October 16th ~ 23rd
“Die Umarmung” by Gustav Klimt
Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place. ~ Jalal-ud-Din Rumi
On Thursday, October 15th, Pluto officially made its station ending its retrograde phase. It takes a while for Pluto to appear to move when it stations. It spends an inordinate amount of time in the exact same degree when it does so. And even when it does begin to move forward, the progress is glacial. This all makes sense for our outermost denizen of the Solar System, which keeps watch between our system and the Universe at large. It has a much larger path to eke out than the other planets, large and small.
This year as Pluto stations at 3º of Aquarius, it is forming a 90º square aspect, an aspect of conflict and dissonance, with retrograde Venus in Scorpio. On October 20th this aspect becomes exact, and is brought to a culmination with the Full Moon at the end of the month on October 26th. Already unearthing the dark underbelly of our lives as she backstrokes through Scorpio, the square to Pluto brings us face to face with our own inner complexes.
Planets tend to be really strong when they station. And when Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld stations, he digs even deeper than he usually does, unearthing and revealing all that has been lurking below the surface. What is disclosed are often things that we had hoped would stay buried forever: our fears, our dreads, our cravings, our obsessions, and even our own personal wraiths and demons that take possession of our souls. These are things what we often try to avoid, either because they are too painful to deal with, or because revealing them leaves us feeling vulnerable, uncomfortable, disempowered, fearful, ashamed, wounded and weak.
For the past 5 months we have been navigating Pluto’s underworld, facing that which we try to ignore, moving through our fears. We’ve been doing a lot of inner work. And with that comes growth. Now that Pluto will appear to be turning direct, it’s expression will be turned outward, which will allow us to make more effective changes in our outer world that will resonate with any inner changes that have since occurred. Venus acts like a consort, escorting Pluto out of the underworld, which has this remarkable ability to feel all the feelings, that had once lain dormant but are now being activated.
Pluto square Venus tells you that those marauders banging at the gates, are actually the clarion call of the change whose time has come. The wolves howling at the door are reminding you that there is whole world of opportunity waiting for you, if you are willing to let go of old self-defeating habits, and tendencies that stifle your growth. We may cling to old habits out of comfort and familiarity, even if these are the very things that are holding us back. But the demons beneath the floor boards are letting you know that you have outgrown unreliable coping mechanisms which are no longer supporting the person you are now becoming.
The square between Venus and Pluto on October 20th, is the 2nd of 3 squares this season. The first was on September 15th. The 2nd one on October 20th and the third on December 9th. The 1st square made us aware of an issue. Something that was feeling unsustainable, or unacceptable. The 2nd one is compelling us to do the inner work that is required in order to face all of our insecurities and fears with a greater feeling of personal agency. By the time we reach the 3rd square between Venus and Pluto, we are better armed to make the sorts of changes that are needed in our outer lives. And to do so with greater resolve and confidence.
Venus/Pluto squares can open up old wounds concerning betrayal, abandonment, fear, trust issues, and vulnerability. They can complicate financial agreements, and relationships; expressed as fears, jealousy and longing, all sorts of unfulfilled desires rise to the surface. Cravings and desires can lead us astray, cause us to spend unwisely, and obsess about things and people we don’t have any control over. However, Pluto is also closely sextile Neptune and trine evolutionary Uranus. There is so much more at play here.
Expect your heart to bleed, cry and connect all at the same time. These are the sorts of feelings about which great poems are written, and breath taking moments fill your days. Let them in. In some way your passions, and your heart, are being asked to be reignited. And they do this in order to give birth to something from within you. Go where you are drawn. Venus is lighting a match to your soul’s yearnings. Pursue that much loved hobby, brush off the instrument gathering dust on the shelf, go where your heart is leading you. And do so at the risk of igniting all the other feelings that lay buried deep in your soul that also need to be laid out on the altar of your heart. Jealousy, obsession, or even fear can arise with Pluto. Welcome them all. Sometimes we have to move through these darker passions in order to find those rarer and more beautiful gifts that have been patiently waiting for you in the wings.
Pluto cycles are always about transformation. Even if it seems difficult. Even if it is at the expense of what we formerly thought we desired, craved or wanted, as the Venus/Pluto square implies. And Pluto is always much deeper than at first realized, uncovering layers beneath the surface, revealing our karmic destiny and life’s purpose in the process. As a result relationships can change. Our values and priorities will get a reboot. Including a willingness to prioritize and invest in ourselves and our own well-being.
Some ultimate outcomes from Pluto transits:
Healing, Rehabilitation and/or Renewal
Discovering something about your Purpose that will bring deeper meaning to your life
Intensely deep relationships
Insights and Understanding that completely changes your whole perspective
Self-empowerment and discovering what taking control over your own life and destiny feels like.
Karmic beginnings and serendipitous meetings.
The absolute determination to rebuild your life (and your reputation) all over again. Even if you need to begin from scratch.
For the Pluto station for your sign, click through to the Horoscopes page: