Pluto in the Houses
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We explore the meaning of Pluto in the twelve houses of the natal chart.
The following are interpretations of Pluto in the different houses of the natal chart.
By house, the position of Pluto shows where individuals search for truths and deeper meaning. We can associated this area of life with possible change, upheaval, power struggles, and issues of control.
Intensity, fear of loss or betrayal, passion, obsession, paranoia, and self-protectiveness are themes in these areas of life. We might be driven in the affairs of the house that Pluto occupies in our natal charts.
Pluto in 1st House
You radiate intensity, and others’ first impressions of you tend to be strong, one way or the other! In fact, you might often intimidate others with your manner, whether it’s your intention or not. You can be very protective of your privacy, yet you generate much intrigue and interest with your strong presence.
You might struggle with fears of being overpowered, rejected, or minimized, yet few are able to guess that you could be anything less than confident. Your first instinct in new situations is gutsy and determined, defensive and intense. You rarely accept the obvious or the surface of matters — instead you look through situations in order to read any information on hidden levels. Your challenge is to strive to avoid getting your back up more than is necessary and viewing life as a battleground.
Pluto in 2nd House
When it comes to building your resources, your instincts are powerful. It’s not very easy for you to let go of things, as you attach much sentimental value to your possessions. Or, you might hold on to things because you fear poverty or because you fear the feeling of helplessness and wanting. Some with this placement feel a powerful need for control over their money and possessions. You could be driven to make money.
Others taking something from you without asking, even right in front of you, could be especially irritating to you. It’s not about being stingy–you simply have a strong sense of ownership and prefer that you are asked. You may experience some form of loss in your life that leads to lessons of change–you learn that strength, worth, value, and wealth come from within.
With finances, you are excellent at strategy and planning. You can spot a good deal or objects of value instinctively. Your advice on these matters can be invaluable to others.
Pluto in 3rd House
You rarely accept what you hear or what you read as truths. Your mind is very analytical and you instinctively search for hidden meanings. You can be exceptionally persuasive in your self-expression, whether through the spoken or written word, simply because you communicate with authority, conviction, strength, and decisiveness.
You tend to learn through observation rather than by asking questions. In fact, you may be somewhat resistant to learning directly from others, preferring to self-teach. You might fear the loss of self through self-expression, and thus you might choose your words carefully as to avoid letting others know too much about you.
Pluto in 4th House
Early experiences may have led you to feel self-protective or to be secretive about yourself. A parent might have been secretive or ashamed, for example, and this pattern is deeply ingrained in your psyche. You might feel a sense of guilt about where you came from, even if you mostly feel proud of your roots.
A parent or parent figure might have encouraged you to look beyond the surface of matters, and might have encouraged in you a love for psychology. That person may have been very protective of you, attempting to shield you from negative experiences, and you subsequently grew to fear change. Or, your early experiences might have included a shocking, intense, or scary event that lives within you. Alternatively, you might have absorbed the strong fears or obsessions of a parent/parental figure.
Pluto in 5th House
You possess powerful creative impulses, and you can invest much energy and passion into the creative arts, romance, or child-rearing. You take great pride in– and invest much of your ego into–whatever it is you produce or create.
Romance for you needs to be intense, passionate, and deeply intimate–nothing superficial or light attracts. You have an “all or nothing” attitude in love.
If you are not “owning” this attitude/energy, then you may be meeting Pluto energies through your lovers, and thus attracting intense, controlling, or passionate romantic partners. A deep-seated fear of loss or betrayal can be behind any jealous, obsessive, or controlling behavior in fifth house areas, including romantic involvements, child-rearing, and creative endeavors.
Your attitude towards play, entertainment, and recreation is also intense–rarely lighthearted. While you may yearn to throw your soul into your creative endeavors, fear might prevent you from doing so completely.
Pluto in 6th House
You are a hard worker and can be quite protective or private when it comes to your work output. While you’re excellent at analysis, you can also easily become obsessed with finding an answer to problems, perhaps even finding problems that others overlook.
You “come alive” when presented with a problem that requires research and analysis. Work can become an obsession for you, and you are able to work almost tirelessly.
