Dearest readers, it has been far too long since I’ve actually written a post for this blog. Lately, I have been occupied with my new medium of recording videos, so I want to thank you for your patience as I experiment with new forms of expression. That being said, I owe you a good piece of writing! So how about we do another deep dive? Okay, I don’t know if this will actually be “good,” per say, but it will at least be written with the intention of love and service. Which is very on par with today’s topic.

At the end of this month, we have the final Pluto-Mars opposition. Back in January, I recorded a podcast episode (an actual podcast, not a video) detailing the significance of this event. Please refer to that episode if you’d like to explore the nuances of it further. Due to their retrograde cycles, Pluto and Mars will align into opposition with one another three times during this cycle. The first opposition was back in November, the second in January, and now we come to the third and final aspect on April 26^th.

This final opposition is highly important, not only because it is the finale in a three-act play, but because it occurs simultaneous to and in direct aspect with the new moon in Taurus on April 27^th. I have been saying that March and April will be the most intense months, astrologically speaking, of 2025, and this final alignment will prove to be the pinnacle of this powerful period.

Power is, indeed, the name of the game as we are talking about Pluto here. Harbinger of the soul’s evolutionary desires, Pluto will transform us at the deepest levels of our being, whether we acquiesce willingly or not. As conscious ambassador for Pluto, Mars represents our continual, conscious, state-of-becoming. It helps to facilitate the lessons Pluto desires for our souls in order to align us further with our own spiritual evolution. Having these two planets in opposition to one another is a big deal and marks a highly symbolic point in our current timeline.

This evolution is something we contribute to collectively, yet on an individualized level. We will experience it in our own unique way, but that individualized experience will help to shape and shift the collective evolution of humanity at large. The more consciously attuned you are to these energies, the more intensely you will feel them (yikes!), but also the more deeply transformed you will be as a result of them. Essentially, the progress of your soul’s evolution is in your own hands, and it’s up to you how deeply you wish to dive into the transformation that is offered at this time.

As you may have expected, I will be recording a video about this astrological event. It will primarily focus on the dynamic of having Pluto and Mars in opposition to one another while simultaneously squaring the new moon in Taurus. That is, these four players (Sun, Moon, Mars and Pluto) will all come together in a T-square aspect pattern at the conclusion of April. Talk about layering intensity upon intensity!

The purpose of this article is to explore a deeper dynamic within the Pluto-Mars opposition. To do that, we are going to examine the Sabian symbols, which are the archetypal themes represented by the specific degrees at which Pluto and Mars will reside during their aspect. We are then going to take a journey into a highly spiritual domain. One that is traditionally frequented by Hindu gurus, but that we are now tasked in our modern age with uncovering for ourselves through contemplation and self-discovery. We must be our own gurus.

Let’s begin with those Sabian symbols. Mars and Pluto will come into exact opposition at 3°, 48’ of Leo and Aquarius respectively. When we look at Sabian symbols, we always defer to the higher degree – meaning if a planet’s position lies between two degrees, such as between 3-4°, we would look up the symbol for the 4^th degree. In other words, 4 degrees of Leo and Aquarius hold the archetypal image for this particular transit.

Here is the symbol and interpretation of 4° of Leo (this interpretation comes from Dane Rudhyar’s book, An Astrological Mandala):

“(Leo 4°): A FORMALLY DRESSED ELDERLY MAN STANDS NEAR TROPHIES HE BROUGHT BACK FROM A HUNTING EXPEDITION.

KEYNOTE: The masculine will to conquer his animal nature and to impress his peers with his skill in performing the ancient traditional power rituals.

