What you should know about Pluto Retrograde – May to October 2026

I have written about Pluto themes before, including when the dwarf, outer planet Pluto was retrograde in the zodiac sign of Capricorn, in 2013; at that time I was hearing a lot from people dealing with relationship challenges, and who had Venus-Pluto connections in their birth chart.

But when Pluto is retrograde, in general, as it is again now (having begun its retrograde path around 7^th May 2026), many of us will be feeling something in the air – or sensing something moving in the water, since this  planet is the natural ruler of Scorpio, a sign linked with the element of water. The energies around Pluto are complex and puzzling. Various people have been asking me about Pluto retrograde and what it means.This article is designed to help you understand more about what you may be up against between now and mid-October, while Pluto remains retrograde, or appearing to travel in a reverse path against the other planets along the zodiac belt in the sky, as we view it from earth.

What you should know about Pluto, in the first place, is that this planet relates to quite a range of themes and situations. Here’s a short list of some of the fallout that may occur when Pluto energies are being strongly felt – and maybe especially so when Pluto is retrograde, which typically means that things often kept hidden or under wraps are more visible and/or are felt more intensely.

1.      Experiencing bouts of jealousy or envy; you start doing a lot of ‘comparing and despairing’, starting to believe that the other person’s grass is greener. Remember that you may not have the full picture to hand! Few people’s lives are constantly as wonderful as their best picture would indicate. In many instances, someone will have worked very hard for their position or achievements; little that’s worth anything happens overnight. And even when we do get lucky breaks, that’s usually just about a door or pathway opening up. We still have to do the walking and other efforts to make it mean something worthwhile and lasting.

2.      Dealing with feeling drained. Suddenly, your energy seems to get drained at every level, physically, emotionally, mentally. You do whatever you can to boost it but you’re functioning like an old mobile phone set that can’t easily hold its battery charge anymore, even when it does manage to get close to a full recharge at any point.

3.      Some of your energy is being used up through too many demands on  your time. Everyone seems to need a piece of you. There’s just not quite enough to go round. Yet you feel compelled to keep on trying to please everyone and help those who seem to really need help.

4.      You are encountering more people with vampire-like energy fields. They don’t necessarily mean to drain anyone else; they are simply hungry for something for you have to offer. The trouble is that your offer windows are temporarily shut, or they need to be during this period. Consider reigning in efforts that are sapping your hours and your focus. It may even be that shortcuts are really okay. Aim to do less and rest more (remember, those batteries need regular charging now!)

5.      You feel as though you’ve fallen down a well. It’s dark down there. Problems seem overwhelming and solutions feel out of reach. Remember that you may not have access to a full perspective at this time. It’s as though someone has handed you a map but it’s completely blank, or only has very limited information printed on it. Perhaps what’s there is in an unfamiliar language, even. It’s okay. This is temporary! Remember that there’s usually a solution to a problem across time. It might not be the full-scale answer you’d ideally hope for, but you’ll likely make some headway with your goals and wishes. You’ll get the answers to some of those problems. And some days they simply won’t bother you as much as they could do right now.

6.      With Pluto retrograde, there’s a kind of waiting game going on. You may feel powerless over some of what’s happening. Other people are unfathomable or hard to please. You seem to home in on the wrong details, or do something to death when you only needed a small amount of effort in reality. It’s not all bad, it’s just a weird time and – quite possibly – a skewed perspective. It’s not life or death, though it may feel that way, on and off!

7.      Emotions may seem so intense that you feel like screaming, or as though you’re coming apart in some way. It may help to follow a spiritual discipline or practice that helps you to feel centred and grounded. Try small rituals in your day, maybe using an essential oil such as vetiver or frankincense to help keep grounded. Allow time for writing things down rather than trying to carry all the energy in your mind and body system. Remember to eat in a regular way so that your energy level isn’t bouncing around too much. Keep well hydrated!

8.      Try not to take too much personally. Yes, it’s easier said than done. But Pluto is a trans-generational planet, which means that there might be some cabinet reshuffle equivalents going on in our lives. If you’re being moved on from something, it’s because your skills and talents are going to be in demand elsewhere. Just allow some time for the new roots to take, and you’ll soon be back to glorious, blooming mode again! Relationship connections that are promising fruit for the future will continue to be productive in various ways, even if there’s a temporary lull. These may be relevant in all spheres where connections with other people matter. Where the situation only seems to produce deadwood, it’s time to look for greater growth elsewhere. Watch out for those new, green shoots starting to appear!

Ultimately, whilst Pluto changes can indicate endings of various kinds, there’s also often a kind of transformation taking place. Think about farming and the function of fallow fields. Sometimes the ground needs razing to purify it and allow new growth to start coming through regeneration of the soil. Productive activity will be busy happening beneath the surface, at the appropriate time. When the ground is perfectly ready, then new growth won’t have too many difficulties in progressing. Finally, when you reach a Pluto ‘bottom’, then, truly, the only way is up!

Practical tips: the above bulleted points contain a few of these. But also consider the idea that if you’re down a well or in a dark place, you might get a different perspective if you make a concerted effort to engage with light in some way. Let’s suppose you have a mirror in your pocket. Whilst the light around you may seem dim, there might still be enough to see the reflection of your eyes in that mirror (the water on their surface helps!). Quite often, when we feel pain, it’s about something being experienced but not put into words. Maybe you can take a moment to recognise any pain in yourself and put a sentence to it. Look at what your eyes are telling you. Know what your own good intentions are, because these are often our true compass.  

If someone else’s behaviour does not please you or sit well with you, try asking yourself if it mirrors some slightly similar way in which you may have acted in the past. Nobody’s perfect, after all! We all carry some baggage. If you hadn’t made any mistakes in your life, how would you have learned and grown? Having deep life experiences can bring great wisdom; assume that anything painful offers some kind of guidance or teaching. In time, it will be clearer what the lesson is. If you want a shortcut for now, try taking a card from the tarot – if it’s one of the 22 Major cards, it will likely show you what the lesson is. If it’s from the Minor Arcana (similar to a playing card deck with ‘pip’ cards and courts) then it’s pointing to a lesser lesson, but maybe still offering useful information. Know that, like the passage of Pluto retrograde – until October 16^th – this too shall pass.

If you’d like a personal reading, whether astrological, tarot-focussed or both, you may like to consider one of the options from the Mindbliss website’s consultations section:

https://mindbliss.co.uk/consultation-bookings/

Diana is a consultant in tarot and astrology with more than 30 years’ experience. She has written and edited content for many outlets including print publications and websites and for a wide range of clients and organisations. Content includes horoscope columns, interviews, feature articles, reviews and more. She has held individual, private consultations at Champneys Forest Mere health resort and many other outlets, whilst maintaining an ongoing email readings service. She currently writes for The Mountain Astrologer and a number of psychic readings services. She is a long-term Mind, Body and Spirit editor and mentor, primarily in non-fiction (including memoir) with Jericho Writers. In 2001 she co-founded the tarot association ‘TABI’ where she continues to assist in various roles.

©Diana McMahon Collis 21 May 2026

With additional thanks to Kleopatra at Pexels for the beautiful, vintage mirror image.