Pluto

Pluto

If the ancient Hindu system of astrology had accounted for Pluto, it would have been associated with Lord Shiva, the force of destruction and regeneration in the universe. Pluto acts as a kind of bulldozer to dredge up issues that have accumulated in our dark recesses for incarnations. It unearths this excess baggage, and makes us discard what we no longer need. Things long forgotten, including suppressed childhood memories can surface during particular transits of Pluto in our charts. And its house position in our natal charts shows where the forces of destruction and rebirth will be most active in our lives. Pluto forces us to transform, to recreate ourselves from the very depths of our being.

Everything we fear is the domain of Pluto. It requires that we face our worst fears. It forces us to throw our willpower into high gear, to transform ourselves from the very core of our beings. If we try to avoid this irresistible force, we only make things worse for ourselves. But if we “go with the flow”, we will find a new beginning, like the beautiful wildflowers that carpet the woodland floor after the forest fire has passed.

Pluto is associated with just that Phoenix-like urge of the life force. It is also associated with the sexual organs, because of their regenerative powers. And it specializes in the subconscious, that enormous and often untapped storehouse of creative energy. This planet symbolizes the beginning and end phases of life as well.

Pluto forces us to transform our attitudes and approach to life. If we resist this requirement, it may devastate our life in an area where we will have to change our attitudes. It may come in the form of a dream or an activity. It forces us to create change. There is a sense of urgency. “I have to change this in my life. I can’t go on like this.” Pluto indicates our will power. And it is where we get the chance to exercise our will power. That is not necessarily a negative thing. The reason it is associated with fear is because certain issues are as yet unresolved. And we tend to not want to confront what we fear. Pluto helps us face our fears. Pluto is associated with the will because there is nothing that requires more will power than the act of facing those things of which we are afraid. Pluto is the underworld, the dweller on the threshold, the gatekeeper. But we have to face our fears to pass through this gate.

A chart with a well-placed Pluto indicates an ability to make fresh starts. If the placement of this planet is problematic, however, this speaks of criminal tendencies, an unhealthy subconscious and possible cruelty.

If we are doing our duty, performing our karma by working through our Saturn, and evolving our Sun, then we can pass successfully through the challenges of Pluto.

All the lessons of the planets finally come back to the Sun—our heart and our soul. If we are not responding from the heart, if we are not being honest with ourselves, where are we? And remember that the heart is a much crueler master than the mind; it is much more incisive than the mind can ever be. The heart doesn’t rationalize. In your heart you know when you are not being honest with yourself. That is why we have to work through the lessons of our planets from our heart of hearts, from our Sun.

Fortunately, aspects from the outer planets come once in a lifetime. And that is part of the issue around them, that they represent a “once-in-a-lifetime” lesson. We have to deal with them when they are here. We would be wise to gain an understanding of what it is we have been presented to learn through these aspects, because we are not likely to go through them again in this life. For example, it takes 84 years for Uranus to complete an orbit around the Sun, Neptune 165 years, and Pluto 249 years. So, at the most you are going to get a square aspect from Pluto. You can only get it once in a lifetime.