You might be private or insular when it comes to your work, and you might also feel overly attached to what you do even to the point of paranoia. Fear of criticism can run high with your work. Directing your own work or working for yourself may be the best route for you, as you can easily resent others controlling your schedule and the work that you do.
You are likely very interested in areas of health and self-improvement, as well as explorations of the mind-body connection, and you instinctively seek alternative therapies for healing. Some of you are excellent researchers in these areas.
Pluto in 7th House
With Pluto in the seventh house of the horoscope, power struggles in close personal relationships are themes. This can play out in a variety of ways. You might simultaneously fear and desire complete absorption in a close one-to-one relationship. You can find yourself both drawn to and resistant of close partnerships, fearing loss of control over your own life. People who are intense, jealous, possessive, obsessive, or seem powerful tend to draw you in.
On the other hand, your resistance can bring out control issues in a partner, who fears the loss of you or your betrayal. In fact, you might bring out the “worst” in others by your relationship behavior — you tend to be the catalyst for others to discover their more primal instincts and fears. Never underestimate your role in this interplay.
You also discover your own power through your relationships, and this may or may not be comfortable! How you deal with it can certainly shape outcomes. You might feel trapped in a difficult relationship, for example, or have a hard time finding the deep connection that you crave. Obsession in your interactions with partners can be a big theme in your life.
Watch that you don’t project your own urge for control onto your partner. Strive to come to terms with your any intense and deep-seated fear of losing someone you love and fear of betrayal, or you could meet these energies repeatedly in your closest relationships. With care and self-awareness, you can experience powerfully transformative and rewarding relationships.
Pluto in 8th House
You have a natural attraction to all that is hidden, taboo, or “dark.” This fascination can lead you to experience more unusual events than others. A natural psychologist, you are expert at cutting through appearances and getting to the heart of matters.
You are endlessly interested in motivations and sources. Hypnosis, healing therapies, occult sciences, as well as great mysteries and the darker side of life can be fascinating to you.
Sexual relationships are very intense and perhaps complicated. You are both fascinated with and fearful of deep intimacy, and crave unusually deep, passionate, and intense experiences with others. This fascination can bring you intense experiences with others, and attraction to nontraditional sexual experiences, particularly those that involve domination and submission, control, and possession.
If you attract controlling people into your experience and are uncomfortable with it, strive to examine and understand your own deep-seated fears regarding power and sharing issues. Some of you might engage in power struggles with money, particularly with a partner. Themes of control are quite possible with Pluto in the eighth house.
You would likely be quite talented in the healing professions, especially helping others deal with crises and trauma.
Pluto in 9th House
You are extremely attached to your opinions and belief system. Due to this attachment, debates might too easily turn into arguments if you are not careful. You are persuasive and intelligent with a probing and incisive mind. Your opinions are strong and well-researched. You are able to back up your arguments, and enjoy doing so! At your worst, you can be obsessed with “converting” others to your beliefs.
Naturally suspicious of new ideas until you’ve given them deeper thought, you can also have some disdain for hypocrisy and blind followers of belief systems.
Others can consider you to be deep or profound, and you are likely to come up with some unusual and unique ideas that impress others. Your sense of adventure runs deep and can lead you to unusual experiences. You are likely to make an involved, captivating, and inspiring teacher, speaker, or lecturer.
While you may not share your ideas frivolously, when you do express yourself, you do so creatively and persuasively. Some of your most intense and life-changing experiences may come through travel, sharing and publishing, or in connection with other cultures.
Pluto in 10th House
There is something very unique about you that makes you stand out from the crowd. Your ambition is well-developed, or you pursue your goals with great focus and determination. You can have a strong interest in research, making improvements, understanding how things work, and transformation. These are qualities that you use most notably in your career or in your dealings with the public. Some of you could have a parent or parental figure who was quite driven or worked in healing or research professions.
Your personal presence is strong, and you may find that you inspire love-hate reactions as a result, particularly in your professional experiences. Nevertheless, you can be very persuasive when you choose to be.
