Spiritual Astrology: a square and a trine to the same planet

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In this post, I am going to be covering what occurs when the same Natal Planet has both a square and a trine aspect to it.  As an example, let’s take Venus.  And please keep in mind that I am going to oversimplify things a bit here to keep this post below 1000 words.  Also I intend to include what it means to have both a square and a trine aspect to a planet and how transits can reflect activation of the trine OR square (or both).

And now for the planets that are aspecting the Natal Venus.  Let us use Pluto as the planet making the trine and Uranus as the planet making the square.  So what do these mean on a regular basis for this individual?

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Believe it or not, Pluto is an intense planet 🙂  And even in its trine configuration, it can still indicate a powerful effect on the individual.  So we have Pluto trine Venus – of course the signs and houses matter, but let’s just keep it simple.  Pluto can indicate a stickiness, a pattern of lusting or yearning for relationships or union (Pluto wants power and control and one of Venus’ arenas is love and relationships and union).  Pluto here might indicate that this native goes out of his or her way to charm or magnetize others – he or she wants closeness, and they might want to be possessive about their partner.  There is a full body of literature about Pluto and its relationship to Venus, so let’s pause there and go on to Uranus. Just think that Pluto is yearning to be close to a partner (probably stemming from some unmet need as a baby or youngster).

Again, Uranus is an intense planet, believe it or not.  And here we have Uranus making a square to this individual’s Venus.  Trying to keep it simple, what might this indicate?  House placement and signs involved really matter here as Uranus has many flavors depending on the lens through which it is focused. But that would take another 50 pages to write about…  So Uranus square Venus says this individual marches to the beat of their own drum – their sense of style is unique and possibly ahead of the curse, maybe a little perverse or bohemian.  The way they do relationships would be different – they would require some space and they would definitely need to have a partner who is dynamic and ingenuous (they would easily get bored with a conventional, traditional, stick-in-the-mud type of person).  If this square were really close, like within 3 degrees, then there is the chance that this person might have strong views about marriage (and about not wanting to be married).  They might want an open relationship.  But the independence and sense of freedom would be paramount with this aspect.

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When we combine both of these examples above, what do we have?  Pluto’s longing and yearning for connection and control (and possibly lust and being sexual) would contrast strongly with Uranus’ need for freedom and independence.  This is the person who would not have an easy first few relationships in their lives – in high school or college years, there would be confusion about how did I love someone so dearly and then push them away like I did?  That person might have felt like a soul mate AND the relationship with them was too intense, too steamy, too connected.  It was uncomfortable.  This is what I refer to as a dichotomy.  The sooner this individual could clean this up (bring awareness and acknowledgement to this inner dynamic, and then work on meeting unmet emotional needs from early developmental years, etc), the better his / her relationships would go.  But this is a strange pairing indeed.

As an aside, this is one of the benefits of studying or going to see a Spiritual Astrologer – they can objectively see these inner dichotomies and how the individual is having a conflict within their hearts.  And hopefully with skill and compassion, the Astrologer can help the person start to untie those inner knots of frustration and confusion.

Back on the topic: what does it mean to have this strange dynamic in the astrology chart and then have transits come along and activate either the trine or the square aspect?  With Uranus square Venus, you have four chances to activate it – when a transiting planet is conjunct either Uranus or Venus, square either of them or opposite either of them (say we have Saturn opposite Uranus, then Saturn should also be making a square to Natal Venus).  When an outer planet or a progressed planet comes into a point of activation of this square, the individual might really cry out for freedom and space and independence.  They would not want to be in a steamy passionate relationship at that time.  Rather, they might want to recharge and renew alone – in their personal sanctuary, or they might want to go for a hike with a group of people (where they can hide or interact with multiple people and be safe from the intense one-on-one relationships the Pluto / Venus aspect would indicate).  If a major transiting planet, like Pluto or Uranus or Jupiter comes along into an activation point, that might be a time for big transition – the person may terminate a relationship, outgrowing a structure which seems to be out-dated and less-than-beneficial.

