Pluto as a planet remains a highly controversial topic in astronomy and astrology circles. Pluto was the third new planet-sized body discovered in our solar system in recent history. Some large asteroids had been discovered in the asteroid belt before Pluto, but they were not the size of a planet. From ancient times until 1781, our solar system consisted of seven bodies: our Sun, which is a star, our Moon, which is a satellite of the Earth, and the five planets besides Earth: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The Earth is common to all of us, it is not visible as an external body (to us), and it is under our feet, making it the center of any geocentric (Earth-centered) astrological wheel. These seven bodies are visible without technical help. With the advent of telescopes and other astronomical equipment, our ability to see farther into space allowed for the discovery of Uranus on March 13, 1781, Neptune on September 23, 1846, Pluto on February 18, 1930, as well as hundreds of thousands of cosmic discoveries. a day and counting. Astronomy is really expanding knowledge of our universe. That means astrologers can figure out what this all means in terms of human experience.

For many years Pluto’s status as a planet was continually questioned and finally, with the discovery of more planet-like bodies at the edge of our solar system, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) on August 24, 2006 downgraded Pluto to dwarf planet status. . The dwarf planet is a new classification of bodies in the Kuiper Belt region, which is the inner edge of the Oort Cloud, which is located at the outer edge of the solar system. In the Kuiper Belt you will find a large number of bodies made of rock and/or ice, some of which are or may be larger than Pluto. Dwarf planets are rocky bodies and comets are icier bodies. At such great distances, it takes time to identify and categorize these bodies.

Meanwhile, astrologers around the world have been building definitions of the three recently discovered planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, as well as thousands of asteroids, planetoids, dwarf planets, and comets…too many at this point to count and define. Many IAU members still question the change in Pluto’s status because so few members participated in the voting process. Astronomers are still arguing over the designation, so astrologers around the world have to personally determine whether Pluto should be treated as a planet when reading an astrology wheel or downgraded to the new dwarf planet status. Because I have successfully used Pluto as a planet for over 35 years astrologically, I choose to pursue my own research; to me, Pluto is still a planet.

Huge in distance and orbital travel because it is so far from the center of the solar system (our Sun), Pluto has a very eccentric orbit and has every reason to be at the center of controversy with passionate viewpoints on all sides. Pluto is…

  • huge in the time it takes to make a complete orbit, 248.09 years
  • huge in distance from the Sun, average 39.5 billion miles
  • eccentric because when it is at perihelion (closest to the Sun) its distance is 29.7 billion miles and when it is at aphelion (furthest from the Sun) its distance is 49.3 billion miles.
  • eccentric in the sense that it is tilted 17 degrees to the ecliptic (plane of the other planets’ orbits)
  • eccentric because the orbit is very oddly shaped compared to the other planets
  • eccentric because during its orbital cycle it slips within Neptune’s orbit for about 20 years, most recently between February 7, 1979 and February 11, 1999.

astrology What does Pluto represent astrologically? Please note that we have not had the opportunity to consciously observe Pluto through each of the signs because he has not completed a full cycle through all twelve signs since his discovery. It was discovered mid-Cancer in 1930 and has only traversed the signs between Cancer and early Capricorn at this point in 2010. We must rely on our historical records (textbooks) for the balance of Capricorn and the rest of the signs midway. . Cancer to fully understand what Pluto could mean for our current and future circumstance. what he was No conspicuous and therefore unconscious has become visible and therefore aware.

Myth After much controversy (apparently Pluto is always controversial, which makes sense of it in and of itself), Pluto was unanimously named by the astronomical community for the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto’s Greek counterpart is Hades and as is common, the myths of both cultures have been merged to be applied astrologically. Pluto was a full brother to the Roman gods and thus his namesake deserves full authority and billing. After Saturn (father) was defeated, the myth says that the three brothers: Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto were in control of the world and divided it into three separate parts: the heavens, the seas and the underworld. Jupiter ruled the heavens, Neptune ruled the seas, and Pluto ruled the underworld.

Definition What would one as god of tea underworld? Pluto physically rules over everything that is buried or below the surface such as caves, mines, minerals. Psychologically, Pluto rules every human emotion or impulse that works below the surface, such as passion, obsession, possessiveness, deep dark secrets. In other words, Pluto rules the unconscious of humanity. He rules the kidnapping and rape of the maiden (goddess) who became the queen of that Pluto underworld. Pluto also represents the hero’s descent in mythology to face his own darkness and death to be resurrected or saved. While Pluto can represent the depths of human behavior and depravity, he also represents the concepts of transformation, revelation, resurrection, salvation, and transcendence once we have faced our own negativity. Pluto rules the extremes of human behavior and experience. How the hell do you turn that into an interpretation of the human experience?

