Planetary Fishing: Pluto

© 2013 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

This is our last planetary fishing trip. See May Planetary Fishing Expedition for background. This is a self-paced learning experience. You can copy and paste the posts into a document and take this learning trip about the planets in your chart at any time. It’s never too late to catch new insights in your net!

OK, I’ll admit … 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.

Pluto was the god of the underworld in classic mythology. I suppose that makes him the devil on one hand. He’s the devil you don’t want to know but, alas, are  forced to confront at certain junctures in life. So let’s just get out his ickier qualities so we can get past them onto this fish of another color’s more amazing side. Pluto is connected with sex, destruction, revenge, death and taxes, obsession and power—power for better or for worse.

Now let’s talk about power for the better. Pluto is the King of Fundamental Transformation. Without him, the alchemical miracles that truly change people to their core would not exist. The world would be an uglier place. Pluto helps us eliminate from ourselves whatever is toxic or destructive. It gives us sexual ecstasy, as well as other forms of energy release. It proffers psychic powers and is the seat of our will. Pluto is the source of our personal power, including harnessing the power of our subconscious. It’s a planet of collective destiny, and while it may rule spies and criminals, it also rules midwives and is the bringer of new beginnings, rebirth and regeneration.

Unfortunately, we often have to walk through hell to get to the upside of Pluto, but as the wonderful title of a book by Douglas Bloch states, When Going Through Hell … Don’t Stop! [1]

Pluto Fishing Instructions

1.   Pluto is something small that packs a lot of wallop. Write about things in your own life that have seemed small at first but were actually very powerful forces in your life.

2.     Now harness the small but powerful resource of your computer. Search for god Pluto or Pluto mythology.

a.   What do you find both distasteful and likable about Pluto’s story?

b.   What do you think about his abduction of Persephone, if you read about it? 

3.   About your Pluto and its sign:

a.   Pluto stays in the same sign for at least a generation. You will know a lot of people “your vintage” who share your orientation to Pluto. What makes Pluto in your sign unique in terms of your generation’s contribution to the world? Think of both pluses and minuses. Lastly, how does your generation differ from the one who’s Pluto is in the sign before and after yours? This can be very revealing.

b.   What’s the element of your Pluto? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) Does that element help you navigate the underworld where Pluto reigns? Or not?

c.    What’s the relationship of Pluto to your other planets? Mostly compatible or challenging?

d.   How many planets make a major aspect to Pluto? [2]

e.   How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

f.    Do these aspects make it easier or more challenging to make your way through the hellish parts of Pluto and get to his alchemical gold? What gold have you discovered in some of your most Plutonian encounters? (Example: I learned from a betrayal how important it is to be upfront about my feelings and to risk sharing them, as this painful experience stemmed from my boyfriend’s uncertainty about my love and the status of our relationship.) Where was Pluto in your chart at the time? (Conjunct Sun for me. Ouch. Gold came later.)

 4.   Who in your life was powerful and a force to be reckoned with? Think of what you’ve learned from this individual about the use and abuse of power—and if he or she is one of those people who has harnessed power for good, what you learned about the ultimate power—the power of love.

Extra Experience: This final experience is designed to be one that lingers and one that can be spread over time. It’s great that Pluto is the last major planet in our solar system, because it’s an awesome energy on which to end this series. Pluto holds the vibrations of end/beginnings, a wonderful term I read years ago in an article in Yoga Journal. For every death, there is a resurrection and rebirth. As we meet Pluto’s ultimate requirement—letting go—in this case of our learning experience together, I hope this will both help you say goodbye to our time together and hello to continuing renewal and insights.

Comb the qualities of Pluto you have uncovered, both difficult and life affirming. Choose at least 2-3 from each column. For instance, my challenging column would contain the qualities obsession, compulsion and the most negative expressions of “the dark side.” My plus column would contain rebirth, positive personal power, and my ability to regenerate.

Once you’ve found your qualities, search Amazon or your local library website for books or movies that have themes along these lines. Over the next few months, read or watch and after you’ve digested several, come back and look at these Pluto exercises again. What’s different? Is Pluto more integrated or have more questions and feelings been aroused?

Series Wrap-Up.  For our own end/beginning, I want to say how much I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this fishing expedition with you. I’ve been delighted with your reception of the experience and with your comments on individual planets. If you want to Comment on Pluto and any of the preceding planets and have your Comments count for the free e-book drawing, please do so by May 31.  I will be doing the drawing on June 1.

Lastly, I’d love to hear your comments on the series in general. This will help me know whether to move onto a similar series with the signs. If you prefer to give feedback one-on-one, don’t hesitate to email me: joyce [at] joycemason.com.