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At the same time, when the Pluto trine Venus is activated (at the trine point to both planets, or by a planet coming along and making a sextile to both planets – effectively sitting on their midpoint), then this individual might have a blossoming relationship or a new insight into the machinations of their heart.  Just to be clear above, if we have Pluto in Sagittarius and Venus is in Leo, then the “best” activation point for this trine is to have a planet in Aries making a trine to both Pluto AND Venus.  Or if a planet comes along through Libra and makes a sextile aspect to both Pluto and Venus, then this would activate it a bit as well.

The Pluto Venus trine being activated would indicate a time when this native could be more close to someone.  A time for opening their heart – especially if they have done some of their emotional work to get clearer about this bizarre dynamic from above.  If nothing else, having a plant like Jupiter or Mars come along and trine both Pluto and Venus would indicate a week or a short time of new relationships coming into their life, or a new attraction, or a blossoming and deepening of an existing one.  It would be comfortable and fun to flirt and play and mix it up a little.  But the native would still probably do the relationship in a manner in which they get their requisite space and freedom and independence.

As you can see, Spiritual Astrology can really dive in deep to analyze one particular aspect or set of aspects coming off of a Natal planet.  Of course we could go much much deeper once the rest of the chart is interpreted.  House placements, the Ascendant, the ruling planets and more will determine more of how Natal Venus would dance with Pluto and Uranus.

If you would like a Spiritual Astrology interpretation, shoot me an email to kirby [at] mkirbymoore [dot] com

Thank you for reading!

Understanding a precious human rebirth, bits at a time

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I am presently studying Anatomy and Physiology in preparation for nursing school in the fall.  And as a practicing Buddhist, one of the introductory practices I have been taught is called the Four Thoughts (that Turn the Mind Toward Enlightenment).  The Four Thoughts can be summarized as such: 1) Contemplating the Preciousness of being born in a fully functioning human body (having a precious human rebirth); 2) Recognizing and Analyzing the Impermanence of Samsaric Existence – everything composite that comes together will eventually dissolve.  The sooner we have an embodied understanding of impermanence, the less we will avoid and the more fearless we will become once we are ready for death.  3) Understanding Karma and that for every Result, there must be a Cause – analyzing the causes and conditions which lead to happiness, sadness, suffering, joy; and finally, 4) looking at the suffering of the Six Realms of Samsara – the pain and suffering of the hell realms, the greed and lust of the hungry ghosts, the ignorance of the animal realms, the wide spectrum of suffering that we humans are capable of, especially if we are more of a barbaric (immoral) inclination, the jealousy of the demigods and the slothfulness of the god realms.

I realize that paragraph above can be unpacked for weeks by a qualified teacher.  And that is why I am just focusing on one little tiny piece of the first of the Four Thoughts – looking at what it means to be born in a Precious Human rebirth.  And I intend to connect this to the A & P class I am taking at school.

There are many methods for doing this.  And I want to add another from my experience in taking the science classes which are prerequisites for nursing.  As I learn more and more about the human body, it is incredible how many processes just go into breathing, or how we can digest a simple sandwich.  There are many systems in the human body, and they are all interconnected.  For instance, the cardiovascular system pumps a lot of blood to the gut when we are digesting food, and then if we go for a long bike ride, the skeletal muscles are then receiving the lion’s share of blood.  When the Dharma texts talk about being born in a Precious Human Rebirth, it means that we have fully functioning five senses, and we are able to walk and talk and process complex information.  Have you ever contemplated how many neurons must grow and change and re-orient in order for a newborn baby to become a fully functioning adult?  A trillion processes have to go “right.”  Maybe more.  Of course there are some mistakes and there are redundant cells…  but still 99.99 % of all those processes have to form “correctly” for a healthy baby to become a healthy adult (in a precious human rebirth)!

