As a matter of principle, I rectify all my clients’ birth time before their initial consultation. Out of all the all birth charts that I’ve come across, less than a handful of them held up to rectification. Nearly all of them – even those based on birth certificates – had the wrong ascendant degree.
This is the astrological elephant in the room: Even with an accurate birth record, the time of a physical birth can still be different from the moment the soul enters the body. Just one-degree difference at the ascendant can alter the vibration of the entire birth chart. Without the accurate rising degree, predictions, timing, relocation, and the application of advanced techniques are all on shaky ground, which in turn jeopardizes the credibility of astrology as a whole.
The reason for omitting this crucial step is simple: rectification is labor-intensive and technically challenging. A collection of important dates (usually 10 or more) – such as marriages, relocations, births and deaths in the family, illnesses, and accidents – are used to determine the client’s exact birth time. Oftentimes multiple techniques are required and no two cases are alike. It’s no wonder that most astrologers don’t provide this service; those who do can charge upward of $250, if not more.
To do my part in solving the Ascendant Degree Mysteries, I’m now offering Buy One Gift One Free natal chart rectifications. For the price of one rectification (Reg. $120), you get two (2) rectifications plus generous store credits toward our retainer services. Whether you plan to study astrology on your own, order computerized reports, or seek readings from professional astrologers, the rectified birth time and new ascendant degree will significantly improve your results. You will notice a refined clarity and alignment –like everything falling into place –with the rectified ascendant degree. Why content with the rising sign when you can have the exact rising degree?
With the $120 purchase, you will receive:
Two (2) individually numbered gift certificates for natal chart rectification (Reg $240). Gift envelopes are included.
Each gift certificate also includes a $100 credit toward our six-month retainer service ($200 credit toward 12-month subscriptions). The total value of this gift package is $640.
Shipping is free within the U.S. Digital option is also available.
These limited-issue gift certificates will make the most unique and memorable astrology gifts! Please refer to the link of our service page for additional details. Cash, checks, and major credit cards accepted. Contact us if you have any questions.
Author’s note: This article refers to 27 degrees Pisces (27-28 Pisces), not the 27th degree of Pisces (26-27 Pisces). Read about the zodiac and numerical components and a case study of 27 Pisces in Part 1.
Unpacking the symbology of this degree, here are the major themes:
MISADVENTURE AT SEA
The Pisces-Scorpio influence is predictably present in charts of maritime disaster and their unfortunate victims. The influence not only correspond to real-life shipwrecks, but also correlated to cruel fate and difficult personality of fictional characters created and brought to life by the artists under the degree’s influence. The Capricorn-Aquarius duad manifested as the failure of leadership or physical structure.
“Under pouring rain, a man who is drowning in a lake calls for help. From the bank, another man tries to help.”
… But the most serious threats also come from the sea, and all precautions must be taken in order to face them, for instance by subscribing a comprehensive professional and family insurance policy.
Titan submersible implosion, Jun 18, 2023 (Neptune). The experimental submersible Titan imploded during its expedition to the Titanic wreckage, killing all five passengers on board. The submersible suffered a “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Warnings and concerns about the Titan’s design and safety from industry experts were repeatedly dismissed by the CEO Stockton Rush, who was also onboard the fatal excursion. In a 2021 interview, Rush said I think it was General MacArthur who said, ‘You’re remembered for the rules you break.’ And I’ve broken some rules to make [Titan]. I think I’ve broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. The carbon fiber and titanium, there’s a rule you don’t do that. Well, I did.”
Titanic maiden voyage (Venus). Not surprisingly, the world’s most famous shipwreck also involved 27 degree Pisces. In mundane astrology, Venus represents lives and property. More than half of the Titanic’s passengers perished at sea when it sank on its maiden voyage. Her cargo spilled into the ocean. The wreck proved to be too fragile to be raised.
Jack London (Mars). The stormy and oppressive Pisces-Scorpio energy comes to life in Jack London’s Sea-Wolf. Van Weyden, a wealthy literary critic, is adrift at sea after a shipwreck. He is rescued and held captive by Wolf Larsen, the handsome and brilliant captain who enjoys entertaining philosophical debates yet has no regard for life. Wolf is bitterly jealous of those who can enjoy the brighter side of life, for he only derives pleasure from brutality and extreme danger to which he subjects himself and his crew.
After Van Weyden escaped with his companion to a deserted island, Wolf was abandoned by his crew and set adrift at sea by his brother. When his ship wrecked on Van Weyden’s island, he was blind, his life hanging by a thread. Despite this, he attempted to murder Van Weyden, his caretaker, before dying in a raging storm. Van Weyden and his companion are rescued and share their first sweet kiss.
Spencer Tracy (Mars). Another story of an aristocrat/intellectual held captive at sea is Kipling’s Captain Courageous. In the film adaptation, Spencer Tracy played the fisherman Manuel, who fell into the sea while racing a rival and became entangled in the rigging. Unable to free himself, Manuel asked the captain to cut him free before sinking into the sea. Tracy garnered an Academy Award for this dramatic role, and again for his performance in Boys Town (see below).
Herman Melville (Pluto). Speaking of literary captains, who can forget the maniacal Captain Ahab in Moby Dick? Hellbent on revenge, Captain Aha hijacked the whaling operation and forced the crew to join his to mission to kill Moby Dick, who sinks the ship and drags Ahab away with the fishing line around his neck.
Power Struggles, Secrets and Scandals related to oppression and corruption (sexual, racial, financial, political)
Cast into an abyss. Dumped out of status and specialness and made to be hyper-receptive to whatever is moving here—an abandoned center, karmically sacrificed to learn both humility and the lessons of the street. … A regressive loop with powerful emanations.
Ellias Lonsdale, Inside Degrees
When manifested as power struggles between the oppressor (Scorpio) and the oppressed (Pisces), 27 Pisces energy typically manifests as dereliction, corruption, or abuse of power (Capricorn-Aquarius). A tug-of-war or seesaw action (2 Libra) involving laws and contracts is usually at play. During the current Neptune transit (May 10, 2023 through August 22, 2023), there are ongoing major developments involving corruptions of power, secret surveillance programs, race/class/gender struggles, and border insecurity related to illegal drug and human trafficking. Here is a partial list:
Panic of 1819 and The Missouri Compromise (Pluto). Chartered in 1816, the Second Bank of the United States was charged with stabilizing the U.S. banking system during the frontier land boom and unregulated banking. Its branches, beholden to political and financial interests, not only failed to enforce regulations, but further fueled land speculation by expanding the money supply. As demand for U.S. exports fell, prices plummeted, triggering a wave of defaults by farmers and investors. The result was widespread bank failures and economic depression. The corruption of the banks and the government was on full display during the first nationwide financial crisis.
At the same time, the U.S. Congress was engaged in a bitter and protracted debate over the future of slavery, with both sides threatened to dissolve the Union. Kentucky Senator Henry Clay, known as the “Great Compromiser,” played legislative trickery to sneak through the pro-slavery bill that prohibited slavery north of Missouri’s southern border while admitting Missouri as a slave state.
Harassed and embittered, Missouri violated the US constitution and prohibited free blacks from entering the state. Once again, Henry Clay came to the rescue. By adding a non-binding provision to circumvent the controversial section, Missouri was admitted to the Union. This crisis had exhausted the antislavery movement, re-legitimized slavery, reversed the momentum of emancipation, and added insult to injury for black people across the country. The acrimony would eventually lead to the Civil War.
(For a detailed account of these two crises, see my article here.)
Vanessa Williams (Sun). First African-American Miss America. She was forced to relinquish her Miss America title when Penthouse magazine acquired and published unauthorized nude photographs of her. Williams overcame the public shaming and went on to became a successful singer and actress.
Fabrice Morvan (Saturn). Member of the duo Milli Vanilli, Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1990. Milli Vanilli endured worldwide public humiliation from the lip-synching scandal when their producer, who hired studio musicians to sing on their hit album, ousted them for demanding to sing on the new album. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Morvan said:
“Our producer tricked us. We signed contracts as singers but were never allowed to contribute. It was a nightmare. We were living a lie. The psychological pressure was very hard. It was like we were trapped in some golden prison.”
May 31, 2023 (Neptune). A former staffer of Taiwan’s ruling party posted her experience of workplace sexual harassment on Facebook. Her essay, echoing a popular Netflix political drama “Wave Makers”, encouraged other victims to “not just let this go,” which led to an explosion of more than 200 allegations of sexual misconducts by public figures and celebrities. Many of them have resigned in disgrace or had their titles stripped. The president and the leader of the ruling party issued multiple apologies. Under tremendous pressure and expectations, legal amendments were quickly introduced to combat sexism and seniority in the society.
June 7, 2023 (Neptune). An attorney for the U.S. Virgin Islands in its federal lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase released the bank’s internal emails, showing that the bank paid for Jeffrey Epstein’s consultation and referral service, and continued the client relationship after his conviction. On July 24, 2023 (Neptune), the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands filed new documents alleging that JPMorgan Chase facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and helped him evade Suspicious Activity Reports during 2006 and 2019.
US Supreme Court strikes down President Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness program. (June 30, 2023. Neptune). On the same day, the Department of Education announces new rules to lower monthly payments and cut the loan forgiveness period in half. On July 25, 2023, White House announces that the Biden administration has cancelled additional $130 million in debt for 7,400 students, bringing the total approved student debt relief under his administration to $14.6 billion for 1.1 million borrowers.
