[Updated August 2021. Essay on Tarot: IV The Emperor]
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On January 14th, the Sun will make its annual conjunction with Pluto.
Astrologically speaking, Pluto is Ground Zero these years, most especially for the USA. I have done a number of readings recently that centered around Pluto in the Natal Chart, transits to Pluto, or Pluto transiting something else.
In my mind, the first (as in most dominant) characteristic of Pluto is transformation.
In this day when consensus is scarce, this is something most would probably agree on. So much is changing right in front of our eyes. The change is global. The change is happening faster than ever. We feel it.
What has been coming through even stronger than the above is Pluto’s relationship with power.
Much of what is being discussed right now relates to the “transition of power,” namely of the President of the United States. Transition is a mild form of transformation. Thus transition of power encompasses both meanings of Pluto. And yet Pluto will not transition signs for another few years. Pluto will dip into Aquarius in March of 2023, then back out of it in June. Then, on January 20th, 2024, Pluto will enter Aquarius again. [Boy is that an interesting date.] Pluto will, once again, back out of Aquarius on September 1st, 2024, then enter Aquarius for the long haul on November 19th.
Astrology of events and Astrology of the collective is not really my thing. I dabble now and again, but my main focus and interest is personal Astrology: tuning into an individual’s chart and letting it speak to me. My job is simply to convey the guidance that comes through to the querent.
A theme I keep getting in these readings is all about stepping into one’s personal power.
I often equate this with The Emperor card in the Tarot. The Emperor is shown sitting on his throne. He is not fighting for the right to sit there. He is not campaigning. He is not trying to prove his strength, his loyalty, or his capability to lead. All of that is behind him.
He has already been crowned. You might want to say he earned his place and he now occupies it.
Furthermore, the Emperor is not, in the moment pictured, taking any form of action. He is not commanding his army. He is not signing executive orders. He is not addressing his constituents. He simply rests on his throne, ready, willing, and able to take action when needed…or when inspired.
Personal power is personal. It is individual. No one can give it to you; no one can take it away.
You can consider it missing and spend years looking for it. You can ask others for it…or ask others to help you find it. And when you begin to step into it, you can just as quickly give it away and lose it again. In fact, all of this is simply part of the Journey of the Fool. The Fool is not named that out of whim or happenstance.
Today, information flies around faster than ever. It takes nearly zero time to find an abundance of data on any subject. It takes nearly as much time to find someone to argue with over it.
Since power is highlighted right now, battle is too, although it needn’t be. Pluto is considered the higher octave of Mars. Mars is all about battle. At Pluto, we can rise above the idea of battle and focus more on power itself. After all, battle is only the means. Power is the ends. (Interestingly, after 6 months, Mars has finally moved out of Aries. As of the afternoon of January 6th, it has entered Taurus.)
Ask yourself this: if you could experience power, in any form that you specifically desire, without having to fight for it, would you take that? Do you prefer that?
There is no right answer. If you are an athlete, battle is part of the fun, the larger part. Many people carry within them characteristics of the warrior. It is in their blood. But some of us truly don’t enjoy battling, even if and when we are enticed into it.
A question I love to ask is this:
If you were completely within your personal power, what then? You feel powerful. You know that you have the power to be, do, or have whatever you desire, and that it has nothing to do with anyone else. What would you say? What would you do? What choices would you make?
Another piece of advice I offer is this:
Don’t look at person power as a goal. Rather, see it as an experience. You will step into your power often…and you will step out of it. The point is not staying there. It is not a destination. It is not a place. It is a state of being and as such, is always an option in every now and place.
You are in your power more than you realize. In fact, sitting on your throne is so relaxing, you don’t see it as being in a position of power. You tend to think about power when it is seemingly absent. You tend to notice the lack of power more than the presence of it. And when you feel powerless, you feel incapable of finding your power. But that is not because your power is away from you. It is simply the illusion of powerlessness that causes the feeling of powerlessness. That’s all.
If you ask the Universe to experience strength, don’t be surprised when weight is placed on your shoulders.
If you ask the Universe to be bulletproof, don’t be surprised when you get shot at.
But you can ask the Universe to help you sit within your personal power, and if you are clear that the experience you desire is your own unique form of personal power, it needn’t have anything to do with anyone else. It needn’t require battling, winning, standing up for yourself, or being right. Personal power is a state of being, not a state of doing. You can carry your personal power into action; you can use your personal power as inspiration to take action; but you don’t have to ask the acting to give you the experience of it.
True power feels more like joy than strength.
If you’re in the mood, here is another fun post on Pluto: The Waiting Room
A Fool's Inclination 