When Pluto makes transits the Moon, whether it be a conjunction, square, trine, or opposition, it can cause us to delve deeply into our emotions, but it can also compel us to deal with issues related to our inner lives that can put our health, relationships, and personal lives in jeopardy. Pluto is the planet of rebirth, transformation, and extreme change; it can signify a trip underground or a profoundly pivotal experience. Since the Moon also represents the body, this transit could indicate a period of immense physical transformation or the manifestation of previously unrecognised health problems (Pluto). It’s a time for mourning and confronting old emotional wounds (the Plutonian unconscious) that haven’t been addressed. Pluto, in the form of betrayal, loss, death, separation, and pain, can pose a serious threat to the Moon’s sense of safety. People who are manipulative, dominant, or abusive may enter our lives, along with unresolved issues from the past. Death under a Pluto transit to the Moon can manifest on many different planes, from the physiological to the emotional to the death of our naiveté.
“The idea of yourself, which you have grown up with, and which dates from childhood experiences, now due for an overhaul. This necessary because habitual responses and defense mechanisms that you devised in your early years in order to protect yourself from real or imagined threats to your well-being, are now getting in the way of a healthy and continuous emotional interplay. In effect, you need to confront what your key emotional fears are, but it’s more than likely that they are focused on a deep and central fear of abandonment. Doing so is extremely painful and the temptation to use your old unconscious defense system is almost as intense as the need to get rid of them. But the more you succumb to this temptation—the more you will attract situations that actually make you feel abandoned—by a loved one, material resources, health, professional support—or whatever you rely upon for a feeling that you belong to someone or somewhere or something. Alternatively, you could feel horribly invaded or taken over by someone or something. But they won’t let go of you until you have let go of your old defenses. Anything or anyone that is an inextricable part of the old you must fall or be taken away. The new you eventually shows itself to have qualities and depths that were once fearfully hidden.” Lyn Birkbeck, The Instant Astrologer
Nicky Hilton, heir to the Hilton hotel fortune, was Elizabeth Taylor’s first husband. Liz’s natal Scorpion Moon was squared by transiting Pluto at the time of the marriage. After three nights of marriage, Elizabeth said he became mentally and physically abusive. He was a heavy gambler and drinker, she said. Once, while she was pregnant, he kicked her in the stomach so hard that she miscarried. It is common for Moon-Pluto transits to occur during times of intense emotional conflict, jealousy, and abuse, as well as when we are being forced to confront destructive patterns of behaviour. We may have troubling encounters or venture into the underworld during a Pluto transit.
Dan Fogelberg is a vocalist, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was first diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May of 2004. After a three-year battle with cancer, he passed away in 2007 at the age of 56. Transiting Pluto was conjunct the Moon at 21 degrees and Chiron at 27 degrees when the Cancer was diagnosed.
In 1952, a calendar featuring a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe caused a scandal. Pluto’s transit opposite her Moon brought back the old images. The Moon represents the past in astrology, and Pluto governs all things secret and forbidden. In such a situation, our vulnerabilities as people and as bearers of secrets could be exposed.
At the time of her split from Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston had transiting Pluto conjunct her natal Moon. Amidst their intensity, Jennifer’s feelings are very real and honest. Betrayal, jealousy, vulnerability, and the need to rid oneself of emotional attachments are all emotions associated with the Moon-Pluto aspect. It was also a metaphor for the stages of mourning she was going through. There is a strong correlation between the onset of depression and Pluto transits, but these periods can also be transformative for the psyche.
The late opera star’s daughter, Gulian Pavarotti, is famous in her own right. At the time of Gulian’s father’s passing in 2007, she was experiencing the transit of Pluto to her natal Moon. There is a death in the environment when Pluto also squares the Saturn-Pluto opposition. All of a chart’s transits should be analysed; when Pluto aspects the Moon, for example, feelings tend to become more stressful under other challenging transitions. After we’ve processed our grief and recovered our lives, we may find that we’ve developed a deeper connection to our feelings; this is analogous to clearing the decks so that we can begin a new chapter in our journey with a new consciousness.