The Meaning of Pluto
“I am Pluto, the planet of deep transformation and hidden power. In the 4th House, my influence is centered on your family roots, home, and emotional life. I challenge you to explore the depths of your family history and confront the wounds and secrets that may reside deep within your being. My presence here may indicate significant transformations in your family life and your sense of security. Through me, you will learn to heal ancestral wounds, break free from destructive family patterns, and transform your emotional life from its core. Ultimately, you will find power in authenticity and in building a solid emotional foundation.”
Pluto rules Scorpio. Scorpio has three states as symbolism: the Scorpion, the Eagle, and the Phoenix. The first state, the Scorpion, represents instinctual reaction. When scorpions feel in danger, they defend themselves with their stinger. The second state, the Eagle, represents the ability to form a strategy since flying and seeing the world from a broader point of view allow the eagles to know where to go to avoid obstacles or obtain what they need. The Phoenix, the third state, symbolizes rebirth. The Phoenix does not react instinctively like the scorpion, nor does it use strategies like the eagle. The Phoenix totally surrenders to Life. And so, it is reborn.
Unlike Scorpio, Pluto is the planet that symbolizes the activation of this process while Scorpio represents the process itself. The position of Pluto in the birth chart shows us the area of life where instinctual reactions (Scorpio) will awaken when we feel in danger. These reactions are not only the product of our personal memories but also of the ancestral memories that are transmitted through DNA. Some astrologers mention that we also speak of reactions that come from the experiences of our soul, and memories of past or future lives. Likewise, this is the space where we will tend to develop a strategy for survival (Eagle) until finally, we allow ourselves to feel EVERYTHING and lose our fear of vulnerability. It is then that the experiences we go through transform us into a new version of ourselves (Phoenix).
I immerse myself in the future, but the sun blinds me. I am reborn in every moment, so who knows what I will become.
Selena Gomez – Pluto in the 4th House
Pluto describes these states both individually and collectively. This is a planet that moves very slowly: it takes 248 years to travel the zodiacal wheel and stays in each sign between 12 to 31 years. Each generation goes through these states and this is how the human species expands through time.
Although I will refer to the position of Pluto, this article can also be applied to the position of Scorpio by house.
When Pluto or Scorpio are in the 4th House
The Transformation of the Emotional Body
The 4th House symbolizes the emotional body and the way it is nourished by the environment. What does this mean? The emotional body is what allows us to feel the relationship we have with the outside world. With it, we nourish ourselves with the experiences we go through and thus we form a sense of belonging, something that provides us with emotional security. Our species creates its first relationship with the outside by feeling the warmth of the mother. Her closeness, her voice, her presence, gives us peace of mind since we know that we are going to be cared for, that we are protected. This is the first impression we have of the outside world and it will be the one that defines the kind of emotional nourishment we will seek to feel safe.
Our emotional body is translating the alchemy between our perception and the experiences we go through. As I have said above, our Being is made up not only of what we call “I” but also of ancestral and soul memories. The impressions we receive from the outside are translated from this conglomerate.
When Pluto is in the 4th House, our individual evolutionary process goes through the transformation of our emotional body, our sense of belonging, the expression of our emotions, and what nurtures us emotionally. To do this, we will go through experiences, especially at home and in the family, that will make us aware of the kind of emotions with which we nurture ourselves.
Both within our inner world and with everything that makes us feel like family, we will go through the three states of Scorpio: instinctual reaction, strategy, and transformation. First, it will be the scorpion that will show us the instinctive behaviors that come from ancestral memories that are passed from generation to generation through DNA. These memories contain abandonment, orphanhood, loss of home, exile, etc. Every time we feel that we stop belonging to that which nourishes us, we react by releasing the “poison” of the scorpion. The way we do it is individual and the position by sign of Pluto, the aspects and other relevant positions that we can see in the birth chart can give us more information about it.
The next state is that of strategy. Here we already have more control over our reactions and we act proactively. Like the eagle, we observe what happens from a higher plane and make decisions that allow us to achieve our goals. Unlike the scorpion state, the eagle state no longer defends itself from circumstances but instead provokes them to maintain its emotional security.
The third and last state is that of transformation. This is when we hit rock bottom. There comes a time when we understand that defense or attack no longer provides us with the emotional security that we are longing for. This is the moment of total surrender to what is. We accept our destiny, we feel the pain that exists in our heart, we realize that we do not feel loved or that we haven’t a “family” to belong to. We are completely alone in Life. We turn to ashes. This is when the magic begins. Like the Phoenix, the truth of life processes ignites each of our cells and suddenly, we understand everything. We feel that we are alive thanks to the resilience of our ancestors, we access the pain and suffering that is within us and that is part of the human species, and suddenly, the floodgates of our emotional body open, allowing the entry of emotions that we have never felt before, realizing that we have always been loved.