It is mind boggling!  Take the neurological learning which must take place just to cognize how to grip a water glass.  Too much grasping and we crush it, too little and it falls to the floor and shatters.  It took years for researchers to create a robot hand capable of doing this.  Do we know how many processes and neurons and cells are involved in learning this tiny little skill?  Millions.  At least a dozen processes have to happen in the central nervous system, and then the neural impulse travels down the spinal cord to the appropriate level, branches out the spinal nerves, down the brachial plexus and finally innervates the appropriate muscles in the forearm and hand, all which give and receive feedback and make constant adjustments.  Just sit and ponder this for 5 minutes.  And you might be impressed with your own accomplishments.  We can celebrate these neurological milestones – in our kids (and in ourselves).  Just learning to talk is huge – every little task we have learned is a miracle when looked at through the lens of how many cells and bodily processes are involved in it!

What is the purpose of analyzing the Four Thoughts?  What is the end result we are looking for?  Honestly I am not the best person to be answering these questions – I am not a Buddhist monk or a realized spiritual teacher.  But here is what I think, from my ignorant mind (subtext, if you are seriously wondering about this, go find an authentic Lama and ask them!): I think that by contemplating the Four Thoughts, we can dissolve many misunderstandings we might have from previous predispositions – for instance, the thought that I can put off practicing Dharma until I retire, because I am too busy now.  If we really look at impermanence, whether we look at it from the point of view of the body constantly changing, or the fact that many of our close friends and relatives have died, we will start to realize that there actually is very little time to waste.  The Four Thoughts are very basic in Buddhist practice, however they are so vital, that by skipping them, we run the risk of building a house on sand – no foundation and it could come tumbling down at any moment.

I just wanted to point out that there are many ways to practice contemplating the rarity of being born in a precious human rebirth, and through the lens of science, it is even more amazing and rare!

I hope I have explained these topics in a decent fashion.  I realize that due to my limited and afflicted intellect, confusion might arise from my words.  It is my hope that confusion might dawn as clarity and that all beings know happiness and its causes.

Thank you for reading!

Another layer of Libra Hades Moon, in the 3rd

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I want to start out this post by saying that I love my parents dearly and by doing some deep psychological and process-oriented work on myself, I understand my parents better and I am so grateful that they gave me the chance for this precious human rebirth.

As Uranus (transiting) crosses the opposition point to my Hades Moon – Tr. Uranus is in Aries currently and it is about 1 degree away from exactly opposing my Hades Moon.  I have Pluto conjunct the Moon in my natal chart – less than a degree separates these two unlikely bed-fellows.  This conjunction falls in my 3rd house in Libra.

The most obvious layer, and when I say obvious – I have had several astrologers just glance at my chart and they say within seconds: “Wow, you have a lot of karma with your Mom, don’t you?”, of a Hades Moon is just that – my perception of my Mother or my relationship to the person I see as my mother is quite complex.  I am aware of the Hades Moon in my chart probably reflects the enmeshment which developed over my childhood years – an enmeshed relationship with my single mother (who did the best she could).

And my mother has Pluto squaring her Moon.  So there is a good chance that a pattern of enmeshment has been “handed down” from her to me.  This enmeshed relationship arose due to a number of reasons – first of which was that my Dad was not around much physically and when he was around, he was never emotionally or psychically present (sorry Dad – but you still have some psycho-emotional stuff to work on).  Therefore I clung to my Mom as my source of nourishment and shelter etc.

The roots of this enmeshment go all the way back to my birth.  When I was born, due to the Indigenous American Indian blood from my father’s lineage (a wonderful gift to say the least), I had a purplish rash on my back and butt.  The doctors did not know what was “wrong” with me so they put me in the NICU – natal intensive care unit where my mother could only visit for an hour at a time or so.  I was there for at least 24 hours – maybe closer to 36 hours and when I was deemed “non-contagious” and handed back to my Mom, something had changed in me and in her.  I have intuited that she felt some subconscious guilt for letting the medical personnel take me and that inherently changed our relationship, tying yet another layer onto an already fated and possibly tangled relationship.

I feel like I could write at length about what I have learned from my Hades Moon.  About all the different permutations my liberation has gone through in terms of putting healthy space between my mother and I.  But I am writing this post today to mention a new piece of information.

