As transiting Pluto transits to Mars, it’s a subterranean excavation into the very core of what drives you. When Pluto sidles up to Mars, whether through conjunction, square, or opposition, the aggressive drives you’ve buried or ignored, they’ll surface, likely with an explosive force if you’ve left them unattended. The intensity of these hard aspects (conjunction, square, opposition) is undeniable. It’s a chance to reclaim your power, but it’s going to be a bit of a trial by fire. You might feel like you’re walking a tightrope between raging at the world and feeling like the world’s raging at you.

Control issues? Oh, they’ll come out to play. But—and this is key—if you can handle these urges, channeling them into something productive, you’ll feel a surge of empowerment that might leave you wondering how you ever lived in that muted state before. As for the smoother transits—sextile, trine—these are less about seismic shifts and more about subtle, empowering growth. It’s not like a pressure cooker threatening to blow; it’s more like you suddenly discover you’ve got a power you didn’t know you owned. You’ll likely find yourself more assertive, sure of what you want, and confident in your ability to go after it. Less explosions, more steady ignition. It’s Mars with a power-up, but not the kind that blows up the whole city block.

Pluto is fate, in a way—it’s the inevitable, the unavoidable, the deep transformative force that doesn’t give two hoots whether you’re ready for it or not. If you’re young, this transit might feel like being thrown into the deep end of a pool when you haven’t even learned to swim yet. But this is where the lessons come, often wrapped in uncomfortable packaging. Even the sense of losing control, which can be terrifying, carries within it the seeds of transformation.

Sometimes you’ve got to let the old structures crumble so the new, empowered you can rise from the rubble. If there’s a first takeaway here, it’s this: don’t waste this energy. Whether it’s Pluto pushing you to face your shadow, or Mars urging you to assert your will, this transit is all about claiming your power. Under this transit, you’re a nuclear reactor’s worth of fuel. You can either channel it into becoming a force of positive change in your life, or you can let it burn you out. The choice is yours, but whatever you choose, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Remember, even the meekest soul can lose it under this influence. And sometimes, this anger is exactly what’s needed to awaken something magnificent within you. But don’t be surprised if some uncomfortable truths emerge along the way. Transformation isn’t always pretty, but by God, it’s always worth it.

Transiting Pluto barges into your life with a sledgehammer and no regard for politeness, demanding you confront what you’ve conveniently left in the shadows. And when Pluto takes aim at Mars, the planet of action, aggression, and raw energy, it’s not here to tiptoe. No, it’s here to say, “What are you really doing with your life?” It doesn’t care if you’ve been lounging in the land of complacency or tiptoeing around conflict; it’s here to drag those repressed drives, fears, and unclaimed desires out into the light, whether you’re ready or not.

When Pluto transits Mars, it is time to wake up from the dream of mediocrity and passive living! You’ve been coasting, perhaps, letting others dictate your path, or maybe you’ve suppressed that primal part of you, the one that knows deep down what it wants but has been too polite or too scared to demand it. Well, Pluto has no patience for that. This is a transit that digs deep beneath your defenses, uncovering the raw, untamed power within you that’s been lying dormant, like a sleeping volcano.

Let’s not be coy—this is intense stuff. If you’ve been out of touch with your aggression, with your drive, this is the moment it will rear its head. And let’s be clear—aggression isn’t inherently negative. It’s a natural part of our instinctive behavior, like sex, survival, and the desire to grow. At its root, it’s the energy that pushes us forward, the force that says, “I will not remain stuck. I will evolve, no matter what.” Without it, we’re stagnating, waiting for life to happen to us rather than going out and shaping it with our own hands. Pluto forces us to confront that aggression, but not in a petty, angry, or destructive way. It’s about confronting the truth of what drives us. You might have been drifting along, letting others tell you what to do, being passive, but during this transit, something snaps awake inside you. You start to feel that undeniable urge to take control, to steer your own ship, and to declare to the world, “This is where I’m going. Try and stop me.”

