I knew that I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented, not even because I was beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone. The public was the only family, the only Prince Charming and the only home she had ever dreamed of.
Marilyn Monroe – Pluto in the 12th House – “My Story” by Marilyn Monroe (and Ben Hecht)
Have you ever felt that you cannot avoid being defined according to projections of qualities or flaws that others see in you? Or that you are at the mercy of circumstances beyond your control? These are some of the characteristics of Pluto in the 12th House.
The Meaning of Pluto
“I am Pluto, the planet of deep transformation and hidden power. In the 12th House, my influence is focused on the inner world, secrets, and hidden spirituality. I challenge you to thoroughly explore your deepest fears and confront the shadows of your psyche. My presence here may indicate significant transformations in your inner life, dreams, and connection with the spiritual realm. Through me, you will learn to use self-transformation to free yourself from self-destructive patterns and to connect with the deepest aspects of your being. I also urge you to confront your fears related to the unknown and to explore your connection with the spiritual. Ultimately, you will find that power resides in releasing what no longer serves you and in connecting with higher dimensions of existence.”
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Where Pluto is located, we experience a process of transformation as involuntary as the one that happens to the caterpillar during its transmutation into a butterfly. Pluto’s position in the natal birth indicates the personal evolutionary path that we all go through. Although many times we are not aware of it, this process is activated from the first day of our birth. Many times the energy of Pluto is found in the control we exert over certain aspects of our behavior. It is not that Pluto means control… Rather it is our fear of the flow of Plutonian energy that triggers the desire to control it.
Pluto simply awakens ancestral and even soul memories that are stored in our physical and cosmic DNA. These memories condition the present life and need to be released to recover other hidden treasures that we have inherited from our ancestors.
To let Pluto flow, we need to dare to feel the impulses of the unconscious and thus, consciousness. This is not easy because it is not something that we are taught in school. In fact, many of the drives that come from our instinctive selves become compulsions because, for cultural and other reasons, we try to keep them hidden, even from ourselves.
The secret with Pluto is not to take action but to feel it, to observe it. Pluto brings to the surface energies that have been stored for generations and are now ready to be transformed. However, they remain “unknown” to us and, in many cases, terrify us. That is why, in general, we repress them for a long time until, at some point, they erupt, generating some kind of crisis.
Pluto is a very slow planet. It takes 248 years to go around the zodiac and stays in each sign between 12 and 31 years. Although the transformation process is individual, the way we go through it is shared by a large number of people. Basically, we are not alone when facing the force of the subconscious. The individuals of the same Plutonian generation develop something in common, which allows the evolutionary process to be lived together while each one has the experience from their unique perspective.
The astrological house where Pluto is located shows us the particular area of existence where we experience transformation. The sign shows us how we approach it.
The difference between the natal position and the transit of Pluto through the houses is that the natal position indicates the area of life where our evolution will focus, while the transit of Pluto activates temporary processes that assist our evolutionary path.
Pluto in the 12th House – Natal or Transiting
The 12th House is the last astrological house. In a certain way, here we see the integration of our passage through all areas of life represented by houses 1st to 11th. In affinity with Pisces, this house is where we let ourselves go with the flow and surrender to the mystery of Life. without any resistance. Everything that happens in this house is out of our control. Therefore, we also see here the prenatal experiences, the world of dreams and spirituality.
When Pluto is in the 12th House, the god of the Underworld rules within the unconscious. The limits of the unconscious are unknown… but taking into account the symbolism of the 12th House, Pisces, Neptune, and Jupiter (both co-rulers of Pisces), we can imagine that it is like a wave of connection, in constant expansion.
So, in the 12th house, we access something much bigger than ourselves, and at the same time, that ‘something’ has access to us. Because of this fact, the planets in the 12th House – although they are a part of our consciousness, do not belong to us completely, but transcend our own being. For example, Diego Maradona with the Sun conjunct Neptune in Scorpio (a very Plutonian position) in the 12th House, became an absolute myth. The idealized image of his person belonged to the fans.
When it comes to Pluto, the part of us that transcends our own selves has to do with regeneration and personal power, as well as the taboo and the secret. Marilyn Monroe had Pluto in the 12th House. Her powerful sexual magnetism made her the most popular sex symbol in history. At the same time, the circumstances of her death continue to be the subject of studies, documentaries, etc. She has become a collective obsession. This is another case in which we see how a planet in the 12th house makes us universal… our being no longer belongs to us but belongs to the public.
I have mentioned the example of Diego Maradona and Marilyn Monroe to exemplify the concept of universality that the planets of the 12th house reflect. Those planets (or expressions of our consciousness) will be shared with the rest of the world in some way or another. We don’t need to be as famous as Maradona or Marilyn. In fact, many times they did not say “I” when talking about themselves but used the third person when referring to the public figure. When they referred to themselves, Maradona was Pelusa – the nickname his mother had given him. Marilyn was Norma Jean, her real name.
And this is what happens with the planets in the 12th House. Somehow, these planets become an expression that goes beyond ourselves and is fed by the collective unconscious. We may or may not be aware of it, but what we will surely experience is a connection with this energy that is beyond our control. When it comes to Pluto, the collective projects on us a great personal power, a great source of internal resources to go through any crisis, sex appeal, and at the same time, the shadow of the collective unconscious, which is closely linked to the characteristics of the sign where Pluto is.
But is it true that these characteristics do not belong to us? As I have said before, in the 12th House we see the integration of all our experiences. When Pluto is there, there is a work of evolution going on. The personal power that Pluto symbolizes is extraordinary. Are we able to integrate it into our psyche or are we going to dissociate it? It all depends on our relationship with personal power.
My dreams are too intimate to be revealed to the public.
Marilyn Monroe – Pluto in the 12th House
Pluto in the 12th House makes us tremendously receptive to the collective shadow and, at the same time, puts us in a position where we ourselves are the catalyst for it. By “shadow” I mean the unknown dark side of the personality. According to Jung, the shadow, being instinctive and irrational, is prone to psychological projection, in which a suppressed personal inferiority (real or imagined) can be perceived as a moral deficiency in another person. That is why individuals with this position of Pluto can become a mirror of the repressions of the collective unconscious. Being accused of things they never did, and being convicted of alleged “immoralities” always depends on the personal and cultural reality of the accusers in question, but of course… it is not easy to live under that pressure. Many times they can even feel trapped in adverse circumstances from which they cannot get out. The powerful thing about this Pluto position is that those who have it will be forced to process the collective shadow and, sooner or later, can become great examples of self-improvement.
The lack of any consistent love and caring. A mistrut and fear of the world was the result. There were no benefits except what it could teach me about the basic needs of the young, the sick and the weak.
Marilyn Monroe – Pluto in the 12th House
There are many examples of celebrities with Pluto in the 12th House to study, but I have mentioned Marilyn (and Maradona for his clearly Plutonian Scorpio energy) because they are the clearest representatives of the creation of a myth, something very 12th House. Individuals with this position of Pluto don’t necessarily go through so many pressures. In all cases, however, the personalities are strong and exude a personal power that is fueled by something beyond control or will. Although in some cases they can go through very difficult circumstances, they seem to be designed to deepen surrender to life as it comes, to flow with it, and to gain a greater sense of compassion…something that ultimately provides them with an infinite source of universal resources that few can even imagine.