Ugly, icky, sticky, itchy Pluto Transit Experience

St. George slaying the dragon

The planet Pluto was not named after the Roman god of the underworld for nothing and a Pluto transit is anything, but pleasant.  When Pluto aspects the Natal Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign, powerful transformation occurs, even on a subconscious level, and especially on a subconscious level.  Transformation begins deep inside.  When Pluto transits any planet or house it brings transformation in one form or another depending on the energies involved.

While I won't give you the rundown of every Pluto aspect by signs, houses, and other planets involved, I will say this, when you see a Pluto transit in your chart, prepare for an initiation.  Prepare yourself for the hero's journey which will take you into the depths of the earth, to places where frightening specters and shadows hang out and you might just need to slay the dragon to claim your bliss.  I imagine that Joseph Campbell would have had many things to say about Pluto transits and even if he didn't, if you are going through a major Pluto transit, (square or opposition to Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign), you might want to read Joseph Campbell's books.

You might also read about Carl Jung's archetypes for those will crop up in dreams, and experiences in the outer world and read the late Debbie Ford's books about the shadow effect.  I have discovered that not everything that comes up during a Pluto transit is dark in nature and this is mainly because you have other planetary transits negating Pluto's effects.  For instance, anyone born around this time will have Pluto square Uranus in their natal chart along with a Grand Water Trine with Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn.  The trine brings relief to the square and the square provides tension so that the person with these aspects will take advantage of the flowing energy and gifts of the trine.  And who is not to say that squares don't also bring gifts? Remember a pearl is created through abrasion, a caterpillar endures claustrophobia to transform into a moth or butterfly, and so on.

Archangel Michael in battle with Lucifer

But what we need to know about Pluto transits (and I have experienced these first hand in recent years) is that ugliness (things we consider vulgar, gross, or unacceptable) will surface.  We will meet darker parts of ourselves and either cringe or accept them.  I think we are similar to a Scorpio Sun or Moon when we experience these Pluto transits with hard angles.  We're not going to feel polite and agreeable during this time and we might question every aspect of our lives. You'll see divorces, job layoffs of jobs we didn't like anyway, and even relocation under these aspects.  But it seems like none of this happens under our free will, at least not our free conscious will.

Pluto operates on a deeper soul level.  We might think we are victims of a divorce, job or home loss, but in fact, some part of our psyche chose liberation from those things we thought we had to have in our lives.  Pluto isn't like a hurricane coming through leaving water damage in its wake, but like a bomb that explodes turning everything to smithereens and ash.  But then from that ash, a phoenix emerges and turns into a soaring eagle with a wider view of life on the planet.  So in a way, Pluto transits force us to detach and none of us enjoy that process.  However, for people practicing Buddhism these Pluto transits will make more sense than to say someone whose life is about status, and consumerism while attaching to things, places and people.

I am Cancerian with a Capricorn AC so I know all about attachment.  I find my own Pluto transits challenging and they have brought me to my knees a few times.  As a Cancerian I have my share of fears, doubts, and worries of the unknown.  I remind myself to stay in the present moment and to stop fretting about the future.  The power is in the now.  And folks, we aren't just dealing with Pluto transits, but Pluto combined with Uranus (the rebel, the unknowable, sudden surprises, shock, etc). And later in this decade we will deal with a Pluto conjunct Saturn in Capricorn transit.  We had better start breaking down old structure now so that by the end of this decade we are well on the way to rebuilding the world on more solid ground.  At the moment Saturn in Scorpio is bolstering Pluto in Capricorn and easing some of the pressure caused from the Uranus in Aries square to Pluto.

Perhaps, you are tired of hearing about this square which is on the tip of every astrologer's tongue these days.  But there is a reason for this which brings up the question will humanity get it together and survive these transits?  If we get it together these transits bless us with a Great Awakening.  And even with all the new technology and changes that have taken place in the past 2,000 years, spiritually, humans have evolved little.  We still go to battle with each other, still don't own the stuff of our egos, still cling to the illusion of materialism and anyone who transcends all of that is automatically labeled a saint or master. This leaves us to think that the transcendent ones are rare and special, but the truth is any of us can transcend. Haven't these master healers and teachers told us through the centuries that whatever they can achieve so can we?

We are all capable of awakening and evolving.  It's a matter of choosing to evolve then doing the necessary work.  Well, fortunately, with a Pluto or Uranus transit at hard angles in a chart, and especially in the angular houses (1, 4, 7 and 10), you are now given the opportunity to awaken in a big, big way.  I have to remind myself daily as I go through these transits that I'm given an opportunity to become everything that I am--both the light and the dark without squelching either.  And by doing so I understand that there is light in everyone and if what I see is darkness in someone else, then I need to revisit my own heart and soul.

The unevolved soul automatically goes into the judgement mode when an event occurs in the world or in their community.  They spout opinions and calls these opinions facts.  Then they decide how punishment should be meted out, usually in the form of an eye for an eye mentality.  An unevolved (unloved) soul will say that the punishment is God's will and look no further, or no deeper into the circumstances surrounding the situation.  An evolved soul or a soul on the way to evolving, stands back and searches for a wider angle.  This soul does not go into the automatic judge this person or situation mode.  When you find that you seek the bigger picture of any situation rather than drawing immediate conclusions, you can detach from the world by living in it, but not off it and when you can step back like a spectator observing this spectacle called life on the planet, you are well on your way to enlightenment.

Now, I know I'm closer to the first scenario than to the second.  This leaves me feeling vulnerable and humble.  Much of what I write here, this wisdom comes directly from the saints or Ascended Masters.  As I write this, I am receiving just as much education as you reading this.  So what do we do when Pluto transits through our charts at hard angles? Take a lot of deep breaths, and remind ourselves that we will emerge from this time of abrasion and claustrophobia as soaring butterflies or perhaps we rise out of the ashes as wise eagles.  The choice is up to each of us.  Rebirth is a bloody, ugly, sticky and itchy process.  Our first birth wasn't any prettier.