I received some powerful bodywork yesterday that really rocked me to my core.  Some sessions are like that, others are more maintenance oriented – less potent and more resourcing and relaxing.  But I had purposely scheduled

I received a session of Somatic Experiencing – a.k.a. S.E. (blended with process-oriented pre- and perinatal psychological understand and probably with some Craniosacral Therapy thrown in for good measure).  In S.E., the goal is to get the client (me) to feel the emotions associated with challenges to the polyvagal system – that is the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system divisions also known as the Fight / Flight / Freeze system (sympathetic) or the Rest / Digest system.  The goal is to strengthen and resource and turn on the parasympathetic or Rest and Digest system.  But the way to do that is to clear the trauma (or emotions or misunderstandings) which are stuck in various body tissues – clear where the body is stuck in Fight or Flight or Freeze status.  Obviously, this is very tender and vulnerable work, so I would only recommend going to see a qualified practitioner for it – someone who has done years of work on themselves.

What is wild is that we have a choice.  Once we determine what it is that is challenging the system or what misunderstanding or event is being held in the tissue (a fall, birth trauma, etc), then we can choose to do it differently in our minds – while being held by skillful, resourced, regulated, compassionate hands – and then this can lead to lasting neurological changes in the body.  And it is awesome and potent and nourishing when it is all over.  But I must say that occasionally the adage: “you must feel it to heal it” is appropriate, so sessions are not always comfortable – at least not all the way through.  But they are well worth it.

Before I mention what I learned yesterday, let me mention one thing: double binds.  A double bind is a psychological term for a situation in which we have two or more choices and all of the choices have difficult or challenging outcomes.  For instance, many double binds happen every day when we have elective surgery – if I get that mole removed, it means I will have to be cut and that is sharp and painful.  However, then I can get the mole biopsied and I will look better cosmetically.  So to keep the mole might invite danger.  But to get the mole removed means I will get cut.  This is a typical double bind – option A is painful but option B might be even worse down the road.

Likewise, many double binds occur for children.  As kids, we are stuck with one or both parents, not having any actual options for running away from inappropriate care-takers.  For instance, if we have the choice of suppressing our needs to prevent getting spanked, guess what?  Most kids clam right up.  This is a very common double bind.  Suppressing our needs, somehow learning to not say “No!” in order to avoid the pain of spanking and our parent’s anger or wrath, is terrible either way – we put our foot down and say “No!” and then we get whacked or whipped.  Or we learn to shut our mouths (and many people become pleaser / placaters / shape-shifters in the process of living these double binds).

So what did I learn in this last treatment?  Or what double bind did I discover?  As an aside, because Somatic Experiencing involves gentle, skillful hands-on time, when we do discover a double bind, we can slowly and skillfully help the client (in this case, me) to process it out of their system.  I discovered that my kidneys were holding onto a lingering piece of the Hades Moon karma – that is, when I was young, it was sometimes difficult to stick with my mother (and even worse to spend time with my father – see the paragraph above) and yet the other option – of leaving her would have brought up the worst, most unthinkable terror so it really wasn’t a choice.  Therefore, the essence of the double bind is that being with you is tough but any other option is horribly terrifying.  Imagine the baby part of me – there is no grey area for babies – it is either I am safe and content OR I am in pain, or hungry, or afraid, or I have a dirty diaper.  Therefore the baby part of me does not know how to ask for appropriate space.  I wonder how many kids go through this at least at some point in their lives?  Ack!!

But in my kidneys, and in my gut and in my meninges (around my brain) I felt this buzzing energy which only started to settle down when I admitted (acknowledged) this double bind and then using my adult resources – looking at the practitioner and realizing that I am safe, here and now, and looking around at the beautiful nature outside the windows – saying to myself, “May you (Kirby) be safe” and “May you kidneys be safe” – and bringing the session back to my child parts, saying now you have a choice.  Do you want to feel the way it was back then (painful) or are you ready to try something different (possibly a win-win situation)?  By realizing that my parents’ both probably suffered from this same double bind, I was able to compassionately hold them.  So they are really off the hook – it is my karma which led me to this point and which led me to choose them as parents.  They did the best they could with the resources available to them.  And they did a great job!  I was loved and well-fed and clothed and I was in a decent home throughout my childhood.

