ASPECTS BETWEEN SUN AND PLUTO
Welcome! Aspects are distances between objects or positions in the chart with a special meaning. One of the most challenging aspects is the aspect between Sun and Pluto, in the natal chart or in the progressed chart and when Pluto’s actual position (transit Pluto) ‘hits’ your progressed or natal Sun.
Sun-Pluto is the combination of authority, self esteem and the price to pay for a lifestyle or for ‘being noticed’. With Jupiter in aspect with both or in a midpoint combination this aspect intensifies self confidence. The Sun-Jupiter-Pluto combination is the combination for growing self esteem and successes. But with Sun-Pluto it won’t be easy or stressless, not even with trines and sextiles. That is because the relationship between the planet of light and the dwarf planet of darkness involves shades, however quickly they will disappear.
Pluto is a very small object, a dwarf planet in the darkest corner of our solar system. Only when the light of the Sun is being shed on Pluto, everybody can see it. It is just like with a problem: you need to know the how’s and why’s to be able to draw the right conclusion and start making the alternations needed to be able to live with the problem or to cut it out of your life or body. I wrote about transits of Pluto when a child is born (link to Astropost) to show you how the symbol of life and death stresses parents. Pluto is deep, profound, intens and strong. So are the feelings of lots of parents when they get the responsible job of raising a child.
The Sun-Pluto aspect in a natal chart, in the progressed chart, transit Pluto with Sun and Sun-Pluto in synastry or shared aspects with Sun-Pluto all make life lived the intense way and all produce a certain amount of stress: you will be facing challenges. Here are some ideas about the Sun-Pluto effect.
NATAL CHART SUN-PLUTO
Sun-Pluto conjunctions (and oppositions) are not easy to deal with. The aspect may stimulate you to do what you always wanted to do (because you realize that life is not for ever). Sometimes Sun-Pluto’s conjunctions or oppositions force you to be on guard, to be strong and to face the facts of life and/or death. Sun-Pluto intensifies life and often changes your lifestyle.
The positive side of a Sun-Pluto transit or progression is that they make you aware of what you value most in life. When the transit or progression with Pluto is in a period of illnesses and problems, Pluto, in my eyes, is not reflecting the illness or the problem in itself. Pluto symbolizes the force that you need to overcome them or to boldly face facts and survive.
Sun in hard aspect with Pluto in the natal chart says that you are likely to be a fanatic and you can make life more difficult for yourself than life needs to be…Sun-Pluto people may be very demanding. It is difficult for you to live with authorities or to be an authority yourself. You want to resist against everybody who wants to change you or influence your lifestyle. Perhaps that was because your father was too severe. Perhaps you judge yourself -and others- too much. It seems that life for you is a choice between being a tyrant or being disciplined. The main problem is the theme of self esteem. Stress, or the intense way of living might cause health problems or it is the other way around: health problems strongly influence the way that you are living…
Sometimes it seems that the Sun-Pluto person is only happy when there is a problem to deal with. If there is none, they create one! They are the experts, the strong leaders and they want life to be challenging. Maybe at a certain moment their lives change in a dramatic or substantial way, but they manage to get over it. Because the Sun-Pluto aspect means that most of all they want to win games. The majority of the football coaches that I know have an aspect between Sun and Pluto. Some women with this aspect choose strong and dominating men as a challenge (for example: a Sun-Pluto opposition sometimes forces them to revalue themselves after a demanding relationship with a man). The inconjunction shows lack of balance when it comes to self esteem. A recent example of the resonation of the inconjunction with Pluto is Lindsey Lohan (link is to the post on Astropost).
EASY?
The easy aspects between Sun and Pluto need not be easy at all. They just make it easy to change lifestyles, to survive and … to manipulate. The sextile between Sun and Pluto shows that to dominate is an easy way out of problems, resistance and challenge. Using authority and strategies, facing problems and courageously dealing with them is part of the harmony between Sun and Pluto. Sometimes problems seem to just fade away because ’the enemy’ or the problem disappears the easy way. However, the fact that there is an aspect between Sun and Pluto means that the nativity has to deal with challenges, problems and enemies and that there is an issue of self esteem.
Examples: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Jackson (physical transformation), Achmed Sukarno (politics), Leo Beenhakker and Louis van Gaal (coaches)
SUN-PLUTO PROGRESSION AND TRANSIT
A progressed Sun conjunct Pluto marks a period of dramatic changes. It takes some courage to overcome problems. In the end you might be strong enough to start all over again or to come back. Sometimes circumstances force or encourage you to start a new kind of living.
With transit Pluto conjunct Sun something in your life might be destroyed. A vital problem will be highlighted and action is needed. Sometimes your life or lifestyle is in danger or health issues demand action. Physical challenges, a problem with an authority or enemies force you to be strong and brave. You will have to learn to live with problems and forces beyond yourself, often related to life and death*) issues. Stress is with you, all along the period of the transit.
Pluto’s transits and progressions often show up when an artist has a ‘come back’, most of the time because there is a financial problem. Pluto often makes it a problem to continue in the way you did before. Something changed and you must try to ‘survive’ (sometimes literally). Financial or health problems might force you to ‘come back’ or ‘start all over again’. Sometimes the ‘come back’ refers to old problems coming back, unfortunately. Like with Dutch Prince Bernhard jr. who had to have surgery twice because the same physical problem reappeared with transit Pluto conjunct the Sun.
