Rick DiClemente’s
Astrology
Newsletter
Volume
70, December 2011
(Download a printable .DOC version here)
The new book: “The
Exquisite Zodiac” Available createspace.com/3732931 The Four Stages of Pluto Transits (And How to Tell Which One You Are In) This
issue deals with the transits of Pluto. It pertains to any time Pluto transits
one of your important planets in your chart as well as the long 16-year-era in
which we all find ourselves while Pluto traverses the sign of Capricorn. In
terms of the global era, we now find ourselves ¼ of the way through the Pluto-in-Capricorn
era which ends in 2023. Not all of us have even noticed that this era started
on I
will be explaining the four stages that seem to correspond with the major
changes that Pluto delivers. First, a little about Pluto… Yes, in astrologer’s
eyes, it’s still a planet. Dark and tiny, it is the farthest from the Sun – the
planet is said to rule Scorpios. Its mission, if you will, is devoted to purity
and transformation of any and all kinds. Even so, it is no Snow White. It roots
out any and all entities without integrity and attempts to transform them. If
it can’t, it will go a long way towards destroying same. Pluto
is very intense and austere. When Pluto is found strongly placed in a birth
chart, or a person has a large degree of Scorpio markers, the resulting being
can be the best of the best or the worst of the worst. Much is up to how that
person has chosen to live his or her life. Perhaps much of it is karmic. Since
2008, when the economic markets collapsed, Pluto gave up the game of
buttressing institutions, people and corporations that were essentially hollow
inside. Since then, so many have pined for recovery! Recovery! When will the
recovery be? Many people aren’t seeing clearly… The patient (the The entity is not
close to recovery. Those are the facts. Look around. We
can’t even get congress to agree that the sky is blue. The faster we address our
“ills,” then the faster we get to a true recovery. We have seen, just as was
predicted: too many of our problems have been pushed under the rug for decades
or more. Warnings and warnings have not been heeded. It’s natural for Pluto to
uproot these problems. As a society/world, we can no longer continue with such
corruption. Something has to give, and, it’s giving all right. That
brings us to the 4 stages of Pluto. STAGE ONE: DENIAL Keep
in mind that the same principles apply to countries, people, businesses,
governments, etc. Broaden your vision when you read about the 4 and you should
quickly be able to identify where you are within these long-term periods of
transition. Stage
1 of denial is when you start to notice that your life is somehow decaying at a
much more rapid rate than you ever could have imagined. At this point it’s
quite natural to react in one of two ways, 1) try to push the problems back
under the rug, or 2) try your old tricks in order to make it back off, ease up,
or simply go away. This is why one of the WORST things you can do with
astrological information is duck and wait for it to pass by. It doesn’t work
and in general is not good for your health. You simply cannot suppress your own
vital energies and get away with it. It’s called blockage. Pluto is not out
there, it’s in here. Many
of us have had a long-held habit of pushing more and more under the rug even
though we know that one day, it will catch up with us. One of several Pluto
transits brings us that day. When
you have the benefit of astrological guidance, you not only know what “time” it
is, you also can see when these periods will peak. More importantly, you get an
idea that “this is real” and cleanup time is here. When Pluto gets involved our
lives, most of us are in for sweeping changes. This is no joke, but almost all
of my clients can mark the time of the transition from stage 1 to 2 when they
find themselves “inexplicably” obsessed with cleaning out their basements. Literally. I
had a client today. After I explained to her about these stages, she said,
“That’s it, I’m going home and clean out my basement!” I had not even mentioned
the metaphor. She was actually bouncing back and forth between 1 and 2. If
you’re NOT cleaning up, this is one great big shiny red flag. Many
of our glorious souls that we inhabit this planet with just don’t collect what
is called emotional baggage. Pluto loves to raise hell with those that do
though. For those who mostly groove through life, keeping well balanced within,
many skip right on by to stage 4. Unfortunately,
most people spend at least a little bit of time in stage 1. It’s not a place in
which you want to spend a lot of time however. Misery gets to such a point and
the message Pluto is trying to pound into your cranium and that something has
to give! And, in most cases, without a doubt, suffering during a Pluto time is
because of hanging on to the old. Not letting go. Co-dependency. Living in the
past. Oh,
it’s easy to talk glibly about letting go as if we were jumping off the low
dive. Many people construct their entire lives around CLOSING OUR EYES TO WHAT
WE ARE HANGING ONTO. This is why stage 1 is so rough. When Pluto comes around –
you can no longer go forward – until the detachment occurs. If you don’t let go
of your “junk,” Pluto will back up a large flat-bed truck and come in your
house uninvited with some big sweaty dudes and simply start taking your stuff –
like a Sheriff’s Your unconscious
doesn’t like being ignored. And,
