Power struggles in your career.
Here’s what to do and not do when you have a Pluto Square Midheaven transit. Below that are some interesting things about this transit.
Avoid During This Transit
- Don’t start big power struggles at work – this transit can make everyone more intense, and fights could get ugly.
- Avoid making major career moves (like quitting your job or launching a risky new project) unless you really have no choice.
- Try not to force your opinions or control others, especially with bosses or authority figures.
- Don’t ignore family issues that come up; Pluto’s energy might make them blow up if you sweep things under the rug.
- Avoid shady shortcuts or dishonest tactics to get ahead – anything hidden is likely to come out now.
- Don’t bottle up your feelings or avoid dealing with deep personal stuff; suppressing emotions can make things worse.
- Try not to cling to outdated goals or job roles just because they feel “safe.”
- Resist the urge to stubbornly stick to your usual ways if it’s clear something needs to change.
- Don’t spread rumors or get involved in office politics – secrets and manipulations could backfire badly.
- Try not to make things “all or nothing.” Extreme moves can have lasting consequences under this transit.
Do During This Transit
- Reflect on your career path and long-term goals. It’s a good time to really ask if you’re happy with where you’re heading.
- Be open to deep changes in your public image or reputation. Pluto likes transformation, so don’t fight it- embrace what needs to shift.
- Work through power struggles at work or with authority figures. Notice if you’re feeling controlled or if you need to stand up for yourself more.
- Release old ambitions that don’t resonate with you anymore. It’s okay to let go of goals that don’t fit who you’re becoming.
- Dive into shadow work around success and recognition. What fears or insecurities come up about being seen or respected?
- Focus on personal growth- even if it feels tough. This is a powerful transit for real, lasting transformation.
- Allow yourself to rebuild your sense of purpose. Think of this as a cosmic reset button for what you want to achieve.
- Set strong boundaries, especially in professional life. Don’t let others push you around or throw you off your path.
- Be patient with the process. Things may fall apart a bit before they come back together, but that’s just Pluto clearing the way for something better.
- Commit to honesty- with yourself and others. Authenticity is key during this time, even when it’s uncomfortable.
What’s Interesting About This Transit
- Career Eclipse or “Shadow Occupation”: According to C.E.O. Carter in The Astrological Aspects (1960), a Pluto square to the Midheaven can mean encountering clandestine or secretive influences in your career. You might find your professional reputation subject to behind-the-scenes plots, or even mysterious rivals who try to undermine you without obvious reason.
- Family Authority Shifts: Ronald C. Davison in Astrology (1963) warns that Pluto here may indicate someone in your family suddenly asserting control, or a struggle with older relatives over the direction of your household- think dramatic family power plays connected to your sense of status.
- Confronting “Skeletons in the Closet”: Kraum H. Kruger, in his lesser-known Pluto: Key to Ministry and Destiny (1954), suggests this transit points to a sudden revelation of family secrets or past mistakes that demand public acknowledgment or repair. It’s like someone unearthing an old scandal that affects how people see you.
- Sudden Change in Parental Relationships: Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson, in Here and There in Astrology (1961), points out that Pluto square MC can flip things with parents: maybe feeling estranged, or suddenly having to take on a caretaker role due to an unexpected event.
- “Hidden Enemies” at Work: From Charles E.O. Carter (again, The Astrological Aspects), there’s an idea that jealousy or quiet resentment at your workplace could come out, not always openly. Past actions or old rivals may suddenly resurface to challenge your current standing.
- Radical Changes in Reputation via Taboo Topics: From Isabel M. Hickey’s A Cosmic Science (1973, drawing on 1950s notes), this transit can spark intense public attention if you’re associated with taboo or controversial issues, such as occultism, social activism, or forbidden love- sometimes throwing you into the spotlight for something you never thought would be noticed.
- Loss and Renewal of Ambition: Margaret E. Hone in The Modern Text Book of Astrology (1950) noted that Pluto here could drain your goals of meaning, making you want to destroy and rebuild your ambitions from scratch. It’s not just “career crisis” but a real desire to kill off what doesn’t feel authentic anymore.
