The end of this month, 27th of November 2008 in fact, is a very interesting day astrologically speaking. Not only does Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, the topic for this E-zine, finally go into Capricorn, but we also have a new Moon that day.

Astrologers have been raving on about Pluto going into Capricorn for quite some time, myself included. See the Libra issue last month and also in Capricorn 2007 and 2008.  This is a major event as Pluto will stay there for 15 years, so his influence will be a background theme for all that time. Looking back, we can see the effect of Pluto, the planet of transformation, in the last sign of Sagittarius. It is easier with hindsight to see the changes in travel, religion, belief systems and now the end of too much financial speculation - all Sagittarian themes. As I have said, Pluto in Capricorn will try to sort out responsibility and structures. The tip here for companies is to get contracts and responsibilities clear at all levels. Any hierarchy in a company that does not serve a responsible goal will be under fire, as will any undeserved rewards, as we are beginning to see already in the world of finance.

But enough already about Pluto in Capricorn.

There are two other things happening the same day. One is that Uranus will go forwards again. I wrote about this and Neptune going backwards in the Gemini 2008 E-zine.  Neptune went forward again on November 2nd, so imagination should be starting to flow forwards again. Uranus moving forward is a time for any technology projects or any innovations to move on again. So if these have been on hold, you can kick start them again. It is also a good time to speak any truths that need to be spoken. 

The last (but not least) thing that happens on November 27th, is a New Moon in Sagittarius. New Moons herald new starts - new opportunities - the planting of seeds and in Sagittarius, seeds for new entrepreneurial ventures. However in the sky the New Moon takes place in our constellation of the month, Scorpio - see below the huge constellation ( next to Libra which was discussed last time) with the tail, shown by the program Starlight.( northern Hemisphere).

                                    

The pink dots are the Sun and Moon (new Moon) together with Mars and Mercury, and all of these near the royal star Antares, the heart of the Scorpion. In Persia known as the watcher of the west, it was seen as a very powerful star in history. This star offers success but also your own undoing. The warning given in Starlight is the need to avoid obsession. This could be the start of an obsessive month where passions are overheated. Mars being the God of War and Mercury being the God of communication and trade could make for an interesting day on the stock market methinks. It feels like a kind of all or nothing month. Death of something, yet also success, but only for the brave. I think this all happening together, heralds the start of a very transforming period in the world for the next 15 years, however the need to avoid obsession in the search for power might prove too much for some. Tip here is to start the period as you mean to go on as it sets the backdrop for a long time. Be careful how you use your power.

How to use the Scorpion
Those of you who know me well, will know I am a bit obsessed (contrary to my own advice above!) by Rupert Sheldrake's morphic field ideas. The planets for me are morphic fields and I will be waxing lyrical (I hope) to astrologers about the Pluto field at a Pluto Symposium in Holland at the end of this month.  I will also be having a mild rant at these same astrologers, about their responsibilities to help make this morphic field of Scorpio-Pluto energy a more positive one. All too often I hear astrologers say " Oh dear, a Pluto transit, heavy!" or some such thing. They try to make it seem less drastic by talking of transformation, but the overall tone is often very negative and scary.

I'm a firm believer in co-creation. What I mean by that is that there are cycles that we can't avoid - that we have to live within. We are part of the cosmos, a fact which has been forgotten for a long time particularly by some scientists. We are part of a whole. Although we must live within these natural boundaries, I believe we do have influence. Quantum physics now recognises the role of the observer in any research. The experiments Lynn McTaggart is doing regarding intention are also starting to yield some interesting results.

Pluto enters the morphic field

So let's backtrack to our first encounter with Pluto. By 1930, the year of the discovery of Pluto, Scorpio was an established morphic field.  In Egypt the sign was not a scorpion but an electric eel - a scary looking Nile creature that I think fits the sign better than the scorpion as it is a water creature and Scorpio is a water sign.  But through the ages, Western astrology adopted the scorpion.

Scorpions have always been looked upon with fascination, curiosity and mostly fear. Since they have been around for a considerable time, they are real survivors. All these qualities are associated with Scorpios, the people. So the old morphic field of Scorpio is one with somewhat bad press.

Enter Pluto. In 1930 Pluto arrives into world consciousness. He is seen by us for the first time. This act changes him.  I love this quote from Sheldrake's " Seven Experiments That Could Change the World" , pp.106-107.

“Our minds reach out to touch everything we see.  If we look at distant stars, then our minds stretch out over astronomical distances to touch these heavenly bodies.  Subject and object are indeed confused.  Through our perceptions, the environment is brought within us, but we also extend outwards into the environment.”

The giving of a name

One of the first things we did with Pluto was give him a name. This projected all kinds of meaning on him already, just as a name does with a child. I was taught that a child named the planet after the dog of Walt Disney fame. This is not the case. The dog, although he also appeared in 1930, didn't get this name until 1931.  The planet's name was suggested by a child, the then 11 year old Venetia Phair, who was very well aware of the mythology associated with Pluto and the underworld.  There is a wonderful interview with her (now in her eighties) on the NASA site. They invited her to the launch of the mission to Pluto in 2006 (set to arrive 2015). See website links below for the interview and script.

