PLUTO: Energetic Archetype & Qualities

Overview of Pluto Energy

Pluto spends anywhere from 9 to 30 years in a sign, and has been in Capricorn since 2008. As a generational planet, many of us have the same natal Pluto sign. Pluto was in Libra, for example, from 1971 to 1984, meaning anyone born within that range shares the Pluto in Libra placement. The House location of your natal Pluto and the aspects to it will be much more individual to you and are a better way to gauge your personal Pluto energy (same with the other slow-moving bodies, like Chiron, Neptune, Uranus, etc.) 

Pluto embodies the idea of “the only way out is through.” The ruler of death and rebirth, Pluto reminds us that endings and beginnings are all wrapped up into one – they’re inseparable. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, it is only through our own demise that we may be reborn, released into a newer, higher reality than we left behind because we have become a newer and higher version of ourself. It’s a butterfly style transformation, where in order for the caterpillar to become the butterfly, it must first enter the cocoon and become goo. For a period of time, the creature is neither caterpillar nor butterfly, but rather exists in the liminal stage between the two.

Pluto rules over shadow work and deep healing, which ultimately lead to butterfly style transformation. It’s doing the work required to truly heal. A good example of this would be going to therapy – facing your demons, connecting your dots, aligning your narrative. You do that work not necessarily because it’s fun, but because by doing the work, you’re addressing the root cause rather than just bandaiding it. Something like therapy can guide you through the process, but ultimately, the power to heal and to change is still in your hands. Only you have the power to change your life.

Pluto also represents Power – the power that we already have, the power we’ve given away, and the power we’ve yet to discover. The knee jerk reaction when we feel someone else is holding our power is anger or frustration, but the opportunity lies in reclaiming your power from it. Anger is a road sign that says “reclaim your power here,” so keep in mind that these people and situations show up in your life to provide you with this incredible opportunity, even though it may not feel like it at the time. If you’re not sure where to start with reclaiming your power, start by honoring your sacred No, and say NO to whatever doesn’t feel good.

Pluto calls into question our capacity for emotional discomfort. How do you respond to it? If your initial response is to make the pain go away, then you cannot heal. If you cannot be co-present with pain then you cannot heal. 

Pluto Keywords

Lord of the Underworld, “God of Hell,” unconscious mind, collective unconscious, healing, regeneration, death and rebirth, decay, fertilization, deep inner work, metamorphosis, facing harsh truths/reality, true strength, power, stamina

Interestingly, around the time of Pluto’s discovery in 1930, psychologist Carl Jung was publishing his ideas about the unconscious self (shadow) and the collective unconscious  – both deeply Plutonian in nature. 

Shadow Side

The lowest frequency of Pluto is extreme guardedness. Where you feel the need to protect yourself because you’ve been hurt before. This fear-based defensiveness cuts us off from life, from the abundant wellbeing that’s always available to us. 

In all of the shadow work that Pluto helps us do as it brings old hurts to the surface, little by little, the aim is to bring compassion to these old wounds, whether from this lifetime of past ones, and love ourselves back to life.

Article written by Maddie Billings; content curated and presented by Carly Whorton