that’s what Pluto is! It represents your passions at the very soul
level. Pluto becomes “unhappy” if “you” don’t have the courage to live “your”
passions. See how we compartmentalize ourselves? That’s why waiting until “it”
passes is simply irrational. How can we wait until we pass by? We are verbs,
not nouns. One
of the big problems that occurs during this initial stage is simply that you may
have become bored with what you do. Your life has no purpose. Pluto doesn’t
take that matter lightly; it bugs us from deep within. It pressures us to mean
more, to play a more significant role on this globe. One of Pluto’s favorite
questions is, “Why are you taking up space?” So, you can see, in stage
1, you may not even be aware that this is going on even if things are falling
apart all around you. This is why we need to teach real astrology in
grades 1-12; to everyone. If
you recognize the “dark cloud hanging over your head,” you’re under a Pluto
transit. At one time, my 3-year-old boy was undergoing a Pluto transit. He
asked me, “Dad, what are those dark things above my bed?” I told him, “Don’t
worry, those are enemy spaceships and Dad will shoot every one of them down.” The
more you work WITH Pluto, the better off you will be. If you start letting go
of toxic friends, bypassing bad habits and in general start getting more
courageous about your life, Pluto will bring you great friends, promotions,
money, poignant books, movies and opportunities. It’s
really that simple: be brave and own your power, and Pluto will help. And
vice versa. STAGE TWO: ACCEPTANCE You finally accept the fact that dramatic changes are in
store. (Many people entirely renovate their homes at these times.) It’s all
symbolic. You might not like it. You don’t want to do it. It stinks. You see no
light at the end of the tunnel but you just flat out know: You have to do it
or die. And you will die, in one fashion or another. Your passion is
your life. This
is the hardest stage because Pluto makes you do it by yourself. You will lose
your support during this time. This is no joke, this is how it works. Why?
Because Pluto knows that you can do it by yourself. You’re not going to
gain courage by keeping your training wheels around. Pluto is an expert at
pointing out what blockages (self-induced) are in your way – it knows you have
to surpass them for your own evolution. That’s what it’s doing to the But, the key to
stage 2 is accepting that you put yourself in this mess… …an
ugly and awful realization that is ultimately very rewarding and liberating.
That is why I say, Pluto is ultimately pure and altruistic. You’re just not
going to get past Pluto carrying emotional baggage. Once you take responsibility
for your stuff, it becomes easier to let go of the past. Many of us keep things
alive in our minds because we think we “can’t live without them.” Most times
this is just a myth. Pluto has no interest in getting rid of your good friends
that have integrity – but it does want you free of those 95%-5% relationships;
you know what I mean. The ones who ask you how YOU are 59 minutes into your
1-hour discussion. Once
the task has been accepted to start cleaning up your life, it does get easier.
During this phase, since Pluto is the purifier, it is quite common to
experience unusual expulsions from your body. Blackheads, pimples, cysts,
abnormal secretions, etc. All are very common as a result of Pluto releasing
toxins into the bloodstream at an alarming rate. I am not a Doctor and you
should certainly seek one’s advice, but in many cases that I have seen, it’s
just the body purging. Purify your diet. In
other cases, I have seen serious cases of cancer and worse. Death surrounds
Pluto. I cannot and will not make those kind of predictions. It seems to be
dependent upon just how big that LUMP is under your rug, how long it’s been
there and exactly what did you do in your past live(s). If Thomas
Jefferson were president now, we’d be irate with him. It’s
the times. Remember, it was this same point in history astrologically when Do
you think this is a coincidence? Bridges, roads, schools, Boy Scouts, the
Catholic Church, our University sports programs, power-brokers, lobbyists,
government, crime, sexual exploits, oil spills, earthquakes, tsunamis, on and
on and on an on. It’s Pluto. Not to mention our politicians. Nevertheless,
as I said before, if the “client” has started by cleaning out their basement,
that’s a very, very good sign. Stage 2 continues as long as it has to. People
become obsessed with living lighter. Both in body and in collected stuff. Past
indulgences suddenly lose their luster. This is THE period when you have to ask
for help; and in my experience with clients and God; His/Her help arrives
almost immediately. STAGE THREE: HOPE Your
life situation may still be difficult. You’ve become more accustomed and
willing to clean up your act and do the “dirty work.” But now, there IS some
light appearing at the end of the tunnel. And the only reason there is visible
light is because you have removed enough rubbish for it to shine through. It was always
there. So,
in this stage, most all of the challenges get easier. Others usually get the
message “not to mess with you anymore.” They have sensed the new you, and now
they respect you. That’s if you haven’t gone off of your rocker in stage 2 and
lost your cool at the water-cooler. This time will be a bit disorienting if
you’re not used to standing in your own truth. Everything will be affected.