US Supreme Court rejects affirmative action program at colleges, declaring that race cannot be factored in admission process. (June 29, 2023, Neptune). President Biden strongly disagrees with the ruling and urges schools to continue their commitment to racial diversity. A new standard is in the works at the Department of Education to counter hardship or discrimination in college admissions. Several top-ranked schools have ended legacy admissions in response.
Missouri vs Biden (July 4, 2023. Neptune). Citing the Free Speech Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Attorneys General of Missouri and Louisiana ordered to temporarily block federal agencies and specific individual government officials from influencing and interfering social-media companies, with a few exceptions. On July 14, 2023, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the order until further notice.
In addition, newly released evidence and corroborated whistleblower accounts implicated Hunter Biden, and by extension President Biden, in influence peddling and foreign bribery schemes, as well as interfering with the IRS (Scorpio) investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax crimes (Pisces).
Mass Atrocities
World War I (Eris). Anti-Serb sentiment and persecution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire had steadily increased in the decades leading up to World War I. The volunteer militia Schutzkorps was tasked with suppressing Serbian uprisings. The governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Oskar Potiorek, (Sedna in 27 Pisces, also in charge of the royal couple’s travel during the fateful visit) was particularly hostile, leading oppressive anti-Serb measures and inciting racial hatred.
After the Habsburg monarchy’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908, Serbian nationalists worked in secret to unite all Serbs and liberate Serbs under the Austro-Hungarian occupation. The Black Hand, a Serbian military-intelligence secret society, organized the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife.
After the assassination, riots broke out in Sarajevo and throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia; military and civilians both took part in the destruction of Serbian properties. Using the assassination as a pretext, and with Germany’s “blank cheque” support, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Serbia that was impossible to accept. When Serbia returned with partial agreement, Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Allies of Serbia (Russia, France, Belgium, Britain) and Austria-Hungary (Germany) mobilized in turn thus began the WWI.
After the declaration of war, the Austria-Hungarian authority carried out ethnic cleansing through massacres, mass executions, kidnappings, looting and destruction of property. World War I lasted until November 11, 1918. The death toll is estimated at between 15 and 19 million.
Adolf Eichmann (Sun). Nazi war criminal. During World War II, Eichmann first oversaw the deportation of Jews. Later, he facilitated the confiscation of Jewish property and arranged for the transportation of Jews to concentration camps. He was captured in 1960, trailed in public and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Eichmann plead for clemency, arguing that “[there] is a need to draw a line between the leaders responsible and the people like me forced to serve as mere instruments in the hands of the leaders”. Since he was only following orders, he concluded, “I was not a responsible leader, and as such do not feel myself guilty”.
Jiang Qing (Sun). Actress and First Lady of the People’s Republic of China. During the Cultural Revolution, Jiang presided over the systematic destruction of China’s cultural and religious heritage and led a violent student rebellion that escalated into atrocious political persecution and nationwide massacres. She also unleashed political smear campaigns against her opponents and ordered the torture and murder of the children of Zhou Enlai, whom she considered her chief rival.
Jiang showed no remorse during her televised trial. She discredited the special court and argued that she obeyed the party’s orders and committed no crime. She defended Mao and the Cultural Revolution to the end, and was proud to die for her cause.
UNPARALLELED ARTISTIC PURSUITS
When it comes to artists under the influence of 27 Pisces, it’s nearly impossible to separate their lives from their art. These towering figures push the boundaries of social tolerance and individual sanity, never satisfied, perfectly content with their obsession and endless pursuits.
“For myself, I quite often worry that my life hasn’t been calm enough, all these disappointments, annoyances, changes mean that I don’t develop naturally and in full in my artistic career. … I can’t precisely describe what the thing I have is like, there are terrible fits of anxiety sometimes – without any apparent cause – or then again a feeling of emptiness and fatigue in the mind.”
Vincent van Gogh “764 (768, W11): To Willemien van Gogh. Arles, between about Sunday, 28 April and Thursday, 2 May 1889.”
Vincent van Gogh (Sedna and Mars/Venus midpoint). Dutch painter and one of the most famous artist in the world. Due to his volatile personality, van Gogh suffered a long series of rejections and lived in loneliness and poverty for most of his life. He neglected his health for the sake of his art, painting feverishly against his anguish and deteriorating mental health.
After his artistic breakthrough, Van Gogh’s paintings burst with vibrant color and restless energy. Some pieces capture the spiraling, mystical force that connects and responds to all the objects in the painting. He struggled to remain productive and optimistic, eager to improve his art and repay his brother, while dreading the eventual loss of his mental faculties. Having sold only one painting in his entire life, he saw himself as a failure and a burden. Despite eventual recognition, the sense of futility won out. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In his last moments, he said to his brother: “The sadness will last forever.”
John Coltrane (Uranus). Jazz saxophonist, composer, and canonized saint by American Orthodox Church.
… there’s often a suggestion that Coltrane’s practice was obsession, that it was not a simple matter of working to improve, that there was an emotional desperation and drive in it that was somehow beyond the norm.
Lewis Porter, John Coltrane
Ever direct and intense, Coltrane’s playing became more emotionally overwhelming as he evolved musically. His signature “sheet of sound” is a barrage of rapid, fervent, trance-inducing sonic storms.
Coltrane’s masterpiece “A Love Supreme” was an offering to God and marked the watershed in his style and aesthetic. His later works abandoned steady tempos, chord progressions, and key centers and embraced ethnic music from around the world. Some of his music devotional bordered on chaos.
Throughout his career, he was uncertain of his artistic direction and never found what he was searching for. Two years before his passing, he told Melody Maker magazine:
“Everybody wants to hear what I’ve done. Nobody wants to hear what I’m doing… I’ve had a strange career. I haven’t yet quite found out how I want to play music. Most of what’s happened these past few years has been questions. Someday we’ll find the answers.”
OCCULT AND RELIGIOUS POWERS AND SALVATION
Boys Town (Eris). Founded in 1917 by Father Edward J. Flanagan (played by Spencer Tracy in his second Oscar-winning role), Boys Town started as a home for homeless boys and in time grew over time into a model institution for at-risk boys.
After years of service in impoverished dioceses, Father Flanagan concluded that the solution to destitution and criminality began with helping at-risk youth. A firm believer in “there is no such thing as a bad boy,” he endeavored to end to the abusive treatment in juvenile detention centers.
Boys Town accepted and cared for the most vulnerable and helpless –regardless of race, religion, or criminal record –and provided a caring environment to meet their developmental needs. Today, Boys Town continues to provide youth care and health services, educational and parental training, and advocacy for juvenile justice reform.
Sydney Portier (Uranus). First black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. In his award-winning film Lilly of the Field, Portier played a roaming GI (Smith) who offers to repair a fence for a group of nuns, only to find out that the impoverished nuns have no money to pay for his labor. Mysteriously, Smith can’t help but continue to oblige the Mother Superior’s requests, eventually volunteered to build the chapel by himself. The townspeople, at first incredulous, are compelled to contribute labor and materials. Under Smith’s supervision, the chapel is completed. The Mother Superior thanks God for fulfilling her vision. Smith, unrewarded, drives off into the dark night.
Manly P. Hall (Sun). One of the greatest occult philosophers of the 20th century, Hall’s encyclopedic masterpiece, The Secret Teaching of All Ages, was published around the age of 27 and continues to influence and inspire the seekers of esoterica.
Details on Hall’s personal life are sparse. Abandoned by both parents, Hall was raised by his grandmother. “As a result of a confused and insecure childhood, it was necessary for me to formulate a personal philosophy with which to handle immediate situations.” His lifelong study of ancient mystery traditions resulted in an enormous body of work: nearly 7,000 lectures (some sources cite 8,000), more than 200 books, hundreds of essays, and a massive library on occult science.
Contrary to his own teachings on self-discipline and health, Hall had an insatiable appetite for sweets. He encouraged the idolatry of his admirers and at times used their affection for his own benefit. Hall and his wife might have misplaced their trust on Hall’s healer/personal assistance, who gained access to Hall’s bank accounts, and was granted power of attorney a few days before Hall’s suspicious death.
Arthur Conan Doyle (Neptune). British author and physician. Doyle was dissatisfied with the detective stories of his day, in which the cases were solved “either by some lucky chance, or a fluke, … Nobody ever gives an explanation how.” He sought to apply his scientific training to the writing of detective stories and created Sherlock Holmes, the most famous literary detective.
Less well known is Doyle’s dedication to the science and philosophy of spiritualism. Doyle considered psychic knowledge of great importance to humanity. He read voraciously on the subject, experimented and met with psychics and investigators from all over the world.
Astrotheme. “The 360 Symbolic Degrees and Their Interpretation | You Have Selected: 27° Pisces | Janduz Interpretation, Rewritten by Astrotheme.” Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.astrotheme.com/the_360_symbolic_degrees.php.
Morelle, Rebecca, Alison Francis, and Gareth Evans. “Titan Sub CEO Dismissed Safety Warnings as ‘Baseless Cries’, Emails Show.” BBC News, June 23, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65998914.
Philips, Chuck. “’We Sold Our Souls to the Devil’ : In a Wide-Ranging Interview, the Duo Tell the Whole Story About What It Was Like to Live a Lie.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1990. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4670-story.html.
