- Associated Symbol: The Underworld
- Associated Astrological Sign: Scorpio
- Associated Astrological House: 8th
- Associated Numerology Number: 9
- Associated Tarot Card: Death
Pluto in Science:
Discovered in the year 1930, Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld. Being 3.7 billion miles away from the sun, Pluto is incredibly cold and likely couldn’t sustain life as we know it. Only about half as wide as the United States, the dwarf planet, Pluto, is smaller than Earth’s moon! The tiny planet does, however, have five moons of its very own! It’s largest moon is only about half the size of Pluto, while the other four are less than only 100 miles wide! Moving at an astoundingly slow pace, a day here lasts 153 hours, while the orbit takes about 248 years to make it all the way around the sun once. Interestingly, Pluto orbits elliptically and also has a tilted axis. Like Venus and Uranus, however, it spins east to west. Oddly enough, Pluto shows no signs of having a magnetic field!
Pluto in Astrology:
Although Pluto has been considered both a planet and a dwarf planet several times over the years, much of the astrology community still considers Pluto to be a planet. This is somewhat due to the fact that there are deep symbolic ties to our understanding of the sign of Scorpio and the eighth house. Being connected to the underworld, Pluto is a symbol of what lies below or what is in the deeper (and sometimes darker) parts of the mind. It is often the hidden layers of oneself, the secrets we keep, any sexual taboos and fantasies, transformative processes, and/or anything that is involved in death, which could be literal death or inheritances we may have gained from a death. Regardless, the god of the underworld is both regenerative and destructive. He will mirror back to us that which we may wish to conceal so that we must gaze upon what causes our pain; to determine what we have used to cover it in pleasure and power to refrain from feeling that pain again, attempting to keep ourselves safe. Pluto is the planet that helps us to realize that the threats we fear aren’t usually something outside of us at all, but are rather the monsters or demons we actually have dwelling either unconsciously or sometimes even consciously inside of us.
Pluto never promised to be pretty or kind, but someone has to do the dirty work and take the blame, especially when we don’t want the responsibility.
Because Pluto moves with an elliptical orbit (an oval instead of a circle), this means that in some signs it spends as much time as 30+ years, while in other signs, it can spend as little as 12 years. You will see below, for example, that Pluto spent much less time in the sign of Scorpio than it did in the sign of Taurus. Overall, however, Pluto takes about 248 years to complete one single trip around the sun and through all twelve of the zodiac signs, making it the slowest moving planet (or otherwise) in our solar system.
Pluto As a Ruling Planet:
If your rising sign is in Scorpio, then your ruling planet is Pluto. It’s likely that you’ve been called dark, secretive, mysterious, or hard to get to know. Although you mask yourself stubbornly well, you have deep depths that you may fear to allow another to plunge into. This may be due to unconscious fear of it making you feel weak and exposed as a result and you greatly dislike giving your personal power up. You’re no stranger to dark thoughts and although you don’t often share these thoughts, it can be seen inside the intensity behind your striking eyes. Within your family, your hair may be darker and your features may be sharper, making you appear sort of like a dark elf, especially when black is your clothing color of choice. If you happen to share insight into your mind with another individual, it is only after you have fixated on them for some time and you may have a history of bordering on obsession. You can usually get what you want from people by using charm, seductive energy, or magnetism, which can be used for healing or for your own self-interests.
Symbolism of Pluto:
Taboos, power plays, sexual fantasies, death, regeneration, mystery, the mind’s shadow, darkness, the underworld, transformation, obsession, BDSM lifestyles, charm, intensity, obscure, what’s hidden, destruction, near-death experiences, inheritances, potency, the underbelly, force, jealousy, disaster, manipulation, distance, coldness, reflections, investigation, contradictions, searching for the truth, defensiveness, change-provoking, deep-seated trauma, hard questions, paranoia, fear, illegal activity, drug use, punishment, slow movement, etc.
