Pluto in Scorpio

Astrologers have assigned Pluto's rulership to Scorpio. Pluto travels its fastest in Scorpio, spending only 12 years in that sign, where it spends up to thirty years in the other signs. The planet Earth experienced perihelion between the Sun and Pluto in September of 1989, or its closest contact with that planet, during which time Pluto actually orbited on the inside of Neptune for a while. Here we have felt Pluto at its strongest. This is a convincing argument in itself that Pluto rules Scorpio. Sexual matters are the main manifestation of Pluto in Scorpio. There was an alarming spread of the AIDS virus. Questions arose and demanded consideration about what constitutes safe, responsible sex. Free mores of the 1960s and '70s had revealed a need to concern ourselves with the implications of what we still welcome as more open attitudes about sex.Sexual violence and rape also came to the fore. Hardly a day went by when there was not some story, great or small, in the newspaper. Pluto in Scorpio challenges people to deal with tension in productive ways. Unfortunately, perpetrators of physical violation find their outlet through aggressive outbursts. Pluto in Scorpio also calls self-esteem into question, with a general helplessness the result. Defenses are down all around. Pluto in Scorpio also had a dramatic impact on religion. Notice the number of cases of sexual abuse that were highlighted within the church. Also notice, on a more positive note, people's increasing interest in discovering the common thread in their fellow human beings and nurturing it for the better rather than, like their ancestors, using it as a noose. We are challenged to be more responsible toward the welfare of each other without loosing our respect for ourselves. A mixture of directness and compassion is the subtle key. It is an alchemical process, whereby we find the right proportion of allegiance and maverickness, producing wisdom.