Author’s note: This article refers to 27 degrees Pisces (27-28 Pisces), not the 27th degree of Pisces (26-27 Pisces).
Degree components
Sign: Pisces
Vast bodies of water
Dissolution of identity, boundaries, and definition
Personal and collective unconscious –the liminal state, dreams, art, music, literature, mythology, and imagery.
Escapism via spirituality, religion, worshiping of individuals and groups, altered state of consciousness, and oblivion. Evasiveness and indeterminacy.
Distress, oppressed, victimized and powerless states caused by physical, emotional, or social conditions. The need and desire to rescue other or be rescued .
Decanate: Scorpio(20-29 Degrees Pisces)
Depth and shadow
Complications, power struggles, and entanglement
Objectification, oppression, manipulation, damage, and destructiveness
Intense emotions, obsession, and brutality
Occult power and knowledge
Duad: Capricorn/Aquarius (Structural failure, breakdown of a framework, distortion of truth, population control.) For a detailed discussion on the boundary between Capricorn and Aquarius please see this blog article .
Degree number: 27 (Discontent. Carrying out one’s religious and philosophical beliefs. Seeking a higher ground –in social status, ethics, and/or philosophy. Withdraw from the public. Deviation from the mainstream.)
Numerology: 9 (Retreat, observe and comment. A phase coming to an end.)
Antiscion: 2 Libra (Balancing act, contract, and counterpart)
Working symbol: On a sinking ship, water gushes through shattered windows. A passenger struggles to untangle from the rigging that’s dragging him down.
…there is a quality about Vanessa that makes me feel as if she resides in a netherworld of mystery that eludes the rest of us mortals. Her voice seems to come from some deep place that knows all suffering and all secrets. Watching her work is like seeing through layers of glass, each layer painted in mythic watercolour images, layer after layer, until it becomes dark, but even then you know you haven’t come to the bottom of it …
Jane Fonda on Vanessa Redgrave (Venus at 27 Pisces)
The last decanate of Pisces (degrees 20-29) lies in the murky depths of Scorpio decanate. Under the influence of Pisces, we long to return to the primordial state and merge with the subconscious, in hope of escaping the harsh reality and bypass natural and man-made barrier and limitations.
While these maneuvers are supposed to free us from the humdrum of human conditions, Scorpio energy tends to seduce us into the vortex of complications. Instead of bliss and ecstasy, we are thrown into the deep end, mistaking the asylum as the safe harbor, and entrenched in power struggle and destructiveness.
The third decan of each sign is public-facing, thus its expressions is related to one’s attitude and response to the faceless crowd as a whole. Natal and mundane astrology alike, in this decan we find people falling into hard times and encountering insurmountable obstacles due to society’s collective shadow and failure of reason, restrain, and decency. Victims and perpetrators of racism, ethnic cleansing, destitution, sexual exploitation, crimes, political corruption, decadence, and secret surveillance abound in this section of the zodiac. Authors and artists under this influence invariably dedicate bodies of work –and their lives – dealing with the powerful Pisces-Scorpio energy.
The numerology of 9 expressed in zodiac degrees (9, 18, and 27) indicates the retreating from physical action –detached, observing, or directing from a distance, most likely a moral high ground. Specifically, degree 27 in each zodiac sign alludes to dissatisfaction and aversion of social convention. It can be personified as someone who, consciously or unconsciously, is consumed by a belief system, or some abstract idea that sets them apart from the mainstream.
…Less highly evolved individuals… tend to repeat themselves endlessly and get stuck in patterns that do not allow them to advance and to grow. … [they] run the risk of sinking into a torpor in which they are ultimately incapable of moving forward …
Goldschneider, The Secret Language of Birthdays
In essence, 27 degrees Pisces starts off as the escapist being seduced into the murky, often destructive, depth of human psyche. Their obsessive and intense discontent, the byproduct of a strong belief system, calls for a deviation from the social norm. Under the Capricorn/Aquarius duad, the preoccupation has to do with the society’s failures or the unbecoming conducts of superiors and authorities. The struggle also involves breaking free from the consensus reality, rigid structure and restrictions.
Once connected to this oppressive and irrational vortex, both the perpetrators and victims of this energy will find it extremely difficult to extract themselves. Voluntarily or involuntarily, this dark and downward pressure leads them away from the reality and into an obsessive and self-perpetuating endless pursuit.
Reemergence usually involves the power of art, the occult, or religion. Superhuman strength is required to break (instead of reinforce) the self-fulfilling cycle and tunnel through further depth and darkness. Redemption occurs through miraculous divine intervention that works through a powerful and patient counterpart. In the best scenario, the wholehearted embrace and skillful maneuver of these powers is directed and materialized for a higher cause.
In natal and mundane astrology, this degree unfolds under the sweeping Pisces-Scorpio themes: brutal crimes, maritime misadventure, social-economic struggles (related to race, sex and economic status), occult power, religious salvation, and unparalleled artistic pursue. During current Neptune’s long stay in 27 Pisces, many suppressed secrets are coming to light in the form of public power-struggles and scandals.
A Cinematic Case Study: Luc Besson (Sun)
Luc Besson’s most memorable films aptly illustrate these themes, metaphorically and figuratively, through masterfully crafted plots. The main characters in these movies are placed in the perilous, murky depth (ocean, crime [Pisces]), and due to oppression or obsession (Scorpio), unable to break away (27) from the downward spiral. They face tremendous struggles as they attempt to reemerge, leaning heavily on a significant counterpart (2 Libra) for redemption (Pisces). In the end, only those embracing mystical and paranormal power (Pisces-Scorpio-27) can rise above. Here are a few notable examples:
Le Grand Bleu (English title: The Big Blue) fictionalized the rivalry between two real-life record-breaking freedivers (Pisces-Scorpio) Jacques Mayol (who contributed to the screenplay and has Varuna at 27 Pisces) and Enzo Maiorca. During their childhood, the two witnessed the horrific death of Jacque’s father, who drowned when his air hose got caught on the reef and punctured (27 Pieces). Enzo later rescued (2 Libra) a trapped diver from a shipwreck (27 Pisces). Now a world champion freediver, he seeks out Jacque to prove once and for all that he is the better diver. The two become obsessed (Scorpio) with breaking each other’s records (Capricorn-Aquarius), competing against the doctor’s advice and their physical limits. During their last face-off, Enzo is fatally injured (Scorpio) and begs Jacque, who rescues him (Pisces, 2 Libra), to send his body to the bottom of the ocean (Pisces-Scorpio). Overwhelmed by grief (Pisces), Jacque suffers cardiac arrest (Scorpio) and is saved (Pisces) by fellow divers (2 Libra). Despite the emotional pleas (Pisces) of his pregnant girlfriend (2 Libra), Jacque makes one last dive (Pisces-Scorpio). Greeted by a dolphin, he drops his line and follows the dolphin into the watery oblivion. (27 Pisces).
Le Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional depict the struggles and attempted redemption of assassins (Pisces-Scorpio). Both Nikita and Leon hope that love can save them (Pisces, 2 Libra), or at least alleviate them from their miserable circumstances (Capricorn-Aquarius) to some resemblance of a normal life. In both cases their strive for deliverance from the life of crime failed (Pisces 27).
Lucy. Kidnapped (Scorpio) and turned into drug mule (Pisces), Lucy accidentally becomes superhuman when the package of drug (Pisces) inside her breaks open (Scorpio). As her body disintegrates and morphs (Capricorn-Aquarius), she gains mental power (27) and physical strength, unbound by space and time (Capricorn-Aquarius). Lucy devours cutting-edge neurology research papers (27) to understand her condition, and shares her experience with the leading scientist (Capricorn-Aquarius, 2 Libra). In the end, Lucy transcends her physical state into pure consciousness, immortalized by leaving behind her knowledge (27) in a portable hard drive.
The four-part series on Pluto is now available for free download. The 24-page Ebook puts Pluto’s expressions in context, and lays out a clear path to make this energy a powerful ally. During this empowering process you will also build a solid foundation for life-changing magic. I hope you find it useful and, in the end, empowered and uplifted!
One-on-one coaching, consultation and retainer service are available, please click here for details. Feel free to contact us with any questions. Pre-consultation meetings (15-30 min, limit 1 per person) are available upon request.
Author’s note: This article refers to 29 degrees Capricorn (29 Capricorn through 0 Aquarius), not the 29th degree of Capricorn (28-29 Capricorn).
Sign: Capricorn (Internalized external expectations. Status, order, and hierarchy. Fear of failure. Scarcity mentality. Authority, sovereignty and dignity. Large corporation and institutions.)
Decanate: Virgo (Skills, functions, work ethic, the search for truth, noble goals, technocrats and bureaucrats.)
Duad: 12th duad Sagittarius (Courage and search for freedom in the face of grave danger. Secrets and uncertainty.)
Degree number: 29 (Acceptance and resignation. Adopt or die.)
Numerology: 11 (Personal relation with the Oneness)
Working Symbols:
(1) In the aftermath of a disaster, an underground political party swiftly overthrew the dictator in power and established a new regime.
(2) A skilled pilot overcame fear to complete a monumental test flight during an unexpectedly severe storm.
(3) After a closed-door meeting, authorities provided fabricated and ambiguous answers in a news conference.
