What Pluto Represents:
Pluto symbolizes power, transformation, regeneration and rebirth.
Pluto is associated with the unknown, darkness, and the subconscious mind, as it embodies both of the above. Pluto represents what we do not know and therefore often fear. It represents what we are powerless in the face of (hard to have power over what is unknown) and yet it also represents what we have power over: Ourselves. Mastering Pluto energy means gaining dominionship over yourself by uncovering all your dark corners. By gaining complete awareness and mastery over yourself, as much as the unknown remains unknown, you can rest assured power is in your hands.
What is a Transit:
In astrology, a transit occurs when a planet's current position in the sky forms an aspect to a point in an individual's birth chart. These transits represent the ongoing dialogue between the cosmic energies and our personal experiences. When Pluto forms significant aspects to planets or sensitive points in our birth charts, we undergo Pluto transits, which can profoundly impact our lives.
Typical Effects of Pluto Transits:
Transformation and Renewal: Pluto transits often bring about profound transformations and periods of renewal. This can manifest as the ending of old structures or ways of being, leading to new beginnings and rebirth. These changes can be intense and may require us to confront our deepest fears and desires. It's not unusual to face a significant "loss" during a Pluto transit, forcing us into the unknown. As much as our humanity pushes us to avoid losses and the unknown, the journey is more often than not rewarding.
Power Dynamics: Pluto transits can bring issues of power and control to the surface. This can lead to power struggles, confrontations, or a deepening of personal power and empowerment. Pluto's energy is transformative, challenging us to reclaim our power and break free from oppressive situations. We often see other people's darkness during this transit, encountering dark, manipulative and oppressive figures. We ourselves become more attuned to this part of us and are called to overcome and transmute these aspects of our personality.
Psychological Depth: Pluto rules the subconscious mind, and during its transits, we may delve into the depths of our psyche. This can bring up buried emotions, traumas, or unconscious patterns that need to be addressed and healed. It's a time for inner exploration and psychological growth.
Obsession and Compulsion: Pluto transits can also bring about obsessive or compulsive behavior as we grapple with intense emotions and desires. This can manifest as fixation on certain goals, relationships, or outcomes. It's important to stay grounded and maintain perspective during this transit.
How to navigate a Pluto Transit:
Pluto transits, especially in hard aspects, can be incredibly challenging. It's not uncommon to have intense physical symptoms, which represent our body sensing this "death" process that feels threatening to our nervous system. I recounted my personal experience with Pluto square my Libra Moon here and it was quite a ride and a haunting memory. The best approach to a Pluto transit is to recognize where you are experiencing resistance, a fixation on getting a specific outcome or avoiding a loss, and practicing surrendering. It's incredibly hard to do at first, but the more you let go and let your grip get loose, the easier it gets. Let things end, accept "losses", move on gracefully and have faith in yourself that as scary as the unknown can be, you will find something else, most likely better, on the other side.
Pluto-Sun Transit:
When transit Pluto aspects the Sun in our birth chart, our sense of identity and purpose may undergo profound changes. This can manifest as a crisis of identity, a deepening of personal power, or a desire for greater authenticity and self-expression. Key events such as power struggles, personal transformations, or intense life changes may occur, prompting us to confront our deepest desires and fears. I've written about transit Pluto to Sun here.
Real-life examples: This one is so interesting, I've honestly seen it play in so many different ways, including some that are somewhat similar to transit Uranus to Sun.
I've seen men become fathers or husbands with Pluto transit Sun. I've seen people lose a significant father figure, through conflict or illness. Women tend to meet their husband with the trine or opposition, but tend to divorce with the square or conjunction.
My personal experience with it was a life-altering with my father, followed by a sales job that was pretty dark with a boss who was, without a doubt, psychopathic. This sales job actually put me in touch with my own dark side as I was plunged in the darkness of slimey sales. It didn't last long but left a lasting impression on me!
Pluto-Moon Transit:
When Pluto aspects the Moon, our emotional life and inner world may undergo significant changes. This transit can bring intense emotions, psychological insights, and a deepening of emotional connections. However, it can also lead to power struggles, control issues, or a desire for emotional transformation. Relationships may undergo profound shifts, leading to greater intimacy or emotional upheaval. This one is going to greatly vary depending on the stories your Moon tells. For example, if your Moon is in aspect to Saturn and you tend to repress your emotions or view them as a weakness, a transit of Pluto to your Moon would completely reveal and blow apart your emotional defences; a painful but very rewarding process. If your Moon is exalted, receiving no particularly difficult aspect, you would be having a much easier time and would have much less to process. I've written a blog post entirely dedicated to Pluto square Moon here.
