Planets: Pluto—ray 1 (non-sacred)

J Ray 1 (non-sacred planet)

Method: Reach into the depths, clear the way through esoteric death

Pluto: general information

Although astronomers re-classified Pluto as a “dwarf planet”, planetary scientists still consider it—along with other Kuiper belt objects like Eris—a planet. As astrologers we may consider the classification irrelevant since so much mythological and symbolic lore has accrued since its discovery, and even smaller planets are used by contemporary astrologers (Pluto is the largest Kuiper belt object discovered so far). Jyotish (Indian sidereal) astrology doesn’t use Uranus, Neptune or Pluto. However, in esoteric astrology, Pluto is definitely part of the scheme as a planet symbolising the destructive aspect of the first ray…

My idea of destructivity corresponds with Walter Benjamin’s… essay titled “The Destructive Character”, in which he said “The destructive character is cheerful and friendly and knows only one motto: make room”. And there is no particular moral value whatsoever in that […] no good and evil, no apocalyptic alternative motives associated with it. No war and no destructive wrath, there is nothing more than the need thereby recognised (Notwendigkeit) you need to change (or you’re in danger) that for… anything new to emerge, the preconditions must first be created, the old must be eliminated, room must be made, and that’s simply why destruction is needed. —Blixa Bargeld, Einstürzende Neubauten band member, citing Walter Benjamin’s text (originally published in the Frankfurter Zeitung, 20th November 1931)

Pluto as a non-sacred planet has the role of connecting human life in the three worlds to the “liberating destruction” aspect of Ray 1 (see GreatBear-Aries-Pluto), in contrast to the way Vulcan on the same ray works to create and forge anew in the space that Pluto clears. However, until inner awareness or “spiritual growth” begins, people tend to “move within their horoscopes” so Ray 1 “and the will aspect is latent but unexpressed” (EA 66).

At the human level it is present from the earliest spark of awareness to the dissolving of the individual human personality, the process that marks the end of experience in the the three worlds of purely personal endeavour. The non-sacred nature of Pluto means that its sphere of operation is entirely within the bounds of the human personality as it learns and grows through the three worlds or the material, emotional and mental facets of the developing self. The whole journey from the cycles of experience of the Mutable cross to the final personal third initiation on the Cardinal cross is summed up:

Pluto is one of the five non-sacred planets that condition humanity during the long cycle of “reincarnations and periods of manifestation”:

• The Sun (veiling a planet)
• The Moon (veiling a planet)
• The Earth itself
• Mars
• Pluto (EA 53)

In slightly dated language, the passage below describes how the solar plexus chakra governing our personal emotional response can pass through the “burning ground” during the growth process (see Pluto and the initiations, below) an experience that can also be apparent in Pluto’s exoteric rulership of Scorpio:

…Mars and Pluto function in connection with the sacral centre (Mars) and the solar plexus (Pluto). This latter planet becomes active in the life of [those] “becoming alive in the higher sense, [when our] lower nature passes into the smoke and darkness of Pluto, who governs the lesser burning ground, in order that [we] may live in truth in the higher land of light.” (EA 78)

Pluto therefore works throughout the journey taken during the first three strictly personal initiations of the material, emotional and mental worlds. During this time,

…the influence of the sacred planets becomes increasingly effective, until after the final and fifth initiation the non-sacred planets have no effect, though the initiate wields their energies potently… (EA 53)

So the role of Pluto evolves as we move through the “three worlds of human endeavour” and our journey moves us around the three crosses as the learning process progresses.