Thank you for your companionship on this odyssey of Astro-regeneration!

~~~

Photo Credits: Pluto and His Cerberus/Three-Headed Dog, Public Domain. Unknown artist, 16^th Century.

Notes

[1] This book on the author’s personal journey through depression has been a godsend to a loved one of mine while he was experiencing the same kind of hell. If you or someone you love is dealing with this issue, Douglas Bloch’s book is worth your consideration.

[2] This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

Every person who comments on any of the fishing posts in this series by May 31 will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Joyce's Chart Interpretation 101 e-book. The winner will be drawn and announced on or about June 1.

Planetary Fishing: Neptune

© 2013 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

     Just joining our fishing party? See May Planetary Fishing Expedition for background. This is a self-paced learning experience. You can copy and paste the posts into a document and take this learning trip any time, though it’s lots of fun to do it together and share Comments.

Neptune was the god of the sea and the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon in the Roman religion. Today we take our figurative fishing boat back to his realm to learn more about the planet named after him. Our planetary learning experience here on The Radical Virgo has been undertaken with a Neptunian metaphor. That makes this penultimate fishing trip extra meaningful as we consider a subtext: What aspects of Neptune like intuition, dreams and psychology have helped us throughout our weeks of reeling in more information about our astrology charts?

Neptune rules Pisces, one of the four mutable signs. Each of these signs has some element of duality. [1] I think of the three prongs of Neptune’s trident as representing one of two natures on either side with the center prong being the middle ground where we synthesize the two.

The extremes of Neptune can accurately be called the agony and the ecstasy. On the ecstatic side we have inspiration, imagination, compassion, universal love, sensitivity, hunches, spiritual highs and a lot of fun stuff many of us enjoy like film, fiction, art and music. On the side that can bring us grief, there are illusions, impracticality, substance abuse and all things “underground” from manipulation to crime and a lot of other misdemeanors committed unconsciously. In other words, if we wanted to personify the extremes of Neptune’s full gamut, its poster boys would be the Dalai Lama and Tony Soprano. Could we really expect anything less encompassing from something as big as an ocean?

It’s Neptune’s ocean full of possibilities that make exploring this planet both a little daunting and very rewarding as we contemplate the full range of these energies and how we can catch the best fish or qualities in our net and throw back what doesn’t work for us.

Neptune Fishing Instructions

1.   Let’s start again with a question, and since Neptune rules one of the dual signs, you can choose one of two:

a.   How far will you go to avoid clarity about something, whether it’s the true nature of a relationship or an honest look at yourself?

b.   How far will you go for a high?

Of course, you can write about both, if you’ve got time. We’re opening with the murkier side of Neptune because it’s hard to catch its true gifts while being dragged into its undertow. This means an honest look at any potential self-deceptions. A little bit of heaven—maybe a lot—is bound to show itself in the rest of the exercises.

2. Time to steer your boat onto the oceanic counterpart of the Information Highway.  Climb into your search engine boat and look for god Neptune.

a.   What are your favorite and least favorite characteristics of the god of the underworld? (Don’t hesitate to search for Poseidon, too, as it’s the same archetype, different nationality.)

b.   What symbols of Neptune, his relationship to others or bits of history stand out for you?

Synthesis: How do you think your favorite aspects of Neptune and the other things you find out about him relate to your impression of astrological Neptune?

3.   About your Neptune and its sign:

a.   What does your Neptune sign say about your attraction to certain Neptunian qualities? For instance, Neptune in Virgo may struggle with Neptune’s lack of practicality but share its characteristic self-sacrifice. Neptune in Libra may love its merging qualities since it’s relationship oriented. Neptune in Scorpio may share its attraction to the mystical, psychological and things hidden.

b.   What’s the element of your Neptune? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) Does that element help you navigate in the watery realm of Neptune? If yes, how? If not, why not?

c.    What’s the relationship of Neptune to your other planets? Mostly compatible or challenging?

d.   How many planets make a major aspect to Neptune? [2]

e.   How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

f.    Do these aspects make it easier or more challenging to catch the best of Neptune? Within this question is another question, what to you consider Neptune’s greatest gifts?

4.  Who in your life was compassionate, spiritual, artistically talented and/or creative? How did he or she inspire you? If you can, find a picture of this individual. Commune awhile today with your Neptune figure’s spirit. What do you learn?

Extra Experience: Do something on the delicious side of Neptune today. See a movie. Write down a dream. Write about your dreams of what you want to manifest or simply daydream about them. Swim in your emotions. One of the consummate lessons of mastering Neptune is knowing when to come out of its deep waters before you drown.

Pay special attention to what it feels like when you have to get out of the water and “come back to.” Your emotional reaction will be a big hint about how to handle your Neptune in a way that you can have plenty of trips to ecstatic states without going down three times and only coming up two. Knowing how you get back to shore is your personal trident's middle prong and mastery of Neptune.

Next up is our final planet on our May Fishing Expedition, Pluto. Are you as sorry as I am that our planetary fishing expedition is almost over?

