Outer Planets - Pluto
Pluto is one of the Outer Planets, though in modern astronomy, it is considered a dwarf planet, and the largest body within the Kuiper Belt and the largest of the dwarf planets. I have seen a number of conspiracy theories amongst astrologers as to why Pluto was 'demoted', but I'm going to guess it was because it was so much smaller than all the other planets and was a denizen of the Kuiper Belt, and no other reason. Of course, Pluto is just dripping with dark conspiracies, so this seems highly appropriate, regardless of what the truth might be. Like Uranus and Neptune, Pluto is an ice planet, though a miniature version.
Pluto is the ninth largest object orbiting the sun, and is the tenth in terms of mass. It is larger than Eris in volume, but smaller in mass. Pluto is about 1/6th the mass of the earth's moon and 1/3 its volume. Pluto's orbit is eccentric and inclined, ranging from about 4.5 billion to 7.5 billion miles from the sun in its orbital circuit. Pluto has five known moon: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra.
Urbain Le Verrier predicted the existence of Neptune in the 1840s. Further observations later in the century led to the realization that another planet resided beyond Neptune. The search for the so-called "planet X" was begun in 1906 by Percival Lowell. While Lowell had captured two faint images of Pluto in 1915, by his death in 1916, Pluto remained unrecognized. Finally, on February 18, 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered a moving object, and after work to confirm, discovery was official announced on March 13, 1930. The year of Pluto is 248 earth years and so has not yet completed on full year since its discovery, and won't for 150 years, at the time of writing. Pluto has been controversial since its discovery, which seems highly fitting to me. It was demoted to 'dwarf planet' status in 2006.
One of the most interesting aspects of the planet itself is that, unlike the rest of the planets in the solar system, Pluto does not keep a circular orbit restricted to the plane of the ecliptic. At some point in the future I will write about this in more detail, as I have studied it extensively, and it actually means that as viewed from earth, Pluto transits more than the thirteen constellations on the ecliptic. In short, though, this means that Pluto appears to remain in certain 'signs', in both Tropical and Sidereal systems, for a longer period of years than it does in other signs. Because of the eccentric orbit of Pluto, there is a short part of Pluto's orbit that takes it closer to the sun than Neptune. This last occurred from February 1979 through February 1999. Pluto also has a rotation like Uranus, where it is tilted on its side, with its poles in the position of the equator on the other planets.
The symbol of Pluto in astrology is the symbol of alchemy, and this is very appropriate, as the essence of Pluto's energy is transmutation and transformation. Pluto changes that which it touches, for better or worse, good or ill. While Pluto is not death itself, it is able to initiate processes which lead to death in any person, object or institution. Pluto was assigned 'rulership' of Scorpio, which had been ruled by Mars, as Pluto was considered to be a higher octave of Mars. While there is some relationship between Mars and Pluto, to me the main Inner Planet that Pluto works through and relates to is Saturn. If you read about Saturn rulerships in pre-modern texts, you will be shocked by how much of the symbolism is now given to Pluto. I can understand though how astrologers in the period from 1930 forward came to associate Pluto with Scorpio and Mars. Beyond the association with sex, the period of the World Wars, especially with the unparalleled death and destruction of WWII, the development of Atomic energy, and the use of the first atomic bombs in war against human populations must have felt like Martial energies had taken on a lethality that only the ruler of the underworld could explain, but Saturn was actually the ruler of death in traditional astrology.
I will be writing a lot about Pluto on this blog, as long as it is extant, and so I will not go into great length in this post about all the insight I have to offer concerning Pluto. As Pluto has special meaning and significance to me, I have much to share in the future, but for this post I want to stay with a basic overview of the planet and how I use it in chart reading.
We touched on Pluto's transformational energies and its association with death above, and mentioned that there is an association with sex. These things are all true and all prominent energies of the planet. Pluto is easily associated with anything dark, scary or that is considered impolite or inappropriate by polite society. From bodily functions and excretions to all forms of rot and waste, but Pluto also rules wealth and riches, power and personal power. When the things Pluto rules are denied, it becomes destructive, but when they are embraced and understood, the reward is power. Power abused consumes, but power used with care further empowers. Pluto is not just wealth in the sense of money or valuable objects, but also the fertility of the land, for death is transmuted into rich soil, and the 6 inch layer of topsoil that has fueled the entirety of human history and industry is the rich remnants of billions and billions of dead organisms: the riches of the underworld and its processes, indeed!
Like the other Outer Planets, Pluto can work through any of the Inner Planets, and in time we will consider all those combinations in depth. For now, just know that Pluto works in this way just like the other Outer Planets.
In reading charts, I do use Pluto, though I do not assign it to rulership of any 'sign' or 'house'. I use it to find areas of transformation, and I find that where it is prominent, there will be much potential for change, growth and empowerment, or destruction of self or others. Those with Pluto prominent, depending on the planets, aspects and signs involved, will experience very intense energies, whether for good or ill, but Pluto always offers something, even when it is very difficult. Those with prominent Pluto placements may be those who move culture and knowledge forward in some way, or conversely they may dwell on the fringes, either being a force of change and progress or in obscurity. Something you will rarely hear from most astrologers, which I will stress, is that Pluto can be extremely positive and powerful, if you choose to work with the energy rather than bowing to shallow social constructs and judge what Pluto offers. If you do that, then Pluto will be tend to be very unkind.
There will be much more about Pluto to come on this blog...
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