The last degree of a zodiac sign is commonly known as the anaretic degree. Its energy is dominated by the conflict between three neighboring signs: the dominant sign (in this case, Capricorn) is undermined by its predecessor (12th-duad Sagittarius) while being challenged by the incoming sign (Aquarius), which aims to make incumbent irrelevant and obsolete. The tension among conflicting qualities makes this degree cagey and crisis-prone.
The degrees 20 through 29 in the 30-degree cycle are related to people and matters at the outer reaches of our influence. At 29 Capricorn, the dominant energy is past its prime and in decline. There is a prevailing now-or-never, even do-or-die urgency.
People with a natal planet or crucial point straddling between two signs are acutely aware of the impermanence and transient nature of their worldly existence. There is a constant, nagging anxiety about time running out and opportunities slipping away. The internal countdowns force them to ponder on their achievement and legacy at an early age. As their own perspectives and priorities shift, life becomes a series of last-ditch efforts as they grasp at the shifting sands, constantly falling behind.
The tension and urgency drown out the subtler influences, but they are nonetheless parts of the whole. The decanate energy (Virgo) is still in play, directing attention to ethics, standards, and truths (or the lack thereof). This degree suggests resignation and acceptance of a trajectory beyond one’s control; number 11 brings the spiritual dimension to the degree – it could be “let go and let God” as well as god-like arrogance. The 12th duad resonate a 12th house vibe, adding secrecy and uncertainty (sometimes intentionally), while Sagittarius brings faith and freedom into to the mix.
In the case of 29 Capricorn, the threshold between Capricorn and Aquarius holds the potential for great insights and the opportunities for breakthrough – if one can muster courage, faith, and cool detachment. That being said, it comes with a lot of caveats. Kozminsky Degrees observed the influence of 12th duad Sagittarius and noted those under its influence “is cautious and generally fortunate, … may gain a position of importance, but will not be able to hold it, … The higher he aims the more he renders himself vulnerable to shafts of those above him.”
Carelli Degrees warned: “inability to alter the direction of one’s inborn impulses. … Lofty ambitions, huge hopes; an extraordinary energy, often foreign to the native himself, but anyhow likely to boost him very high; but he may dash along like a fiery meteor, whereas the results of his actions will disappoint everyone as the power propelling him toward the goal may lot [sic] him overreach himself and go astray.” Sepharial similarly cautioned that “with the decline of his natural forces there will be a falling off of ambition and purpose.”
The arc of a hero’s meteoric rise and fall is aptly illustrated by the life of Charles Lindbergh, who has Jupiter at this epic degree. Ill-prepared for the publicity following his historic solo trans-Atlantic flight, Lindbergh and his family self-exiled to Europe.
Lindbergh considered communism as a greater threat to Western civilization than fascism. He learned firsthand about Germany’s advanced technology through numerous official visits, and hoped that Germany, if left unchallenged, would expand eastward and defeat the Soviet Union. This would allow the United Kingdom and France time to build up their militaries and, should Germany be weakened in the process, avert the devastating war in Western Europe which, in his opinion, would either results in Germany’s victory or devastation of entire western civilization.
At the onset of World War II, Lindbergh strongly advocated the preservation of American independence and democracy through impenetrable defense and staying out of the European war. In public speeches, Lindbergh called out the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration as “war agitators” and accused the Roosevelt administration of dictatorship and deceit in its rush to war. President Roosevelt, infuriated and threatened, was convinced that Lindbergh was a Nazi, despite his secret inquiry had failed to produce any evidence. Three days after Roosevelt publicly labeled Lindbergh as a “Copperhead”, comparing him to Northern traitors and saboteurs during the Civil War, Lindbergh resigned his military commission in protest. He was publicly opposed by families and associates, denounced as an anti-Semite, a racist, a Nazi-sympathizer and an appeaser.
After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Lindbergh devoted wholeheartedly to the U.S. war effort, flying 50 combat missions as a civilian aviator while President Roosevelt refused to reinstate him. It was not until 1954 that President Dwight Eisenhower restored Lindbergh’s commission and promoted him to brigadier general. But the damage to his reputation was irreversible.
Witnessing the destruction of nature and civilization by his beloved science, Lindbergh grew disillusioned with human intelligence and technological progress. He became a crusader for conservation cause, racing to save indigenous tribes and endangered species of animals from extinction.
This complicity of this degree is beautifully distilled by Lindbergh’s reflection on his existence in the continuum in space and time, between the material and the mystical:
I grow aware of various forms of man and of myself. I am form and I am formless, I am life and I am matter, mortal and immortal. I am one and many — myself and humanity in flux. I extend a multiple of ways in experience in space. I am myself now, lying on my back in the jungle grass, passing through the ether between satellites and stars. My aging body transmits an ageless life stream. Molecular and atomic replacement change life’s composition. Molecules take part in structure and in training, countless trillions of them. After my death, the molecules of my being will return to the earth and sky. They came from the stars. I am of the stars.
Charles Lindbergh, Autobiography of Values
Despite their apparent conflict, Capricorn and Aquarius in mundane astrology share a preoccupation with authority and order. While Capricorn rules through individuals at the top of the social hierarchy, Aquarius rules through the groups and committees. From competing egos to competing ideologies, both camps attempt to claim orthodoxy and maintain superiority by excluding and oppressing those who refuse to fall in line. Despite Aquarius’ contrarian tendency and its upending of the existing framework, it shares with Capricorn dictatorial tendencies and a disregard for individual freedom.
As the Capricornian (ego-based) order breaks down, an Aquarian new order is shaping up at neck-breaking speed. Truth, common sense, and conventions are stretched to the breaking point by various interest groups. Pluto in Capricorn era brought immense power to large corporations; Pluto in Aquarius will be the era of weaponized ideologies, warring factions, breakthroughs in experimental technologies, some of which will be destructive. We can expect large technology corporations to continue dominating our world, and drastic upheavals in the pecking order of power players.
This new regime is revolutionary, technocratic, and group-centric, where the individuals merge into the group identity and relieve themselves of personal accountability. Without self-determination and self-awareness, a transition to transpersonal consciousness is no guarantee of humanity’s ascent up the evolutionary ladder.
At degree 29 of Capricorn, we find difficult transitions and uncertainties that call for faith, adoption and acceptance. Recurring themes include: breakdown and degradation of structure, paradigm, standards and objective truth; crowd control through censorship, secrecy and misinformation; and drastic rise and fall of prestige and status.
Courage and leap of faith during crises
Charles Lindbergh (Jupiter), American aviator who piloted first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
What pilot has not been in positions where he was in danger and where perfect judgment would have advised against going? … If one took no chances, one would not fly at all. … What kind of man would live where there is no daring? And is life so dear that we should blame men for dying in adventure? Is there a better way to die?
Charles Lindbergh, The Wartime Journals
Subjective facts, relative truths, and the changing science
Jules Verne (Uranus), French novelist who is considered as one of the founders of the science fiction genre. Verne argued that his scientific novels were not based on science and should not be treated as such. He was merely attempting a “very high ideal of beauty of style” and giving romanticized descriptions of the world.
William James (North Node), American psychologist and philosopher who established Pragmatism.
Hands off: neither the whole of truth nor the whole of good is revealed to any single observer, although each observer gains a partial superiority of insight from the peculiar position in which he stands.
William James, Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Some of Life’s Ideals
The “facts” themselves meanwhile are not true. They simply are. Truth is the function of the beliefs that start and terminate among them.
William James, What Pragmatism Means
The critic’s trouble … seems to come from his taking the word “true” irrelatively, whereas the pragmatist always means “true for him who experiences the workings.”
William James, The Meaning of Truth
Joseph Campbell (Chiron), American writer and mythologist.
You must remember: all of the great traditions, and little traditions, in their own time were scientifically correct. That is to say, they were correct in terms of the scientific image of that age.
Joseph Campbell, Mythology and the Individual
Werner Heisenberg (Venus), German physicist who discovered the Uncertainty Principle.
Every experiment destroys some of the knowledge of the system which was obtained by previous experiments.
Werner Heisenberg, The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory
Of course, we all know that our own reality depends on the structure of our consciousness; we can objectify no more than a small part of our world. But even when we try to probe into the subjective realm, we cannot ignore the central order…In the final analysis, the central order, or ‘the one’ as it used to be called and with which we commune in the language of religion, must win out.
Werner Heisenberg as quoted in Quirks of the Quantum Mind
Kellyanne Conway (Sun). President Trump’s 2020 campaign manager and first woman to run a successful presidential campaign. During her term as the Senior Counselor of the President, she coined the term “alternative facts” and repeatedly referred to the fictitious “Bowling Green massacre” as facts.
Dec 7-16, 2020 (Saturn), U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirm that Pfizer’s vaccine candidate is 95% effective. The first emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine was issued and the vaccine campaign began.
February 16, 2023 (Pluto). Chinese president Xi declared “decisive victory” over COVID after uncontrollable spread and lockdown protests.
March 14, 2023 (Pluto), OpenAI released GPT-4. Despite of capable of passing standardized tests (some with flying colors), it is also known for hallucinating, internal inconsistency, deception, erratic behavior, and strong bias.
Structural damage; breakdown or breakthrough of boundary, order, or paradigm. Drastic changes in social, economic, or political principles. Meteoric rise and fall.
Titanic maiden voyage (Moon). Titanic struck an iceberg and broke in half on its maiden voyage.