Spiritual will, Vulcan, Pluto, and the pointers of the Great Bear

The term “esoteric planet” as used below, refers to the esoteric rulerships and roles of these two planets:

Vulcan and Pluto are expressions or custodians of… first ray energy and are… esoteric planets. The first indication of the true spiritual will only begins to manifest upon the Path of Discipleship … Vulcan and Pluto are related to the two Pointers and are only now beginning, in any definite and clear manner, to affect human response. (EA 96)

The path of this spiritual will as it comes to our planet is via: the pointer Merak, Aries, Vulcan/Pluto, and Shamballa. The two pointers in the Great Bear (pointing to the Pole Star) are connected to self-will and spiritual will:

Dubhe: nearest to the Pole Star

connected to Pluto, “expressive of a lower aspect of the will, which—in speaking of humanity—we call self-will”

Merak: furthest from the Pole Star

connected to Vulcan, “a great reservoir or focal point for divine energy, carrying out [cosmic] purpose”

Aries as “the will to create or to manifest” is the primary transmitter of First Ray energy to the two planets in our solar system, and Shamballa as “the Custodian of the Plan for our planet” (Earth’s “head chakra”) is the agent of transmission, stepping it down to a human level. (EA 195-196)

Also see: Vulcan-Earth-Pluto and interlinked triangles (EA 482-483) plus other triangles including the pointers.

Pluto: Rulerships

• Orthodox: Scorpio
• Esoteric: Pisces
• Hierarchical: Pisces

Orthodox: Scorpio ⇧

The main concept behind Pluto’s rulership of Scorpio is one of “esoteric death”, i.e. the ending of all that hinders the expansion of our awareness:

In Scorpio there is the death of the personality, with its longings, desires, ambitions and pride.

…the death of forms must eventuate leaving the disciple free; the dissolution of old group structures of thought, embodying worn-out ideas and ideals must necessarily supervene; crystallised old forms must dissolve and disappear, but in their place the undying spirit—impressed by revelation and sensitive to the emerging new concepts of truth—will create the needed new forms of appropriate expression. (EA 214, 260)

Scorpio via Pluto is thus regarded as the “sign of discipleship” or of all those who are “ready for the fusion brought about through the influence of the sacred planets”. The idea is that the death of hindering personality traits “is definitely brought about by the soul…”—the inner self thus liberates us by revealing personal limitations so that we can move beyond them and leave their remains to sink into the depths. The feeling at these times is one that echoes the traditional role of Pluto as one of regeneration and rebirth after trial and experiencing the depths. The “dissolution and detachment” (EA 538) mentioned in connection with the Eighth House are part of this experience.

Esoteric: Pisces ⇧

Pluto is one of the esoteric rulers of the Mutable Cross, and as one of four influential planets at the time of transition to the Fixed Cross, so presides over that critical initial transition at the initiation of the inner growth process. The trials of personality death are softened under Pisces by the action of Ray 2, creating a desire to break free from personal limitations into a more inclusive consciousness.

the lure of the probationary path with… transference to the Fixed Cross… begins really in Pisces

Two major rays express themselves through the rulers of Pisces, orthodox and esoteric: The first Ray of Will or Power, focussed through Pluto, and the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. (EA 126-127)

The duality of both the ray and the sign (two fishes) implies a distinction between the dying personality and the awakening inner self, which peels away from the purely personal identifications that pinion us “between the pairs of opposites”. We can then begin to escape imprisonment (12th House) towards the wider consciousness of the soul.

The combination of the Piscean element with Rays 1 and 2 suggests the adaptive and often hidden “will of water”—the need to keep flowing around obstacles and to fill the depths and hollows in order to simply keep going and resist being defeated by problems.

Hierarchical: Pisces ⇧

The death mentioned in Esoteric Astrology in connection with Pluto refers to the dissolution of forms that limit or constrain the expanding inner self or—on a wider scale—the collective consciousness of humanity. Because “Pluto or death never destroys the consciousness aspect” (EA 126-127) this is a process of liberation. On a planetary scale and when working through Pisces, this Plutonic transformative power can stimulate regenerative global changes through an initial process of destruction, a kind of tidal clearing of the land for new growth:

death as the Great Releaser, shattering the forms that bring death to that which is embodied…