In the process of all this, I had to feel through several waves of fear.  Only once I felt the fear and slowly processed it and released it could I rest in a settled, less-reactive place.

And then my kidneys dropped down, resting back and relaxing; they both started to rock rhythmically back and forth indicating they were happy and grounded and felt safe.  My meninges (the shock-absorbing cushion layer around the brain) settled down, relaxed and the buzzing melted away.  And finally there was big spreading in my gut as the practitioner completed the treatment there.

Because it is still fresh in my system and because it involved childhood parts going way back, I expect the balancing to continue for at least a few weeks, possibly more.  I am being more gentle with myself and lying down when I have the time.  No use doing this deep work and then throwing a wrench in the works by pushing too hard or by doing an activity which causes my kidneys to clamp up again…  🙂

So just to reiterate.  This is extremely deep work.  I have been doing process-oriented work on myself since 2005, receiving hundreds of treatments.  I still have work to do.  But you should not dive right in and expect these kinds of insights and shifts in the beginning.  It is a process, there is a learning curve and lasting results will take time.  Especially if serious trauma is involved.  PTSD can be slowly resourced, but it will take lots of time.  Remember to be gentle.  Go slow.  Breathe.

And may all beings realize that they have a choice: we can re-do parts of our childhood which were less than resourced and move into an awareness of why it was and how it can be different.  And then re-orient from there.  It is a beautiful process if you are willing to do the work.

Thanks for reading!

Yesterday was a rough day for me, seen through my astrology chart

I was wondering what was going on in my chart after being turned down for federal financial aid for my upcoming nursing school.  When I found that out, it was like I had been punched in the gut.  I was obviously perturbed and very frustrated.

One of the over-arcing aspects happening for me right now is Uranus opposite my Hades Moon (I have Moon conjunct Pluto in Libra).  On top of this, I have Neptune opposite my Saturn (and nearing conjunction with my Mars).  Transiting Pluto is getting close to squaring my Hades Moon but it is still 4 degrees away (so in Pluto terms, that is pretty far away – but it is approaching so this is food for thought for 6 – 12 months from now).

Jupiter is opposite my Venus.  Saturn is trine my natal Jupiter.  Then as far as personal planets go…

Yesterday the transiting Sun was exactly opposite my Uranus (Yay!…  ooph!).  The transiting Moon was quiet, transiting Mercury was gearing up for positive aspects, and Venus was quiet.  Transiting Mars was sextile my Jupiter.

I feel like due to whatever reasons, the Neptune transit of my Saturn / Mars opposition is actually not too bad.  Traditionally this could be a time of waffling between clarity and indecisiveness but that is not affecting me per se.  I wonder how it affect my relationship with responsibility, but otherwise I hardly notice it.  Although my neck has been stiff and achy for close to a month now (no other symptoms so I’m letting it do its thing).  Perhaps that stiffness is Neptune in action.

The Uranus opposite Pluto / Moon piece is definitely affecting me.  I felt an enormous surge of emotion and anger and sadness well up when I was rejected for federal aid (it is due to my already having an Associates and Bachelor’s degree).  Maybe if I had done some research I might have found out on my own. But then throw the Sun opposite Uranus in that mix and yesterday was an emotional roller coaster for me. :-O

Jupiter opposite my Venus (for the third time in this retrograde / direct cycle) is simply tempting me with old distractions – computer games, wasting time on-line, reading fantasy books, etc.  And I think I am actually benefitting from Saturn trine my Jupiter.  Some astrologers might say that could be challenging as most Saturn / Jupiter hits are difficult.  I would disagree – this is the trine after all and I have built up momentum in taking several prerequisite classes for nursing school.  Maybe that is why the Neptune piece does not really feel like it is manifesting.  I don’t know.  🙂  But I’m open to learning more.

May all beings know happiness and put the causes of happiness into place!

And p.s.: if you know of a good way for me to raise money for school, please let me know!  Leave a comment if you don’t mind.  Or if you want to receive a Spiritual Astrology interpretation, let me know at kirby [at] mkirbymoore.com

Thank you for reading!

