Pluto's New Status
Aug. 24, 2006
By Rose Marcus

Pluto, the planet of evolution and regeneration, seems to be evolving its outer identity. On August 24th, the International Astronomical Union, which convened in Prague, Czechoslovakia, voted to change the number of planets to eight and to demote Pluto's status to that of a dwarf planet. (Ceres, previously considered an asteroid, has been elevated to this status.)

Evolutionary astrology uses Pluto as the base line for interpreting the soul's desires, both at the collective and at the individual level. Soul and soul desires are in a continuous state of evolution, so perhaps it's not so out of line for Pluto to evolve it's public image, especially now while it squares the lunar nodal axis.

Re: its public identity, it appears the god of the underworld has decided to go undercover - or perhaps it's more appropriate to think of Pluto as cloaking or veiling itself. Can't help but wonder what will come next. The planet of evolution and of intrigue now gathers just a little more attention.

On the larger, broader context, as we spin our way faster to the ending of an age, it appears that Pluto is now entering its "balsamic phase" re the Age of Pisces and is now symbolically entering a phase of withdrawing or disengaging from its previous identity to focus on core re-development. Is the collective soul now in the process of developing a new access code?

Note that Pluto in retrograde is now square to the lunar nodal axis, and is currently "pulling" on the south node in Virgo, - hence the opinion to diminish/downplay its status.

Today's announcement appears synchronistic with the evolving collective experience. Perhaps the continuous intensity of life is such a common experience that we are no longer identifying it as particularly outstanding (the numbing experience). Here's a question, if Pluto's contemporary potency is diffused, symbolically speaking, that is, - is there something stronger out there - and is it spinning towards us? (Perhaps it's simply the dawning of a new age.)

What's in a label? Does it really change anything? Some will say no, some will say yes. It depends on your own response/your own point of view.

Interestingly, Pluto's current news making can be linked to the upcoming full moon eclipse on Sept. 7th. Apparently it is called the "Hermit" Eclipse because it is hardly visible. The Hermit in the tarot represents a time of disengagement and withdrawal, just as Pluto appears to be doing now (in terms of collective labelling - and on a larger scale, re the closure cycle of an ending Age.) The Hermit's inner journey is a rich one. Eclipses put us on alternate paths, perhaps Pluto is currently embarking on the same. (Note that Pluto will turn direct Sept. 4, just a few days before this upcoming eclipse.) Wonder what's next!

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