All posts here are from sections of the books: "North Node Astrology; Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose" and "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer" and "Astrology for the Third Act of Life" and finally "Saturn Returns~The Private Papers of A Reluctant Astrologer" All available in paperback, Kindle and Audible on Amazon.com

To inquire about readings or for more articles on the North/South Nodes, go to: https://www.NorthNodeAstrology.com

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Pluto's Orchestration of Fate


Pluto's transits often have everything to do with what makes you feel really crummy—you feel as if you are “falling apart.” That’s the way it strikes at first. Sickness, divorce, moving house, changing jobs, accidents—these all fall into that realm. Although the feeling of weariness or even death is metaphorical most of the time, you feel it in your bones—this dying and being re-born sensation. You become acutely aware of the fragility of life.

The phoenix-like nature of Pluto is powerful and could be said to purge us of our worst habits and karmic weaknesses. We see the underside of life and it brings up our repressed and often shame-filled shadow qualities. At these times, it is helpful to express what is happening rather than hide, because what we find is that we are not alone. There isn’t a single person born who isn’t touched by the archetypal energy of Pluto---this energy that puts us face to face with death. The good news is that our transit through Hades is a process—for “this too will pass” and there are many others who have been there who are willing to help.


The first part of living through a Plutonian life passage feels destructive and disintegrating, because it has to “tear down” before it can “build up.” Just like when a contractor goes into a neighborhood and tears down a house first before he can build a new one—it doesn’t look so pretty at first, but it has to be done that way. So Pluto brings up, irritates, and hopefully heals those South Node default patterns we’ve been discussing. It ultimately changes things for the better—or at least on our deathbed we might say “it changed things for the better.”


“Ruthless” is a word that is commonly associated with Pluto, partially because it seems so unbending in our efforts to change it. The really difficult moments of transiting Pluto are when we feel the hand of fate moving through our lives, and changing—without our permission—the orchestration of our lives. That’s why the words surrender and let it go so often come up at these times. We deal with Pluto best when we allow ourselves to let go of every image we have of “how it all should be and look.”


When Pluto comes into your life by transit—that is, when it hits a hot spot in your chart, such as conjuncting or squaring your Sun or a personal planet, you know something's about to undergo a metamorphosis. The ego is usually under attack in some way, or the part of your ego that is tied up with your South Node complexes. Most people feel overwhelmed and “attacked.” As you ego fragments under pressure, your inner voices start screaming and it’s easy to project those attacking inner voices onto other people. We regress and lose our maturity at these times, and there’s nothing to do but endure and trust the process until there is a moment of palpable shift and insight. There will probably be many of these “attacks and insights” or regressive acting out times followed by little “Ah-hah!” epiphanies.

Wherever the South Node and Pluto is located in your birth chart points to an area of deep karmic wounding, and from that wounding there evolves a behavioral distortion or a complex. We all have this in varying degrees. The good news is that when we have a Pluto transit, or a powerful transit to our South Node, we get to revisit this at some level, and to make it better. In a sense, we are getting a chance to be reborn.
At these times we can often feel the sense of fate; the hand of God orchestrating all this, and so it actually brings us closer to God, our life purpose, or what the Jungian’s call “the transcendent function.” The suffering involved is a high price to pay, but ultimately worth it. The less resistance we offer, the less suffering there is. As Buddhist author, Pema Chodron once said: “Suffering is optional.”

12 comments:

  1. Elizabeth,
    I am just completing Saturn Conjunct Pluto and Saturn Conjunct Uranus...to say that everything has 'fallen apart' is an understatement. Divorce, job, living situation...literally everything was completely laid to waste. I have a Taurus North Node and my natal has Pluto and Uranus in the 4th. My feeling of security and understanding of 'home' have been literally 'torn down.' I have been transformed and have let go of so much, at first trying to hold on and then finally I just let go. So now I am coming to the end of these transits and it will be interesting what I do to rebuild. I can say with great understanding that these transits are incredibly powerful and sometimes uncomfortable but they are also windows to seeing something far greater in the universe...Thanks for your blog

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  2. Sounds like you've got a good attitude and have let go of what you had to and gleaned some wisdom along the way. Good for you! You might want to help in the rebuiding process by looking at what Jupiter is doing in your chart, natally and in transit, to see where there may be new openings and grace. And of course, look to Saturn to continue to see where you need to put one foot in front of the other and do the work. Blessings to you~ elizabeth

