Pluto

It is almost Beltane, so of course I'm thinking about death.

Let me explain.

Beltane and Samhain exist at the same time, on the same axis, on the same day, on opposite sides of the world. This is the midway point (or cross quarter festival) of the Taurus/Scorpio axis. Where are Taurus and Scorpio in your natal chart? This is a portal of life and death, and it is opening for all of us now.

Taurus is burgeoning life, heaven on earth, paradise and stability and beauty and sensual pleasure, ruled by Venus. Scorpio is regeneration, transformation, death and the occult, all that is hidden and mysterious and taboo. Taurus makes things bloom, Scorpio composts and dismembers and recycles into new forms. One cannot exist without the other.

My therapist tells me that the best time to do trauma work is when I am healthy, rested, nourished and calm. We shouldn't go into the trauma when we are depleted and dysregulated. And so, I transfer that tip from therapy into doing my deepest shadow work at Beltane when the balancing forces are in full swing. The work of Samhain is undertaken with safety and illuminated supported in the season of Beltane.

Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, Lord of the Underworld, Keeper of the Scythe and Reaper at Samhain's harvest. Pluto is a generational planet, meaning that it moves so slowly that all people in a generation will have the same Pluto placement. I am from the "Pluto in Libra" generation, folks born from 1971-1984. We are the young Gen Xers and the Elder Millenials. We are edgy, cynical, devoted to authentic self expression, and fiercely committed to justice, fairness and equality. We are quiet observers of life, until something transgresses our honed sense of justice, and then we take up our swords. Libra is all about fairness, justice and social structures, and with Pluto squatting in her domicile, those structures are up for review, dismantling, and regenerative transformation. We want to tear down what doesn't work and rebuild it again, and again, and again, into something that actually makes sense and serves life.

We aren't fans of "traditional family values," patriarchy, misogyny, micromanagers, or blind obedience to hierarchy. We want to burn it down, and in some ways we have. We have transformed social norms in our families and workplaces, but now we are going further. With Pluto in Aquarius, another air sign (like Libra) that cares a lot about justice and fairness and "We The People," our generation is being activated in a big way. Neptune in Pisces has brought some heavy delulu for the past 14 years, and as this generational planet moves into Aries we are getting cold water thrown on our faces. The fog is lifting. We are seeing the light, and it's time to get back to the work of deconstruction, and rebuilding in the name of beauty (Venus, ruler of Libra).

In my natal chart, Pluto is directly conjunct my MC (Midheaven) which means my public face is dying and being reborn again and again and again. Pluto will keep reworking me in the name of beauty, fairness, justice, equity (Libra's values) until I am a tool that is perfectly honed to restore balance and harmony in the world. I also have Saturn in Libra in the tenth house, where Saturn is exalted. This is the my work, the work of my lifetime, to be remade, to suffer and persist, for the work of beauty and love and justice. And the shadow of that can be martyrdom and boy have I struggled against that archetype.

Have a look at your chart. Where is Pluto asking you to be remade over and over and over again? What houses are governed by the Taurus/Scorpio axis? What sign houses your MC, your public persona and work in the world? I'd love to hear about it!