At 11:21am on April 10, Pluto moves into retrograde motion. You may have already begun feeling its effects sometime last week, as it is our slowest moving planet. It is stationary now in the 10th degree of Capricorn. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'An albatross feeding from the hand of a sailor'. The keyword is 'nurturance'...and the timing for such a message is appropriately reflected in the ingress of Ceres in Taurus (which begins this afternoon and ends on June 23rd). Ceres is the asteroid of the nurturer archetype, while Taurus is the sign that (in its best expression) inclines a similar nurturing attitude.
During this transit (Pluto's retrograde period lasts until 9-18), we'll be taking a deeper look at what truly nurtures us...and at the same time, we'll be tested and (in more stubborn cases) forced to release our attachments to what we once clung to or fed that does not serve our higher purpose. And we hear such things all the time, it seems, right? I'm always writing about liberating ourselves from negative thought patterns and destructive addictions that sabotage our purest expression. Well, it's what I've learned about healing on the deepest level. And it's a lesson from my own natal Pluto Retrograde in Libra in my 6th House, the house of health. It is in this house where the Liberator archetype resides within my own psyche. And at this stage in my life, where I will soon be initiated into my thirties (on April 11th), the regenerative power of Pluto Retrograde proves to be my deepest strength rather than the tumult of drastic transformations it had seemed in younger years. So, you read about such themes as transformation and 'out with the old, in with the new' a lot from me, yes? Do you wonder when the constant, internal spring cleanings will be sufficient enough to finally get you to where you want to be? I wish I could tell you, just ONE more and then you're good to go...but it's not the case. We are meant to keep evolving. We are changers, shifters, creators...always transforming. We go through a series of initiations in our lives in order to realize our highest self. The final initiation in each lifetime is death, The Great Crossing.
This brings me to my next point about Pluto. One of its most notable themes is transformation...and one of the most recognizable of those transformations is death. There is, of course, physical death which may play an important role in your own understanding of the lessons of this transit. Or, more often, symbolic death will occur in your life as you transition into something new (whether it be a new job, new relationship, new house, or new way of life). Whatever it is that shakes you awake to observe and uncover the meaning of who you really are by unraveling the layers of identity you've accumulated in a dream-state...you will be stripped down to your essentials in order to recognize that all you really need is so profoundly simple, and that all of the excess must be discarded in order to emanate your light more brightly from within.
This can be an excruciatingly painful process for some. Especially if you've become resistant and fearful of change, Pluto Retrograde can be like someone shining a bright light of investigation into the closets and cubbyholes of your mind and discovering your skeletons, your deep dark secrets, and your hidden motives. Whatever you've buried in the past because you didn't want to or know how to deal with it...it is likely to resurface at some point during this transit. It's not to cause distress, though that is sometimes a side-effect, it is because it is dead weight holding you back from moving forward. Whatever is hidden will likely be revealed for the purpose of healing and regenerating. This is a time to cast a light into your own shadows, investigate them yourselves if you don't want someone else to poke and prod at them first. Recognize your shadows, integrate them into the light instead of keeping them in the dark. You have them, but you are not them.
Pluto Retrograde often incorporates very intense and deeply penetrating insights into your subconscious. Our powers of observation and investigation are heightened...which shows us the necessity of eliminating and releasing that which is outworn, outdated, old and obsolete in our lives. What recurring patterns in your life make you feel out of control? Pluto often deals with lessons of control...and in retrograde, it shows us if there are destructive parts of ourselves to which we are regularly relinquishing control. This is a time to get back into the driver's seat of your own life by kicking the bad habits that keep you going on a road to nowhere. It could be something as obvious as an addiction to drugs or alcohol that has you spinning out of control...or it could be something as widely accepted in our society as worry or fear that has you stuck on a loop. Whatever it is, it's time to take back control and activate your higher mind on this journey through life...because there are so many more amazing things to see and experience than that same old scenery that's just passing you by.
And now back to nurturance, as I am just hours away from Ceres entering Taurus to usher in this theme like a newly planted garden. Who or what nurtures you? How do you get your sustenance? Where does it come from and how does it grow? Is it healthy for you? Is it healthy for our planet? Is it sustainable and regenerative? Does it feed your light or your shadow? Are you consuming more than you need? Is there a balance of giving and receiving in your life? How do you nurture others? In what way do you display the attributes of the Caretaker in this life?
And finally, when are you going to pull the weeds from the garden? The time is always now.
Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi
ADDENDUM (4-10-12): Pluto's Shift on a Global Scale
As retrogrades turn the energy represented by the planet inward, we often reflect upon ourselves and the drastic changes we need to make in our own lives during a Pluto Retrograde. However, consider that these transits are inclining everyone around you to realize the same thing...that in order to regenerate our environment beyond the destruction our addictions and ignorance have exacerbated, we need to change ourselves. These retrogrades are important transits that can assist us in being the change.
While Pluto (transformation) moves in direct motion through Capricorn (the sign of structure, achievement, and recognition)...we've been seeing the inevitable crumbling of old ways that have now proven destructive. Yes, such things still seem to hold most of the power in our societies...but, regardless, they are breaking down and their hidden agendas are being revealed to the public at an alarming rate. Power structures that once appeared to be fail-safe (at least to the people using them) or appeared to have our best interests in mind (at least to the people who blindly trust and consume like spoiled children)...greed and misuse of that power has begun to disintegrate it beyond repair. 'Out with the old, in with the new' is the difficult but necessary solution on many people's minds...but what of those that cling to a past that has already failed us?
Now, as Pluto is just hours away from turning retrograde and focusing that investigative light on an internal level, people who have misused power and clung to obsolete structures will have nowhere to hide from the effects of their shadows, skeletons, and secrets. They will be plagued with the consequences of destructive actions and soulless ideals. Problems that they've tried to keep hidden will start flooding into the light, disturbing secrets they've kept will likely be revealed, and the more they try to keep it all hidden...the weaker they will become. Perhaps more of us will realize then...they are not power, money is not power, stuff is not power.
Power is in the balance of giving and receiving...the symbiotic relationship between all life. Consider that something we may have never seen, may have never even heard of, such as phytoplankton in our seas can be a powerful regenerator of our Earth by taking in carbon for its own nurturance. But the balance is off now...our carbon footprints are so giant that the temperature of our waters has increased and less phytoplankton can grow. This is just one example, but a pretty important one. Power quickly becomes powerless without balance, moderation, and temperance. We are not the only beings on this planet...and though we may think we are the most intelligent, you wouldn't be able to deduce that as fact if you take a look at the destruction we alone have caused.
That's the point. We are not alone. That phrase you keep hearing everywhere, 'we are one'...it's not just about the human race. We are one with all life around us, there is no dominion over this and that. We are one with the whole of the earth...and as the earth is part of the universe, we are one with the universe as well.
Pluto in retrograde this year will keep us focused on discarding the old notions of me vs. you, us vs. them, all of those separating beliefs of a passing age...so that we can finally work together on what's truly important: caretaking in a world of co-creation.