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  3. Sounds like you've got a good attitude and have let go of what you had to and gleaned some wisdom along the way. Good for you! You might want to help in the rebuiding process by looking at what Jupiter is doing in your chart, natally and in transit, to see where there may be new openings and grace. And of course, look to Saturn to continue to see where you need to put one foot in front of the other and do the work. Blessings to you~ elizabeth

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  4. Hi Elizabeth, thanks for this. I'm feeling my Pluto square now and also transiting Pluto opposite natal Venus. If I could hide under the bed till it's over, I would!

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  5. What a beautiful post. I have transiting Pluto squaring natal Uranus. And transiting Uranus opposing natal Pluto.

    Lots of changes this month, all at once. I looked around my life, asking: what's next? My south node is virgo so learning to surrender/flow is challening- but I see that's what I should do. Won't get anywhere with virgoan tightness.......
    and I am having a jupiter trine. Strange though I don't see the openings. It's nearly exact and I'm confused by-- not seeing something tangible. When jupiter moved thru my 5th it was apparent: big creativity and big love affair. And now?

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  6. How can one deal with having pluto, the moon and the south node in the same sign, though not quite conjunct?
    Doesn't this make the karmic pressures in that person's life almost overwhelming?

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  7. No, not overwhelming, just very interesting and transformative. Many chapters in one book; one life. It's a big question and I think reading the chapter on Pluto in "North Node Astrology" would help, as having a personal reading. It's just too much to say in a "comment" on a post!~E

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  8. Thanks Elizabeth. I have T Pluto square natal Venus and natal Ascendant, and conjunct my progressed Sun at 2 Capricorn. I already went through the Pluto conjunct natal Sun, so I am getting another chance to remake myself. Strangely, that transit feels familiar, but the Pluto square Venus and Ascendant are new for me. I will turly be a new person when these tough transits are over!

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  9. Hi Elizabeth,

    I recently went through a major Pluto transit. My progressed moon went into Scorpio, and I began a relationship w/ a Scorpio, who has 5 planets in Scorpio. At the same time I experienced 4 losses - 1 violently. My 17 year old cousin was shot in the head,and her boyfriend committed suicide. Another loss was my grandfather, who sexually abused me, triggering a profound reaction within me that I did not expect. My progressed Sun moves into Sag later this month and I have felt the energies lightening. The relationship w/ the Scorpio has been very difficult and painful (and now over), but necessary in the sense that it has led me to a path that I needed to be on. There was a point, where I was on my knees on the floor, and I actually said, "I feel like I am dying" and I meant it. Interestingly enough, I also began my studies in astrology and depth psychology during this time. I am now 2 yrs into my doctoral program...I can't believe what I have been through. I am looking forward to you books, and have also been reading the work of James Hollis. Thank you for your work/gifts/inspiration.

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  10. I mistakenly said my progressed Sun was moving into Sag...it is my progressed moon moving from Scorpio to Sag (from previous post). I am hoping that I am better prepared to cope and work w/ the energies of the upcoming Uranus-Pluto opposition...

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  11. And thank you for reading, and I do believe you truly are in a much better position now to handle anything that might come up. Sounds like you've been through the worst--the grit--and now it's time for the "grace." Glad you've been finding the book and blog helpful....~elizabeth

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  12. Hi Elizabeth ,

    transit Pluto conjunct north node in 2nd house Capricorn exactly in December , current uran opposite uran 11/5 , saturn opposite saturn 8/2 .... in decembar transit saturn conjunct anti vartex in 2nd !

    Moon in 8th house with saturn , fortune , vartex and south node !

    1994 - 2016 I had terrible motorbike accident , in the some year health problem with skin ( had a battle 3 years ), than family bankruptcy ( father made a huge financial losses ), mom die , divorce , lost house , job , court case 12 years with the state and after all ..... I am alive , won the war and changed value system totally .... think , I am much stronger , better person now ... at least one step closer to person which should I be !

    Think and fill that live ambient is changing at this moment ... only thing I know is definitely that fear should be transformed into love and faith , we need to change our perception , angle and then transformation come ... we can move forward !

    Predrag

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