Two weeks into the month and I’ve read two of Jeffrey Wolf Green’s books:
1. Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul; and
2. The Structure of the Soul
This astrologer’s teachings centre around Pluto as symbol and significator of the soul’s evolutionary development through lifetimes. Pluto’s placements in your natal chart can indicate traumas or fixations that the soul is addressing through multiple lives, while also indicating the primary focus of the current life. The first book mentioned describes Pluto’s effect in varying placements through the chart, whereas the second book details more theories and practical techniques used in analysis.
Jeffrey Green identifies the soul having two distinct wills: a) the desire to merge with the source and, b) the desire to separate from the source. This is humanity living in dualism, whereby the reconciliation between the past and the future creates choices in the present for free will, and in Jungian terms, is known as individuation. Simplified, individuation in alignment with our purpose (in the ‘third’ way between duality) is our soul’s goal.
Therefore, chart readings should start with trauma, because it is the coping mechanisms born from trauma that become our life’s crutches. As these are not always effective for life’s many diverse situations (and for the very human tendency to become wilfully blind to the ways we make ourselves and others suffer), an analysis of our personal sore spots can help us become more self-aware and hopefully, more forgiving. Both of which are crucial for soul progress.
Why Pluto?
The title of the painting for this post is called Psyche in the Underworld“ by Eugéne-Ernest Hillemacher.
I chose this painting because of course. It’s about Psyche’s descent into Hades.
Painting description:
Hillemacher chose the mythological tale of Psyche’s venture into the Underworld for his Paris Salon painting of 1865. Although Psyche was a mere mortal, her beauty incurred the jealousy of the goddess Venus who set Psyche a series of ordeals, including forcing her into the Underworld to obtain a portion of Persephone’s beauty. Here Psyche is crossing the river Styx, after which she will encounter Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades who lurks on the right hand side of the painting. Cerberus guards the gates of Hades and allows the dead to enter, but never leave. Psyche knows to feed Cerberus a small cake in order to return to the surface.
Here’s my amateur interpretation. Psyche who represents the soul has offended the goddess Aphrodite for the sins committed against Cupid (harming him). Though Cupid is her husband, Psyche has effectively ended her mysterious relationship with a husband she does not fully understand, because of her paranoia and her susceptibility to the negative influence of others. She unveils the mystery but having broken her promise to Cupid, her husband-God, and incurring the wrath of Aphrodite, Psyche (soul) is subject to the Goddess of Love’s essentially impossible trials which she somehow overcomes (but mostly through her interaction with others). I personally think it’s a little funny how she is essentially always on the verge of killing herself when she receives those impossible tasks (because same) but someone always seems to come to her rescue.
In my reading, Psyche’s descent into the Hades, to retrieve a box of Persephone’s beauty, is about the journey of our mortal souls to enter the murkiest depths of human consciousness to find something of value. I think Persephone’s position here is important, as the Goddess of Spring who activates the cycles of birth and death on Earth by her mere presence or absence. That she primarily lives in the underworld suggests to me the presence of greater and not incongruent forces of life in the belly of death and regeneration.
In the context of Psyche’s story, she is subjected to these trials, not only because of her curiousity caused by her husband’s mysteriousness (Cupid only visited her at night and she had never seen his face), but also because she was provoked into the paranoia that led her to betray him. Psyche’s story is much longer, but I primarily wanted to focus on the implied necessity of the soul to descend into darkness and rely on the favour of others (a surrender, really) to come out of this ordeal alive. She is eventually immortalised by Zeus on the completion of her trials.
If this interests you at all and you have the time for it, I highly recommend the two books at the end of this section to understand the psychological role represented by Pluto. They explore deeper the myth of Pluto/Hades, and the manifestations of his symbolism in even modern life. That is, instances in our lives affected by resentment, unyielded or distorted power, guilt, trauma, victimisation, cruelty, hidden acts etc.
- Alive and Well with Pluto, by Bill Tierney
- Healing Pluto Problems, by Donna Cunningham
My reflections on Jeffrey Green’s books
I thought the books covered each zodiac and house archetype thoroughly. It made clear logical links behind the various emotional processes that can affect one’s decision-making, based on the zodiacal pattern of psyche. Because the author is able to even outline the multiple different ways a soul can react to the confrontations of its own limitations, it shows an amazing insight into human nature, but also its role in the larger, more spiritualised relationship to trauma.
In order to read this book, it’s crucial to have the experience of looking outside of yourself, just as you have for others. This is so you can more correctly identify your own personal reactions to your own traumas. It’s necessary for you to be truthful about yourself and to not place yourself any higher or lower than where you really are on your journey. (Here, I refer specifically to the portion of his books outlining the Stages of a Soul’s Evolution)
That being said, the spirit’s movement is rarely presented linearly and there are times when we feel that we’ve been doing well and others when we feel we’ve been horrible. I believe the soul is more of a revolving sort of being which presents its various dimensions through the window of our consciousness, as made available for interaction and self-viewing by the physical body.