Personal examples: I have a few with this one. First, of course, my own personal hell with Pluto square my Moon. In hindsight, it's the best transit I ever had as I truly did benefit so much from going through this and becoming such a different person, but in the moment (which lasted well over a year) I truly thought I was insane. I've had a couple of clients who became terribly afraid of loss and death during this transit, almost the opening of a pandora box for them. One client had suffered a divorce and was quite traumatized by the separation. Another client had no problem whatsoever in her relationship, but after the natural death of her grandmother at an old age, she became very afraid of losing her husband or children through divorce or death. Both of them had Pluto-Moon aspects in their birth chart which the transit revealed! A man I know with Moon-Mars conjunct was left by his decade-long girlfriend, which he never thought would happen and completely turned his world upside down. It triggered a massive awakening for him on how he needed to change internally.
Pluto-Mercury Transit:
Pluto-Mercury transits stimulate our mental processes and communication style, leading to intense insights and transformative thoughts. This transit can bring deep psychological insights, obsessions, or a desire for profound communication. Quite often, people develop expertise in a subject as they become so laser-focused. However, it can also lead to power struggles, manipulation, or a tendency to delve too deeply into dark or taboo subjects.
Personal examples: I can't really recall a specific story from a client with this one, oddly enough, but I did have it myself and it was quite spectacular.
When Pluto was square my Mercury in Libra by transit, I experienced a few things. First, I developed symptoms that were referred to as "relationship ocd." In hindsight, I don't know if the diagnosis was truly accurate, but at the time I was having a lot of ruminating thoughts about my relationship yet couldn't make up my mind to leave it. It caused a lot of suffering until I finally made the decision to leave (which took a year) and I immediately experienced relief. As my Mercury is in Libra, being "of two minds" and being concerned with my relationship was of course on brand. I remember spending a lot of time googling ambivalence and how to decide whether or not a relationship should be maintained or ended. Because I was so concerned with making the right decision, I ended up reading an enormous amount of books about psychology and relationships. I also began attending therapy religiously and by the end of the transit, I had ended my relationship and I had also accumulated a whole lot of knowledge about myself, relationships, psychology and therapy.
Pluto-Venus Transit:
When Pluto aspects Venus, our relationships, values, and sense of beauty undergo profound changes. This transit can bring intense romantic experiences, power struggles in relationships, or a desire for deeper connections. It challenges us to confront our deepest desires and fears in love and relationships.
Pluto-Venus is definitely a transit that a lot of people have when they meet their significant others. Quite incredible passion and connections, especially for the conjunction or the trine. Oddly enough, even with the square, I've seen people get successfully married! Of course, if you are in an existing relationship and it is one that is dishonest or unhappy, the relationship will end, or go through such a massive transformation that what will be left of it will be entirely different.
Personal examples: I have a friend who met her husband during Pluto square Venus, another one during Pluto trine Venus, and another one during Pluto conjunct Venus. One male client got married during Pluto square Venus to his second wife.
Pluto-Mars Transit:
Pluto-Mars transits energize our drive, ambition, and assertiveness, leading to intense action and transformation. This transit can bring power struggles, confrontations, or a desire to assert our personal power. People tend to experience two completely opposite energies during this transit. Either, you feel completely crushed, frozen, stagnant and overwhelmed, finding it really hard to get anything done, as if covered by an invisible cloak. Or, you have obsessive and devouring desires that push you to become incredibly ambitious and high-achieving. The birth chart and the nature of Mars in your chart will help you decipher which one you're likely to experience.
Pluto will also cleanse your Mars of any dysfunctionality it used to carry. For example, if your Mars is in aspect to Saturn, and you tend to play small, let fear hold you back, or have really high criticism toward yourself, the transit of Pluto will help you rinse and cleanse, let go of these burdens.
Personal examples: It's really not uncommon for women to meet a partner during this transit that she feels completely obsessed and infatuated with. The connection is typically highly polarized with the partner being highly sexual and masculine. I've seen clients go through relationships where the partner is not healthy and/or the relationship is neither healthy nor functioning, yet feeling unable to walk away because of the dizzying chemistry. I've also seen women meeting their lifelong partner during a transit of Pluto to Mars and having. a healthy relationship. Personally, this transit of Pluto to Mars really put me in touch with my personal power and I learned how to do conflict better. My Mars is in Libra which means I'm highly uncomfortable with conflict, and yet, I can be high-conflict at times, because conflict is so disturbing for me. I dated two men during this transit that were really difficult to be with and belligerent. It did teach me a lot about conflict though and allowed me to become more assertive and better at addressing conflict.
Pluto-Jupiter Transit:
When Pluto aspects Jupiter, our beliefs, philosophies, and opportunities for growth may undergo profound changes. This transit can bring intense philosophical insights, power struggles over beliefs, or a desire for deep transformation. It challenges us to confront our deepest beliefs and expand our horizons. Personal examples: I've seen a few clients getting a lot of money during this transit. I can recall two that had a family member passing away and receiving a significant inheritance. I've also seen a few divorces during this transit, and with sextiles and trines, meeting their life partner and/or getting married!
You can learn predictions with me by taking my prediction class!
See also:
Planets in transits:
Astrology transits: When will you meet someone?
Pluto in the houses:
Pluto in aspect: