Aug

25

Oh, Pluto… (to the tune of Billy Joel’s “Always a Woman”): “You’re always a planet to me!”

Well if Pluto’s not a planet, I’d certainly like an explanation for the doomed, hellish landscape of my life between 1994 and 2004. And my Moon, bedevilled by its natal square to Pluto for 45 years, would like some answers too.

Take a listen to Rob Hand‘s interview about Pluto’s demotion on NPR’s All Things Considered. Robert Siegel and Robert Hand, together at last. :: nerd swoon :: Hand comes across as gentlemanly and scholarly as you would expect, and Siegel, a consummate professional, tries like hell to be respectful and almost succeeds. Thanks to Terry Lamb for the link.

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August 25, 2006 | 3 Comments

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3 Comments so far

Anonymous August 25, 2006 4:54 pm
Pluto is still a planet. . .a dwarf planet
Nancy August 26, 2006 2:33 pm
Thanks so much for the link. I heard this on the way back from NYC and have not had a chance to investigate. I am learning astrology and what would one do without Pluto?
April August 26, 2006 4:00 pm
Hi Nancy. I don’t know what one would do without Pluto, but I’d love to find out – maybe I can get a Pluto-ectomy! Oh, wait… I guess we all did.

Of course, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are relatively recent additions to astrological lore. Before their discoveries, astrologers assigned membership of Aquarius/11th house, Pisces/12th house, and Scorpio/8th house to Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, respectively. Some astrologers still observe these classifications, particularly in horary and electional work. But when you’re used to looking at things through a Plutonian lens, it’s almost impossible to stop; it’s like the NYC security guards you mentioned in your Thursday Thirteen entry (readers: follow Nancy’s website link from her comment): they’re seeing the world through post 9/11 eyes, and there’s no going back.

Pluto’s discovery was made at around the same time as the splitting of the atom, when violence and aggression took a leap beyond the bloody, but simple and comparatively individual experience symbolized by Mars. Mastering the psychological forces that compel us to violence became a collective responsibility, because the consequences of failing to do so are also shared. Pluto serves as an eloquent astrological symbol for this collective process.

Of course, as Einstein said, “It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.” Maybe the attempt to declassify Pluto is the collective unconscious attempting to reverse progress and move to a psychologically simpler, less threatening time. But we’ve looked into the abyss, and it’s changed us… no matter what we call Pluto.