This symbol may be interpreted at the strictly social level – the hunter’s trophies, his pride in showing them to members of his high-class club, etc. But if one refers to the higher spiritual-mental implications of the sign Leo, one can see in the picture a reference to man’s capacity to overcome the animalistic tendencies of his bio-psychic nature according to certain traditional procedures. The implication of being ‘formally dressed’ is that an important, if not the most important, goal the individual had in developing his capacity has been to ‘prove himself’—to others, as well as perhaps to himself.” (p. 117)

The whole point of Sabian symbols, I want to add, is to sit with the imagery they offer in order to glean deeper mythic and archetypal meaning from these degrees. It’s not to offer us cut-and-dry “answers,” but to implore us to go deeper within ourselves to find a resonant meaning that is both part of the collective unconscious and our personal psyche. To that end, since I am the author of this article, I will be offering my own interpretations of these symbols and how they fit into the larger astrological picture at this time. However, regardless of my own interpretation, I want to encourage you, dear reader, to follow your own intuition as you feel any particular resonance that may arise.

Moving forward, let’s look at the Sabian symbol for Pluto’s position:

“(Aquarius 4°): A HINDU YOGI DEMONSTRATES HIS HEALING POWERS.

KEYNOTE: The disciplined use of spiritual energies in restoring the natural harmony disturbed by man’s inharmonic attempts to transcend nature through mind.

Civilization implies a process of transcending compulsive and rigid biological drives while making use, in a refined and materialized way, of what it cannot control. The goal of a true civilization – Western civilization being to a large extent a caricature of it – is the development of a humanity composed of self-motivated and responsible individuals freely associating according to harmonic patterns in order to produce a vast spiritual chord of consciousness fully actualizing the potentialities inherent in the archetype, MAN. The process of individualization and civilization is full of dangers, and for a very long time it is obsessed by karmic shadows, the results of individual and collective deviations and perversions. Such results most often lead to disease. It is the spiritual duty of individuals who have been able to tap the vast reservoir of spiritual forces pervading our planet to use these energies for healing their less-fortunate comrades.

This fourth state symbol refers to a technique which not only can be used for the healing of physical illnesses but for the ‘making whole’ of whatever has lost its natural root integration and has not yet reached the holistic state of perfect harmony and identification with the ‘divine’ whole. Self-discipline, purity of motive, compassion, faith in the divine order are required – and the FOCUSING OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY.” (p. 229)

As a reminder, when we’re looking at astrological aspects, it is the slower moving, denser planet which acts upon the faster planet. So in this case, Pluto is acting on Mars to facilitate some kind of deep transformation. Since Mars represents our continual state of becoming at any given point in time, this means Pluto is influencing Mars so that we can be transformed into something or someone different than who we previously were. Clues to the nature of this transformation lie in the Sabian symbols themselves.

If the natural state of Mars at this degree is to be the “formally dressed man,” then this implies that we are feeling compelled, at some level, to prove ourselves. As Rudhyar states, this may be proving ourselves to others or to ourselves. It may involve social endeavors, such as attaining some new level of social status, but it also could involve the more spiritual-mental realms of experience. Perhaps we have been working on some sort of creative idea or project, some new mode of self-expression, or even some spiritual pursuit that we are seeking to prove we can accomplish. This would be the conscious “state of becoming” within which we currently reside.

Pluto then wants to influence Mars to transform this desire at a deeper level. To understand how that looks, I want to take a small detour that is related to this topic. In his book, Person Centered Astrology, Rudhyar holds a discussion of the north and south nodes which is somewhat different than how modern astrologers tend to interpret these mathematical points. If you’re familiar with astrology, you may have heard these points referenced as our dharma (north node) and karma (south node). While there is truth to this, Rudhyar makes an important distinction.

Firstly, with dharma, he specifies that this is our “truth of being,” which makes sense when you consider the north node as one’s destiny to fulfill in a current lifetime. Accomplishment of this purpose would then be to come into alignment with your own truth of being, which would create the typical north node-associated experiences of satisfaction, contentment and personal fulfillment.

Second, he elaborates on an important point when considering our south node, or karma. We tend to think of karma as the results of past actions; as in, you did “this,” so now you’re experiencing “that.” It’s a cause-and-effect kind of phenomenon. There is truth to this, however, Rudhyar emphasizes that there is so much more importance to karma than we may realize. Karma is what has not been done, but should have been done in order to fulfill one’s dharma in past lives. Thus, it represents unfinished business.