Pluto rules the depths of humanity, some of which is known and much of which is hidden. The more we discover and bring to light, the more must be consciously known. He is quite psychologically defined and has a tendency to play roto-rooter with the dark part of our psyche when activated. Pluto calls forth all that he wishes to remain hidden in order to be seen, recognized, embraced and healed. I particularly like Pluto’s application to psychology and psychiatry from both the patient’s perspective and the healing perspective, which are two sides of the same coin.

This is what I call the can of worms that exists in each of our psychological foundations. We all have a personal can of worms. Occasionally, one or more surfaces force us to confront and embrace our own darkness. The best way I have found to understand the depth and breadth of Pluto’s rule and activations from this very human psychological perspective is to look at the development of psychiatry/psychology techniques through the signs.

The subject of psychology as a philosophical concept dates back to many ancient civilizations, but it was not a codified or comprehensive study. From my reading (and I am not a trained psychologist or psychiatrist), the formalization of the field of psychology appears to have begun in earnest in the early 19th century. It developed throughout the 1800s as pioneers researched and developed concept by concept to build the framework for what would become the established field of psychology.

  • In the late 1800s, Pluto in Taurus would emphasize slow and exhaustive research and technique, building step by step, very earthy and practical, with strong sexual themes, suggesting Freud’s approach to me. Pluto was invisible at the time, therefore trying to make the unconscious conscious was a laborious process.
  • Fast forward a generation to Freud’s successors, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. When Pluto traveled in Gemini, the focus of therapy was more mental, intellectual, conversational, exploratory, and dualistic. Expansion of teaching and the role of the teacher/student. Pluto was not yet visible and therefore still unconscious. This was still a period of intense research, but now of a more intellectual nature.
  • Pluto entering Cancer emphasized family background and involvement, clan to nationalism and superior race thinking before World War II. Pluto became visible, therefore conscious, in the middle of this sign. 1930 was during the great depression with enormous impact worldwide when the weaknesses of man emerged in our consciousness, a focus more on emotional security.
  • As Pluto entered Leo, the focus shifted to self-identification, the Id, the ego, self-seeking and self-approval, and world leaders from the negative ego-maniac axis of World War II.
  • Once Pluto entered Virgo, the therapy shifted towards analytical processes such as Transactional Analysis. You may remember the phrase “I’m fine, you’re fine.”
  • With Pluto in Libra the therapy changed to relational, teamwork, group therapy, with the counselor sometimes sharing or participating with the patient or a group of patients.
  • When Pluto moved into Scorpio (the most powerful position for Pluto), digging and delving into the unconscious, past lives, deep-seated sexuality issues, bringing such issues into consciousness, in addition to hypnotism and even confrontational therapies emerged.
  • Pluto’s journey through Sagittarius became philosophy, self-help, alternative and cross-cultural techniques, mood lifters, excess as in more is better.
  • In 2008 Pluto entered Capricorn which is a very practical, organized and no-nonsense energy that will look at duty, responsibility, authority and obligation and we might experience that less is better. Look at what we’re learning about abuse of authority, lack of oversight, lack of regulation, and limits just in our everyday lives. These are the concepts that can be part of the therapies developed as Pluto moves through the sensible sign of Capricorn.

As mentioned, in previous passages through the signs, Pluto was not visible (had not been discovered) and thus operated more unconsciously. Since Pluto’s problems are visible, we must bring those same old problems into full consciousness. Astrologically, will our previous delineations hold or will we find adaptation or change necessary? The astrological passage of Pluto through the balance of signs is in front of us. New or revised material should be provided by the current cadre of astrologers. Also remember that the old myths are not just fictional stories. They were ancient humanity’s archetypes for human behavior. The psychologist Carl Jung was an astrologer and felt that astrology and its use of the archetypes of myths were the psychology of the ancients.

It is possible to choose a subject that Pluto rules other than psychology and do the same basic visualization sign by sign. If you take the initiative, I’d love to read a copy of his findings.
Recommended Reading: Astronomy Declared Pluto A Dwarf Planet – What Is Pluto Astrologically?