Halle Berry (MC), first African-American to win the Academy Award for best actress.
Bitcoin (Jupiter). A cryptocurrency regarded by its proponents as the tool against government surveillance and central banks’ currency manipulation.
March 9-20, 2020 (Saturn). Stock market “Black Monday I” (Marcy 9, 2020) “Black Thursday” (March 12, 2020) and “Black Monday II” (March 16, 2020). Italy, Norway, and Spain started nationwide lockdown. Federal Reserve announced that it would cut the federal funds rate target to 0%–0.25%, lower bank reserve requirements to zero, and begin a $700 billion asset purchasing program. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm and the leader in exchange-traded funds, managed the purchasing program on Federal Reserve’s behalf and was allowed to purchase its own funds.
December 14-19, 2020 (Jupiter) Germany, The Netherlands, Turkey, Poland entered nationwide lockdown. In the U.S., the Electoral College meets in the state capitals to officially elect the next President. Joe Biden. Outgoing President Donald Trump continues to dispute the results of the election, citing widespread electoral fraud.
December 16, 2020 (Jupiter-Saturn super conjunction) Twitter says that it will ban false and misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines on its platform. The Federal Reserve vowed to keep funneling cash into financial markets until the U.S. economic recovery is secure, Nasdaq Composite closed at a record high.
Reference
Campbell, Joseph. Mythology and the Individual. Audio. Joseph Campbell Foundation, 1997.
Carelli, Adriano. The 360 Degrees of the Zodiac. American Federation of Astrologers, 2000.
Charubel, and Sepharial. Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolized. Astrology Center of America, 2005.
Cole, Wayne S. Charles A. Lindbergh and the Battle Against American Intervention in World War II. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P, 1974.
Public domain Image From The Æsop for Children, by Æsop, illustrated by Milo Winter.
Author’s note: This article refers to 15 degrees Taurus (15-16 Taurus), not the 15th degree of Taurus (14-15 Taurus).
Sign: Taurus (One’s worth, values, and resources. Physical sensations.)
Decanate: Virgo (Earthy and materialistic bounties. Fruits of labor. Value of skills. Ethics.)
Duad: Scorpio (Creative destruction. Objectifying and acquisition. Break down of ownership, values and boundaries.)
Degree number: 15 (Contrast. Intensified personal relations. Possible change of alliance. Evaluation of others. Internal conflicts. Self as one’s worst enemy. Instability.)
Numerology: 6 (Harmony and discord. Evaluation and judgement.)
Working symbol: A farmer contemplating killing his golden-egg-laying goose to extract its remaining eggs.
The degree where Mercury stationed before turning retrograde dominates the agenda of the retrograde period. For the current retrograde, Mercury stays within 15 degrees Taurus for 6 days before changing degree.
The 15-16 degree of Taurus is closely related to the value of commoditized labor and skills, and whether we are selling ourselves short or overestimating our contribution in the workplace. Conversely, our superior, peers, or customers may also be thinking about how to maximize their benefit from us, and whether to retain our service after the metaphorical extraction. It is also possible that we’re at the position of evaluating someone else’s worthiness and value. In any case, the underlying tone is one of self-centeredness and stubbornness, as well a lack of generosity and good will.
This degree also has to do with how we value our labor and hard-earned skills. Do we package the fruits of our labor and sell them to the highest bidder? Or do we continue to refine and break things in the hope of discovering the magic formula? Are we preserving or destroying our health and well-being as we cope with endless demands and an impersonal workplace?
The degree 15 of a sign is where it the two opposing signs –in this case, Taurus and Scorpio, oscillates in a fragmented and conflicting manner. This behavior is not always apparent and sometimes can disguise as ambivalence and lead to an abrupt turning point of a relationship.
15 Taurus also happens to be the degree 45 of the 360-degree cycle, carrying the quality of eight-ness, which refers to the duality of strength and weakness, and can point to the excessive use of force that cause injury and damage.
In summary, it may be wise to pay attention to the themes related to this retrograde period and remind ourselves that during this period our perception and reasoning can be flawed. And if possible, withhold any irreversible decisions until after May 15, 2023, when Mercury resumes its forward motion.
The final part of this series outlines the best practices for our personal power and puts forth the argument that the integration of Pluto energy is not only a worthy pursuit, but a necessary step for our collective evolution.
Pluto is the gatekeeper between the consensus reality and its transmutations. When we step over the threshold of materialism and experience continuous magic and synchronicity, the shift of perspective is no less monumental than our first baby steps. Needless to say, this new framework ushers in a fundamentally different worldview and a new way of living.
PERSONAL POWER VS. DESTRUCTION
A person knowing the power of the word, becomes very careful of his conversation. … Through his spoken word, man is continually making laws for himself.
Florence Scoval Shinn
A PRIMER OF MAGIC AND MANIFESTATION
In manifestation, the individual mentally simulates a specific state (such as love, abundance, or health) to attract a desired outcome. In contrast, magicians exert mental power (through prayers or spells) to alter their physical reality while invoking the supernatural. Magic sanctioned by organized religions are labeled as miracles.
Present-day practitioners often commingle magic and manifestation. Successful application of either skill requires strong mental discipline and new rules of conduct.
The criteria of successful manifestation are: focus, clarity, unified intentions, and childlike faith. Willy-nilly wishes and muddled intentions lead to unintended consequences, which range from comical to ironic to unfortunate.
While people with less intensity and focus can haphazardly utter harmful words and remain unscathed, we can’t afford to be thoughtless and negligent. Our words can heal and harm. Keeping that in mind, pure intents and painstaking consideration become an ongoing responsibility and the price of our personal power.
There’s no room for hypocrisy in the spiritual world. Our thoughts interact with our reality and create counterforce whenever they are deployed. Therefore, we receive what we ask for ourselves and others. Magic doesn’t pick winner and losers; it responds to our intentions literally and maintains an eternal, simple consistency. If we want peace, we can’t wage wars, no matter how justified our causes. Consuming and sponsoring violent entertainment also nullifies our intentions. Based on the same logic,if we demand justice and equality, we can’t expect preferential treatments of any kind –because we’ll end up with neither. This is a tough pill to swallow. The reason why consistent success in magic and manifestation is rare is because of our internal conflicts.
Since magic both projects and counteracts, we should always aim for the highest principles and seek mutual benefit in our practice, whether it’s for ourselves, our loved ones, or our worst enemies. This principle provides a sound rationale for unconditional love, because that is the only way we will survive each other. Incidentally, pray that our enemies will take their own medicine and learn their lessons is an effective way to stop them in their tracks – provided that we’re willing to do the same.
When we blurt out words like “I wish,” “I swear,” “never,” “always,” and declarations such as “whatever it takes,” “I’ll do anything”, most of us can’t fathom what it will take to fulfill our desires, and the how it will impact our future. This is why our requests should be as general and open-ended as possible to prevent the inevitable blindsides. It is not possible to fill in every detail in our planning and visualization.Pray for abundance and happiness instead of specific material possessions, social status, or love from a special person. Contrary to mainstream teachings, specificityleaves more room for surprises, and tends to materialize in literal and unexpected ways.
In order to sustain the energy needed for our task, it is detrimental to discuss our projects before their fruition. This is one of the reasons Pluto and its power are associated with secrecy.
Although secular success can and does occur, channeling this power for Ego agendas is like funneling the Amazon River through a paper straw. It is destructive, let alone a reprehensible waste. When we use Ego to control this tremendous energy, we get in the way of the powerful flow and waste opportunities for great achievements.
THE ETHICS OF PRAYER
It is often said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions; the same can be said of presumptuous prayers. Essentially, short of following the exact prayer requests, the best we can do is praying in an empowering and open-ended way, wishing our loved ones to be provided with all they need and be protected on their journeys. Anything beyond that can impose limitations, as honorable as our intentions may be. We don’t know what is best for another person, and we should accept this fact with compassion and humility.
Here are some guidelines for powerful prayers:
Wish no harm. When we wish harm on others, we inflict harm upon ourselves.
Whatever we wish for others, we must be willing and ready to receive the same for ourselves. This is not moral rhetoric; it is an immediate, practical concern. The willingness to share the same outcome (and accept the same standard) multiplies the power of our prayers. It also forces us to articulate word-by-word and contemplate our real intents.
We should not assume that we know what is in another’s best interest, even in simple matters such as health, healing, or happiness. Some wounds are the evidence of injustice; some pains are the remembrance of lost loves. Some people don’t heal because their illness is central to their identity and serves an important function for their current situation. What we regard as happiness can be the other person’s hell.
To circumvent unintentional harm, a request for the benefit of all parties is necessary for all our invocations.
When in doubt, ask directly what prayer is needed. If it aligns with our value, we can honor the request and provide our support. If not, we can pray that they continue to have all they need for their chosen path. When we act on assumption and pass judgement in our prayers, we may end up doing more harm than good.
WHY MAGIC FAILS
Magic works when we have faith that it works. Failure and experimentation is part of the learning process. What we perceive as failures are indications that more mindful practice and self-discovery is needed. Here are some of the possible reasons why we don’t achieve the intended results:
Broken promises: When we set a goal or make a promise to ourselves or others, it creates an energy debt that demands repayment. When a promise remains unfulfilled or forgotten, and another is set to contradict it, these two forces work against each other and create obstacles.
