She’s not suggesting that empires are just going to disappear, but their level of power will not be as destructive as the last 4000 years.

I’ve been focusing on politics a lot more than art, but I would like my site to be a place of learning and education most of all. Inspiration too! I’ll start midwifing the struggle that artists and eccentrics like myself will need to rise above with the shift that’s coming – to create a more conscious, creative world. I’m sorry it has taken me longer to get here than I hoped, but I haven’t forgotten about you.