After the planet is assigned a name, he is immediately associated with war, Hitler, hard times,  gangsters and psychotherapy. In 1932 the first astrology book that I have found which includes Pluto, suggests that he should rule the sign of Scorpio. Fritz Brunhübner, a German astrologer,  makes a very good case for this but in 1951, Margaret E. Hone, an English astrologer says, "It would not be correct to state that this newly-discovered planet has been decidedly adjudged to this sign, but opinion seems to be trending in that direction."  For modern astrologers now there is no question, however traditional astrologers still use Mars as the ruler of Scorpio.

So by 1951 the Pluto-Scorpio field is not yet stable. I see these fields as being added to all the time by what we say and think -  that's the way we influence them.  By 1951 we have a field that is tending towards all the things associated with difficult times and the mythology of the God of the underworld, but we don't know yet how to use it positively. In 1951 we are still suffering from power being abused - amongst others by Hitler (as I believe we still are by others). This field for me is not yet stable, we have yet to learn how to handle power responsibly and consciously.

Life continues along after 1951 and psychology and all things deep get added to this field. Freud and Jung add greatly to it and Liz Greene has had the most effect on it in terms of astrology. Jeff Green was the next astrologer to add significantly to it with his book, "Pluto, The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul", which, from 1994, affected astrology world wide.

To be or not to be ...a planet?

But what has happened to Pluto in an astronomical sense since 1930? Firstly we know more about him in terms of orbit, what he is made of, etc. The most interesting thing though is the arguments he has caused among astronomers.  Is he a planet or not? There have been many people trying to maintain his status also among the general public. School children have written many letters supporting him. Nevertheless, he finally met his demise in 2006 and is now known as a dwarf planet, not that all astronomers agree with this yet. I see that " plutoed" has even become a verb. This from the Urban Dictionary: "An employee was plutoed from his company, for his wrongdoings."

So there is a shakeup in the field. He has lost some of his status and worse (for him), he is now on the same level as his old adversary Ceres. I think the field is starting to change at this point to a field we can begin to use more realistically. Like Ceres, we dare to confront his power. We can see the beginnings of this, although we don't yet know how to do it, in situations like that with Mugabe, who is no longer allowed to get away with abuse of power with impunity.

So in the spirit of co-creation, how can we speed up the process to make our Pluto-consciousness one that everyone can tap into positively?

Something about Pluto

 Let's look at the good things about the arachnids and the people.

1. They are survivors - we will survive - the end of the world is not nigh - I suggest we stop creating this thought, particularly concerning 2012.

2. Of the 2000 varieties of scorpion only about 30 to 40 can kill us. Sure we should be careful of a Scorpio's sting but chances are we will survive that too. Let's get it in proportion.

3. When food is scarce scorpions can lower their metabolism so they don't need so much food. However, they can still attack when the opportunity presents itself. We could learn this skill. To utilise energy when the time is right.

4. Scorpions live in the toughest of environments - so can we.

5. A dubious good thing! Males are sometimes eaten after mating. I guess this might have advantages!

6. Scorpions give birth and the young live on the mother's back. I'm not suggesting mothers should carry children around all the time or that Scorpio mothers do this although they are fierce protectors, but we could learn to protect our children more powerfully. Perhaps this is a quality we have lost.

7. I think being poisonous and mysterious is not all bad. We should stop saying Scorpios are nasty.

8. Scorpions have elaborate courtship rituals - bring it on I say. A bit of wooing never went astray.

9. Scorpions have very poor vision but boy can they feel things - through bristles along their legs - not sure that all Scorpios do it that way! Being sensitive is a skill, not a negative characteristic.

The Challenge

As astrologers I believe we must do our bit to help the world see how we can come into our power in a positive way. For all of us this is by being who we are meant to be, not by controlling and manipulating so we can be like others who appear to hold the power. Learning this I believe will be the next step in the evolution of consciousness, after we have conquered Neptune. More on this in another E-zine sometime. However with Obama winning the election I think we have entered a period where Uranus has 'won' over Saturn. ( see last E-zine - Libra 2008). So the Uranian field is becoming something we can tap into positively. Neptune is the one we are working on now, especially the kids.  Pluto comes after that but there is no reason why we can't start to create a more positive field now.

Faye Cossar
juxtaposition

Want any free advice about your business?  Go to free services to book your free half hour consultation.

Interesting websites


Some more background on Pluto by another astrologer -A Future with Pluto.

The interview with the girl ( now in her eighties) who named Pluto in 1930 -

NASA - Transcript: The Girl Who Named Pluto.

 

Scorpio Quote

Because indeed we sometimes need to end things and start again as Scorpios can...

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.”

Pablo Picasso, artist and Scorpio Sun.