Unclear intentions: This is the most common reason why magic and manifestation don’t work. For example, the desire for wealth, success and love is rarely the bottom line. In most cases, it is other underlying needs such as self-love that needs addressing. If we don’t get to the bottom of our desires, the intention is unfocused and weak.
Hidden contradictions: If we want to be loved but don’t believe we are lovable, we can expect to put in extra effort to build up self-love and worthiness. If we were taught that money is evil, sex is taboo, and hard work trumps efficiency, the ingrained dogma will impede our progress. It takes continuous self-reflection and observation to uncover the attitudes, prejudices and scripts that run in our family and culture. What was associated with pain and pleasure? What caused tension, conflicts, and taboo? What was good? What was evil? Awareness of these deep-rooted beliefs and conscious effort to rebuild our belief system can help release these unhelpful beliefs.
Selfishness and separateness: Unlike the scenes in fantasy novels and movies, magic does not project in one single direction. All magic backfires in the long run. To account for this counteractive force, it is necessary to turn all our prayers and spells into blessing that benefit all parties. If we can’t accept and leverage this principle, our power will continue to be limited.
Faulty construct, mis-wording or critical omissions: If our prayer or visualization is self-contradictory, mis-worded, or missing key ideas, it will not work as intended. A common conflict is wanting freedom on the one hand, and more obligation on the other, such as more committed personal relationships, more debt for purchases, greater responsibilities at work, etc.
Undesired and unintended consequences: Often, when we let out our pleas in the midst of an emotional outburst, we are too worked up to craft a well-rounded and thoughtful prayer. (In terms of emotions, desperation is particularly harmful.) As a result, inadequate considerations lead to unpredictable and undesired outcomes. For example, the answer to our plea for financial gain may materialize as inheritance (death of a loved one), insurance payout (personal injury/property damage/lawsuit), or any other situation where the price we payexceeds the benefits.
Interference and obstacles: An environment of abuse, violence, and gaslighting (where our sense of reality is manipulated to instill doubt about our sanity or mental capacity) is not conducive to the steady application of magic. Needless to say, we need to remove ourselves from abusive situations – whether they’re familial, professional, religious, or spiritual.
Impatience: Magic takes time – from seconds to years – to materialize, it does not always unfold according to our schedule. While we consider the delay as a failure, it is more likely that we have placed too many constrains in our request, or there is hidden resistance from within or without.
Energydrain and distractions: Self-doubt is a non-starter for magic and manifestation; doubts from detractors are just as counterproductive. This is why mystics and occultists observe silence and secrecy – not because they’re up to no good. Doubts leak the vital energy in the vessel; distractions obfuscatethe focus needed for any serious work.When our conviction, focus and energy are compromised, our magic is ineffective.
A WORD OF CAUTION
Not everyone who attains this power is spiritually advanced and benevolent. Some have arrived at this stage due to extraordinary talent, or a boost from supernatural powers. They are fast-tracked with their egos intact and may very well choose to exercise their power for selfish gain, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Still, some of them simply backpedaled from their hard-earned progress and become corrupt and abusive.
Power is seductive –to those possessing it and those desiring it– and spiritual abuse is real. To recognize and combat such betrayals of trust – whether in educational, spiritual, family, or therapeutic settings – we should always be discerning and trust our inner guidance. In short, no one should attempt to disempower another, and no amount of rationalization or authority can replace our inner truth. Disengage at the first sign of:
Involuntary isolation (cut-off from one’s support network)
Exclusivity (as in claiming to be the only way)
Disempowerment
Gaslighting and energy vampirism (creating emotional distress in others and feeding off their fear, anger, confusion, and hopelessness).
There is no room for imposed control and deprivation on our path to freedom and power. A better way will present itself once we let go of what doesn’t align with our truth.
ABS/EUTELSAT (2015). Original from Official SpaceX Photos. Digitally enhanced by Rawpixel. Public Domain.
EPILOGUE: THE TRANSFORMER VS. THE TRANSFORMED
When we choose to embrace and integrate Pluto, we become the agents of change instead of being wiped out by our disowned shadows. Looking beyond personal and tribal survival, our primary task now is the ongoing discovery of our capabilities and the ways to serve the causes that align with our Self.
At this point, Pluto is no longer a fearsome force but a loyal and unwavering ally. His energy is the secret ingredient of our magic and the cornerstone of our new reality. The pure, intense, and sustaining power propels us to new heights.
With deliberate thoughts and emotions, we project and shape our reality. In this dimension, space and time are fluid and collapsible. We exist in the eternal now, merging into synchronicity and direct knowledge. Our existence, purpose and power are self-evident.
The ebb and flow of human drama takes on a cinematic quality as we observe the universal themes rippling rhythmically throughout epochs, dynasties, and generations. Our present space and time is but one plot line among the countless stories in the infinite theater.
Our destiny is updated with each new insight; our capacity expands with the refinement of our minds. Our words are spells. We grow silent and contemplative because our world has become inexplicable.
Helplessness and victimhood melt away. We gain a new appreciation for our life experience and accept responsibilities for all our actions. We are at peace with everyone’s path and free will, and see duality and dichotomy as polarization by warring groups.
We have arrived at the threshold between ego-bondage and world-building power, ready to break out of the materialistic prison and burst into limitless creation.
We are here because the survival of humanity calls for an upgrade of our collective reality: from one of exclusive privileges and mutual destruction to one of parallel and diverse coexistence. Human progress by exploitation and domination is running into a dead end. As long as our civilization is stuck on the scarcity mindset and continues to fight over the control and distribution of limited resources, we will eventually self-destruct.
Just beyond the fear-based strife, innumerable individual realities have been built by those who traded Ego agendas for a constant state of synchronicity and reality creation. When most us make this shift, human civilization can transition from competitive consumption to multifarious creation. Our future is magic. Loving, embracing, and mastering our Pluto is one sure path to magical realities and power for boundless creation.
Pluto in action: Spectrum and trajectories of Pluto expressions. v.2. Click to enlarge.
The third part of this series continues to map out the paradoxical path to personal power and the threshold of creative reality. In the post-elimination stage, Pluto emerges as a tireless champion of our non-Ego pursues, carrying us through generation cycles and human drama without fail.
The unio mentalis, then, in psychological as well as alchemical language, means knowledge of oneself.
In contradistinction to the modern prejudice that self-knowledge is nothing but a knowledge of the ego, the alchemists regarded the self as a substance incommensurable [not parallel] with the ego, hidden in the body, and identical with the image of God.
After sober introspection and steadfast perseverance, we rise up to meet Pluto’s imposing energy. From now on, we are no longer passive subjects of Pluto’s purging, but active participants in this process.
One of the few straightforward applications of Pluto’s energy is the chipping away at our Ego, fallacies, conditioning, and internal conflicts. Disengage from activities and relations that stray from our values, eliminate everything untrue, unproductive, and dysfunctional. We are the sculptor and the statue. The more we lose, the more powerful we become. Refine, re-define, repeat until lightness and clarity emerge.
The removing of the ‘tangles’ is a process of liberation from our complexes and illusions and from the way in which we identify with the roles we play in life, with the masks within us and with our idols, etc. It is a ‘release’ according to the etymology of the word, a liberation and awakening of hidden potential.
Roberto Assagioli
This is an exhilarating and stressful time. Shame and guilt from all directions will attack with a vengeance. While shame is purely social coercion, guilt can indicate a strong conscience. However, without identifying and repairing the damage, this unresolved remorse is nothing but moral posturing. It will take time and determination to process these deep-seated feelings. Proceed with kindness and compassion, yet remain steadfast and resolute.
We are not called upon to step out onto the square and shout out the truth, to say out loud what we think—this is scary, we are not ready. But let us at least refuse to say what we do notthink!
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Pluto delivers the ultimate test for personal truth and responsibility. Its extremes separate the wheat from the chaff, no half-measures allowed. If we’re not in charge of our agenda and in peace with our conscience, guilt and shame will continue to drag us down, eventually leading to numbness, self-destruction, and abuse. If we compromise, we inevitably become victims of our cowardice or others’.
It has often been said that power corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that weakness, too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the faults of weakness.
Eric Hoffer
Competitive victimhood and revenge are self-defeating yet common misuses of Pluto energy. From personal relationships to geopolitics, the one-upmanship of pain and suffering supposedly bestows moral high ground, perpetuate control mechanisms, and aggravate power struggles. It is quite plain that any decent person or group will not wish their agony upon their worst enemies, let alone exact revenge in the name of justice. Nevertheless, this tactic has worked extremely well in the current political and social climate. We can spot these victim-turned-perpetrators at a glance and distance ourselves from their self-righteousness.
[V]ictimism is an ideology of the ego. But perhaps ideology is too strong a term; victimism can be seen as a generalized cultural impulse to deny personal responsibility and to obsess on the grievances of the insatiable self.
If we keep chipping away at the untruths, sooner or later we will carve out a vast inner space. Coined the “existential vacuum”, Viktor Frankl warned of the danger of losing our bearings:
No instinct tells him what he has to do, and no tradition tells him what he ought to do; sometimes he does not even know what he wishes to do. Instead, he either wishes to do what other people do (conformism) or he does what other people wish him to do (totalitarianism).
