What It Means When Pluto Transits to the Sun

Pluto illuminated by a distant sun

Kevin Gill/Flickr/CC By 2.0 

Pluto is synonymous with transformation in astrology. It's often met with trepidation since transits of Pluto tend to reach into our fathomless depths.

The tracking aspect of Pluto forces us to go down personal rabbit holes until we're face-to-face with reality or penetrating insight that changes everything.  

Process of Elimination

It is said that we come to know ourselves through the process of eliminating who and what we're not. This kind of deep self-knowledge comes from getting in there, taking a chance, experimenting with this line of work, or committing to that relationship.

Pluto quickens that process, and that sounds like a good thing. But so often, we're deeply embedded in the choices we've made they are part of who we are or so we think! 

Pluto's transit to the Sun is a purge of all that's excess baggage. And Pluto gets your instincts into the game. If you've followed something other than your natural instincts, it's a time of paying for it, and sometimes payback is rough.  

What's eclipsing your ability to live out your identity in a vital way? Pluto is there to get to the bottom of it. And if you're life is top heavy with a structure that's an outgrowth of a hobbled, inhibited or overly socially conditioned psyche, that's when the ordeal of loss begins. 

That ordeal can be long and drawn out if we hold on to what we've got. 

Truth of Being

Robert Wilkinson of Aquarius Papers writes that "when Pluto approaches a planet, it is as though something of extraordinary importance, even ominous, feels like it's coming." And the impact reverberates even after Pluto has begun separating (moving on) from the exact degree of the contact. 

So relax into the hard aspects when you're dealing with them, and remember that the outer planets help us reshape our response to our higher self and the eternal process of transformation. A Pluto transit can bring death, but it can also bring us radical transformation.

A Great New Leap Forward

In her Survival Tips for the Pluto Transit, Lynn Koiner suggests moving the intense energies with physical exercise, and purposeful letting go. That Pluto transits bring on a feeling of powerlessness, that we can meet with actions that are within our power. Like getting rid of what's superfluous.

Lynn writes, "Pluto transits occur when one is about to make a great new leap forward, to leave the past behind and embrace a new beginning."

Sunny Side of Pluto

Looking on the bright side, a transit of Pluto to the Sun is like a crash (remedial) course in the true self. It potentially unlocks personal power and creativity, that's been going into your life before. Here are some ways the aspects can play out.

  • Transiting Pluto Conjunct the Sun: This causes an identity crisis or metamorphosis of self-image. Dramatic changes that strike at the heart of the sense of self. The process of purging social conditioning, in favor of natural instincts. The unearthing of creative potential and vitality. If you're finding yourself in life, it can be a time of tuning out the outside world, in the quest for your inner wealth and guidance.
  • Transiting Pluto Trine the Sun: A surge of personal power, and urge to put the whole self into work and life can be caused by this move. The Pluto touch can increase your ability to magnetize your desires and be mesmerizing to others. It's wise to seek one or more healthy obsessions, for all the energy available. Your enormous drive now can make you more ambitious. 
  • Transiting Pluto Opposite the Sun: With the opposition, people and situations can make one feel powerless. Be cautious when dealing with authority, as it's a transit of "getting into it" with oppositional forces. On the other hand, facing a mighty foe because you have no choice can show you what you're made of. Circumstances inspire you to dig deep, and persevere and even achieve success against all the odds. 
  • Transiting Pluto Square the Sun: This is an intense transit when lots of raw energy is released. Events or people can provoke you more easily now. What's festering from the past rises up and can be overwhelming. Lynn Koiner was experiencing this when she recommended exercise and getting busy with what's in your control (your immediate environment). Some compulsions can come to the surface, making it a time to find more wholeness in the psyche (after the being crazy part is over). Be alert to fears, as they can become drivers of events, and even cause the feared outcome.