Since we carry our karma forward into the present life, this then implies that we need to take action toward this karma so we can fulfill our dharma in the current lifetime. The concept of Karma Yoga (“yoga” meaning “union”) is a process of complete acceptance of whatever these activities entail that will help us to fulfill our dharmic destiny. He then goes on to say that our birth chart symbolizes the seeds of potential we are born into that would enable us to fulfill both our karma and dharma. I agree with this.

Since our Sabian symbol for 4° Aquarius is a Hindu Yogi, and since this symbol implies a focusing of spiritual energy, let’s take a look at what the role of a yogi is, particularly a Yogic Master or guru. Again, according to Rudhyar, “The guru ‘precipitates’ the karma of his disciple; he forces, directly or indirectly, the disciple to face the karma which this disciple would normally try to run away from, or to postpone by devious and clever mental subterfuges.” (p.107) This very much describes the nature of the planet, Pluto, even just in a general sense. Being a highly magnetic planet, Pluto will attract people and circumstances to us that force confrontation and power struggles which act upon our current state of consciousness with the purpose of transforming us at the deepest levels. This is why Pluto is often feared because it is “inescapable” and visceral.

To demonstrate this kind of “precipitation of karma,” let’s now take a detour from our detour and venture into a beloved story often shared by the great Ram Dass (whose work I highly recommend you check out if you haven’t already). In his book, Miracle of Love, Ram Dass shares 1,000 stories of miracles performed by his own guru, Majarajji. This is a transcript of one such story which he shared in a 1987 Q&A session (which can be listened to on Spotify here.) This is the story of how Larry Brilliant, doctor and founder of the the Seva Foundation, first met Majarajji.

My wife had met Majarajji and had come to get me in America and bring me back to meet him. When we first went to see Majarajji, I was put off by what I saw. All these crazy Westerners wearing white clothes and hanging around this fat old man in a blanket. More than anything else, I hated seeing Westerners touch his feet.

On my first day there, he totally ignored me, but after the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh days, during which he also ignored me, I began to grow very upset. I felt no love for him. In fact, I felt nothing. I decided that my wife had been captured by some crazy cult.

By the end of the week, I was ready to leave. We were staying at the hotel up in Nainital, and the eighth day I told my wife I wasn’t feeling well. I spent the day walking around the lake thinking that if my wife was so involved in something that was clearly not for me, it must mean that our marriage was at an end.

I looked at the flowers, the mountains, the reflections in the lake, but nothing could dispel my depression. Then I did something I’d never really done in my adult life; I prayed. I asked God, “What am I doing here? Who is this man? These people are all crazy. I don’t belong here.” Just then, I remembered the phrase, “Had ye but faith ye would not need miracles.”

“Okay, God, I don’t have any faith. Send me a miracle.”

I kept looking for a rainbow, but nothing happened. So I decided to leave the next day.

The next morning, we took a taxi down to the temple to say goodbye. Although I didn’t like Majarajji, I thought I’d just be very honest and have it out with him. We got to Kainchi before anyone else was there and we sat in front of his wooden bed on the porch. Majarajji had not yet come out from inside the room. There was some fruit on the tucket and one of the apples had fallen on the ground, so I bent over to pick it up.

Just then, Majarajji came out of his room and stepped on my hand, pinning me to the ground. So there I was on my knees touching his foot in that position I detested. How ludicrous. He looked down at me and he asked, “Where were you yesterday? Were you at the lake?” He said the word “lake” in English.

When he said the word “lake” to me, I began to get this strange feeling at the base of my spine. My whole body tingled and felt very strange.

“What were you doing at the lake?”

I began to feel very tight.

“Were you horseback riding?”

“No.”

“Were you boating?”

“No.”

“Did you go swimming?”

“No.”

Then he leaned over and spoke very quietly to me, “Were you talking to God? Did you ask for something?”

When he did that, I fell apart and started to cry like a baby. He pulled me over, started pulling my beard, repeating, “Did you ask for something? Did you ask for something?” That really felt like my initiation.

By then, others had arrived and they were around me caressing me, and I realized then that almost everyone there had gone through some experience like that. A trivial question such as, “Were you at the lake yesterday?”, which had no meaning to anyone else, shattered my perception of reality.

