Venus Pluto Aspects - Pluto Stationary Retrograde

With Pluto shortly about to reach a station and then turn to retrograde motion, at around 11 degrees of the zodiac sign of Capricorn, it is no surprise  to have lately heard from quite a few people with strong Plutonic connections in the birth chart.  In particular, I am hearing about relationship problems and, in several cases, the people concerned have a powerful Venus-Pluto aspect in the chart. 

The word  ‘aspect’, is our technical term in astrology for a specific kind of angular connection, from the visual mathematics of geometry.  It is also a term used by estate agents to describe the views from windows in the rooms in properties that they show.  The term has a common ground here, because when we talk about planetary aspects we are describing the way in which planets seem to look out at one another.

Astrologers sometimes talk about “hard” and “easy” aspects.  In the first case we usually mean squares (planets 90 degrees apart) and oppositions (180 degrees apart) – and sometimes conjunctions, which describe when planets are right next to one another, or in the exact same place.  Easy aspects are trines (planets 120 degrees apart) and sextiles (60 degrees apart).

The difficult Venus-Pluto aspects are the ones I think of as particularly powerful in a chart, in that they seem to be hard to live with at times.  Therefore the person concerned experiences any current planetary connections to their Venus-Pluto aspect very intensely – and perhaps not least of all because Pluto itself seems linked to rather intense energy!

I sometimes find it a good analogy to personalise the planets as characters.  So, if you can imagine Pluto interacting with Venus, here we have a bit of a bully, prepared to do almost anything, even if it is underhand or illegal, in order to have his own way (Pluto).  This manipulative, forceful and sometimes deceitful energy is strongly drawn to attractive, lush, sensual Venus.  In Tarot Venus is linked with the Empress and so contains the qualities of nurturing, support and kindness.  In astrology Venus takes a variety of forms, depending upon which sign she resides in, at the time.  She can be anything from soft and gentle to alluring and seductive.  For Pluto it is fairly simple: he just wants all that Venus can give and will try any trick in the book to get it.

Some say that  Pluto – whose character equivalent in Greek mythology is Hades – is not all bad, but there is little doubt that he is tricky.  And for any Venusian person caught up in a relationship with a Plutonic kind of personality, it is frequently not an easy ride.  Therefore, Venusian people may need their wits about them as Pluto changes direction, to spot when they may be falling for some trick, drawn in almost magnetically by an energy field that feels somehow “wrong” or uncomfortable, or unwittingly under some kind of attack.

As for the Pluto personality, the key to freedom from any destructive or miserable cycle is to realise – or remember – that you can have what you want, or close to it, but you don’t have to go to extremes to get it.  Sometimes the cause of Pluto’s ongoing discontent is a growing sense of jealousy, which registers painfully in the body – but the pain is caused by the mind.  The jealousy comes, perhaps, from an internal dialogue of comparison, which pits others as “up there” and “better” in some way.  They seem to have what the Pluto person wants and which feels out of reach.  But is it really out of reach?  Probably not.  This child comes into life with blessings and gifts, also, but maybe not the right conditions and opportunities for them to blossom in the usual way or time span.  The key to true happiness for the Pluto personality is to work from the roots up, creating the right conditions – not trying to artificially pinch them from the outside and paste them into place.  They will become dislodged too easily that way and it will take a lot of energy to keep them there!  But what grows from the roots up can be lasting and beautiful – it just needs time and the right care and attention.

Ironically, both characters need the  same thing when Venus and Pluto are challenged astrologically – to turn towards greater self-care and let the love and healing take place on the inside.

©Diana McMahon Collis 11 April 2013
Image of Woman in Venus Mask © Boguslavovna | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images