God of the Underworld
Pluto is the god of the underworld in the Roman and Greek pantheon. He is the brother of both Jupiter and Neptune and resides in his underground kingdom rather than on Mount Olympus with the other gods and goddesses. Pluto governs death and receives the souls who enter his kingdom after death.
Pluto is infamous for the abduction and rape of Persephone, daughter of the Earth goddess Demeter. Pluto forced Persephone into marriage and captivity in the underworld, but she was able to return for part of each year to the surface of the Earth. At this time when she is reunited with her mother, their joy brings life to the Earth and the Spring and Summer seasons each year.
Depending on the era, the mythology of Pluto was either as a benign god related to the processes of death and the afterlife, or as a malevolent and evil character.
Archetypally, Pluto governs wealth and resources found deep in the Earth, including precious gems and minerals, water tables, and in more modern times- fossil fuels. Sources of great power and destruction also exist in the underworld realm including latent volcanoes, glaciers, and gasses. Pluto rules atomic energy, the hidden power within matter itself.
The Planet Pluto
Pluto is the furthest planet from the Sun in our solar system. It was officially discovered in 1930 following several decades of clues about its existence. Pluto’s status as a true planet or a dwarf planet has been debated since its discovery, mostly due to its very small size and elliptical and chaotic orbit.
The orbit takes 248 years and Pluto will spend different amounts of time in each part of the zodiac belt due to its unusual shaped orbit.
Samael Aun Weor calls Pluto “the visitor”, an almost foreign presence within our solar system that connects us to our primal darkness. “We stated that Pluto is a visitor because this terrific Genie (Logos) of practical magic does not belong to this solar system. He is merely a visitor who is helping all the warriors of the rocky path.”
Pluto in Astrology
Pluto is the energy of deep and primal power. The unconscious forces that can overcome our rational minds and everyday habits in the form of ruthlessness, lust, violence, extreme force, and total transformation. Pluto (and Mars) rule the sign of Scorpio and imparts its signature intensity to this sign.
Pluto never does anything by halves, it is a “scorched Earth” energy that can be obsessive, inhumanly focused and driven, and committed to going as deep as possible. If the energy of Pluto is applied judiciously and for the purpose of real transformation it has the power to take down the most entrenched negative structures and paradigms. Used unwisely it is pure destruction and kills all life.
Pluto in the Generations
Like the other two outer planets Neptune and Uranus, Pluto moves slowly though the zodiac and will be in one sign for an entire generation. Pluto and the outer planets are considered to have more of a generational and collective impact than the seven classical planets.
Those born between 1939 and 1957 have Pluto in the sign of Leo. This is the “baby boomer” generation that came of age in the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and 70s. As a generation they were collectively concerned with the transformation of the self in order to make a better society, which are themes of Leo and its opposite sign Aquarius.
Those born between 1957 and 1972 have Pluto in the sign of Virgo and were responsible for implementing the processes of transformations started by the counter-culture. This manifested as the financial changes globally in the 1980s and 90s and also the tendency of those in that generation to live modestly, a Virgo trait.
Those born between 1971 and 1984 have Pluto in the sign of Libra. This is all about the transformation of relationships, with many people in this generation being the children of divorced parents. This generation is characterized in the changes in marriage practices and laws, and not holding the traditional views of marriage, partnership, sexuality, and even gender, as previous generations.
Pluto Annihilates
Pluto dredges up the deepest and most raw power and is closely related with atomic energy. This is energy that can utterly destroy and poison life when used indiscriminately. When understood intelligently, atomic energy can be a source of sustainable and renewable energy.
On a psychological and spiritual level we need to understand what needs to be annihilated within ourselves. The entrenched structures of the selfish ego that we have had for lifetimes can be dissolved within our own atomic infernos. And when used wisely, this same energy can also regenerate the interior of the soul.