The Pluto Club

"... and the man or woman who would have remained a sunny garden-flower, with no room for its roots and too much sunshine for its head, by the falling of the walls and the neglect of the gardener, is made the banian of the forest, yielding shade and fruit to wide neighbourhoods of men ...." Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sun square Pluto

“God speaks only to the oldest souls, the ones most experienced in living and suffering. ‘You shall belong to no-one and to nothing, to no party, to no majority, to no minority, to no society except in that it serves me at my altar. You shall not belong to your parents, nor to your wife and children, nor to your brothers and sisters, nor to them who speak your language, nor to those who speak any other — and least of all to thine own self. You shall belong only to me in this world.”
~Franz Werfel

I have long wanted to find a good way to put into words The Pluto Club, those who have Pluto in aspect to their Sun or Mars. This is a very special group of people. You can feel singled out by fate or elevated in destiny. The choice is yours.

Here, Pluto is god. Pluto is evolution.God is evolution. Evolution is god. Life is very different and perhaps those in the Club should stick with each other. I try to. I find it difficult to relate on an intimate level to someone who is not Plutonic.

Here is a paragraph I read in Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essay on Compensation which I think sums it up nicely. This Essay is a discourse on karma.

"... Such, also, is the natural history of calamity. The changes which break up at short intervals the prosperity of men are advertisements of a nature whose law is growth.

"Every soul is by this intrinsic necessity quitting its whole system of things, its friends, and home, and laws, and faith, as the shell-fish crawls out of its beautiful but stony case, because it no longer admits of its growth, and slowly forms a new house.

"In proportion to the vigor of the individual, these revolutions are frequent, until in some happier mind they are incessant, and all worldly relations hang very loosely about him, becoming, as it were, a transparent fluid membrane through which the living form is seen, and not, as in most men, an indurated heterogeneous fabric of many dates, and of no settled character in which the man is imprisoned.

"Then there can be enlargement, and the man of to-day scarcely recognizes the man of yesterday. And such should be the outward biography of man in time, a putting off of dead circumstances day by day, as he renews his raiment day by day."

This is most of all promised to those with Pluto conjunct the Sun or conjunct Mars. Growth comes in shock to those who are not members of this club :-)

The Astrology of Fate by Liz Greene who has Scorpio Rising and Pluto in the 9th house. There can be such "fatedness" to a heavy Pluto influence. I think of a woman whose fiance was shot to death in a convenience store robbert the night before their wedding.

Healing Pluto Problems by Donna Cunningham. Cunningham deals majestically wth the lower end of Pluto, addictions. I'm glad for this. I get impatient with psychologists who speak of 100% residivism. Spirituality can heal addictions. No one is doomed to repeat their lessons, though they may choose to with free will. I know of many examples among my clients of those who have healed theoretically incurable conditions. With God, all things are possible.

Astrological Aspects: Your Inner Dialogues by Jeanne Avery. This is a terrific book to describe every aspect, i.e., Sun square Pluto, Sun conjunct Pluto, Mars opposite Pluto. Avery knew many famous people and includes descriptions that are just unforgettable. She is the world's greatest astrologer for aspect description.

The Gods of Change: Pain, Crisis and the Transits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (Arkana's Contemporary Astrology Series). I haven't read this book personally but Sasportas was an excellent astrologer, now deceased. His books have appealed to many of my students through the years.

Alive and Well with Pluto: Transits of Power and Renewal by Bill Tierney. Have not read this book personally. It's about transits not natal positions, but it understanding transits is an important part of understand the energy you're walking around with from your natal chart.

I don't recommend Jeff Green's books. I don't feel that he has an adequate grasp on the subject.

Pluto: The Shadow or the Light. Heal Yourself Let Go of Anger and Fear, Unlock Your Motivation, Develop Faith in the Universe, a tape by Joyce Levine

If you're still struggling with your Plutonic "lifestyle", Emerson concludes his Essay with these words of consolation ... his own Sun in Gemini in the 9th house squares Pluto in Pisces in the 6th, bespeaking great sorrow and conflict at the inevitable changes that appeared to him outside as fate. See Emerson's chart.

"And yet the compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time.

"A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a loss of wealth, a loss of friends, seems at the moment unpaid loss, and unpayable. But the sure years reveal the deep remedial force that underlies all facts.

"The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later assumes the aspect of a guide or genius; for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted occupation, or a household, or style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character. It permits or constrains the formation of new acquaintances, and the reception of new influences that prove of the first importance to the next years; and the man or woman who would have remained a sunny garden-flower, with no room for its roots and too much sunshine for its head, by the falling of the walls and the neglect of the gardener, is made the banian of the forest, yielding shade and fruit to wide neighbourhoods of men." [these are some of my favorite lines in all of literature]

Please contact me if you'd like to know if you have Pluto aspecting your Sun or Mars. Email me and remind me in the body of your email what you're asking.

