Pluto Retrograde 2026

Pluto is the most distant, most mysterious, and most fundamentally transformative planet in astrology. Named after the god of the underworld, Pluto rules the processes of death and rebirth, the hidden forces of power and control, and the relentless evolutionary pressure that strips away everything inauthentic until only the essential remains.

In 2026, Pluto retrogrades from May 6 to October 16, spending 162 days traveling backward from 5°30' to 3°04' Aquarius. Pluto entered Aquarius in 2024, beginning a 20-year transit that will fundamentally reshape society, technology, power structures, and what it means to be human in an increasingly digital world.

The retrograde period is when these massive collective transformations become personal. You may feel the evolutionary pressure not as world events but as internal reckoning: What outdated parts of your identity need to die so something more authentic can be born? What power dynamics in your life need to be confronted and transformed?

Pluto retrograde doesn't ask nicely. It digs. It excavates. It brings up the things you buried because they were too painful, too shameful, or too overwhelming to face. But here's Pluto's secret: what you're willing to look at, you can transform. What you refuse to see runs you from the shadows.

This is deep soul work. Not everyone will feel it consciously - Pluto moves slowly and its effects are often subtle until they're sudden. But for those with planets near 3-5° of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, or Scorpio, this retrograde will be personally and profoundly felt.