This transit awakens a primal sense of self-empowerment. You may find, for the first time, that you suddenly know exactly what you want out of life, and not in some vague, wishy-washy way. It’s a deep, undeniable clarity. You’ll look at your life and see all the places you’ve been holding back, all the ways you’ve allowed others to impose their will on you, and that will no longer be acceptable. It’s a time for breaking chains, for stepping out of old roles that no longer fit, for setting goals that make your blood sing with passion and purpose.

This is not a casual shift. You might find yourself burning with a newfound drive to learn new skills, to master something you’ve always dreamed of but never had the courage to pursue. It’s not just about reaching goals either—it’s about becoming the person who can achieve them. This is evolution, in the truest sense of the word.

You’re not the same person at the end of a Pluto-Mars transit as you were at the beginning. You’re sharper, bolder, more in tune with your primal power and more unapologetically yourself. But with Pluto, there’s always a warning label attached. This isn’t a free pass to bulldoze over others in a blind quest for power. That same energy can turn destructive if not handled consciously. Pluto demands self-awareness, not just raw willpower. The more you understand and integrate this energy within yourself, the more you’ll wield it wisely. Use it to carve your path, not to burn bridges unnecessarily. This transit is a powerful call to arms—your arms, the ones you might have forgotten you possessed. It’s about taking the reins of your life with fierce determination and unapologetic clarity. It’s not about fighting for the sake of fighting but for the sake of becoming the person you were always meant to be. The drive, the will, the ambition—all of it is coming to the surface now, begging to be used, channeled, and expressed. What will you do with it?

However, there is another side of this Pluto-Mars transit, the one where instead of igniting a firestorm of energy, it pulls the brakes and asks you to sit down for a serious chat with yourself. This is the part of the transit that feels less like a battle cry and more like an intervention: You see, if you’ve been living with Mars fully engaged—charging ahead, goals set, constantly in motion—Pluto’s arrival can be like hitting a brick wall. You might be all revved up, but suddenly life throws a spanner in the works, and nothing moves forward the way it used to. Circumstances outside of your control, blocks, setbacks, disinterest—these all show up, and you’re left standing there wondering, “What’s going on?”

Pluto, that sneaky subterranean force, isn’t about endless forward motion. It’s about transformation, and sometimes, that means stopping you in your tracks so you can reevaluate why you’re pushing so hard. It’s like you’ve been hammering away at life, thinking you know exactly what you want, and then Pluto steps in and says, “Do you, though? Is this really the path, or have you been chasing something that’s no longer aligned with who you’re becoming?” It’s unnerving to suddenly feel that loss of drive, that weird in-between limbo where the old goals no longer inspire, but the new ones haven’t yet emerged. You can’t force your way through it. Mars wants to push, to act, to keep moving—but Pluto says, “No, we need to go deeper before you can go forward.” It’s a waiting game, a pause where your usual methods just don’t cut it anymore.

This period can feel frustrating, even disorienting. You might feel like you’ve lost your edge, your direction, your purpose. What once seemed so clear—the ambition, the drive to achieve—now feels challenging. But here’s the thing: this isn’t an ending. It’s an essential part of the transformative process. It’s that moment between exhalation and inhalation, the space between old and new. Pluto doesn’t remove your drive for no reason. What it’s doing is stripping away the surface layers, the outdated motivations, the things you’ve been pushing toward that may no longer serve your deeper evolution. It’s like when you’ve outgrown an old skin, but you’re not quite ready to step into the new one yet. There’s a discomfort in that, a vulnerability, but also a huge potential for rebirth.

You might feel aimless during this time, but that’s because Pluto is working on the subconscious level, reshuffling your inner desires and drives, aligning them with the next phase of your journey. You won’t emerge from it the same person. The new desires, when they come, will be far more in tune with who you’re becoming, not who you were. So if you find yourself at a standstill, don’t panic. Don’t rush to fill the void with busyness or force things to happen. That won’t work under Pluto’s watchful eye. It’s in this space that new clarity will eventually emerge, new desires will start to stir, and new goals will take shape—ones that are likely far more powerful than whatever you were chasing before. If Pluto’s got you on pause right now, don’t resist it. Use this time to go inward, to reflect on what’s been driving you all these years and whether it’s still what you want. And trust that when the new goals arrive, they’ll have a depth and power that the old ones could never match.