A reader recently contacted me about problems he was having during a difficult transit. This is his chart. And this is my reply:

I have your chart now and can see you are really having a miserable time of it. I don't know how much astrology you know, it sounds like a good deal, but you are actually a fairly happy Pluto person having a miserable Saturn experience.

Pluto people like to paint themselves into corners and come out fighting. They like to get on killing ground (do or die) and they prefer one great big fat cathartic crisis to a chronic long drawn out mess which is undoubtedly what is going on right now.

Pluto cuts the arm off at the shoulder, bam, it's done. Saturn pulls it slowly out of the socket, inch by inch. Torture.

The problem is the frustration of not being able to force it to a crisis and indeed you will be able to but it should lighten up for you when Saturn finally crosses the Ascendant around August 2005. There are few things as dismal as Saturn going through the 12th house ... are there? So now you know. Just be glad you don't have it there natally. It would be a lifetime of this (ha!)

What is adding to the complexity is that it is bringing back experiences to remind you of memories of past lifetimes (and childhood) when this was a way of life, this kind of rage and frustration. This is probably the way your father or father figure treated you, especially around puberty (age 14), so you can get a better understanding of the forces that shaped you and perhaps set yourself free with some insight in the months to come.

Your Pluto is widely conjunct your Sun -- that's a wide orb for Pluto, some wouldn't even take it as conjunct. I wouldn't. The bigger problem and it's a very big one is Pluto tightly conjunct the North Node. That's huge.

This symbolizes urgent matters to be completed this lifetime of a critical nature involving a complete transformation of your orientation toward life. Not only must you move from Aries in the 9th to Libra in the 3rd, you must do it absolutely and with abandon, completely surrendering to the process of transformation. It is not possible for a person to change more than the person who has Pluto on their North Node is asked to and if they refuse to change, they will meet this force outwardly as fate.

It is imperative that you get your will under God with this placement -- "Thy will, not mine". To be denied something we want or think we have to have or will die without is one of the faces of God and it is the face that Pluto, the god of evolution may present. It also tends to teach that anything you put between you and God, anything you want more than God, will be taken from you. I have seen this happen and it's not pretty, so that's why I say get your will under God now. If you are willing to lose everything/anything you will not need to.

Early in life like this you may encounter real events. Later in life, I think this has to do with speaking and writing about the truth but in a fearless way.

If something wants to leave your life now (or ever) let it. Let go of everything right now. It is better than losing your arm because you are holding on too tightly.

If you start messing with Pluto in a rebellious way like it sounds like you may be, it can bring violence to you, accident, etc., getting caught in some crossfire, Get conscious about the Libra 3rd house matters that need to change and try to do so before the eclipse on the 13th at 21 degrees Libra that is coming up. I am assuming you know enough astrology to figure this out or you may want to order the full chart reading.

The significant factor here is that your South Node is in Aries in the 9th and you may subconsciously feel like you can live forever. You know Aries is rash and courageous basically because they don't really believe in death. They don't think they will ever die. It's not a reality. This gives them that foolhardiness -- like Achilles in Troy or the Russell Crowe character in Gladiator. But that Aries South Node of yours is looking right at the god of death, Pluto, so get respectful. Pull your energy in, get it under control, have respect for the rights of others and be concerned about your personal safety this month especially. If life is a little frustrating for the time being, use some personal discipline and wait for better times.

If your Sun were in Aries you could walk around with this big fat chip on your shoulder, all pissed off, and get away with it, maybe even get to punch somebody out and get all fired up, etc. testosterone. But when it's your South Node that is in Aries (don't go there) and you are supposed to be learning the lessons of Libra in the 3rd, tact, diplomacy, respect for others opinions, a cool and detached stroll through the neighborhood while scoping it out with your laser vision, gathering data to use later on but incognito -- if you still try to be the Aries and strut around town with a chip on your shoulder, that Pluto will take you right down like the sniper you never saw, or ... it may appear in the form of a crowd or at least more than one person ganged up against you. The whole idea of Pluto is to get your will in line under God, so do that now and avoid further unpleasant or even life threatening circumstances. I have a lot of PLuto in my chart and take it very seriously like this.

Pluto may also take something from you to teach you who is God and who is mortal, so bend your will now and live happily ever after to learn more lessons about life and astrology.