Despite Frankl and the existentialists’ warnings, this void is not inherently grim and dangerous. Although many have succumbed to depression and nihilism in this space, it is the desperation for attachments –to a concept, thing, person, group, ideology, philosophy, or deity – that brought on the unbearable pain. If our life purpose and self-worth are cultivated from the prize of ego trips and others’ assurances, this emptiness is the end of the road indeed.
One must find the source within one’s own Self, one must possess it. Everything else was seeking — a detour, an error.
Hermann Hesse
In contrast, Eastern philosophy regards the first-hand experience of Emptiness as a milestone of spiritual growth and maturity. In the Emptiness, dichotomy dissolves and mental anguish ends. In true Pluto fashion, we push one step further and make this open space the foundation of power and the home stage of our creative reality.
Emptiness is the ground of everything. Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible. … Emptiness is quite an optimistic concept.
Thich Nhat Hanh
All we have to do here is to focus and observe the coming and going on our mental stage. Let go of judgment and assumption; abandon the search for certainty and directions. Life will keep coming at us. By staying true to our Self in everything we do, a new identity will emerge. Instead of titles and roles, it will reflect our natal Pluto placement and represent our deepest truth, which we must uphold and defend.
Our accustomed reality will rip, crack and peel; a new reality will reveal itself –first in flashes, then in streams. In this powerful state, synchronicity and magic abound. It may seem to the outsiders that we’re losing our grip to the reality, we’re not. We’re transitioning to the next level, and there are many more. Dismiss doubts from people inexperienced with alternative realities; ground ourselves through the nature and our body so we can plug into the materialistic reality at will.
True faith is by nature intuitive; it perceives the reality of what is not evident, not manifested, and accepts it. …Faith leading to a sense of certainty requires primarily faith in oneself, that is in the real Self, in what we are essentially.
Roberto Assagioli
Finding and maintaining faith in this state of flux is another paradox we face. Without faith we’re cut off from the higher power; without connecting to a higher power, we have no ground of faith. Faith is a conscious choice, and it takes intention and dedication to build one anew. By all means –meditation, prayer, divination, synchronicity, art, or nature –investigate and establish a constant connection with the Infinite, the Universe, The Supreme Consciousness, God –as we understand it, because no more advance can be made until we develop a personal religion and see ourselves as droplets of the infinity with unfettered, direct access –without intermediaries.
My reason will still not understand why I pray, but I shall still pray, and my life, my whole life, independently of anything that may happen to me, is every moment of it no longer meaningless as it was before, but has an unquestionable meaning of goodness with which I have the power to invest it.
Leo Tolstoy
On the other end of the spectrum, Pluto’s destruction proceeds in due course. Advanced neurosis, violence, domination, and exploitation are predictable devolution of those choosing fear and anger over growth. Since Pluto tends to go all the way, it makes a compelling argument for harnessing Pluto’s unrelenting energy and continuing our striving upward.
I have had to experience so much stupidity, so many vices, so much error, so much nausea, disillusionment and sorrow, just in order to become a child again and begin anew. I had to experience despair, I had to sink to the greatest mental depths, to thoughts of suicide, in order to experience grace.
Hermann Hesse
Pluto’s force works both ways; it strengthens and destroys with the same intensity. When applied constructively to love, dedication, and courage, extraordinary miracles happen. Applied destructively, Pluto exacerbates debasement and its subsequent purgation.
To path to master our Pluto is the path to self-mastery. First, we rein in all haphazard mental processes and communications. Investigate and clarify our intentions, eliminate internal conflicts and self-sabotage. Train our attention to achieve laser-sharp focus as well as all-encompassing perspective. Discover the power of silence and deploy our time, energy, attention, and personal data with awareness and purpose.
Next, we detach from drama. Our emotional reactions –for the most part –are shaped in the past and constantly lagging behind the present. Instead of going with our reflexes, let the emotions wash over and only respond in manners that aligns and fortifies our missions. From the highest love to the strongest condemnation, deliberated release and withholding of emotion is Pluto’s domain. With self-awareness and discipline, we can be free from emotional manipulation and use our emotions to effect our environment at will.
The will is not merely assertive, aggressive, and controlling. There is the accepting will, yielding will, the dedicated will. You might say that there is a feminine polarity to the will – the willing surrender, the joyful acceptance of the other functions of the personality.
Roberto Assagioli
Self-mastery is often associated with a strong will. The secret of a strong will is that it has little to do with strength, stamina, or control. Rather, it is about a conviction and dedication so complete that it leaves no room for doubts and limitation. We achieve Self-mastery when our personal objectives are incorporated by the transpersonal, and the Self –the center of our consciousness that straddles the material and spiritual planes –are under the directive of the higher consciousness.
If we are diligent, we will live in unshakable faith and trust that everything happening to us is a beneficial learning experience. Knowing that we are nothing but one indestructible facet of the Infinity, we have nothing left to fear. Our preoccupations will naturally rise above the self-preservation; personal wants will yield to universal concerns. New talents will likely surface and change the course of our lives.
The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the world’s ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
Atiśa as quoted by Walter Taminang
Rising from shattered Ego and illusions, our unified Self is the key to Pluto’s inexhaustible power. Moving forward, our endeavors will be propelled by the same unstoppable force that shapes the arc of history and civilization. This is the beginning of magic and miracles.
Part 2 and 3 of this series aim to survey and organize Pluto’s expressions and plot a precise course of personal power through integrating and harnessing this formidable energy.
The path to bypass Pluto’s destruction is made of counterintuitive steps, which makes the process all the more enigmatic and this information consequential. Regarding people who cling to their Egos and those opting for projecting their inner darkness, the diagram below also outlines their trajectories. Fortunately, they don’t all reach the extreme, as the middle-range options turn out to be effective coping mechanisms. This working model should not be taken as the author’s final word on this subject.
The main obstacles of personal evolution via Pluto arises from several deep-rooted misconceptions:
We have internalized the doctrine that our success –as defined by the society –determines our worth and meanings. Most people believe that beyond social recognition there is only grim and endless wasteland, this is far from the truth.
We were taught that darkness is inherently evil and should be cast out. In fact, our inner darkness is a reservoir of power; only those intending to disempower us would instruct us to distant ourselves from this inexhaustible resource. When we disown our darkness and project it onto others, we’re distracted from looking inward and arriving at self-knowledge.
Most of us assume that powerful people are on TV making announcements and living glamorous lives. The opposite is true: great powers work behind the scene and stay out of the spotlight.
With that in mind, let’s survey the dramatic landscape of Pluto’s expressions (click image to enlarge):
Pluto in action: Spectrum and trajectories of Pluto expressions
Active Vs. Passive Participation
Pluto’s energy is dark, intense, and all-consuming. Those demanding “positive vibes only” will likely get overwhelmed and pass on the opportunities to confront their darkness and access Pluto’s power.
We ignore Pluto at our own peril. Besides dreading Pluto transits, there is another way: actively participating in this supercharged period, working with this energy, and integrate its highest expressions.
Pluto’s placement in our natal charts indicates the nucleus of our Self and our deepest truth. Once we get in touch with Pluto’s primary areas of concern (as indicated by its natal and transit houses), and how it functions (in relation to other points in the natal chart), we can begin the process of harnessing this unstoppable force to propel our personal evolution.
(If you’re in the midst of difficult Pluto transits, please refer to this article for coping strategies. If you’re concerned about harming yourself or others, please immediately seek help via your local or national crisis hotline.)
The option to detach from one’s ego is as attractive as a dimly lit alley next to a red-carpet reception. It appears unappealing and lackluster in contrast to the bright lights and glitter. Nonetheless, this is the entrance to our Pluto work – the passageway to bypass most of humanity’s follies brought on by the insatiable Ego.
Instead of cultivating our Egos and dedicating our lives to their missions, we recognize the Ego for what it is: a brittle and ephemeral product of social conditioning. This prosthetic personality, however intricate and elegant, is nothing but socially-sanctioned role-playing that interferes with our evolution toward the infinite Self and personal power. The less we identify with this costume, the sooner we can get down to the business of metamorphosis.
Opportunity Vs. Threat
Crises are harbingers of evolution.
Bruce Lipton
Pluto is a gift for personal evolution, but few of us would recognize this during our early encounters. Most of us immediately felt threatened and under attack. We believed that our existence hinged upon returning to the established order, unaware that this Sisyphean labor was out of sync with our personal growth.
Suppressing Pluto’s transformative power is a losing proposition. Any astrologer who studies Pluto’s cycle knows this: The more we resist the change, the more violent and unpredictable the transit, and the longer the trail of wreckage. Still, growth and change can be too frightening and too humiliating for some, simply because it is inconceivable for them to admit that the existing condition has become unacceptable.
How we perceive these crises has a direct impact on their outcomes. As history will attest, the ends and means to assert control during the cyclical rise and fall have resulted in untold calamities on all levels and magnitudes. At this juncture, we have two options: evolve or prolong the status quo. Since the status quo has never held up in history, it is really no contest.
Letting Go Vs. Control
Ego feeds on other’s attention and recognition. It strives to glorify itself and is terrified of losing control. Winning and success give our Egos incredible highs, and it goes without saying that many people are trapped in endless ego trips. Even the fight against Ego strengthens its grip on our consciousness.
If compliments are not forthcoming, negative attention is better than no attention at all. To satisfy Ego’s desires, time and energy are directed toward manipulation and control. This is where most people first encountered the personified Pluto –from within or without. Power struggles during Pluto transits are so prevalent that it becomes the standard interpretation of these periods.