The animus—the internal masculine force, a deep, often unconscious drive in us all, regardless of gender. It’s the part of us that seeks to assert, to act, to claim power and shape the world around us. In women, it can be a shadowy, repressed aspect, lurking beneath societal expectations of passivity and compliance, while in men, it can dominate, pushing them into hyper-drive, as if they’re stuck in a permanent state of conquest. Enter Pluto, the great excavator, tunneling down into those realms we like to keep tucked away, particularly the animus in all its glory or imbalance.

For a woman experiencing a Pluto transit to Mars, the journey can feel like a dramatic awakening of this inner animus. Pluto has a habit of ripping off the covers, so if she’s been playing too small, too submissive, perhaps living life according to the whims and dictates of others, this transit will shake that foundation. It’s not a gentle push, either—this is a thunderous, primal roar from deep within, saying, “Enough! Time to assert yourself.” And that awakening often comes with dreams—intense, vivid, and sometimes terrifying dreams where male figures, perhaps violent or overbearing, chase or attack. These aren’t just nightmares, they’re symbolic  of her inner masculine energy coming online, demanding to be acknowledged and integrated. In many cases, they represent the part of you that has been ignored, disowned, or stifled: the animus energy, the Mars principle within. Whether it’s aggression, desire, or raw willpower, these dreams are like an internal alarm clock going off, telling you to confront these forces head-on. The male figures chasing or attacking in dreams? That’s your unconscious mind shouting, “Look at this part of yourself! Don’t run from it—face it, integrate it.” Pluto, being the lord of the underworld, deals with the shadow—the aspects of ourselves we don’t want to acknowledge. During a Pluto-Mars transit, if you’ve been avoiding your assertiveness or burying your power, these dreams can force you to recognize it. And that recognition is crucial for empowerment. You can’t reclaim your power until you stop running from it. In some cases, these experiences might not just stay in the dream realm. You could encounter real-life situations—run-ins with aggressive, controlling, or violent people. Again, this isn’t life being cruel; it’s more like a mirror being held up to show you the imbalance. If you’ve been too passive, life may start sending you individuals who push your boundaries, forcing you to finally say, “No. Enough.” But while these dreams or situations may feel terrifying, they’re ultimately about reclaiming your autonomy. Instead of letting these forces dominate or overwhelm you, you’re being given the opportunity to confront them, learn from them, and embody that Mars energy for yourself, but in a conscious, empowered way.

It’s like a long-suppressed force within you is finally given room to breathe, to stretch, to act. And this is key because that suppressed energy can’t stay hidden forever—Pluto won’t allow it. If you’ve been living in the shadow of others, taking orders, avoiding confrontation, or shying away from your own desires, this transit will compel you to find her voice and reclaim your own power. You’ll feel an undeniable push to stand your ground, to make choices that serve your needs and desires, not just those of others.

But, of course, there’s always a balance, and Pluto isn’t here for extremes. If a woman has been living too much in her animus—perhaps overly aggressive, driven by a need to control, to dominate, to push too hard—then this can feel incredibly frustrating. The aggression, the assertion, the constant need to act—it all gets blocked. Why? Because Pluto’s not interested in sheer force for its own sake. It’s about evolution, and sometimes evolution requires a period of recalibration. For such a woman, it’s not about silencing her animus altogether, but about learning to wield it more consciously, more effectively.

Now, for men, the dynamic is somewhat similar, but with its own flavor. If a man has been out of touch with his Mars energy—maybe he’s been avoiding conflict, shirking responsibility, or generally lacking direction—Pluto will come knocking with a very clear message: it’s time to step up. This transit could ignite a surge of assertiveness, a hunger to achieve, to push forward with boldness and confidence. Mars is that raw animus energy that drives us to conquer challenges, and Pluto won’t allow any more time wasted in the shadows.