Pisces, through its ruler, Pluto… necessitated the triumph of death… leading to the dissolution of the form… frequently the death or ending of old forms of civilisations which cyclically come and go; of religious teaching when it does not serve the need of the spiritual nature of the people (as is today the case); of educational processes which fail to educate the developing nature… and serve only to delude and imprison. (EA 545)

On an individual level, part of the work of Pluto is to “cut the thread which binds the two opposing lives together”. In Pisces, the exalted Venus can then “reunite the severed lives but with no binding thread” (EA 130) meaning that the inner self is no longer led by the personal needs of the individual, but instead responds freely to an expanded inner consciousness. When a sufficient critical mass is reached within individuals across the globe, or within a nation—and it doesn’t need to be a majority—the mass change can be triggered.

Pluto decanates

In conventional astrology, decanates simply follow the rulerships of each elemental triad, but Esoteric Astrology has inconsistent information. See notes about the decanates, and the “decans” tab under each sign.

Pluto Dignities

• Exaltation: Aries Pisces
• Fall: Libra Virgo
• Detriment: Taurus

There is scant information on the dignities of Pluto in Esoteric Astrology, but it isn’t too hard to fill in the gaps from the related mythology and the esoteric meaning of the planet. Indeed, some astrologers have already hinted at Pluto’s esoteric rulership by allocating Pisces as the sign of its exaltation.

Exaltation in Aries ⇧

The relation of Pluto to Ray 1 in Aries is obvious as a force of raw will, the equinox at the first point of spring and the seeds of new life emerging from the earth; in mythology, as did his beloved partner Persephone in the Eleusinian Mysteries in some interpretations.

It is significant here that beginnings (Aries) and endings (Pisces) are points at which the liberating destruction of Ray 1 is essential. In order to create the new, sometimes the old must be destroyed, just as the new must in turn die in order to yield the seeds of the new.

Exaltation in Pisces ⇧

Pluto is also given exaltation in Pisces by some astrologers, hinting at its esoteric rulership in that sign. This is where the riches of the inner underworld can be plumbed for long-concealed traits and emotions that contain the seed of regeneration and even rebirth; at its most extreme, the feeling: “if I can only face this, my life will change”. Pluto’s riches are deeply psychological, the waters of Pisces are deep, and the dive is not to be taken lightly.

Fall in Libra ⇧

The influence of Pluto is dampened in Libra, where balance and a sense of equilibrium enable the crucial “turning point” in evolution. As with Pluto, the disruptive influence of Ray 1 is not conducive to the necessary balance and temporary peace of the “turning-point”. At the Autumn equinox, life begins to retreat once more and—in some versions of the myth—Pluto descends back beneath the earthy underworld with Persephone. Hades—who abducted her as Kore, the maiden—is distinct from Pluto, although all are often confused, combined or exchanged in the various versions of what may have been an ancient seasonal fertility myth.

Libra’s balance need to be preserved from the unsettling soul-searching of Pluto, in order to become the crucial turning point that begins the process of conscious inner development.

Fall in Virgo ⇧

Since Vulcan—the constructive influence of Ray 1—is the esoteric ruler of Virgo, helps forge an embryonic body of expression for the inner self, Pluto—as the destructive Ray 1 influence—“falls” or “descends into the underworld” of the earth sign here. This is in order not to disturb the gestation in Virgo by the “mother”, of the vehicle that will give expression to the “child” of the emerging inner consciousness.

The ears of wheat that will seed the coming harvest are part of the myth of Persephone, so the roles of these two—Pluto and Persephone—are deeply symbolic of the esoteric exaltation and fall of Pluto.

Detriment in Taurus ⇧

In Taurus the constructive influence of Ray 1 provides direction and the desire to forge ahead, so the destructive Ray 1 effect of Pluto as a non-sacred planet is detrimental to Taurean purpose. In Taurus, Pluto would exaggerate the more aggressive side of Ray 1, and the “bull-headed” cliché described in orthodox astrology. Again, Pluto is buried beneath the aims of this earth sign.