ASTROLOGY - BEGINNERS LEVEL

COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

PLUTO

THE SYMBOL OF PLUTO

The original symbol of Pluto were the letters PL, for Percival Lowell, the astronomer
who made the calculations that subsequently allowed the discovery of Pluto. These
days, the symbol that is most commonly used is a semicircle with a little circle inside
it, and underneath it, a cross: “the soul creating spirit outside of matter”.

ASTRONOMY
- Before 2006, it was considered the ninth planet of the Solar System. As of 2006 it is categorised as
a dwarf planet1.
- This is the furthest planet, known thus far, from the Sun but its movement is so eccentric, that
during certain periods its orbit enters that of Neptune. Its orbit over the ecliptic plane is highly
inclined. Whilst the rest of the planets do not move more than 8° latitude north or south of the
ecliptic, Pluto moves up to 17°, so it rises and falls a lot further than the other planets. These
extremes in its trajectory seem to symbolise the great heights or fearful depths to which a person
can soar or fall through the plutonian function.
- It was discovered on 18th February 19302.
- Daily movement: in Scorpio (where it moves very fast) its maximum speed is 2.5’ and in Taurus
(where it takes much longer to travel through the sign): 1.3’. The average speed is minimal: 14 arc
seconds.
- Cycle around the zodiac: 248 years.
- The orbit of Pluto is eccentric, which generates great variations with regards to the time it spends
in each sign. For example, it spends 32 years in Taurus, but only 11.5 years in Scorpio, its opposite
sign. There are times where it is faster than Neptune.
- Retrogradation: it is retrograde for more or less 44% of the time, that is to say 156 to 161 days per
year.

ABSTRACT LEVEL
1- Vibrational quality
Pluto’s quality is intensity, destructive power, ruthlessness, potency. It is a vibration that destroys
what is no longer useful so that new vitality can emerge. There are two actions that represent this
vibrational quality: the release of all energy and the absorption of all energy. Both extremes are
intense.

Pluto is drive. Not to be confused with Martian desire, that satisfies itself and is more related to
instinct. On the other hand, Pluto is pure desire that transcends every object. The profound quality

1
Dwarf planet: is a term coined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define a new class of celestial
bodies, different to a planet. According to the IAU, a dwarf planet is a celestial body that: 1) is in orbit around a
star (The Sun), 2) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a
hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round shape), 3) is not the satellite of a planet or another non-stellar body, 4)
has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit. The difference between planets and dwarf planets is that
the latter have not cleared the neighbourhood around their orbit. This characteristic suggests that the two
types of bodies have different origins.
2
Its discovery coincided with a climate of public intimidation or coercion, as it was the era of blackmail and
gangsterism in the United States; the birth of dictatorships, the development of atomic energy and it coincided
with the greatest economic depression - that of 1930 - that the world has ever known.
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COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

of Pluto is just that: transcendence. Plutonian “desire” is drive, hence the compulsion typical of
plutonian energy.

2- Energetic modality
Centripetal (absorption) and centrifugal (release).

3- Function within a system

The function of Pluto in a system consists of annihilating forms to release the energy contained in
them and for new energy to circulate. The function is death. When greater vitality is not possible for
a form, Pluto comes to destroy it to release the energy contained. This released energy can build
different forms from the energy that is once again available. The appropriate word to refer to Pluto
is release, which is destruction, death and resurrection at the same time.

It is a transpersonal and necessary function for life to continue existing, life that is created with the
energy released from the old forms. So, death is a creative act, the death of form is the creativity of
the Universe.

At first sight, this function is clear in the universe, the problem is how this function is archetyped in
the collective unconscious of humans.

From the point of view of energy, Pluto is presented as a releaser of energy. If we look at it from the
point of view of form. Pluto appears as destruction, death.

PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVEL

1. Archetype
Hades: in Greek mythology, is the god of the underworld. Brother of Poseidon and Zeus. When the
dominion of the world was divided out, Hades was given everything that was found underground
(the most precious treasures and dark hell). Hades had his palace, which was also called “Hades”, in
the world of the dead.

