Oven the years I have observed a trend in traditional astrology in the form of a more or less systematic sanitization of symbolic meanings.
Recently, I encountered an example of this phenomenon regarding Pluto, where it was suggested that our distant, dark planet could represent something as benign as a marriage.
This kind of interpretive gymnastics not only distorts traditional astrological symbolism but actively undermines the precision that makes astrology a useful tool.
The Myth Matters
Pluto’s mythological origins were cited, claiming that because Pluto “just once” came out to “look at” Persephone, we could interpret planetary Pluto more benevolently.
This reveals a selective distortion of the myth itself. Pluto didn’t emerge from the underworld for a casual glance—he abducted Persephone, dragging her into his dark realm against her will. This isn’t a romantic comedy; it’s a story largely about power, force, and the violation of consent, and more.
When we sanitize the myth of Pluto to make it more palatable, we defeat its purpose, which is to illuminate the darker aspects of human psychology that we’d rather not acknowledge. Myths exist precisely because they can encode uncomfortable truths about human nature. Turn them into happy soap operas, and we’ve stripped away their instructive power.
The Evidence Problem
It was claimed that Pluto “often shows up in solar returns of both partners who are about to herald marriage” in a “totally non-malefic way.” This assertion immediately raises several critical questions that any grounded astrologer should demand rigorous answers to:
~ How often is “often”?
~ How many solar returns were examined?
~ What was the broader context of these couples’ lives?
~ Were other testimonies for marriage present from the traditional seven planets?
To take such liberties with traditional symbolism seriously, we would need to examine at least a dozen documented cases with detailed analysis of the context. One or two examples prove nothing, especially if no context at all is given.
Moreover, since paying attention to real life is a good skill to have for any astrologer, we must ask: how many marriages begin without difficulties? Pluto’s prominence might very well explain the challenges couples were entering that year, not the marriage itself.
Marriage, in traditional astrology, is shown by testimonies from the seven inner planets. The outer planets add nuance or reinforce an upcoming theme or themes already present.
When Pluto reinforces a theme, it’s typically the theme of “problems”. If the marriage itself is a problem then Pluto can certainly not only indicate that, but depict the kind of problem too. Such as, becoming a hostage to a relationship in which one or both partners are psychologically weak and dependent on the other, or become enablers to each other’s false personalities, that is, House 12.
Perhaps, finding Pluto frequently prominent in marriage charts is indicative of the sorry state in which many of us jump into each other’s arms, beds, or bank accounts. Perhaps Persephone came to enjoy being the queen of the underworld and the power that came with it, all at the expense of innocence and, more often than not, inner peace.
Context is King
It has been suggested that Pluto could represent “absolute isolation,” citing the god’s cave-dwelling habits. Fine—but context determines meaning. Show me charts where Pluto indicated isolation and nothing else problematic occurred. Did the yogi die of starvation or was dragged into the woods by a bear? Was the monk caught violating his vows by eloping with the abbot?
Plus what goodness is there in living in total isolation? That sounds like a recipe for doing what Pluto did to Persephone… Ah, the human psyche… how predictable. A perfect playground for astrologers and other fortune-telling creatures.
I can imagine scenarios where Pluto might describe cave-dwelling: perhaps someone living in Australia’s underground mining towns, the job of an undertaker, or a gardener’s dismay when their dear radishes are constantly being abducted by Plutonian creatures such as moles and gophers. But even then, we must examine the complete picture. Context, context, context. Skip this degree of analytical rigor, and we end up with modern astrology’s anything-goes interpretation style, where symbols become so flexible they lose their educational and informational meaning.
Personal Experience vs. Systematic Analysis
If you want to claim Pluto shows something positive, show me a solar or lunar return with Pluto conjunct the Ascendant, for example, where nothing difficult or uncomfortable occurred in the person’s life during that period. I would bet money there isn’t such a return chart anywhere to be found. Unless, it is the year when the native found their calling as an an undertaker. Then, I would stand corrected.
The Proof is in the Pudding
I’ve examined numerous charts where Pluto played a prominent role. In one particularly disturbing case involving a child girl abuse, Pluto and the abuser’s significator appeared inside the 5th cusp—a textbook example of Pluto’s destructiveness when it comes to matters of sexuality. In relationship horaries, a significator conjunct Pluto often corroborates someone with controlling, domineering tendencies—the type who feels entitled to extract compliance through force or manipulation.
In essence, Pluto drags things down. Good for an undertaker or a well driller; problematic otherwise.
In most cases we can keep it simple—Pluto simply and plainly means *Trouble*. Not marriage; just to remind the reader where this dissertation began.
I remain open to reconsidering and expanding symbolic meanings, but only when presented with clear, unambiguous examples supported by rigorous analysis. If any astrologer wishes to propose new meanings for traditional symbols, they owe the astrological community the respect of providing solid evidence, not mere assertions.
Some propose “transformation through crisis”. No. The transformation may come because forces opposed to Pluto rise to the occasion. There is no transformation in Pluto itself, except of becoming more dark, more buried, more spiritually weak, more dependent and less free.
Transformative powers do exist, but they will not be shown by Pluto. The Lord of the Ascendant, the Lord of the Geniture, the Moon; or some friendly and enlightening external force may come to the rescue, for external help is a crucial step on the path to freedom from Plutonian forces. But if we like being the “queen of the underworld” any such help will be rejected; and the helper will run the risk of being dragged down too.
The Bigger Picture
This debate about Pluto reflects a larger issue in contemporary astrology: the tendency to make everything nice, to soften hard edges until symbols lose their precision and utility. This approach does a disservice to both astrology and to the people seeking genuine insight from astrological consultation.
Symbols of ugliness exist for a reason. They describe real phenomena—difficulty, obstruction, weakness, and genuine evil. Pretending these forces don’t exist or trying to rebrand them as secretly beneficial doesn’t make them disappear; it simply blinds us to their operations and the complexities of the process of liberation from them.
When we encounter Pluto prominently placed in a chart, we should pay attention to the essence of the myth: obsession, control, dependence, helplessness, crisis; in extreme cases, psychopathy. If the context does not support that, *trouble* will do.
Astrology works best when we respect the symbolic language that has developed over time of observation and practice. This doesn’t mean we can’t evolve our understanding and bring in our new conclusions to the mix; in fact, I encourage that. But it does mean we should demand evidence for new interpretations and resist the temptation to sanitize symbols that make us uncomfortable, or that serve to patch a superficial astrological analysis.