Nancy R. Fenn

Good links about Pluto and Plutonic matters.
Please report broken links. Email me.

1.21.08
How I feel Pluto affects my life: I have always had a sense of the underbelly of situations, interactions between people, what is really going on beneath the surface. This has often led me to withdraw myself. When people meet me, they find me too intense, which often results in my being peripheral to social situations (though this is not only enforced by others, but by myself). I can become obsessive about things. If I am researching something, I become totally consumed by it (I am a PhD student). These are just a few examples.

7.27.2007 Thank you. I'm one of the "babies". Catharsis is like, well, breathing for me. I think I've packed at least 9 lives into this one so far. Thank you for being sensitive to the difference. ~k.Dee, email

7.13.2005 An Aries reader says: Scorpios can fascinate me to no end. The few people who have had the power to make me throw my pride out the window have been Scorpios- as far as my experience, they're the only ones who can make people shudder to their very bones.

Nancy says in response: If you're a Pluto type, don't tell me you don't know what he means. Don't give me that innocent Goethe Scorpio Rising look :-) If you think this is the little spring lamb, read Faust and experience Walpurgis Nacht which makes the night of Bald Mountain look like a trip to a theme park. I absolutely love this Plutonic man and his ability to shake me to my roots.

4.14.2007 I believe I qualify as a member of this club as I have Pluto conjunct my Mars AND my Sun, in my 5th house :) And yes, my life is all about transformation. I believe the Abraham Hicks - Law of Attraction - Secret connection will strike a deep chord with all Plutonians as it finally reveals what it's been all about all along - and how the kinds of transformation we're after can begin to occur. I would also highly recommend Kundalini and Ashtanga (Power) Yoga as well as Reiki to any member of the "club". Their soothing, healing effects will be warmly welcomed by anyone struggling with issues of Self and transformation of Self. Oh, and re: "I find it difficult to relate on an intimate level to someone who is not Plutonic" this one made me chuckle. I've had 5 "important" relationships in my life so far and one was a Scorpio moon, two were Scorpio suns, and two were Moon/Pluto conjunctions! Apparently nothing "less" would do!

Ms. Fenn,
I just came from reading your assessment of Pluto conjunct North Node. It was fate – I believe, I was meant to read it, I have north node in libra (end of second house) conjunct Pluto (3) – 5.17 degrees. I also have moon in aries (beginning of 9^th house) conjunct North Node in aries (end of 8^th house) – 3.47 degrees. I found a lot of what you said to be true in my case.

I do like to paint myself into a corner and come out fighting or at least, prepared to. It’s something like realizing a part of myself and thinking I can speak (write) about many things but hardly ever get anyone to say, I understand how you feel or maybe you should try “this” / the rare moments I actually “open” up. It’s like I have to take it all and keep so much to myself, without feedback – that I have to settle for counting on myself at all times, and feeling “apart” from others. Nothing that happens to me is anything less than abnormal.

Surrending to the transformation – Aries to Libra. I’m very much comfortable with being a loner. Being the oldest, my 3^rd house (sibling as well, right?) was tapped into after my free-reigning days, 9^th house (higher learning, traveling?) days away from them. My mom died and I took custody of my siblings (1999) and I got to make some sort of amends with my mom since we were estranged since I was 7 or 8. It was a hard experience. I met different people – on the one hand, I met many people in my 9^th house days but I met many people on the opposite side of the spectrum when I was in the 3^rd house days (btw, that is where I am now).

This was very true – my south node does attribute to my feeling that I can live forever (at least a part of me or at least, that would be ideal) or that I won’t die at all – or, at least, I’m not afraid to die. In my Aries dominated days there was a crowd (more in the environments where I was studying), my Libra days are crowded (family, spiritual and biological).

I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful read. I could relate to it all so well.

Dear Nancy,

I had to write, this article The Pluto Club, literally gave me a little piece of peace during NOW my Pluto conjunct Sun in the 6th and conjunct my north node in the 12th, along with Jupiter conjunct north node coming.

With the full moon this weeked which seems to have exerbated even more horrific circumstances that are presently happening, no food in my house but crumbs, my son in a mental rehab, my car, my finances and last but least my Multiple Sclerosis. My medical astrolger swares I will be cured by 2009, also having natal Uranus conjunct Jupiter. I pray for this to be the finger of God. Saying I gave to him my all. This is how I feel now. I have only God left.

Thank you for that article I found today. It has helped me to believe I will be okay.

My [xxx] has been my Pluto and is ill, and will leave a large sum of money to me when passing. Which I pray will save the day and allow me to carry on with real substance to help the little part of the world I live in. ..