Hades is a sombre and cheerless god, a terrible, intense god, who ruled over the dead, who he did
not allow to leave his territory. This symbolises the power of our unconscious mind to trap and keep
psychological material that does not come to the surface easily.

The symbols of Hades are a two-pronged sceptre which he used as a weapon and used to direct the
souls of the dead to the underworld. He also had a helmet that made the wearer invisible. He
travelled around in a dark carriage drawn by four black horses.

To reach Hades, the dead had to cross the River Styx with the help of the boatman Charon. The door
of Hades is guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog, with a serpent for a tail to watch that the
dead did not leave and the living did not enter.

The abduction of Kore (Persephone) and the relationship with the four seasons: the goddess
Demeter (or Ceres, was the daughter of Chronos and Rhea, and sister of Zeus. Demeter was the
goddess of agriculture, cereals, and nature in general. She had a beautiful daughter: Kore. Hades saw
her one day and became infatuated with her in such a way that he could not bear his desire so he
kidnapped her, taking her to his underworld. When Demeter found out what happened, she became
so sad that she began to neglect here obligations as a goddess of nature, she began to wander
aimlessly around the world, sad, depressed to the extent that she left Earth submerged in a
continuous winter, destroying harvests and causing hunger.
ASTROLOGY - BEGINNERS LEVEL
COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

Zeus noticed this terrible situation and ordered Hades to release Persephone immediately. However,
he did not want to be separated from his beloved, so he made her eat a pomegranate from the
underworld. If someone ate something from the underworld, they had to remain there forever,
which forced Persephone to remain by his side. Zeus intervened in the conflict so an agreement was
reached. Persephone would spend half of the year with her mother, Demeter, and the other half of
the year with Hades in the underworld. The joy of the reunion with her daughter caused the Earth to
flourish again and the fields to yield their crops. This is how the seasons were originated. Whilst
Persephone was in the underworld with Hades, Demeter would become sad, so the Earth also did
so, giving rise to autumn and the cold winter. When she returned to her mother, the joy of the
reunion caused her depression to disappear and with her happiness everything flourished again,
giving rise to spring and summer.

In terms of archetypes, this plutonian energy is difficult to accept for the consciousness. It will create
a fantasy that there is a power in the Universe that can destroy us whenever and however it wants.
Even though plutonian energy is necessary for life, and from one point of view this function is
natural and understandable, if we see it from the point of view of form it will create a lot of panic,
fear of dying and all the fantasies about destruction and death that we humans can feel.

The archetypes are not the product of a few individuals who experienced something sublime or
great, rather they are repetitions of the basic experiences of humanity. So, the basic experience of
humanity is the denial of death. That is why the archetypes related to Pluto will awaken horror and
panic, because we unconsciously attribute a destructive power to this energy.

A more modern archetype of Pluto could be Dracula, an immortal being who achieves his objectives
by taking vitality from other “forms”.

2- Personal psychological function/ What it represents in the natal chart

On a more personal level, the plutonian function is related to the most profound aspect of the libido,
the most unconscious part of the creative power present in each individual. It is not easy to come
into contact with this function, society conspires to prevent us from releasing it.

Pluto represents transformation and regeneration at the highest level, or destruction and
annihilation at its lowest level.

The function of Pluto is profoundly vitalising: it gives a lot of vitality and a lot of power, because it
releases what is lifeless. Pluto implies the idea of regeneration, transmutation, transformation and
metamorphosis. Where Pluto is in our chart is an area of life where we transform, die and are
reborn.

Another aspect of Pluto is related to sex which implies the fusion of energy, death and resurrection.

In terms of family systems, Pluto’s position in the birth chart is an area of life where there was
generally-speaking a generational misunderstanding with the circulation of energy, control, power,
creative potential. You have to work to transform and release what is stagnant in order to take
advantage of new vital energy. Psychologically, it can cause fear, helplessness, the need to control,
etc.