Pluto Through the Signs:
Pluto in Aries: 1822-1853 was the last time Pluto was in the sign of Aries, which was long before it had even been discovered. This was a very energetic and hard-working period, however, with societies seeming to overreach in their goals and actions. Anyone born during that time would have intense leadership qualities about them, with possible malevolent competition as a means to gain power and authority. A need to win and dominant is apparent here with this combination, where passion could turn to destruction to no end, as long as their was a focus in mind for the task at hand.
Pluto in Taurus: 1853-1884 people would be highly stubborn individuals that did not get touchy-feely and protected their personal lives at all costs, feeling threatened at anyone poking around too close to home. Having serious trust issues, these people were likely incredibly controlling and did not ever share their wealth. Always seeking more to profit and to gain, these people didn’t often pause to look around at all they had already been granted, which would have likely contributed the beginning of Marxism during this period.
Pluto in Gemini: 1884-1914 was the period in which automobile industries started pumping out vehicles for the public. During this time, everything seemed to speed up and many inventions were introduced, such as the airplane and electricity. This was a much more social period, where style of dress and expression changed as time merged from the Victorian era to an entirely new century, which was the 1900s. Having Gemini’s two sides paired with Pluto’s intensity and destruction, this period, unfortunately, also involved racial discrimination, segregation, violence and political oppression of black people.
Pluto in Cancer: 1914-1939 was a two and half devastating and emotional decades that included the crash of the stock market, the establishment of the New Deal, the Prohibition, World War I, and the Great Depression. The 1930’s were known as the dirty thirties and during that time there was major political and economic crises globally, which led up to the second World War. Cancer, which is ruled by the moon, who is the symbol of the mother, meant that during this period, women were mostly homemakers. They did, however, gain the right to vote during this time.
Pluto in Leo: 1939-1958 was when Pluto was in Leo and Leo is ruled by the sun. There is only one thing that will get as hot as the sun and that is the splitting of an atom. Ironically, during this time was when the first atomic weapon was created. Leo is also quite expressive and during this period of time is when the Women’s Liberation Movement began. Devastatingly, it also contained the Holocaust, WWII, and the beginning of the Cold War. Whereas, music, television, celebrity icons, fashion, sex appeal, fame, and creativity took a glamorous turn.
Pluto in Virgo: 1959-1972 was a period of both gloom and free love. Within the 1960s was the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassinations of President John F Kennedy on live television, as well as the minister, activist, and leader of the Civil Rights Movement Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the major rise in drug use, the sexual revolution, the birth of the baby boomers, the first man that landed on the moon, the first medical procedures that involved organ transplants, and Woodstock.
Pluto in Libra: 1971-1984 was a period in which societies ultimately desired things to go more smoothly and to be more enjoyable than they were. With that being said, these years contained the impeachment of Richard Nixon, the Vietnam War had ended, the fight against global famine began, Earth Day was created, the National Environmental Policy was enacted in the United States, as well as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and the North World Trade Tower in New York City had been completed.
Pluto in Scorpio: 1984-1995 was the period in which Pluto was in its sign of rulership, which is Scorpio. This means that we can reflect on this time as naturally being quite powerful, especially in regards to sex, transformation, and all of the intensity that comes with those things. Aids was a threat, even to the wealthy, which took the lives of both Freddie Mercury and Eazy-E in the early 90’s. Hip-Hop music was growing in popularity and the children were finding a great way to distract themselves with the rise of video gaming systems.
Pluto in Sagittarius: 1995-2008 was an unconventional time, which brought in the new millennium. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter and Jupiter makes everything much bigger! Pop culture was a massive interest and everyone wanted to be in a band. Britney Spears, Spice Girls, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, OutKast, and Gorrilaz were some of our favorite music to listen to, just to name a few. Unfortunately, this time also brought with it the Columbine school shooting, 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the London Bombings.
Pluto in Capricorn: 2008-2024, so far, has been an eventful time full of overdue changes, such as electing our first black president, Barrack Obama, in the United States and passing gay marriage nationally. Saturn, which rules Capricorn, is the planet of time, responsibility, and structure. Therefore, this is the time in which order is somewhat brought to chaos and any children born during this time will carry this deeply inherent quality inside of them. Our children will likely have an unconscious drive to see more organization within the things that have potential to bring destruction.