But if a man has been too animus-driven—perhaps obsessed with power, status, and achievement at the expense of everything else—then Pluto will throw a wrench in the gears. The overpowering drive gets curtailed. He’ll be forced to confront what’s been driving him all along. Is it really about authentic ambition, or has he been feeding a bottomless pit of ego? This could be a period of humbling, where the excesses of Mars get stripped away, and he has to learn to relate to life without constantly trying to “win” at it.

What’s key here, for both men and women, is that Pluto isn’t here to obliterate Mars—it’s here to integrate it. To take that raw, fiery energy of Mars and transform it into something deeper, more purposeful. Whether it’s through empowerment, tempering over-aggression, or learning to balance action with reflection, the ultimate goal is to evolve the way we relate to our animus. So, if you’re under this transit, expect nothing less than a profound reshuffling of how you assert your will in the world. There will be moments of frustration, of stops and starts, but in the end, you’ll come out more aware, more integrated, and far more powerful than you were before—not just in how you act, but in why you act.

We’ve seen how Pluto, when transiting Mars, can either awaken a dormant assertiveness or shift and refine the way we express our drive. But here’s where things get even more intense: Pluto doesn’t just tinker on the surface. It digs down deep into the subterranean realms of our psyche, where our oldest, most primal emotions lie buried. And when Pluto taps into Mars, it’s as if the trapdoor to that ancient, bottled-up rage swings wide open, and suddenly, there it is—an explosive force you didn’t even know was lurking inside you.

Now, here’s the nuance: Pluto isn’t just interested in everyday irritation or frustration—the kind of anger that comes when someone cuts you off in traffic or when life’s little injustices get in your way. No, Pluto wants to uncover the core anger, the kind that’s been simmering since childhood or even earlier, the deep, instinctual rage that Mars can embody but we so often repress. This is that raw, primal energy, the stuff that probably stems from unmet needs, early wounds, or long-buried feelings of powerlessness.

And let’s face it, most of us don’t spend our lives comfortably in touch with this level of emotion. We suppress it, rationalize it, or channel it into more socially acceptable outlets. But Pluto doesn’t care about social acceptability—it cares about truth. When Pluto aspects Mars, especially with a conjunction, square, or opposition, it’s as if the walls around that buried rage start to crack. If you’ve been disconnected from your anger, perhaps not even aware it’s there, this transit will bring it to the surface with the force of a volcanic eruption. It’s a confrontation with the primitive side of Mars—the warrior spirit, the raw aggression that is often born from early frustration or unmet survival needs. This isn’t the neatly packaged anger you use to stand up for yourself at work. This is the deep, childlike, often irrational rage that says, “I was denied what I needed, and I’m furious about it.” Now, before we run for the hills in fear of this force, let’s remember: this is necessary. There’s wisdom in this process. Pluto doesn’t unearth this rage to create chaos for its own sake. It does so because repression is toxic. That buried anger, even if it’s not conscious, influences everything—your relationships, your sense of power, your ability to assert yourself, and your self-worth. Until you face it, it has power over you. Once Pluto brings it up, yes, it’s uncomfortable, even scary at times, but now it can be acknowledged, integrated, and, crucially, transformed.

And here’s where the transformation really happens. If you’ve spent a lifetime disconnecting from your anger, this transit offers you a chance to heal by recognizing that anger in itself isn’t the enemy. It’s how we handle it that matters. Anger, in its pure form, is a call to action, a response to injustice, a demand for change. When we’re cut off from it, we lose a vital part of our instinct to protect ourselves and assert our needs. But when we connect with it, when we own it, we can channel it into productive, even creative, forces. The key during a Pluto-Mars transit is learning how to work with that energy rather than letting it overwhelm or control you.

On the flip side, if your Mars has been fully active—if you’ve been living with assertiveness, or maybe even aggression that’s out of balance—Pluto will act as a mirror, showing you the deeper roots of that aggression. It will ask you, “What’s driving this? What are you really fighting for?” Often, what looks like external aggression is really an internal battle. That’s why Pluto will force you to slow down, to confront the underlying emotions behind the anger. Are you pushing so hard because you’re still carrying unresolved wounds from the past? Is there a fear of powerlessness or vulnerability lurking beneath the surface?