Pluto is a function which you cannot avoid giving your all to. You are completely absorbed by an
experience, taking energy from all places and focusing it on one sole desire, one place, one wish.
Here is where Pluto manifests.
ASTROLOGY - BEGINNERS LEVEL
COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

Don’t confuse this with Saturn: it’s not about saturnian focus related to saving energy, austerity and
certainty. Pluto is pure desire, so strong that it removes all desire placed in other things. That is why
a plutonian extreme is compulsion, not being able to stop doing something.

It is common to see people with a strong Pluto who constantly repeat the cycle of withdrawing
energy from where they have it, to pour it all in one single direction. Of course they achieve
whatever they decide to do. They are people with more power than the rest, since they dare to
withdraw, let die, sacrifice everything for something. This action of putting energy in one place
brings with it the corresponding action that whole areas (family, partners, health, etc) begin to
become devitalised and lose power. This can bring a lot of pain and destruction. Situations involving
a lot of compulsion can emerge because this withdrawal of energy is not planned.

Destruction
The difficulty with plutonian energy has to do with power and potency and not with the object itself.
Pluto always transcends the object. To achieve something, it would be best to use Martian energy,
but to transcend and release energy we use Pluto. But if the desire for an object is highly determined
by Pluto, generally destructive, compulsive behaviour will appear.

Positive expression of the plutonian function: intense energy properly channelled through
situations that involve managing the energy of others. Ability to transform and regenerate. Skilled at
transforming and facilitating healing processes. Ability to easily eliminate what is not necessary and
regenerate after toxic situations. Ability to detect what no one sees. Great willpower and
determination. Magnetism. Creative potential. Intense and abundant sexuality.

Negative expression of the plutonian function: manipulation, seeking power for your own ends and
to subdue others. Dominant, destructive, tyrannical attitudes. The need to have everything under
control and the inability to let energy flow and regenerate. Toxicity. Going from one extreme to
another without being able to find a middle ground. Self-destructive behaviours. Masochism.
Sadism. Cruelty. Arbitrariness. Omnipotence. Or the other extreme: fear of showing your own
power, projecting it outwards and subjecting yourself to toxic and destructive relationships.
ASTROLOGY - BEGINNERS LEVEL
COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

IN THE BIRTH CHART

Pluto’s sign: this will not give us personal characteristics since a whole generation will share the
same Pluto sign. Pluto by sign indicates how we humans are managing shared energy, which
includes: power, the economy, sexuality. Wherever Pluto passes through, it causes the forms of
circulating energy that no longer function to explode, so that another more vital form can emerge.
Pluto is the death of forms to allow a transformation. In the sign Pluto is in, there is something in
crisis, in the process of transformation. All the forms of this sign that we are attached to, will have
to be transformed and deeply re-evaluated. For example, with Pluto in Libra there is a wound
regarding your encounter with the other, the idealisation of complementary relationships falls,
and the shadow of these relationships is made clear. Pluto comes to destroys decayed forms that
are no longer living so that we can experience more real and profound encounters with others.
Pluto’s house: this is an area of experience where we can transform ourselves and come across
our creative potential. Here we are invited to regenerate, to die and come back to life, to release
ourselves from what doesn’t serve us. But not in a subtle and harmonious way, rather through
crises which present us with what is most dark and denied. Perhaps our first reaction will be to
want to control these situations and cling to what is known. But in the end Pluto will take us to
the depths, to reach what hurts us most and to release it for the energy to circulate again. The
house where Pluto is makes us face our most unconscious fears. Here we come into contact with
pain, the feeling of loss, helplessness. In this area, we have the potential to transform ourselves
and put our power to the service of something greater. This is where we can heal ourselves and
help others to heal. For example, if we have Pluto in the 5th house, our experience with children
could be profound and transformative. In our relationship with them we can discover our deepest
power. Going through painful experiences, involving a lot of tension, loss, meeting our shadow,
and in turn, filling ourselves with vitality and healing strength.
Pluto’s aspects: the planets that are in contact with Pluto are going to go through deep
transformations throughout your life. They are functions that will reach the depths, they will be
transformed and experience the intensity and profoundness of their most fundamental elements.
Everything that is touched by Pluto is destined to show its hidden, mysterious, denied side so that
once the stagnated energy is released, new energy related to this function can circulate. For
example, a hard aspect between Venus and Pluto is an invitation to go into depth with
complementary relationships, in this area there will be transformations, a feeling of loss, a
tendency to want to control, fear of surrendering to love. In this aspect Pluto asks for deep and
real surrender, including the sides of love that we don’t like but also exist. It is in the area of
complementary relationships where we can come across our darkest, most manipulative and
controlling side. We can clear this and release it but first it is critical to recognise these aspects as
our own.

