In astrology, the connection between Pluto and Mars astrology is particularly intriguing. In the pantheon of planetary pairings, none are in cahoots quite like Mars and Pluto. They speak the same language. They go after what they want. Mars, as the ruler of Aries, is straightforward: I want it, I go for it. This is the action of pure desire.
But things get complicated when we remember that Mars is also the traditional ruler of Scorpio. This is Mars in his not-so-basic form. Since Pluto’s discovery, its link to Scorpio has nearly erased Mars from the equation. Yet the legendary passion, determination, and violence of Scorpio are a far better fit for Mars than for a distant, icy rock.
The truth is, you cannot understand one without the other. As author Dawn Bodrogi explains, Mars is the street agent for Pluto’s soul-level agenda.
“Pluto is a thug—and a dangerous one at that—but there is also no doubt in my mind that Mars is his henchman. Scratch the surface of an innocent, instinctual Mars, and you will find Pluto calling a lot of the shots.”
This is the key to understanding the dynamic of Pluto and Mars in astrology: Mars acts, but Pluto directs.
Desire, Death, and the Trial by Fire
What we desire and how we pursue it is the ultimate trial of our consciousness. With Mars, we fight for what we want. With Pluto, we fight to the death. When Pluto is activated, the thing our ego desires is often ripped away, leaving us terrified of the dark. This cutting away is brutal and very Martian, an expression of desire at its most extreme.
Pluto not only cuts, he burns. This is the secret every Plutonian knows intimately: the need for purification by fire. This is the true process of Scorpio, which is why the scorpion is such an inadequate symbol. The modern idea of choosing between the self-stinging scorpion and the detached eagle is unsatisfying. A more ancient and fitting symbol is the phoenix or the dragon—a mythical creature reborn from its own ashes, a master of all elements.
The Scorpio Quest for Mastery
The dragon, like Scorpio, has its dark side. It will eat you as soon as compromise with you. Where its opposite sign, Taurus, respects things as they are, Scorpio wants to tear things apart to reveal their mystery.
Wherever Scorpio or Pluto falls in our chart, we must become masters. We must discover the secrets. If our intentions are for personal gain at the expense of the soul, this mastery will never happen. But if our intentions are aligned with the soul’s growth, the rewards are beyond imagining. It is a life-or-death quest to find the gold within.
The Goal: Right Action
This entire process—the testing, the fight between ego and soul, the delving into mysteries, the burning down to the essence—boils down to one concept: Right Action.
With Right Action, our intentions are perfectly aligned with our soul’s journey. We no longer have to burn ourselves down to the core; our actions now originate from that core. They become effortless.
Once Pluto has taken us down to our essence, our Mars becomes impassioned with a new quest: to fulfill the soul’s intent. This alignment between Pluto’s desire and Mars’s action creates an indestructible and sacred core of energy. We learn to act with the world, not against it. Our battles with ourselves are at an end, and we become a force for the greater good. This is the true power Pluto and Mars in astrology have been craving all along.
This article has been updated and restructured from its original version, which you can read here: Three Paths to Wisdom: Pluto and the Path of Right Action
The post The Henchman and the God: Pluto and Mars in Astrology appeared first on The Inner Wheel.