During a power struggle, our reaction inadvertently works as the counter-force that solidifies the opposition. Not only do we acknowledge our opponent’s standpoint, the more we fight back, the more we reinforce their positions. The longer we engage, the more we become just like them. When we recognize the situation and disengage from this contest, we dismantle their platform and become free to direct our attention and efforts elsewhere.
From personal relationships to politics, the more we can untangle from power struggles, the better chance we have at defeating the abuse of power and be free.
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing oneself is wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering oneself is power.
I saw that the entity I had taken to be “me” was really a fabrication. My true nature, I realized, was much more real, both uglier and more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Thich Nhat Hanh
After the initial encounter, we get to choose whether to integrate or reject Pluto’s qualities.
Few of us –even among the most stouthearted and dedicated –would expect that in order to integrate Pluto’s energy, we need to scrap the long-held ideas about who and what we are. For some, re-examining these ideas and exploring the uncharted territory within –not knowing what they might find –is unthinkable. Instead of deep introspection, they cast off the undesirable qualities onto chosen scapegoats, who are then prosecuted and sacrificed to release the inner tension of their perpetrators.
Those able to contain this energy face yet another common pitfall. It is all too common for high achievers to conflate their Ego with the Self, and use the internalized Pluto for self-destruction. In their erroneous beliefs, accolades and success are the sole indicators of self-worth; failure to meet arbitrary expectations equals a worthless existence. Deceived and betrayed by their Egos, they self-exile in the lifeless terrain of despair, guilt, and shame. Unbeknownst to them, life begins when they stop impressing people who are preoccupied with their own agenda.
The insatiable goals to acquire more, succeed conspicuously, and be as attractive as possible lead us to objectify one another, and even ourselves. When people see themselves as little more than their attractive bodies, jobs, or bank accounts, it brings great suffering… in search of a positive internal answer to the question Am I successful yet? We become cardboard cutouts of real people.
Arthur Brooks
The boundary between Egocide and self-destruction is tenuous. We will most certainly drift erratically before coming to this conclusion: The only responsible way to handle this energy is to recognize our own fallacies and take on the cleansing storm with a brave face. Even then, the poor-me drama and passive aggression can still be used to serve the Ego. Until we rein in the histrionics, our Egos will continue to dominate and the Pluto work remains unattended.
Shaking off others’ expectations is terrifying and freeing. False starts as well as enormous guilt and anxiety are to be expected. Notwithstanding, we are not our own person until we make conscious choices and take full responsibility for how we carry ourselves –in the ways we intend to, instead of the way we are expected to.
Humility Vs. fear
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Since Pluto transits can be excruciating at times, it’s only natural that we want to shield ourselves from harm. If we can’t ease the pain, some of us would feel hopeless, some grow anxious, while others try to alleviate their pain and powerlessness by projecting their anger and hatred onto others. The displaced loathing and obsession with control negate self-reflection altogether.
Instead of riding the emotional roller coaster (another common Pluto theme), this stage calls for perseverance and humility. It goes against our instincts, yet everyone who owed their personal growth to agonizing Pluto transits shares this view: This is the time to take a deep dive under the barrage of emotions, experience with full awareness, and observe subtle fundamental changes within ourselves.This beautiful stillness is a preview of what life could be when we love, tame and master our Pluto.
No matter how painful the experience, mindful engagement sets us apart from the would-be victims and perpetrators. Honesty, acceptance, and unconditional love for ourselves will sustain us during this grueling process. Without self-honesty and commitment to personal growth, compromise and corruption set in. It should become apparent, at this stage, that Pluto’s notoriety is the byproduct of our feeble attempts to thwart this unrelenting force of nature.
Have you hugged, kissed, or thanked your Pluto today?
The Hated Pluto
Pluto is undoubtedly the most-hated body in astrology; it is also the most mysterious and controversial. The mystery of Pluto lies in its formidable power to simultaneously polarize and unite the opposites, and in a crushing forward motion, fundamentally reconstructs these elements into a new reality. People regard Pluto as ruthless and destructive, but they’re missing half the story. Pluto is alchemy. It purifies, condenses, and by demanding the utmost from everything it touches, brings upon metamorphosis. Pluto is also the outermost and slowest planet whose generational-defining cycle is observable during a human life time.
The Must-Love Pluto
Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
C.G. Jung
So why should anyone love Pluto?
Because this incredible force is within all of us, and the misunderstanding –or worse –outsourcing of its function is a serious disservice and disempowerment to ourselves.
Pluto is not nice or pleasant, quite the contrary. Its ill repute –dark, intense, controlling, and destructive –routinely leads to the shunning of its manifestation and embodiment. Out of fear and misunderstanding, people deny and reject their personal Pluto in droves, as if ignoring their inner darkness will protect their virtue.
It’s well known in astrology that any unintegrated or neglected planet is a problematic planet. Denying the expressions of a celestial energy within ourselves is not unlike locking ourselves out of parts of our homes. Cobwebs gather in the dark corners, and the stale energy becomes dysfunctional. The “stuck” energy then releases in unexpected ways, wreaking havoc in our lives.
We either deal with Pluto on our terms, or on someone else’s. An alienated personal Pluto, like an unsecured weapon, is particularly troublesome. When we disown this power and refuse responsibility, we allow the power-to-be to coerce us into living in their construct and abide by their rules –be it psychological, social or spiritual. When we go along with the crowd to fit in, to “make it,” we hand over our personal power and our values waver. Drifting farther and farther from our essence and principles, we consent to powerlessness and become victims of circumstances. The awareness and integration of Pluto energy is the first step of psychic self-defense and essential psychological survival skill.
Darkness And Night Visions
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.
C. G. Jung
Darkness is not inherently evil. In this secluded sanctuary our attention turns inward, our minds connect with the deep and the intangible. Our inner vision comes to life and we are cognizant of the undercurrents. This is where the spiritual struggles are fought and won.
Our Pluto work can only take place in darkness and isolation. Might as well –since there is no glamour in scrubbing off layers and layers of the old self until we’re red and raw. It’s painful, messy, and mostly likely, embarrassing to our egos.
In the process of reduction, unify, and transform, something precious –things we thought had defined who we are and our purpose in life –will be taken from us. The loss Pluto inflicted is often mistaken as threats to our survival. It triggers a tsunami of fear, despair, and trauma, as we put on the fight of our lives. In the best-case scenario, we accept our loss with stoic resignation. Most of the time, though, it brings on such pain that it feels as if our hearts are ripped out and put through the grinder.
When we thought we’ve had enough, Pluto will surely demand more. Finally, we are driven over the edge, diving head-first into the abyss in complete nakedness and vulnerability. During the slow-motion free fall, the magic happens: we rediscover the central truths of our lives. Who we are, why we are, how we’re supposed to live, all become crystal clear in its luminescence. This rediscovering of Self is Pluto’s ultimate gift.
Image by KELLEPICS from Pixabay
Ego The Clown
In reality the ego is like the clown in the circus, who is always putting in his oar to make the audience think that whatever happens is his doing.
Sigmund Freud
Ego is a collection of behavioral patterns we developed to better fit in the society. This departure from personal truths allows smooth social interactions, which promises improved access to wealth, power, and stability. The compromise comes with a price, however: as we increasingly grow tired of the constant tension between what we know to be true and how we’re expected to think and behave, we’re tempted to abandon our truths and let the social facade take over.
As soon as we conflate our ego with the Self, we’re subject to Pluto transits that turn this shaky composite into crumbles and force us to confront and re-consolidate the core of our existence. Only by separating our ego and true Self can we bypass human’s common downfalls and recurring trauma.
Once the Ego is dropped, we’re one step closer to mastering our Pluto and become an active co-creator of our lives. While we are in this world, we’re no longer beholden to this world. Our social facade is treated as a party costume and nothing more. We become a fractal of the Infinite, powerful and limitless.
The Beleaguered Hero
The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation.
Joseph Campbell
Human history is filled with cases of ego-driven, off-the-rail Pluto incarnates committing humanity’s worst atrocities and were met with equally gruesome ends. In timeless mythologies, heroes who enjoyed a grand mission send-off invariably encountered hardship and calamities that obliterated their confidence and prospect of victory. As they made the last ditch effort to face their fate in utter desperation and delirium, the fabled treasure presents itself in rarefied aura and transformed the seekers with its magic powers.
The untold story of Pluto is hidden in the legends of heroes. There’s no middle ground when seeking Pluto’s treasures, because the idea of losing and detaching from one’s ego in the process is too extreme for most people. On the other hand, since Pluto transits are always grueling, we might as well make them count. The more fearful and judgmental we are of its energy, the more we’ll be caught unprepared and traumatized. If we can maintain compassion for ourselves –or even keep some dark sense of humor when our layers are peeling off, we’re surely winners.
…anyone who attempts to do both, to adjust to his group and at the same time pursue his individual goal, becomes neurotic.
C. G. Jung
One thing is certain: when we love our Pluto, we are learning to harness this unstoppable energy to propel our path on and upward. It’s a straight and simple path once we get the clinging and the moderation (another word for control) out of the way. Attempting to ease this learning curve only delays and complicates it. The fear of “losing face” guarantees a drawn-out process rife with power struggles. More of that in part 2. (To be continued)
Brave New Real 
){kind=link}