I’ve been thinking a lot about suffering and hardship lately. More specifically, the type of growth that only comes through loss. Yes, I’m Scorpio, and I have a true appreciation of the depth of maturity that comes from facing life’s trials head on and transmuting them into something greater. Lord knows it’s not easy, but I wouldn’t trade my battle scars for anything let alone the darkness I had to face. How else would I have learned those lessons?

I mention all this because Pluto, the planet of darkness, demolition, and our difficult facets, turned retrograde today. When a planet stations, its archetypical energy saturations the collective. It’s saying to all of us, Pay attention. There’s work to be done — inner work, collective work, soul level work.

As a result, we may be seeing themes of shadow and rebirth in our lives and on a collective level. Pluto shows us what’s really there whether we want to see it or not. And if we don’t want to see it, we’ll project our Pluto onto others — our shame, our issues around power and control, our weaknesses.

A Pluto transit is like going into our own inner alchemical cave and facing our demons. Much like the pain that comes through loss and struggle, a Pluto transit sets us up for extraordinary growth. We have an opportunity to work on our karma, our soul, and release the negative knots.

To quote mythologist Joseph Campbell — “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.”

Pay attention. Pluto is revealing something to you. Where do you need to work on yourself? Where do you need to heal? What’s in your own cave? What are your demons? Are you ready to fight the battle?

See Also:

Saturn in Scorpio: Hard Truths