And this is where the real power of transformation lies. Once you see the root of your rage or aggression, you can work with it. You can transform it from a destructive force into one that serves your growth and evolution. You can reclaim that Mars energy, not as something to be feared or repressed, but as a tool for empowerment.It can be the fire that drives you to stand up for yourself, to claim your space in the world without apology or shame. f you’ve been disconnected from this, expect a powerful awakening. If you’ve been overly dominated by it, expect a recalibration. Either way, this is a time of deep empowerment, where you can integrate Mars’ fiery energy in a way that’s authentic, conscious, and aligned with your true self.

It’s the kind of rage that refuses to be tamed by politeness or civility, the raw, untamed beast that some of us are all too familiar with. If you’ve lived life with Mars in full throttle—quick to anger, prone to rash decisions, maybe even comfortable in the heat of battle—then when Pluto comes knocking, the challenge is quite different. You’re not being asked to discover your rage; you’re being asked to transform it. Pluto-Mars transits, in this context, are about evolution, not annihilation. If your default setting has been to lash out, to burn bridges with impulsive words or actions, then Pluto steps in and says, “Not this time.”

You see, Pluto is strategic, and its influence during these transits is often maddeningly subtle yet powerful. You’ll find that in moments where you’re ready to unleash that familiar rage, something will block you. Situations arise where venting that fury is suddenly impractical, impossible, or simply ineffective. It’s as if life holds up a mirror and forces you to watch yourself struggle against your own tendencies.

Here’s the beauty of it: this forced pause is a gift, even if it doesn’t feel like one at the time. For those who’ve been comfortable living in the fire of their anger, Pluto-Mars transits create circumstances that push you to explore why you’re so quick to react that way in the first place. Because, let’s be honest, if you’re constantly in battle mode, that anger likely isn’t just about the present moment. There’s something deeper—a well of unresolved frustration, buried pain, or unacknowledged wounds driving those explosive reactions. Pluto’s challenge here is to make you look beneath the surface, to dig into the root cause of that rage. Why is it so easy to flip the switch? What’s the real fuel behind that fire? Pluto, after all, isn’t about the superficial. It wants to excavate the depths, to show you the underlying emotional triggers that keep setting Mars off like a ticking time bomb. This might mean turning that fiery Mars energy into passionate pursuits—channeling the intensity of your anger into creative projects, athletic endeavors, or something that allows you to work through the rage in a way that doesn’t harm you or those around you. Mars is action, after all, and Pluto wants to refine that action into something purposeful. Instead of reacting impulsively, you start acting with intention, wielding your energy in ways that actually build something rather than tearing everything down in a fit of momentary rage.

This can also be a time of deep psychological work. Pluto is the planet of transformation, after all, and there’s nothing quite like it for getting to the heart of unresolved anger. Therapy, introspection, journaling—these might sound like soft tools compared to the explosive force of Mars, but during this transit, they can become your most powerful weapons for understanding yourself. Pluto-Mars transits urge you to sit with your anger, to ask yourself the hard questions: What am I really angry about? Where does this frustration stem from? What old hurts, traumas, or unmet needs are driving this behavior?

In some cases, you might even find that the blocks Pluto puts in your path are teaching you patience. After all, rage is often a response to feeling out of control, powerless, or frustrated with delays. Pluto will make you face situations where you simply can’t bulldoze your way through with sheer force of will. And while that can feel infuriating, it’s also incredibly liberating. It teaches you that you don’t always need to fight to survive, that sometimes stepping back, reevaluating, or even letting go is the more powerful move. So, during a Pluto-Mars transit, if you find yourself foaming at the mouth, ready to go to war but inexplicably blocked—pause. Reflect. It’s inviting you to grow. Instead of unleashing venom and fury, use that energy to rebuild, to transmute, and to discover what lies beneath your anger. You might just find that what felt like a loss of power was, in fact, the opening to a new kind of strength—one that doesn’t burn bridges, but builds them.

