Plutonian Initiations

A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON PLUTO’S 16-YEAR TRANSIT THROUGH CAPRICORN

When Pluto first entered Capricorn in late January of 2008,
I was on a flight back from Thailand,
barely alive.
At the heights (or depths) of my eating disorder,
having completely exhausted my physical body,
through my addiction to disembodied ascension,
I had to leave the yoga teacher training I had travelled across the world to take,
less than halfway through,
to save my life.

When Pluto reentered Capricorn to stay in late November 2008,
I was about to graduate from my Psychology Bachelor’s degree.
On graduation day, my menstrual cycle returned after 2 years of self-imposed suppression.
It had also come to stay
and open my way to recovery.

In September 2009, I moved to the UK
-a deeply Capricornian country.
And I ended up staying as long as Pluto himself
set up home in the sign of the Sea-Goat.
My sign.
Contrary to all expectation and prediction,
mine and others’.

Pluto had me grow the f* up.
Chiseled the adult out of me,
piece by piece.

He saw me build a practice and a life,
from the ground up,
in a foreign country.
Not without struggle,
sacrifice,
hard work.

Sometimes too hard.

He had me reach “success”
in the Capricornian sense.

He also had me burn myself out,
push my limits,
ignore my needs,
multiple times,
Stubbornly.

And then, toward the end of his transit,
as if to finish strong,
he brought Loss.
Relentless loss
of so much of what I had never imagined
I could live without.

He brought me to my knees,
to show me what truly matters;
not -just- my ego or my achievements,
but -above all else- my relationships and my soul.
Not just my goat horns,
but my mermaid tail too.

Here’s my understanding of this archetypal energy:

Pluto is a planet of extremes,
but not without purpose.

He takes us to the furthest end,
to flirt with our darkest shadows,
so that what needs to come to light gets (painfully) clear,
and cannot be ignored any longer.

Like a patient sculptor,
he removes the excess
to reveal the original soul-pattern.

He leads us through the shadowy corridors of his realm,
brings us face-to-face with Death,
so as to experience Life more fully.

And Truth-fully.

Ploutos in Greek means wealth,
reminding us that the Lord of the Underworld is truly
a Midwife of our inner riches,
our deepest Self
-not without the labour pains.

Pluto’s recent transition into Aquarius
found me having landed back in my Aquarius-ruled country.

Greece.
At the start of a new chapter I could never have predicted.

I don’t know much about the longer chapter yet.
It’s a mystery to be lived,
moment by moment,
year by year.
Pluto will stay in Aquarius for the next 20 years after all,
until 2044, with a brief return to Capricorn in September.

I do know some things though about the chapter-within-chapter
that I’m already traversing:
its colour is yellow.
It has a new name that will be revealed soon,
which this publication will share.

And it is deep,
and light.

Both/and.
Soon.

Invitation for reflection

• What initiatory journey have you been on since January/November of 2008?
If that chapter had a title, what would it be?
• What house do Capricorn and Aquarius occupy in your natal chart? These are the areas that have received (Capricorn) and will receive (Aquarius) Pluto’s transformative touch.

Archetypal Astrology and Personal Mythology

Following the movement of the planets, known as transits, is a powerful way to identify the archetypal themes, invitations and initiations of entire periods of our lives. As the planetary bodies travel through the zodiac cycle, they activate certain parts of our individual natal charts, representing aspects of our psyche and areas of our life, and catalyse experiences of growth and transformation in those specific areas. In this way, both in retrospect and looking ahead, they mark the chapters of our life story; our personal mythology. 

Becoming aware of and working with those archetypal forces turns us into conscious participants in our unique journey of individuation, in line with the ultimate aim of all depth psychologies.

If that is something that you would like to explore more deeply, this is the work that I offer in Soul-Making sessions. It would be a joy to weave the threads of your Personal Mythos together.