Pluto Transits to Mercury

When Pluto transits natal Mercury your need for transformation and power influences how you think and express your ideas. Pluto destroys and regenerates old structures and represents your need to be empowered and reborn in this area.

When Pluto transits natal Mercury it brings intensity and evolution to your thinking, communication, and perception of reality, and in your daily interactions with neighbours and siblings, and trips around your local neighbourhood. You may become more interested in Plutonian subjects, such as detective work, true crime, investigative journalism, scientific research, medicine, psychology, esoteric subjects and the occult.

Pluto increases your desire to understand more about the nature of reality, whether inner or outer or both. You won’t be satisfied with a superficial view and can explore any subject in greater depth, especially ideas that make you feel passionate and alive. Your powers of concentration may also increase, allowing you to focus for long periods, making this a great time for serious study.

Hard aspects to Mercury (conjunction, square or opposition) may be more challenging and your mind could become too intense and energised. This could lead to obsession and compulsive thinking or make you suspicious of others and you could become secretive and paranoid. You may be more prone to depression and dark thoughts and at worst could experience a mental breakdown, depending on the rest of your chart and other transits.

Your view of reality could change radically due to new information that destroys your previous perspective. This could be a shattering experience, depending on what you used to believe. But you can also rebuild your mind and make it stronger as a result of going through this process.

You may become aware of unconscious patterns of thinking, repressed ideas and thoughts that return to your awareness. This may happen as a result of things reappearing in your life or confrontations with others, or you may choose to turn inwards to explore your inner world in more depth.

You may discover patterns of thought from childhood that are still influencing your life which may or may not be helpful. Pluto will help you to explore these patterns and get a deeper understanding of why you think the way you do. This will allow you to free yourself from patterns of thinking that no longer serve you and develop more empowering ways of thinking instead.

You could learn more about psychology and philosophy, or learn meditation or do dreamwork to support you through this exploration. You could do this on your own but this would also be a great time for going through therapy so you can explore these ideas with a guide.

You may be surprised by what you find lurking in the depths of your unconscious and could discover positive and life enhancing things, not just dark thoughts and negative compulsive patterns. You may uncover many hidden gifts and talents that you could develop and share with others.

Possibilities with Pluto transiting Mercury:

Communicating with greater power and intensity
Studying subjects in depth
Increased powers of concentration and focus
Exploring the depths of your mind
Freeing yourself from negative thinking patterns
Discovering a talent for writing or languages

Watch out for:

Obsessive or compulsive thinking
Paranoia and suspicion
Mental breakdown
Using knowledge to manipulate others
Arguments or problems with neighbours or siblings
Writer’s block

My Notes:

I was born with Pluto conjunct Mercury in the 8th house so the first transit was the sextile to my natal Mercuryin 1994-95, from age 23 to 25, when Pluto was in Scorpio in my 9th house. Pluto was also conjunct my natal Neptune at the same time.

This coincided with when I was doing counselling training and working with vulnerable people who had alcohol and addiction problems. I learned a lot about psychology and how people limit themselves through their thinking, including me. The experience encouraged me to return to college so I could pursue my dream of becoming a sound engineer and I started the course halfway through the transit.

Pluto transited square my natal Mercury in 2007-8, from age 36 to 38, when Pluto was in Sagittarius in my 11th house. This coincided with when I was writing screenplays and doing lots of workshops to improve my skills and learn about characters and storytelling, and so on. Halfway through the transit I won a screenwriting competition for a script that was about sex trafficking, amongst other things – a suitably Plutonian subject.

Pluto transited trine my natal Mercury in 2022-23, from age 51 to 53, when Pluto was in Capricorn in my 12th house. This coincided with when I was doing lots of writing for the website, including an in-depth analysis of the Faust myth which you can read here. I also created the Off-Grid Astrology course and book which involved lots of intense maths and required great concentration.

During all this writing I kept getting sidetracked and obsessed with watching the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial online which involved domestic abuse and psychological manipulation – impossible to look away! Closer to home, one of my neighbours was sadly found dead in his flat after not being seen out and about for a while.