Sunday, May 31, 2015

Radical Reposts: The Planets – Pluto





Pluto: It’s the most feared and possibly the least understood of all the outer planets. I don’t think I’ve ever quoted an Amazon Review before, but the following is a commentary by Steven Nixon on a book I consider one of the most important I’ve ever read, The Pagan Christ. It brings home how the theme of death and resurrection—Pluto’s archetype—has been at the heart of religion and spirituality for as long as we have records of worshiping the Sun and various deities:

The mythological figure of the dead and resurrected god-man have long been exposed as universal myth motif that has been enshrined by a long list of cultures predating Christianity as we know it today. The universality of this motif has been meticulously documented, not only by Harpur and one of his main references Gerald Massey, but also the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and more recently Joseph Campbell. Jung wrote a detailed account of the origins of Christian myth motifs in "Symbols of Transformation" first compiled in 1920. He was later followed by Joseph Campbell whose most recognized work amongst many was "The Hero with a Thousand Faces."

Pluto as an astrological entity encapsulates “the death and resurrection show.” This is also the name of a 1983 book by Rogan P. Taylor that links shamanism, which he calls the Old Religion, with the magic of show business. With Pluto you’ll “get religion” of some kind, even if you don’t already have it. Pluto will show you why theatre has the masks of comedy and tragedy as its emblem. But, as Taylor promises, it will also initiate, heal and renew you. Each of our lives is an ongoing performance that is reborn with every new day.

May these reflections on Pluto help you back stage as you prepare for the show and when you’re hearing the roar of greasepaint and the smell of the crowd during your daily dramas.


Knowing and Navigating Pluto

I understand why you might not be thrilled to go to a planet named after a guy whose other name is Hades. (Could Go to Pluto become the new astrological curse?) But I also guarantee: Before we’re through with this final planet on our journey to astrological self-understanding, you’ll learn some things about the old boy that are worth wanting, even loving.

Imagine being stripped of all your hang-ups, fears and anxieties … of your past traumas and their influence on you. Visualize yourself in your pure, positive power, doing great things in the world that make a difference just by being yourself, no holds barred. Envision the Root You without any distortion or interference. This is the promise of Pluto.

“...the runt planet Pluto is actually the king of the ice dwarfs, the leader of the cosmic centaurs...Some astronomers, only partly tongue in cheek, say we should regard Pluto not as the smallest of planets, but as a comet to end all comets.” —Nigel Henbest, The Planets: Portraits of New Worlds

(12-Jul-09)
Change is the story of my life—one of deep and ongoing transformation. As I'm sure is true for many people on the spiritual path, that constant death-and-rebirth process is the very turbulence that brought me to my knees and the heart of my inner journey. It takes most of us many years to learn that change is our friend, not our enemy. It takes some of us even longer to learn to enjoy the trip.

(24-Jul-14)
My very wise astrologer friend, Linda Byrd, told me recently that she sees the outer planets as nurturing parents, nudging us to grow for our own good. I have to agree, but it has taken a lot of living to have experiences with Pluto less like I describe in The Depths of Change and more like my current process of morphing. Today’s encounters feel inside-out compared to previous Pluto transits.

I saw my friends and I allowing ourselves to be in I would call “positive vulnerability.” It’s a kind of openness that’s not an invitation to victimhood but rather the bedrock of honesty. Nothing but another person’s truth can enter the space once this “truth of your being” is expressed. It’s an environment that catalyzes deep change, because it goes to the heart of your issues and how your own heart will deal with them. There’s an energy around it that is post-traumatic, the part where the pain or strain is “venting” off your body and spirit like a mist, leaving behind only a pure and empty vessel of new creation.

This place is sacred.

 
Plutonian Issues and Remedies

Guest post by Ivory Phoenix, C.I. (Chronic Insomniac)
In the past several years—since the planet Pluto went into Capricorn—statistics on sleep disturbances have soared. According to CNN, sleep problems are estimated to be the #1 health-related problem in America.


Common descriptions of tough Pluto Transits are:
 • Going through hell
 • The rug pulled out from under you
 • Being knocked on your butt.
When we fall, tensed muscles and rigidity cause us to hurt ourselves. People who don’t see the fall coming are relaxed and barely skin their knees.

~~~

Photo Credit: © Oksana Churakova - Fotolia.com

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