You have an especially strong sense of commitment and responsibility, but you are unafraid of going against the grain or bucking traditions if you feel they are outdated. Sometimes with this position, there are deep issues that are vital to confornt revolving around the relationship with the father or the parent who instilled the most intensity in you regarding profession or status.
Many with this placment are perfectionists and especially detail-oriented, particularly on a professional level. You tend to naturally take the lead, and you don’t always enjoy being in the position of a subordinate.
Pluto in 11th House
You can have an “all or nothing” approach to your friendships or group associations, and power or control issues can frequently surface. As well, your social life may go through rather drastic changes. Friendships might often begin with intensity. Loyalty is most important to you in even a casual relationship.
You believe in the power of the group to effect necessary changes, and you could make an influential leader if it interests you, but you don’t take an association lightly. Easily moved by the plights of humankind, you may feel compelled to make a difference, particularly later in life. You refuse to be a follower!
*You may have a deep aversion to groups, associations, clubs, or organizations of any kind. Any such group you become involved in is likely to be either for intense personal growth, change, and healing, or centered around social change and revising society in some manner.
#Circumstances impel you to change, ready or not. Sometimes you feel you must listen to a lot of other people’s dreams and follow them. It is important to weigh their urgings against the inner voice of your own desire.
^With Pluto in your 11th House, you may meet many of your power issues within the social sphere, particularly around special interest groups or when dealing with political processes. You’re not the woman who enjoys sitting on the sidelines if you’re part of a group, especially if something could be done more effectively.
If you have not developed a strong sense of your own ideals and beliefs you can fall under the influence of others who would usurp your power in order to boost their own. But once you’ve awakened to your ideals, drives, and directives, you can be a highly influential leader and instigator of social change. The extent of your efforts depends upon you and the choices you make for yourself.
Pluto in 12th House
You are inclined to go deep, explore the meaning of your dreams, and analyze your personal psychology. You’re also quite adept at comprehending others’ motives. It’s possible you discover that you have healing powers and that you tune in quite quickly to others’ struggles and vulnerabilities, understanding more than most.
It can be easy for you to become deeply involved when helping others, perhaps even at your own risk at times. You consider others’ backstories and have strong empathy as a result, with a sense that we’re all quite capable of good and evil.
You may, however, keep very many things to yourself, which could eventually impact your health. Ask yourself if some of your secrets are truly necessary, as your first instinct may be to keep things to yourself when a more direct approach would be less complicated.
Watch, too, for being your own worst enemy. A perhaps hidden part of you may be seeking a challenge or to push your boundaries. If not understood and managed, you may jump into troubles impulsively or become the victim of unconscious reactions that undermine you. You might have more unusual, peculiar, or serendipitous experiences in your life than most others.
This position is sometimes associated with powerful or unexpected enemies. It can also indicate dark, intense dreams–more for you than for most people.
Alternate interpretations:
*You have a deep interest in secrets, the underworld or unconscious, and anything hidden and mysterious. Psychoanalysis, investigating your dreams, and other methods of uncovering secrets are very interesting to you. You may be exceptionally perceptive intuitively or psychically. Your emotions and subconscious energies are complex, and periodic transformations and personal crises are sprinkled liberally throughout your lifetime.
#Death has played a large part in creating doubt about your abilities. Use private time to examine your present knowledge and skills, and you may find that confidence replaces doubt. You need the quiet moments to build your power.
^Since you have Pluto in your 12th House, you may be tempted to repress your emotions, particularly those that have to do with those deep needs that spring from the shadowy side of yourself. You may even have problems with depression or addictive behaviors that create a kind of emotional trap until you learn to delve into the depths of your being and clean out the ghosts and dragons from your past which still haunt your dreams.
Old resentments can also act like a potion which poisons your imagination and undermines your ability to trust your inner self. Once you’ve conquered your own demons, you may feel driven to help others confront their own, and can become an extremely effective healer.
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Interpretations are written by Annie Heese, unless otherwise noted. Interpretations marked with a * are from the Kepler program, those with a # are from Your Spiritual Path Report, and those with a ^ are from the Astrology Profile for Women Report.