Unpacking from a potent weekend

I just returned from a weekend with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon, Chetsang Rinpoche.  I will post pictures soon (hopefully).

I am in the midst of one of the busiest times of my life as I prep to enter nursing school this summer and in the fall.  My next day off with nothing on my to-do list might not be until August…  Ugh!

And in the midst of that busyness, I set things aside and went to sit with H.H.D.K. and about a dozen monks and nuns.  It was a great turn out – at least 100 people were there most days.  And for the Great Drikung Phowa on Saturday, there may have been 200 people (with a lot of local Tibetans attending).

I received the Amitabha empowerment (or at least His Holiness gave this empowerment, not sure if my mind was cogent enough to actually receive it).  We did a lot of Amitabha practice (mantra recitation with sadhana practice).  Then there was the Drikung Phowa Chenmo and an Amitayus sand mandala which was dissolved on Sunday.

Pretty amazing!  Fairly rapidly I settled down into a clear, aligned state where I did not need to “do” or “fix” or “create” anything.  To be honest, the first two days of retreat were a little tough – body aches and pains, mind was distracted and wanted out, and I watched my resistance slowly melt away.  Sitting in that potent energetic mandala of His Holiness and other highly realized Lamas was special indeed.

And now I feel more motivated and clear about everything on my plate at present.  (And there is a bunch…)

Please wish me luck with finding balance!

And may all sentient beings put the causes of happiness into place, leading to greater peace and harmony.

Thank you for reading,

KM

musings about Nepali earthquake, Dharma, degenerate age

My girlfriend suggested I write a blog post about how the Nepali earthquake and the crumbling of the Buddha-Dharma might be connected.  Personally I don’t feel qualified to write such a post.  Yes we are technically in the degenerate age, but we can also change our communities for the better as well.  It is up to us whether the Buddha-Dharma crumbles (in this century).  Maybe I will learn more about this topic soon and be able to pass along more thoughts.

I am about to attend some high Lamas in Arlington, Va this coming weekend, including His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon and his retinue, so maybe I can ask them to elucidate on this topic.

I want to stress that I feel first and foremost for the Nepali (and Tibetan and Himalayan) peoples who are all suffering horribly due to land slides, mud slides, homelessness and lack of food and clean water…  I send out the greatest prayers and well-wishing I can muster.  One of my teachers suggested that, “if we had nothing to do for half an hour, that perhaps we could imagine Nepal (and all the surrounding regions) being surrounded by a vajra tent of blue Hungs.”  Please see my earlier post if you would like to contribute any material goods (money) to the clean up and rescue cause.

I sincerely hope the Buddha-Dharma is getting stronger in the world, but honestly I’m not sure.  Impermanence is for certain.  The Dharma is taking birth in some regions and perhaps dying back in others.  I just hope that after the basic necessities of health and life are taken care of, that the holy sites in Nepal and India can be restored.

An interesting article on Mahakala image in Nepal:

http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Mahakala_on_the_Tibetan_Plain

Thank you for reading!

Om Ah Hung

🙂

Legit ways to donate to Nepal’s disaster relief

I am saddened by all the gruesome pictures coming back from the 7.9 earthquake which struck the Himalayan region on Saturday.  Nepal is going to need support for some time to come.  What I keep reading though is that money is the best way to support them – and unless we are a part of a crisis response team before the disaster, it is best that we not go over there to try to lend a hand.

Here are some good charities to donate to if you can:

http://live2love.org.uk/donate-to-us/

http://www.mercycorps.org

http://www.redcross.org.uk/nepalearthquake

The first is a charity set up His Holiness the Gyalwa Drukpa.  The second is a charity which focuses on getting clean water to areas hit by natural disaster so they avoid water borne diseases and the third is the British Red Cross – they are on the ground in Nepal now and these are all legitimate charities.

Thank you!

great news!

I just wanted to post that I just found out that I got accepted into nursing school!  There is much to do now and more deadlines to meet, but how fantastic!  All my years of hard work are paying off!

One step at a time…

More on Pluto later (I have less time than I would like at present)

a primer on Pluto, divine amplifier

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Astronomically, Pluto has been disparaged, dropped from the ranks of planet-hood and I suspect this reflects our society’s discomfort with Plutonian material.

