Scorpio, Pluto and some fixed stars in the US National chart
The Sun has sailed
into the zodiac sign of Scorpio. At 06:51 on the morning of the 23rd October, Malta time, the
Sun began its journey through the sign associated with death and renewal.
Traditionally, Mars rules this sign, although Pluto has come to be associated
with it, which is why both planets are considered when looking at Scorpio in a
chart.
So how did
Pluto come to be a co-ruler of Scorpio? Historically, Pluto was discovered in
the 1930s though apparently an astronomer by the name of Percival Lowell
detected its possible existence as far back as 1905. When in 1930, another
astronomer confirmed its existence based on the work of Percival Lowell, it was
given the name Pluto, suggested by the 11 year-old daughter who thought it
might be a good idea to name it after the god of the underworld. Its name also
pays homage to Percival Lowell, containing the first letters of his name. And
there you have it.
Pluto was
famously demoted as a planet in 2007, much to the consternation of astrologers
worldwide. It is widely associated with beginnings and endings by most
astrologers. In personal birth charts, the position of Pluto can give us a lot
of information about how personal transformation may be played out. So the next
question should be, what did astrologers do before its discovery?
This is a
good question. Traditional astrologer does not consider the planets beyond
Saturn (that is, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). Until the discovery of Uranus in
the late 1700s, only the planets from Mercury to Saturn (and the two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon)
were considered when putting a chart together. The archetypes represented by
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were represented by the traditional planets.
So when
looking at a person born in the zodiac cycle of Scorpio, Mars, and not Pluto,
would have been the planet ruling that sign.
Traditionally, Mars was seen as a bit of a ‘bad boy’ if the natal chart showed
he was placed in certain signs. If you were an army general, Mars placed in a warrior
mode would be fine, but perhaps not if you were a peacemaker.
Scorpio is
the 8th sign of the zodiac, and comes after Libra. After Libra's focus on
relationships (business or otherwise), where two people come together, it is
only natural that the idea of a 'consumation' leads us to a sort of ritual
'death and transformation'. After that consumation, you are not the same; you
are transformed. Hence the idea of death and transformation, and it is a subtle
change, but a change nevertheless.
Pluto can
also be significant when looking at the chart of countries, something we call
national charts. This planet takes 248 earth years to orbit the Sun, which is
quite a long time. When any planet returns to its natal position, we call this
a 'return', as in, for example, a Mars return (which takes approximately two
years). A good example of a Pluto return in a national chart is that of the
USA. On the 4th July, 1776, at around 5:10pm local time in Philadelphia, a few
men decided that the time had come to sever ties with 'Mother England'. Trouble
had been brewing for quite a few years; people were getting frustrated about
having to pay taxes to a country they had never visited, never wished to visit,
and which seemed to be greedy. With the articles of independence signed, a
country 'was born'. Pluto was at 27° 33' of Capricorn.
Today, Pluto is at 24°22' of Capricorn,
approaching its return to the birth position. And yes, the USA is going through
a transformation. It no longer possesses the standing it had on the world
stage. By 2025, according to astrologer Michael Lutin[1]
(and many others, to be correct), America will be a very different place from what we know now. Such is the power of Pluto in chart. Strong, understated and gradual
transformation.
According to some sources, one of the signatories of the articles of American independence was a master astrologer. Benjamin Franklin appears to have chosen the day and time for the best possible outcome for the birth of a nation.
He must have been aware that there were all the then known planets above the horizon in the sky at the time (with the exception of the Moon, which was below the horizon). Saturn was highest in the sky, and following the line towards the western horizon was Mercury, the Sun and Jupiter conjunct, Venus and finally Mars. There are so many detailed articles written about this national chart that I would not do it any justice if I were to write one here. However, what IS interesting – and I wonder if Ben Franklin was aware of this (something tells me he was), is that there were a number of important fixed stars making a statement that day, and at that very time.
The stars of Orion have long been known to be important. The ancient
Egyptians built temples and pyramids aligned to stars, so when looking at the
stars which were rising with the Sun that day (called heliacal rising; a term
which signifies that these stars will be important throughout the life of the
individual or entity), you begin to see that Ben Franklin chose the time for
the best possible outcome for the declaration of the birth of a new nation.
Three stars found in the constellation of Orion are Betelgeuse, Alnilam and Rigel. All three stars figure in the US national chart. At the time of signing, Betelgeuse was setting (just as a sun sets). On the 4th July 1776, Rigel and Alnilam rose with the Sun. All these stars have statements which seem to align with what the signatories envisioned for their country. It is said that a chart affected by Betelgeuse will be successful and brilliant. Rigel is said to bring knowledge to others, whilst Alnilam, in this particular chart, brings about the ability to bring people and different ideas together[2].
[1] https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/12/lutin200612
[2] Information
about fixed stars, see Brady, B. (1998) Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars.
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