SYNASTRY, SUN-PLUTO IN A RELATIONSHIP
What if your Sun or Pluto is conjunct the Pluto or Sun of another person? You will probably influence or be influenced! It can be worse than this. An example is the relationship between Dutch Prince Bernhard (husband of Queen Juliana) and the (now ex-)husband of his granddaughter Margarita, Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn, who complains that his life was obstructed by the prince, by means of the secret service. The Pluto of Prince Bernhard (June 28 or 29, 1911) is exactly conjunct the Sun of Edwin de R. (born June 19, 1966). And his Eris, the symbol of discord, is exactly square…Members of the parliament asked the PM to explain what happened (in June 2013, when Jupiter was on Edwin de R.s sun). Here is the Astrodatabank chart of Prince Bernhard with the positions of the day of birth of Edwin de R.
Now what if you and another person share a Sun-Pluto aspect? From time to time it will be a challenging relationship as you both are fanatic and have a strong will (who wins? that is the question). Together you are strong against enemies and authorities who try to dominate you. But it won’t be easy to keep problems out of the relationship. In fact, you may have had a difficult start together and problems or challenges made you stronger or destroyed your relationship (depending on other factors). In the composite chart the Sun will also be conjunct Pluto, reflecting the original problems, if the aspect between Sun and Pluto is tight. This is the aspect of ‘can’t live with you, can’t live without you’…
Here are some examples of the Sun-Pluto effect. The same events are being evaluated in a positive and in a negative way. The impact of a Sun-Pluto ‘mirror in the sky’ depends on your situation, culture, gender, age, status and on the Sun-Pluto connection and position in the natal chart.
EXAMPLES (in a negative and positive light)
Here are some examples of the Sun-Pluto effect in the charts of 1) my sister, 2) a former Dutch Minister of Integration, 3) prosecuted and threatened politician, 4) Pope Benedict, 5) late Dutch Queen Juliana, 6) divorced woman, 7) Pope – history-, 8) Josef Fritzl, 9) Ingrid Betancourt. What happened with Sun-Pluto?
1. Transit Pluto conjunct progressed Sun (my sister, who died shortly after this aspect)
2. Transit Pluto conjunct Sun (Dutch minister of integration, forced to quit)
3. Transit Pluto conjunct Progressed Sun (Prosecuted politician whose life is also in danger)
4. Progressed Sun conjunct Pluto (Pope, in political trouble in 2008/2009)
5. Progressed Sun conjunct Pluto (Queen Juliana, forced to give up on divorce and on a friend)
6. Progressed Sun opposition Pluto (woman I know, husband left, she had to start making a living)
7. Progressed Sun opposition Pluto (another – very old- pope, who died soon after he started with this progression)
8. Transit Pluto opposition progressed Sun (Josef Fritzl, when his life changed…)
9. Ingrid Betancourt had transit Pluto conjunct Sun after returning from the jungle.
These are some more or less unpleasant examples of Sun-Pluto oppositions and conjunctions in transit or progression. There áre persons who don’t even notice the aspect, but especially when there is a Sun-Pluto aspect in the natal chart, there is little chance that you won’t notice it. Of course, the position of Sun and/or Pluto in the natal chart influences the effect of the transit or progression.
The 9 examples were rather difficult. Now let us see the same aspects with positive ideas about Pluto. Let us imagine that Pluto’s aspect is just offering a chance. What is the new chance?
1. Boldly facing physical problems, death and ’the other world’; being valued (again)
2. Facing real politics and starting all over again (she started her own party)
3. Being on guard and living intensely
4. Facing real politics and getting insight in power play
5. Regaining control and power
6. Earning your own living and getting self esteem
7. A complete transformation of life (and death…)
8. Being forced to another way of living, facing your problems or challenges
9. Sometimes the Sun-Pluto aspect comes in times that you will have to overcome a problem, survive or ….win. Michael van Gerven (born April 29, 1989) is the World Champion Dart since January 1, 2014. In this period he had progressed Sun quindecile (165d) Pluto. That shows a very strong focus on the will to win.
When you look at it that way you may notice that the Sun-Pluto connection is indicating a period of drama, challenge and/or a transformation into another kind of life or lifestyle and regained self esteem. Few people die during the transit*). But when you are already very ill, very old or in a dangerous situation Pluto sometimes demands of you to take the kind of measures that you would have liked to avoid. Health problems may strongly influence that way that you are living and force you to make dramatic changes. That will sometimes make it difficult to keep the spirits high.
Pluto is the price and the prize (not easy to be won).
AND THE LIGHT WHEN ALL OTHER LIGHTS GO OUT…
Years ago, when I had transit Pluto conjunct my Sun, I read an article written by the religious astrologer Steven Birchfield. He used to have a site with an impressive intro, but I have not been able to find it again. The title of the article was: “Pluto, a light when all other lights go out!” and here is the link: http://web.archive.org/web/
*) In my files I have a study of 58 cases of death. Only 4 of them were during a progressed aspect with Pluto (and always together with a transit or progression of Neptune or Saturn or Saturn/Pluto). Compare that with the aspects with Saturn (20 xs), Uranus (13 xs) and Neptune(12 xs)…So don’t be afraid of Pluto. Most of the time Pluto’s transformation is during life time.