All About Pluto:

Pluto's realm contains all that we most fear and seek to avoid. Yet its cycle teaches that we are not lost, whatever happens. The phoenix rising from its own ashes symbolizes the freedom that Pluto offers: the planet shows us that we can embrace radical change when we realize that even losing everything is an opportunity to start again, purified and in better shape. This is the natural way of the seasons of the year, when new life appears out of decay and death in an eternal cycle. Insecurity is born from a fear of what will happen next, of the unseen future. We cease to be the slave of the future (and also of the past) by living mindfully with insecurity from moment to moment. Thinking in this way takes courage. What we hold most dear may seem to be on the line, yet by facing all life's "little deaths" and learning how to regenerate, we become more confident and free. In this sense we come to understand why Hades, "the unseen", was also known as Pluto, the lord of wealth. A body so small and far away is unlikely on its own to have much direct effect here on Earth. Indeed, in 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto's status to that of "dwarf planet". However, when used as a focus for reference, its cycle does appear to reflect major social upheaval. Pluto in the birth chart helps us to face our subconscious fears. Many of us will prefer to stay distant from anxiety and other negative aspects of our lives, either denying them or putting off dealing with them, even when we are aware that they exist. Or we may turn to simplistic doctrines or plain self-indulgence. But Pluto makes the problems we face difficult to avoid and deny. Its cycle constantly tempts, fuels, and then undermines our obsessions. With Pluto in each zodiac sign for a generation, we surrender to that period's excesses as though Pluto will stay there forever. So, when its sign changes, we are left with major problems to sort out. It moved from Sagittarius to Capricorn during the 2008 start of the world economic crisis. Other Pluto sign changes marked two major wars and periods of social transformation. As well as describing the characteristics of our generation, Pluto's birth-chart position shows our individual vulnerabilities. It tests whether our fears are valid and how long the dangers we face may last. This in turn may reveal ways in which we can be courageous and successful.