The astrology of France in 2023 and beyond

After looking at Pluto in Aquarius, it seems only fitting to turn to France, a republic created with Pluto in Aquarius in 1792.

Of course it will be 2037 before France actually experiences its exact Pluto return and as we have seen in my previous analyses there is a lot that will have happened globally by then.

However, the revolution was a long time building – Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were King and Queen from 1774 ( before Pluto changed signs) all the way through until 1790. So there is something symbolic for the country in Pluto returning to Aquarius, so we will look at the likely trends of the next few years.

I’ve once more set the chart for the New Moon following the Aries ingress which is technically a few days before Pluto changes signs but we’ll be looking at the transits to come too so we don’t have to get to hang up on this one moment.



We can see though that the moment is interesting. The New Moon is conjunct the French midheaven and Pluto is trine the French Sun. This is a picture of transition both in the original chart and in the 2023 one.

For those interested in why I use this particular time- I picked it after extensive analysis in 2008 which is summarised on my old blog here:

Will the real French lady please stand up? (fortuna2020.blogspot.com)

For obvious reasons, we’ll deal with the transit of Pluto through the chart first. Pluto is transiting through the 7^th house of the French chart- that of its partners (and enemies). It is so interesting to see this as it reflects so many elements in the world today. France’s original friend in Liberty was the US who have themselves being undergoing a Pluto return since Pluto reached the French 7^th cusp . Then there is the UK with its long history as both an ally and enemy of France and the consequences of its break up with the EU and re0-creation of a border with France. Then there is the EU itself of course, of which more another time. And finally there is Russia, a country with which France has a long and complex relationship and which is currently acting out Pluto’s role on the borders of Europe.

In some ways this may all be good for France- it doesn’t have to integrate Pluto as it is being acted out by other nations. I doubt though that it escapes unscathed.

Pluto has already been Square the French Neptune and when Pluto ingresses into Aquarius it will square the progressed Neptune. And as I have mentioned before, France is one of the country’s that have a Neptune Jupiter opposite Saturn configuration. That this is being highlighted by progressed Mercury at the moment makes it all the more important. Progressed Mercury is almost stationary having only turned direct in 2021, and Pluto will pass back and fro over this point for the next 2 years.

This is going to raise significant questions about the French economic model and by extension the EU and Euro. I can see economic relationships with other nations breaking down because France is questioning its own philosophy.

As if that wasn’t enough, the French Republic was born with a Pluto Uranus opposition. Dramatic as we know. But we don’t have to wait for 20 years of Pluto in Aquarius, or even the next few years, to see changes  because Uranus is about to throw everything in the air and see where it lands. Why? Because by July 2023 it reaches the French progressed Sun (leadership) which is conjunct the progressed Mars in Taurus – bloody-minded. The progressed MC is also pulled into this configuration. Meaning it will be a very visible thing.

But that configuration is also square the French Uranus – Pluto opposition. So not only is Pluto hitting the planets underpinning the key philosophy of France, but Uranus is going to shake up its leadership in some big way over the coming year. This is likely to culminate in fireworks in April 2024 when Jupiter conjoins Uranus at 21 Taurus and the whole thing is exact. The fact that Uranus was conjunct the French Pluto during WW1 and square it in WW2 should indicate that we take it seriously. The Uranus return around 1960 created the Fifth republic and the new European relationships.

Note though that the progressed Sun and Mars will remain in conjunction for a few more years so whatever happens we can expect strong leadership there.

I feel like we have a number of years of challenges to look forward to until at least 2028 when Pluto square’s the progressed Saturn and the progressed Moon, Ascendant and progressed Ascendant all line up in aspect with the progressed MC and Jupiter. But we will return to the country before then to look forward further.

While we now turn to see what Neptune might be doing ( obscuring, misleading etc.) Neptune at 25 Pisces is currently trine the France Ascendant. It probably means things look better than they are. It is however about to square the French Mars and progressed Jupiter. France needs to avoid getting dragged into disputes with this configuration as they won’t get easily resolved. The combination also suggests false optimism and silly risks. Still the planets are in the 5^th house so maybe these will be restricted to arts and entertainment rather than more critical infrastructure. The combination does suggest a gamble could be taken and with Saturn joining Neptune in Pisces, all the areas that we discussed in relation to that mix can be involved ( water, gas, networks, religion/beliefs). I would recommend they tread carefully but they almost certainly won’t.



That’s enough for now, we’ll likely have enough reason to take another look in due course.