When Pluto comes knocking on Mars’ door—especially in those hard aspects like conjunctions, squares, or oppositions—it holds a magnifying glass over your inner fire until it burns. But when we deny that fiery rage, that deeply human capacity for violence, it doesn’t just disappear. It has a tendency to spill out sideways, either by attracting aggression from others or by festering within, like a ticking time bomb. This is one of Pluto’s trickiest lessons: whatever you try to suppress, you’ll meet in the outside world. If you’re bottling up rage, refusing to admit that there’s a volcano bubbling beneath the surface, Pluto’s transit will ensure that rage doesn’t stay quietly hidden. It’ll manifest in those around you—people snapping at you, confrontations that seem to come out of nowhere, or, in more extreme cases, actual violence being directed your way.

Life itslef is holding up a mirror, forcing you to confront externally what you’re unwilling to face internally. It’s a brutal kind of honesty, but that’s Pluto for you—no room for illusions here. Now, the Pluto-Mars opposition is particularly potent in this regard. Oppositions are about projection: we tend to externalize whatever energy we’re not owning ourselves, and during a Pluto-Mars opposition, it’s easy to see the world as being filled with aggressors, bullies, or violent forces. But the truth is, these are reflections of your own denied Mars energy. What’s in the shadows of your psyche ends up in the face of the person shouting at you in traffic or the boss who seems to be out to crush your spirit. The trick is to recognize that these encounters are a call to integrate your own power and aggression, not to remain a passive victim of it.

When Pluto squares or conjuncts Mars, this dynamic is even more intimate—it’s not just about what’s happening out there, but what’s happening within. Here, suppressed rage can turn inward, leading to self-destructive tendencies. Maybe it’s subtler forms, like sabotaging your own efforts or engaging in reckless behavior, but sometimes it manifests more dramatically, as if you’re at war with yourself. In extreme cases, if this energy isn’t properly acknowledged, it can even take a toll on your physical health. Unresolved emotional tension, especially when it’s as primal as rage, has a way of manifesting in the body, leading to illnesses that seem to come out of nowhere. The body, after all, has its own way of expressing what the mind refuses to acknowledge.

So, during these Pluto-Mars transits, the most courageous thing you can do is face the storm within. Denial will only invite more chaos, whether from others or from yourself. But once you acknowledge the power of that rage, you’re no longer a victim to it. You become the master of it. And in that mastery, you unlock the potential to use that energy for personal transformation, rather than letting it tear you apart. As always with Pluto, the lesson is this: face the darkness, and you’ll find the light within it.

Pluto’s influence on Mars isn’t confined merely to aggression and assertion. It goes much deeper, tunneling straight into the raw, primal core of our sexual nature. If Mars is our drive, our instinctual urge to act and express ourselves, then Pluto, with its relentless demand for transformation, intensifies and alters that drive, particularly when it comes to sexuality. What was once unconscious or repressed suddenly erupts into awareness, while what has been lived out freely may be rerouted, redirected, or even temporarily shut down for reflection and recalibration.

Let’s break this down a bit more because Pluto-Mars transits—whether through conjunctions, squares, or oppositions—can bring massive changes to the way we experience and express our sexual energy. Pluto is here to awaken what’s been dormant. If you’ve been disconnected from your sexual desires—perhaps due to upbringing, cultural conditioning, trauma, or simply lack of awareness—this transit acts like a wake-up call. Suddenly, those dormant forces stir. You might feel a surge of previously hidden or ignored desires rising to the surface, demanding to be acknowledged. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if sexuality has been something you’ve kept in the shadows, but Pluto’s not interested in subtlety. It’s saying, “You need to know this about yourself. This is part of who you are.”