What is Plutonian material?  What is Pluto’s influence in the astrology chart?  What is his rulership?

Pluto is the power behind the throne.  Pluto is one of the four power-hungry planets in the pantheon of the solar system – along with Saturn, the Sun and Mars.  For the most part, these planets are associated with the Fixed signs, which are also known as the Serpent Signs – Aquarius (Saturn’s previous rulership), Scorpio (Pluto’s present and Mar’s previous), Leo (the Sun) and Taurus is not exactly represented as Venus, its present ruler does not “seek” power but understands that true power lies in practicing abundant generosity and kindness and that when we love something or someone fully and maintain a low position (humility), then we have all the “power” that we need.  But more on Venus in a bit.  So Pluto seeks typically seeks power because of some mysterious unconscious yearning.  How it goes about that is indicated by the rest of the astrology chart.

What does Pluto do in the astrology chart?  Well we are talking about the ruler of the most complex sign in the zodiac (Scorpio), so this must be a complex answer.  But to over simplify things for the moment, I am going to write about the ways that Pluto amplifies whatever he touches.

Stepping off topic one more time…  Above I mention how our society might be hesitant (at best) to delve into Pluto’s material, well I want to remind people that esoterically, Pluto rules both the best of the light (wisdom, personal integrity, and compassion) and the worst of the darkness (polluted swamps of the unconscious).  I suspect Pluto has gotten a bad reputation – being discovered around the time of the atom bomb’s revelation, I think some people see a poor Pluto aspect and naturally cringe.  But that is not necessary.  Pluto is a binary planet system – Charon, a large moon of Pluto orbits it and from an esoteric perspective, this dual system gives Pluto rulership over the swampy depths of the psyche AND once we purify and come to a deep visceral understanding of who we are and what true power is, then Pluto is transformed like the phoenix (one of Scorpio’s symbols) into Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and healing.

Pluto’s constipating effects come about when we do not acknowledge who we are.  When we suppress our natural urges and healthy desires, due to upbringing, societal pressures, or whatever, we are pushing Pluto deeper into our subconscious.  And if we know our mythology, then we know that Pluto tends to erupt violently onto the scene, and this is certainly possible if we try to bottle up our powerful emotions for too long.  Eventually something is going to snap.  So it is best to get clearer about our needs and feelings now, rather than waiting to see how Pluto might manifest in his shadowy manner.  But we can never blame Pluto – rather he is a reflection of our psyche and our natural predispositions.

So why does Pluto tend to amplify aspects of our chart?  And keep in mind, depending on our karma, like I mention above, this amplification is oftentimes positive.  If we have poor predispositions in our unconscious, then these negative habits could be amplified just as easily.

(By the way, I am going to over-simplify these definitions below.  Therefore, do not read your chart and then say, “Oh my God!  I don’t fit on that hyper-polarized spectrum.”  Right.  There is a lot of gray area that I am not able to describe in such a short blog post.  You might want to call or email me to set up an astrology interpretation if you have questions about your astrological Pluto.  I consider myself quite knowledgeable on the subject.)

Pluto and the Sun: Here is one combination of two of the power-grasping giants that I touched on above.  The Sun is the overt, natural leader in Leo.  At its best, these aspects tend to amplify the Sun’s natural leadership abilities.  It increases ambition, a desire for recognition and our innate authority.  At its worst, it can make someone despotic and power-hungry, stooping to great depths to undermine opponents and competitors.  You must look at the rest of the chart to see how and where this authority and power extend (in Cancer it might be the head of a powerful family, in Capricorn it might be an ambitious CEO and in Scorpio, it would be an altogether different animal).  🙂

Pluto and the Moon: Here we have the lunar domain of the emotions and non-physical energies (psychic abilities, intuition, dreams, etc).  When Pluto and the Moon get together, it can be over-sensitivity (depending on the sign), emotional reactiveness AND/OR it can be emotional understanding and awareness.  It could be extremes in the way we express our feelings AND/OR an innate psychic ability.  If we delve through our neuroses and traumas, we can discover that Pluto’s influence on the Moon can be an emotional anchor in an uncertain world.  We can read people with an uncanny gut feeling and we can express our feelings with such ease and grace that others marvel at this skillful ability.  Of course the signs and houses involved matter a lot and the rest of the chart will indicate how far along we are on a psychological understand (or in our karmic evolution).

