There is a story in Greek myth of an innocent maiden called Kore, happily playing in a field under the protective eye of her mother the earth goddess Demeter. Aphrodite (Venus) perceives that such innocence is inappropriate at Kore's age, and arranges for Eros to inflame Hades (Pluto) with one of his arrows. Kore unwittingly picks a narcissus, a flower associated with the underworld, whereupon Hades appears in his chariot through an opening in the ground, abducts her to the underworld and rapes her. Kore's name is changed to Persephone (one who loves darkness), innocence is gone, she is free from the dominion of her mother who sought to maintain that innocence, and she has suddenly entered adulthood.

Maybe not much more needs to be said about Pluto! Most of us know people (probably ourselves at some times in our lives) who appear to live life at a superficial level, unwilling to dig to deeper levels as the immediate experiences of their lives offer sufficient comforts. We may be in a career which is apparently satisfying, but know deep down that our deeper resources are untapped, or in a relationship that fulfils our need for companionship and sexual satisfaction but from which passion and deep love are missing. Then along comes Pluto by progression of transit to our birth charts, up comes Hades through a hole in the ground and we get made redundant or our partner leaves us or we just know we cannot live a lie any longer. We just know that some major reorientation of life is required. The experience can be devastating, but if it can be entered into, often with some support from friends or counsellors, a new way of living will emerge that is more satisfying (even if more challenging) than before.

Pluto is not necessarily sudden in its action. It is within the nature of things that they grow, die, decay and change into something else. Likewise the human psyche undergoes crises involving breakdown and renewal. Some people appear to act as agents for Plutonian transformation. It is part of its nature that the psyche is drawn to situations that it needs in order to move on to the next stage of growth. Many of us will, at some stage in our lives, feel drawn to someone who we do not perceive as physically attractive, but is sexually magnetic. Some power seems to draw us to that person, even if we can only look from afar. That is the power of Pluto.

It is not just individual people, but also whole societies that need decay and renewal. The agents of such decay are usually the so-called 'underworld' (a Pluto word) elements of society, organised crime and disaffected elements of society. As I write this (April 2003) much is being said in some quarters of the need to 'eliminate terrorism'. These same quarters seem unaware of, or unwilling to face, the massive problems the social order faces as it stands. The cold war may have ended when the Berlin Wall came down, but the threats simply appeared elsewhere. Likewise, the elimination of terrorism, should it ever occur, will not remove the threat of destruction to a society that attempts to suppress the powers of darkness within it.

Rules -Scorpio
Day -Tuesday
Colors - Blue, Green and Ochre.
Health - Pluto rules prostrate, tumors, hormones, cancer cells, asthma, hay fever, polyps, finger and toe nails, and skin ailments.
Pluto is a tiny planet which has an erratic orbit. It takes 10 to 12 years to complete one cycle of the zodiac. Sometimes it moves very slowly taking over 30 years to complete one sign. Pluto takes approximately 248 years to make one cycle through all twelve signs. The period Pluto spends in each sign can vary from twelve years to thirty two years due to the eccentricity of its orbit. Though it is smaller in size, its energy is enormous. Pluto governs complete transformations, death, the underworld, volcanoes and deep spiritual matters.
The presence and direction of Pluto's energy are never obvious until it is used. Pluto's influence in any sign is interpreted as generational or historical. In your personal life, Pluto's significance is interpreted from its house position and the aspects it makes to other natal planets in your horoscope. Pluto rules intense energy, and describes the areas in which you consciously or subconsciously seek to exercise power or control. Pluto is also linked to your karmic responsibility.