3- Verbs for Pluto

To fuse, die, transform, rot, ferment, recycle, cure, resurrect, demolish, explode, burst, eliminate,
excrete, purge, detoxify, remove, renew, release, intensify, cause conflict, drain, punish, attack,
commit suicide, torture, hide, control.

EXTERNAL LEVEL

1. People
We can observe people with plutonic characteristics but who don’t directly embody Pluto. For
example, an alchemist, a secret agent, a tyrant, a dictator, an assassin, a healer.
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COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

2. Work activities, professions, trades

Doctor, therapist, thanatologist, working with petroleum, oncologist, palliative care, politician, any
activity involving power, detective, secret agent, occultist, funeral services, gravedigger, criminology
expert, forensic doctor, sexologist, nuclear physicist, proctologist, chimney sweep, plumber, miner,
waste recycler, waste collector, public prosecutor, criminal lawyer.

3. Objects / Situations / Correspondences

Atomic energy, volcano, earthquake, petroleum, mines, coffin, rubbish bin, a dead person,
cemetery, morgue, secret society, landslide, sewer, recycling plant. Voracity.

Metal: bismuth3
Stones: jade, obsidian.
Colour: black.
Age of Pluto: Pluto’s cycle is 248 years. Of course you can’t experience a Pluto cycle during a human
lifetime. If we had to assign an age to it, it would the last moments before leaving the physical body.
The day of the week ruled by Pluto: none

4. Living beings
Vulture, mole, serpent.

5. The body
a. Anatomical and physiological correspondence:
Little can be said for sure about Pluto given its transpersonal nature and how recently it was
discovered. It can be maintained that it has to do with:
- The processes of genetic exchange that occur at the time of gestation (mitosis, meiosis, crossing-
over, etc)
- Genetic information contained in the DNA of a cell nucleus and genetic alterations of the DNA are
to do with Pluto (following the theory that genetic changes in human DNA as a result of successive
adaptations follow cyclical plutonian rhythms.

b. Pathological correspondence:
- Genetic diseases.
- Deformities.
- Down’s syndrome.
- Chronic disabling diseases.
- Degenerative diseases (together with Neptune).
- Genetic mutations due to exposure to radiation.
- Diseases caused by telluric factors (called geopathies).
- Fermentation. Necrosis (death of body tissue).
- Anything that is "deep rooted" (from a boil to a tumour).
- Amputation of a body part.

3
There is no consensus among astrologers regarding attributing metals and colours to transpersonal planets.
Assigning bismuth as the metal for Pluto seemed the most accurate to me. It is very well argued in an article by
Patrice Guinard (Doctor of philosophy, epistemologist and astrologer), "Planets, Colors and Metals”. You can
read the full article in English here: http://cura.free.fr/22plcome.html
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COURSE TAUGHT BY HAMIDA EUGENIA GABRIELLI

c. Therapeutic correspondence:
The metal that corresponds to Pluto and which is used homoeopathically to correct the imbalances
related to the planet is: PLUTONIUM, volcanic lava.

DIGNITY SIGN
Domicile  Scorpio
Exaltation None
Detriment  Taurus
Fall None

With Pluto being a transpersonal planet like Uranus and Neptune, there is no clarity when it comes
to determining the exaltation and fall of the planet. Some individuals are inclined to assign its
exaltation to Gemini and therefore its fall to Sagittarius. But there is no consensus regarding this
stance.