How can you make it work if your partner’s Pluto is on the ASC/DSC axis?
Pluto on the ASC/DSC can be an indication of a relationship which is intense, challenging and brings deep-seated issues to the surface. Faced with this, it is possible this relationship will bring healing and personal development but through experiences which are likely felt as quite raw and potentially painful.
Pluto is a planet that has quite the reputation. The metaphorical bulldozer which can flatten things we once thought were absolute, dig deep into recesses of our being that we didn’t know existed and force us to face some of the darker sides of life.
It is however, from these places we find the riches that Pluto offers – shadow-integration, healing and the destruction of what holds us back in our lives. It is a formidable catalyst for change.
As it is an axis both angles always get triggered simultaneously.
We will talk mostly about the person whose angle Pluto lands on because for the Pluto person the way this can manifest is very dependent on the placement in the natal chart and its aspects. You might see some mirroring of themes coming up and the Pluto person also relate to what is said.
It is enough to know the Pluto person will likely be, or feel to be, in a place of power and this always comes with its benefits and dangers. With awareness, maturity and compassion the monsters of control, abuse and obsession can be tethered (tied up) to turn the millstone that grinds down unprocessed materials into more refined forms.
This person embodies power, magnetism, depth, the unknown – what scares us and excites us in what is likely a confusing ambivalence. Pluto also presents an opportunity for you to see yourself in a new light or to break down old habits of self-identification and relating to others. Due to the magnetism of Pluto, there can be a compulsive, irrational and obsessive quality to this. This might make you feel vulnerable and raise questions on how you express your own power.
Pluto conjunct Ascendant, opposition DSC:
The ascendant is the part of the chart that indicates most directly and concretely the individual, you and how they navigate the world around them. If Pluto is on the ascendant you may find the areas that are criticised by Pluto are your appearance, abilities and motivations. It may encourage you (rather forcefully) to redefine how you relate to yourself.
This relationship might also make you literally “shed your skins” one after the other until you establish a personality more true to yourself – in the positive expression. In a negative scenario, there could be an even stronger sense of Pluto’s controlling side, trying to have power over your actions and limiting freedom. You can turn into the person Pluto wishes you to be, because you have given up your power to him – this is quite an unhealthy expression.
This is a relationship that could be quite obsessive even compared to other Plutonian relationships, particularly in romantic encounters. Once again, it is of paramount importance that both people engaged in the relationship, romantic or platonic, make an effort to mitigate the more nihilistic, destructive forces of Pluto for it to succeed. If both succeed in this, the potential to go beyond the confines of previously self-limiting behaviours and perceptions will fall away.
Pluto on the Descendant: (opposite ASC)
The descendant is the part of the chart that tells us about our significant one-to-one relationships. This could be spouses, co-workers, or even our competitors.
There is a likelihood of confrontation because Pluto is opposing the Ascendant – the self. There is likely to be a sense of blockage, frustration and difficulty moving forward in a relationship as the dimensions which it invites us to integrate are oftentimes heavy and uncomfortable. Perhaps Pluto is critical of how you engage with others and could be controlling on the other relationships you have in your life.
On the descendant Pluto can come across more as an opponent, someone who needs to be faced. In extreme cases this may manifest as court cases or other situations where the oppositional effect is made more concretely manifest. When handled effectively, and there are other beneficial synastry points, Pluto’s placement here can significantly change the way you view yourself and how you engage with others for the better, be prepared that it won’t always be the most comfortable process.
But the relationship isn’t doomed if there is a recognition of the power that the individual projects onto Pluto and Pluto is wise enough to work through any compulsions towards trying to manipulate and dominate the relationship. In this case a strong, long-term bond might be formed, and the intensity in the relationship might be experienced in a more positive, almost cathartic way – sensually and emotionally.
Pluto square the ASC/DSC axis
This aspect will be highly dependent on the house where Pluto falls in the chart. If it falls, for example, in the 5th house – the physical, sensual side of the union will act as a trigger, a provoker of changes in how the ASC/DSC native views him/herself and how they view relationships. Issues like body image, doubting their own abilities might come up for the ASC person.
It might be also difficult to integrate this particular relationship with the rest of the life of the person, due to it being somehow unacceptable. Alternatively the ASC/DSC person feels like their Pluto partner lacks acceptance for this part of their life, for example if Pluto is in the 11th – the friends are not acceptable, or the dreams of the ASC person are not acceptable – and this triggers conflict in the personality and in the relationship.
Squares are often particularly difficult to find a healthy expression for, requiring consistent work and compromise for the relationship to succeed. Compromise is quite difficult to achieve when Pluto is involved, as it is a planet of control and obsession.
For all aspects – the expression of this is likely to change a bit in other kinds of relationships like friendships and work partnerships and family relations. However, the fundamentals are the same.
When Pluto touches your ASC/DSC axis it invites you to work through traumas, face your shadow and recognise the power they seem to have is a projection of your own. You may also be seeing the other person and expressing things which we have ourselves, deeply buried.
Reclaiming it along with the consistent work on keeping power dynamics in check will help to circumnavigate some of the difficulties and challenges in this aspect – it is how we can make this relationship work.