The key here is not to shy away from it. When Pluto awakens these forces, the instinct might be to suppress them out of fear or confusion, but suppression only strengthens the shadow. This transit offers a unique opportunity to explore your sexual nature consciously—to get in touch with those desires and learn how to integrate them into your life in a healthy and empowered way. For those already expressing their sexual drives openly: Pluto takes a different approach. If you’ve been venting your sexual energy freely—perhaps even unconsciously—Pluto will apply the brakes. Not in a punitive way, but as part of its demand for deeper understanding and transformation. During a Pluto-Mars transit, you may find that the usual avenues for sexual expression feel blocked or inhibited. This isn’t about shutting down your sexuality permanently—it’s about evolving the way you relate to it. Pluto will force you to ask the tough questions: What’s driving your sexual expression? Is it conscious, or is it compulsive? Are you using sex to connect with others meaningfully, or is it a distraction from something deeper? Are there power dynamics at play that you’ve been ignoring? Pluto demands that you confront these issues head-on and, if necessary, transform the way you channel and express your sexual energy.

Age plays a crucial role in how these transits manifest, particularly during adolescence. For teenagers, especially, a Pluto-Mars transit can feel like a seismic shift. This is a time when sexual energy is already awakening, and Pluto’s influence can intensify that awakening in dramatic ways. Teenagers under these transits may become fixated on sexual thoughts, desires, and experiences. Pluto has a way of amplifying what we focus on, so there can be a sense of obsession with sex—either through curiosity, experimentation, or even fantasy. It’s an overpowering pull toward understanding this new part of themselves, but it can feel all-consuming and confusing.

On the flip side, the intensity of these feelings might provoke fear or discomfort. Sexual energy, especially when it comes on so strongly and suddenly, can be frightening for a young person still figuring out who they are. There might be a sense of being overwhelmed by urges they don’t fully understand, leading to anxiety around sex or even repression in an attempt to keep those feelings at bay.

Tragically, Pluto’s darker side can emerge during these transits. Because Pluto often brings power dynamics into focus, young people, especially those who are vulnerable, may find themselves entangled in situations where their sexual boundaries are violated. The compulsion and intensity that Pluto brings can sometimes attract darker, more manipulative figures, leading to abuse. This is the shadow side of Pluto’s energy—a reminder of the importance of addressing power imbalances and being aware of the vulnerabilities these transits can expose.

Pluto-Mars transits can also be a time for healing past sexual traumas or wounds. If there’s unresolved pain around your sexual nature, Pluto will bring it to the surface. This is an opportunity to confront those wounds, to process them, and to transform them into something empowering rather than something that continues to hold you back.

When Pluto activates Mars, especially through conjunctions, squares, or oppositions, the energy can attract intense and sometimes dangerous situations, particularly around power dynamics, control, and sexuality. For women, this means being especially mindful of the types of energy and individuals they may encounter during this period. Pluto’s influence can sometimes draw in darker, more predatory figures—those men who embody manipulative or violent tendencies. These transits, especially if combined with other challenging factors in a person’s chart, can increase the risk of encountering aggressive or dangerous men, leading to situations that involve sexual violence or coercion. It’s essential to take extra safety precautions during these times. While we can’t control external forces entirely, we can heighten our awareness and make deliberate choices to protect ourselves: Pluto heightens intuition, especially around danger. If something or someone feels off, don’t ignore that feeling. Whether it’s walking away from a situation, avoiding certain places, or cutting ties with someone who raises red flags, listen to that inner voice. During this period, it might be wise to stick to familiar areas, especially when going out at night. If possible, go out in groups or with trusted friends, and avoid situations where you might be isolated or vulnerable. Be conscious of your surroundings and make sure you have a way out of any situation—whether that means keeping your phone charged, letting someone know where you are, or arranging safe transportation.  If someone is giving off an aggressive or controlling vibe, be mindful. Pluto-Mars transits can draw intense, sometimes volatile individuals into your orbit. Recognize these energies early and disengage before things escalate. This transit often pushes for more assertiveness. Own that Mars energy in a conscious way by clearly setting boundaries with others, and don’t be afraid to say no. The earlier you establish your limits, the less likely it is for others to try and overstep them. In social settings, maintaining a clear headed-ness and control is vital. During a Pluto-Mars transit, things can escalate quickly, especially when judgment is impaired through the use of drugs or alcohol. Be cautious about situations where you might lose control or be vulnerable. This is a time to keep your wits about you and to recognize that this intense energy is a call to both own your power and protect it fiercely.