After that, I just wanted to rub his feet.

Isn’t that a remarkable story? There are many more like it in Ram Dass’ book. The reason I have shared it here is because, I think, it perfectly demonstrates not only the general role of a guru or Yogic Master in assisting his disciple, but it also symbolizes the energy of this current Pluto-Mars opposition we are entering now. An opposition which marks the end of a two-month period which has brought us through a profound cycle of transformation. All of this within the year of the Wood Snake, no less.

This man, Larry Brilliant, is an American epidemiologist, so you can imagine the kind of ego he had attached to his identity at this point in his life. His last name is literally “Brilliant,” and he is a very accomplished public figure and physician. As well, being educated to the highest degree within the realm of Gemini – that is, 3D reality and the mechanistic scientific paradigm – you can imagine his state of mind going to this place in India to meet this supposed “guru.” I think he well represents our archetype for 4° Leo, the formally dressed man who is showing off his accomplishments to his peers, trying to prove something to himself and the world.

Yet, here comes Majarajji, our archetype for Pluto at 4° Aquarius, whose job it is to get this man to fully embrace his karma. That is, in order to embody the truth of his being (dharma), he must complete his unfinished business and fully actualize the potentials and characteristics seeded in his natal blueprint. The ego often gets in the way, so it must be transformed. Not only did Majarajji perform a miracle for Brilliant, first he tested this man’s ego by ignoring him. This forced Brilliant back in on himself (his time spent at the lake) causing him to question his marriage (form of identity). Shattering his perception of reality shook Brilliant’s sense of ego and ultimately served to shift the trajectory of his path at that time. He later went on to form the Seva Foundation, and at the advisement of Majarajji, eradicated smallpox.

The point to this story is that Brilliant had an idea of what he wanted to accomplish in the world, and that idea was rooted in his ego. This isn’t to say he was an entirely selfish person, nor was he a “bad” person prior to meeting his guru. It simply means that, like so many of us, he had a linear perspective on his life’s trajectory that differed from the desires of his soul. When we turn inward to “God” or our higher self or the Universe – whatever term resonates most for you – we are often redirected toward a path that is in alignment with divine will.

This is the significance of the upcoming Pluto-Mars opposition. After having gone through this portal in early 2025, the year of the Wood Snake aka profound transformation; after crossing the threshold between the old and new timelines, aka the retrograde/eclipse cycle period, we now find ourselves at a pivotal point in our personal evolution. As mentioned at the start of this article, our personal evolution impacts the collective, so this work that we do holds great significance for our personal fulfillment and that of the world at large. This is no small potatoes.

This final Pluto-Mars opposition will be felt very intensely – even more so if you happen to have placements in your natal chart which directly aspect it. But regardless of personal aspects, each of us will receive some sort of call during this time. It is the higher calling of our soul as we are brought into alignment with our highest potential and most spiritual timeline.

This calling looks different for each one of us. Two things are guaranteed though: 1) It will demand of us to confront our personal power in some way. This may involve our ego, our sense of former identity, our fears, our current life’s plan, etc. We’ll be challenged to face deep change and transformation, which we will likely feel some resistance to at first. 2) When we surrender the will of our ego to the will of the divine, we are met with a weighty metamorphosis which will serve as the final (or at least, “final for now”) transition into this new timeline shift we have been undertaking.

Within that timeline, we discover our dharma. This is the ultimate truth of our being, it holds our deepest sense of personal fulfillment, joy, satisfaction and peace. This new timeline paves the way forward for new adventures, new lessons, new opportunities for growth, teaching, healing and connection; and it is the key to our spiritual destiny.

There is more to be shared about this upcoming Pluto-Mars opposition. As I mentioned, it will be T-squaring the new moon in Taurus, so I will be giving more information about that in an upcoming video. For now, I hope you found this perspective I’ve shared helpful and inspiring, which was my intention in writing it. Please know this upcoming aspect may be the most intensely felt one we have experienced thus far this year. So be kind to yourself, hold space for your transformation, and surrender to the waves of change so you can move through it with greater ease. I wish you all so much love.