Even your skin will look healthier. The home should be quieter, even if a bit
more empty. You’ll be doing things you like for a change and find yourself in a
less-appeasing mood. Pluto is about finding your own power. Things just won’t
bother you as much because you are using less and less pressure holding YOURSELF
down. I think you get the point. I am
always pleased to sense when my clients have gotten to stage 3. Stage 2 was and
can be very scary where you’ve more or less been backed into the corner. Now
that you’ve gotten more in sync with the cleansing, purging processes of Pluto,
you’ll tend not to let things pile up again. Once was enough. It’s such a joy
to start feeling “like your old self” again - just that alone brings plenty of
motivation. People will ask you, “What’s gotten into you?” Tell them, “Pluto.” Once
you start to experience the process of this third stage it will become vividly
clear to you which of your acquaintances are back at stage 1 or 2. And you’ll
feel for them. You’ve been there. STAGE FOUR: INTEGRATION In
this final stage, you have made it. Now you are owning and using your own
Pluto-power. Much less friction appears all across your life. Some people never
even experience the first three stages! I’ve seen many cases where the
individual has simply kept in sync with themselves (and their Pluto) all of
their lives. They have never given their power away nor abused it. They have
stood up for themselves but haven’t become obnoxious about it. Integration and
balance. If
you have had to go through the rough, grueling previous stages, stage 4 is a
welcome sight. You’ve paid your dues. Now you know who you are and who you
aren’t. You’re no longer willing to sell yourself out just to be accepted. Most
of these unhealthy habits/roles were adopted in early childhood. It’s certainly
understandable. Pluto works with you; it puts a “force-field” around you that
silently asserts, “My life means something to me now. I matter.” More
and more, I’m noticing people advancing through these stages faster and faster.
This is a very hopeful sign. People are taking responsibility for having made
their lives the way they are - the first step towards fixing it. DON’T GET ALL EXCITED JUST YET I’ll
be talking plenty about these next two items in years to come. In 2015, Pluto
will oppose the A TRUE STORY Pluto
entered Capricorn on About
4 months later, I was reading a chart for a professional man who was gay. We
talked over many of these Pluto points. He had a rather dry and somewhat
repetitive profession. After realizing what massive changes he had gone through
during the past 4 months, being a Virgo, he pulled out his accurate day-timer.
He looked back in amazement: 4 months earlier, almost to the minute on
January 25th, he stood up in middle of a professional meeting
that started at He
walked out, and never returned. He couldn’t take it anymore. Pluto had been
stirring and stirring in him for over a year. He had watched too many of his
dear friends die to A.I.D.S. He felt so purposeless. He had plenty of money; he
quit the job and enrolled in a local college learning to be a nurse (Chiron
ruled) so he could help his ailing companions. This
is just one reason why my next book is going to be called “The Intimate
Zodiac.” Liza
and I really, really hope you enjoy the book! Merry
Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Rick Free birth chart calculations are available
at: http://www.alabe.com/freechart/ The PA Dept. of Vital Records form. Order your birth time/birth
certificate at: www.starself.com/birthtime May the
planets be with you as you find your Starself!” - Rick To receive a monthly reminder of my free
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visit my website: www.starself.com 2011 Rick DiClemente - www.starself.com
© - All rights reserved
Keep in mind that not all people go through the 4 stages. Some never get out of
stage 1. Some breeze right through and don’t even notice any of the stages.
There are no distinct demarcations of how long each stage will “last.”
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