Ashes to Eden
Solar Arc Pluto, Hurricane Survival, and the Power of Transformation
There is nothing like the threat of a cat 4 hurricane coming near you, along with the potential storm surge it may bring, when you live a stone's throw from the coast. Where do you go when the entire state is under attack, as well as several to the north of it? You can pack a few things and shelter in a local high school, or some such place, but even that is risky, let alone boring. I lay on my bed, which is an air mattress, thinking the cats and I can float on it if the house floods. Why not? Air mattresses float, right?
All of a sudden I remember an astrology reading from a few years back. I was warned that Solar Arc Pluto would cross my ascendant, in addition to transiting Pluto squaring my Neptune five times.
I picked up my phone and looked at my natal chart along with my current solar arc chart. Solar Arc Pluto is within seconds of conjoining my ascendant It is literally conjunct the ascendant.
I remember looking Solar arc Pluto conjunct the ascendant up in the past. The top search result being extremely negative. Likely to scare those lacking the Scorpio element (my asc being in Scorpio).
If Pluto crosses, by Solar Arc, your Ascendant, then the plain, unadorned and inevitable result will be that your life will go through the most astounding upheaval and it will not be easy. That’s probably kinder than the truth too, because for several months, your relationship to the world will be put under astounding pressure, you will experience (according to the matrix of aspects and energies in your nativity) a transformation, a rebirth, but naturally, as in the mythology of Pluto, Kore, Siva, the archetypal process of rebirth requires a death first. With Pluto on the Ascendant (by Solar Arc especially, but too with mundane transits) your relationship with the world, with your world and everyone in it will be killed, probably quite brutally, then it will be ground up, spat out and trampled on somewhat before being given an unceremonious burial in a shallow and benighted grave. Then you get to be reborn, usually in a better, more rounded way.
No amount of free will is going to change that period of time into one of lightness and ease. It doesn’t matter how much you try, what you do, or how you attempt to manoeuvre people and things into position, it will still be the most godawful experience of your life. Now, that’s your destiny, whether you like it or not, and every astrologer understands this, but clearly, the argument about free will does not reside so simplistically in this framework.1
Unbelievable. Is it ethical to write interpretations like this? I looked at the transcription of my reading to see what my astrologer2 had to say.
”And so, you know, there's a death and rebirth that comes when Pluto goes over the Ascendant. Now in your case, it's going to be Scorpio, which is Pluto's own sign.”
”Right, it's going to be pretty heavy, I'm sure.”
”Pluto will do it in 2024. So you're already sensing it, all right? And again, when you look at Scorpio making this T-square with Leo and Aquarius, this is a deep psychological dive.” (Square Uranus in Leo and Chiron in Aquarius)
And for you with those 12th house planets and that Sun/Neptune there, you know, this is a time period to make sure your relationship with Source Energy, however you perceive it, you want to make sure that your relationship with Source Energy is 24-7.”
“Okay. That's not a problem.”
So, here I am, laying on my air mattress, wondering if I am about to exit this lifetime with Solar Arc Pluto sitting on my ascendant, loosely conjunct Neptune and trine Mars in Pisces in the 4th house. All of this water, right?
To be blunt, am I going to drown tonight? Eight to ten foot storm surge is expected. I am less than two miles from the gulf. I am also very calm and not feeling a sense of danger. I am not inclined to do anything like pack up the cats and get out of here. Nope.
Instead I believe that “The Source” will protect me, and a few close friends who are also in danger. I believe this with my heart and soul.
I took a peek outside last night, Wind like I have never seen before, but not a puddle of water. I lost power for about twenty minutes. That was it. All of my friends lost theirs for the rest of the night, but had it restored this morning.
The astrological symbolism of this event is profound. Solar Arc Pluto conjunct the ascendant, often indicates a deep transformation of the self. Neptune, in the 12th house, added an element of illusion and detachment, perhaps contributing to my sense of calm during the storm. Mars in Pisces in the 4th house may have manifested as a protective energy, shielding me from the worst of the storm.
We are all fine, although in different locations. I went outside to see what, if anything, happened. A few sections of wooden fence fell down. That’s all.
While I am not so sure that Solar Arc Pluto is done with me, at least it did not manifest as death by drowning. My heart goes out to all who did not fare as well as I did.
https://chirotic.com/2009/12/09/fate-free-will-and-the-arc-of-pluto
https://evolutionaryastrology.net/kim-marie-2/
My Uncle Tommy taught me how to read the sky in Ireland and it served me well during Hurricane Andrew in Florida. Anytime a hurricane headed there, I would look for Goats Hair in the sky, a wispy patch of clouds that look like the underbelly of a goat... about three or four days before. If it was only in the East or West, I knew it would pass by.. If it covered the sky everywhere I knew we had to move and move only until the sky was clear. We stayed in Kissimmee although many others went up to Orlando. Not a peep or sound of a storm there, but returned to the horror of Hurricane Andrew a few days later. I lost our Ylang Ylang tree that was young enough to put back up! The house was safe, hibiscus hedges wrecked, oak trees safe, and fixed furniture had disappeared from the dock. We did have an addition of a huge Iguana we called Iggy, that took up residence under a Seagrape tree... like a magnificent prehistoric beast which lived with us, and produced loads of baby iguanas at a later date. *** Be safe, Catherine.
Oh, wow. I hope you stay safe!