~~~

Photo Credits: The god Neptune © Avilog | Dreamstime.com.

Notes

[1] Gemini has a pair of twins. Sagittarius has a dual being for its symbol, a centaur that’s half-man and half-horse. Pisces has two fish. While more subtle, Virgo’s duality comes from the original depiction of the sign as a winged Virgin. This reflects her dual connection to Heaven and Earth.

[2] This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

Every person who comments on these May fishing posts will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Joyce's Chart Interpretation 101 e-book.

Planetary Fishing: Uranus

© 2013 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

Aion-Uranus with Terra (Greek Gaia) on mosaic

Just joining our fishing party? See May Planetary Fishing Expedition for background.

No matter how you pronounce it—YOUR-uh-ness, Your-AH-ness or the YOUR-anatomy-part that these other pronunciations try to avoid—the first outer planet beyond Chiron is weird, wonderful and a lightning rod for growth to earthlings.

Uranus is cosmic coffee—an awakener and jump-starter whose influence spans from the unexpected (and often unwelcome) to things we all crave like independence and freedom. In-between, we encounter some of the U-Planet’s mixed bag of tricks: breakthrough, brainstorms, innovation and insights. These are complemented by explosions, tactlessness, rash acts, revolution and technology for better or for worse. Some Uranians we may meet on this fishing trip include reformers, humanitarians, heads of organizations, inventors, astrologers, leading-edge communicators, geniuses and scientists. Uranus rules electricity. He's King of Our Ultra Electronic World. If you’ve experienced a power outage anytime lately, you know just how dependent we are on the gifts of Uranus.

Uranus is called the Primordial Being of the Sky and the influence of the planet named after him is that all-pervasive.
 

 Uranus Fishing Instructions
 

 1.   Here’s my question for Uranus: What is the value of shock in your life, including abrupt changes?  When has this premier characteristic of Uranus come into your life, and what did you learn from it? We can call this, literally, shock value.

Prometheus chained to a rock, pecked by an eagle every night.

2.   For your research segment this time, we need to look at two myths and your response to them both:

a.  Rev up your search engine and enter Uranus mythology. What do you learn about Father Sky and his relationship to Mother Earth—or any characteristics that jumps out to you as important?

b. In what has long been touted as one of the best astrological essays ever written, Richard Tarnas makes a great case for the myth of Prometheus as the more meaningful story for modern Uranus.  Visit Amazon and read the write-up for his book, Prometheus the Awakener: The Archeypal Meaning of the Planet Uranus. For “extra credit” or enrichment, search a bit more on Prometheus.

After reading a little about both, to which of these archetypal expressions of Uranus do you resonate more? Or is it a bit of both. Why?

3.   About your Uranus and its sign:

a.   What does your Uranus sign say about the nature of your brilliance and visions of the future? For instance, if Uranus is in Taurus, you may have body wisdom because you get flashes of insights that you feel very physically. Uranus in Gemini might be brilliant at communicating insights.

b.   What’s the element of your Uranus? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) How does that element help you cope with some of the leading edge ideas that visit your psyche in unpredictable patterns?

c.    What’s the relationship of Uranus to your other planets? Mostly compatible or challenging?

d.   How many planets make a major aspect to Uranus? [1]

e.   How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

f.      Do these aspects make it easier or more challenging to be an ambassador of tomorrow? How do they impact the loneliness factor? (It’s lonely out front, being the first to experience what’s ahead.)

4.   Who in your life was very experimental, quirky, even far out? His or her courageous individuality may have either inspired or intimidated you. What did you learn from this individual?

Extra Experience: Look deeper at one of the shocks you once experienced in #1. What is the good you got from it in retrospect and what did you learn about coping with something big and out of the blue for which you were unprepared? (I share a personal example in my post on Hot Flashbacks/Cool Insights, A Stroke of Luck: The Power of the Wake-Up Call.) Where was transiting Uranus in your chart when this happened?

Next week, we’ll wrap up our month-long fishing expedition with Neptune and Pluto. May has flown by fast!

I’m  considering doing a similar series where we explore the 12 signs in more depth and how their energetic and mythological imprints blend into the mandala of our charts. If you like this idea, please Comment and let me know you’re giving it a thumbs-up. We’ll likely take a rest and not do another self-paced process like this that focuses on the signs until at least July.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend, and see you at the boat launch on May 28^th.

~~~

Photo Credits: Uranus with Terra on the Wheel of Time, Wikipedia, public domain. Prometheus, public domain.

Notes

 [1] This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

Every person who comments on these May fishing posts will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Joyce's Chart Interpretation 101 e-book.