Experiencing This Transit
A Pluto square to your natal Midheaven is intense and kind of relentless. The Midheaven stands for your public life, career, reputation, and big goals, so when Pluto comes knocking, it’s not a time for small changes. It’s a time when you might feel outside forces shaking everything you thought you wanted, often dragging up stuff from your past or from deep within yourself. This can happen out in the open or totally behind the scenes. A lot of folks end up rethinking what actual success means for them, often after something stormy or shocking blows through their work or relationships with authority.
Challenges during this transit
- Power Struggles at Work: You might find yourself butting heads with a boss, authority figure, or competitor who seems determined to control the situation- or maybe you’re the one feeling compelled to take over. Either way, it’s messy.
- Career Upheaval: Jobs can end unexpectedly, or projects you’ve worked on might be taken away. Sometimes your whole field goes through a huge change and you’re forced to adapt fast.
- Reputation Shocks: Rumors, misunderstandings, or even outright sabotage could throw your name out there in a way you didn’t intend. You might be forced to defend yourself or explain something you’d rather forget.
- Family Pressure: Since Midheaven can link to parents, you could find old family power dynamics popping up- maybe a parent asks for help right when your own life is chaotic, or you have to reckon with a legacy you didn’t choose.
- Crisis of Purpose: Feeling lost or totally unmotivated, you might start questioning if the goals you chased up until now are even yours to start with.
Opportunities during this transit
- Reinvention: If you’re willing to dig deep, this is prime time to completely transform your career, your image, or what you’re known for. Out with the old, in with the bold.
- Facing Your Fears: Hard Pluto transits push you to address what’s really holding you back. Maybe you finally deal with authority issues or fears of “being seen” by the world.
- Building Real Power: When you survive a crisis or even just a super stressful time, you come out much stronger. The backbone and grit you build now will help in every future challenge.
- Setting Strong Boundaries: You get super clear on what’s okay and what isn’t in your relationships with bosses, parents, or anyone who tries to run your life. You learn to say “no” and mean it.
- Healing Family Patterns: This can be a turning point where you break free of old family expectations, or you finally make peace with a family story that’s shaped your direction.
How the Sign of Transiting Pluto Modifies This Transit Square to Natal Midheaven
Read the one for the current sign of transiting Pluto.
- Transiting Pluto in Aries: Changes to your career or public life feel urgent and you might be more forceful in fighting for your place. You could want independence more than usual, sparking clashes with authority.
- Transiting Pluto in Taurus: You’ll crave security, so career shifts feel threatening but push you to build something more stable. Money or possessions might play a bigger role in the transformation.
- Transiting Pluto in Gemini: Information overload or communication drama can shake things up at work or at home. You’ll need to adapt and may have to rethink how you connect and network.
- Transiting Pluto in Cancer: Emotional responses to public life are heightened. Changes may involve family versus career struggles or deep shifts in your sense of belonging.
- Transiting Pluto in Leo: Your need to shine meets power struggles with bosses or the “spotlight.” You’ll face issues about recognition, creativity, and pride. Sometimes, ego clashes happen in your career life.
- Transiting Pluto in Virgo: Work changes might feel relentless. There can be a pressure to prove yourself practical or useful- perfectionism and health could come into play during this time of change.
- Transiting Pluto in Libra: You could have power struggles over fairness or partnerships in your professional life. Your relationships and public image might shift as you negotiate for balance.
- Transiting Pluto in Scorpio: This brings intense and almost unavoidable transformations. Secrets, control issues, or taboos could surface at work or at home, forcing you to face hidden truths.
- Transiting Pluto in Sagittarius: Beliefs and philosophies become battlegrounds in your career. You may question your path and want more freedom or authenticity, feeling restless with old limits.
- Transiting Pluto in Capricorn: This is serious, like “grow up or else.” Old structures at work or in public roles break down, and it’s about building real authority and lasting success- no shortcuts.
- Transiting Pluto in Aquarius: Group dynamics and society shape the changes. Your place in the community shifts, or technology/society’s expectations push you to evolve in totally new ways.
- Transiting Pluto in Pisces: The changes feel mysterious, emotional, or even spiritual. You might be inspired- or confused- about your next step, with intuition guiding career or home decisions.