The pains and joys of the Pluto transit

Astrology is the only tool available to mankind, at the moment, that can examine life with extreme accuracy to answer difficult questions, to pinpoint timing and to answer the biggest question of all, “Why?”

by Gabriella von Elekes — 

At one point or another, we all experience major shifts in consciousness which go hand in hand with one or all of the following: loss, depression, emotional or physical pain, betrayal, divorce, sexual assault or the death of a loved one. Often, when the ordeal is over, we emerge as a totally new person with a different outlook on life. In spite of the trauma, we somehow even like the new person we have become. This transformation coincides with what astrologers call a “Pluto transit.”

Pluto, or Hades, was the king of the underworld in mythology. Hades fell in love with Persephone, the daughter of the goddess of the harvest, Demeter, and took her to the underworld. Demeter was very sad and searched for her daughter relentlessly. She refused to let the crops grow, creating famine and death. At Zeus’ order, Hades let Persephone return to her mother, but not before he made her promise that she had to return to him for four months every year. It is during those four months, when Demeter mourns her daughter, that the earth is barren and we have winter.

When transiting Pluto gets very close to a personal planet (like the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars) or gets to a 90-degree angle (creating a square), the affected person will be changed forever. The hour the person was born determines the area of life in which that change will take place.

Pluto moved into the sign of Sagittarius in 1995 and it will move out again in 2008. During this time, people born under the signs Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius went through some very difficult changes.

These days Pluto is at 26 degrees of Sagittarius, and by the end of 2007 it will be only 29 degrees. People born roughly between March 16 and 19, September 19 and 22, June 16 and 20, and December 18 and 21 will be the most affected. But how will they be affected?

Sagittarius represents the faith archetype; it symbolizes our beliefs, our inner knowledge and our spirituality. If we examine the Sun signs above, we want to consider the hour at which one was born, because that affects the area of life where the biggest transformation will occur.

If you were born between these times:

• 6 to 8 a.m. — The transformation will take place mostly in your subconscious mind or behind the scenes.
• 8 to 10 a.m. — You might have some challenges with different organizations.
• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. — The changes will take place in your career.
• 12 to 2 p.m. — Your religion or life philosophy is about to change, you will go back to school or some legal issues will come forth.
• 2 to 4 p.m. — Insurance money, inheritance or sexual problems might surface.
• 4 to 6 p.m. — Relationship problems need to be dealt with.
• 6 to 8 p.m. — Work and health issues need to be addressed.
• 8 to 10 p.m. — Problems with children, creativity or gambling could occur.
• 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. — Anticipate issues in the home itself and/or with parents.
• 12 to 2 a.m. — Problems with siblings, studying, changing neighborhoods or car troubles might surface.
• 2 to 4 a.m. — You might go after what you really want in a forceful way (this includes making money).
• 4 to 6 a.m. — You will be personally affected, so you might change your appearance in some way.

Actress Katie Holmes is a perfect example of this. She was born on December 18, 1978; her Sun sign is 25 degrees of Sagittarius. Transiting Pluto was back and forth* over her Sun sign in the last year and a half. During this time, the very few pictures we saw of her showed a worn out woman with dark circles under her eyes. People wondered if she was OK. She, just like Persephone, had descended into the “underworld,” where a transformation took place. When she surfaced again, we found out that she had shifted from a Catholic background to become a Scientologist, and from a maiden she became a mother and a wife, all Pluto-in-Sagittarius archetypes. And we have not yet seen the end of her transformation.

Not all Pluto transits end up in a fairy tale marriage ceremony. (Notice the stress on “ceremony,” not marriage.) Pluto transits are difficult, to say the least, but one thing is sure: a new person emerges, and we like it this way.

Astrology is the only tool available to mankind, at the moment, that can examine life with extreme accuracy to answer difficult questions, to pinpoint timing and to answer the biggest question of all, “Why?”

* Planets only appear to move backwards. This is an apparent movement of a planet close to Earth, which in astronomy and in astrology is called a retrograde movement.

Gabriella von Elekes is a professional astrologer who teaches and offers private and corporate consultations, workshops and public speaking. She is past president of the Arizona Society of Astrologers. 480-421-9798 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 25, Number 6, December 2006/January 2007.