Pluto and Mercury:  Here is the god of communication – the link between the head and the heart.  So what you must ask yourself here is – does Pluto clear up that connection or sully those waters.  At its best, this is someone whose mental clarity and cogency is unparalleled – a great investigator, researcher and scientist (possibly).  This person would be a great teacher and a magnificent orator.  On the flip side, Pluto here can indicate mental confusion.  It can amplify the worst of Mercury’s qualities – impulsiveness, impatience and irritability.  There is the possibility that Pluto in a hard aspect to Mercury is indicative of early trauma and this in turn would gear up that native’s nervous system to no end.  Of course, whenever Pluto (who is strongly associated with the reproductive organs and sexual expression) is involved, we might consider skillfully inquiring about early trauma.  [Disclaimer – if you do not have seriously refined skills in dealing with early trauma, then it might be best to avoid the subject and let a professional handle it.]

Pluto and Venus:  As I mentioned above, Pluto can be in its lower manifestations or in his higher karmically-refined emanation as Minerva.  It is important to know which is the dominant force when dealing with any Pluto aspects, but no where is it more apparent than when perceiving Pluto / Venus contacts.  This is the person who could (rarely) be the saint who understands that we can love something without grasping at it (love without attachment is a beautiful thing!  Watch videos of great Tibetan lamas like Garchen Rinpoche if you want an example of this).  We can give love even to those people who spurn and reject it.  We can rest in equanimity and practice kindness toward all we come in contact with – not judging anyone.  But who am I kidding?  That kind of saint is very difficult to find.  Rather, Pluto can indicate that this individual is lustful, possessive and/or jealous.  Pluto and Venus is where some people tie power with sex.  And what is the best way to do this?  By connecting money and sex – have you ever seen the older wealthy oligarch who has a trophy wife at least 30 – 40 years younger than he is?  It happens.

I would personally recommend that one adopts an authentic spiritual practice though where we can start to get an understanding of our inner machinations.  Then, over time (in my experience, nothing comes lightning-quick), we can start to dispel inner delusions and mis-understandings and build in more loving-kindness and appropriate compassion.  But it must start with the self.  If we find ourselves grasping and clinging to someone or something, there is the obvious possibility that Pluto and Venus are working together (maybe manifesting an early, unmet childhood need) in a challenging manner.

Pluto and Mars: Here again we have a meeting of two of the power-hungry planets.  But as we all know, Mars rarely ever wins out in his hunt for power and hegemony.  Why?  Because he seeks to forcefully get people to do his will.  And this requires a lot of time and energy and supervision.  This is why Venus and Neptune are the innately powerful energies in the world – they are humble, understanding, generous, graceful and compassionate.  Be like water my friends (Bruce Lee), be like water.

When Pluto and Mars get together, we must be very careful and very wise about how we handle this powerful combination.  There will most likely be a LOT of energy expressed.  This is the person who is naturally gifted in athletics or as a soldier.  They are very hard workers and they can have great physical endurance.  There will be a strong discontent with the status quo – so again, are we looking at a Kali-like destroyer (lower manifestation), or are we looking at a reformer and passionate, non-violent activist working with Minerva’s guidance?  Most often you will wonder about this native’s forceful ways and powerful animistic energies – this person generally does not enjoy being told “No.”  Mars’ impulsiveness might occasionally emerge and there could be emotional storms, irrational displays of anger and irritability.  At its best however, this is the person who is striving every day, every week to know themselves better – whether through depth psychology, a ton of reading and introspection, working with a spiritual teacher or through process-oriented bodywork.  This would be the person who has come a LONG way in transforming their inner desires and passions.

I am going to pause here as this post is getting quite long!  Thank you for reading and let me know if you have any questions.