Initiation of the Nadir

Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto 

"The Twilight of Pluto: Astrology and the Rise and Fall of Planetary Influences" is a peculiar book by John Michael Greer. Peculiar, that is, if you know next to nothing about astrology and occultism! Greer believes in both, unsurprisingly since he is the Archdruid Emeritus of AODA, a small Druid Revival group in the United States. The author is also a student and practitioner of ritual magic in the Golden Dawn tradition. In the book under review, Greer takes a new look at that old devil, the planet Pluto, which has haunted astrology (and pop culture) since its discovery in 1930. Astrology is an ancient worldview (many would say superstition), but the ancients (of course) didn´t know about Pluto, just as they had no inkling of Uranus and Neptune. Despite this, this three planets (discovered by modern science) have been integrated into the forecasts of latter day astrologers.   

In 2006, Pluto was demoted from planet to "dwarf planet", a decision met with a public outcry. Astrologers were just as incensed as everyone else, hardly surprising since Pluto plays a central role in modern astrology, its placement in a horoscope symbolizing drama, death, sex, hidden secrets and sudden transformations (for good or ill). Pluto is even said to "rule" the star sign of Scorpio. And now, the pesky scientific astronomers unilaterally decided to strip it of its planetary rank! Personally, I´m not sure what the fuzz was all about - astrologers also use the Sun and the Moon in their horoscopes, and these are hardly "planets" either by the standards of modern scientific nomenclature. But there you go, as the author likes to say. 

Like other astrologers, Greer believes that the discovery of new planets is somehow "caused" by their astrological significance. Thus, Uranus was discovered in 1781 since this planet stands for division, radical change and new beginnings. And indeed, the 18th century was exactly such a period in human history: the American and French revolutions, the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment heralded the birth of modernity, a radically new civilization. (Like Jungian astrologer Richard Tarnas, Greer believes that Uranus should more properly have been named "Prometheus".) Neptune was discovered in 1846, a period marked by political and religious idealism and utopianism, and is said to represent just such an influence. Following this logic, the discovery of Pluto in 1930 must have been connected to broader political and societal trends of a typically "Plutonian" character. But in the same way, the demotion of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet in 2006 must *also* be astrologically significant. It heralds the end of the Plutonian influences. Somehow, the cosmic energies compelled the astronomers to demote Pluto when it was time to do so. 

Greer believes that the collective influence of a planet starts around 30 years before its discovery, and if the planet is de-recognized, ends about 30 years afterwards. (Individuals who have the ex-planet in a very strong position in their horoscopes will be under its spell even afterwards, but they are a minority.) This means that Pluto´s influence will fizzle out gradually from 2006 to 2036. Since the 20th century was quintessentially Plutonian, this means that a grand shift in our society, culture and consciousness is underway as we speak. This transformation will be completed around 2036. But what exactly is the Plutonian influence? How did it shape the 20th century? 

To the author, Pluto above all represents opposition to the cosmos. By "cosmos", Greer means an organic worldview which sees humans as part of a greater cosmic whole, a whole that is considered beautiful and meaningful. Very broadly, we could identify such an outlook on the world as pantheist. It´s similar to the occult-Hermetic-Neoplatonist wordview: "as above - so below", spirit or soul is everywhere, the world is fundamentally good and under the guidance of providential forces. A slight hint of a "Theosophical" perspective can be seen in Greer´s idea that there is also a slow process of cosmic evolution towards higher modes of existence, which follows a cyclical pattern. The Plutonian mentality, by contrast, sees the universe as an intensely hostile place with no intrinsic beauty or meaning. Humanity must expand and enforce its dominion over this empty and alien existence. In practice, Pluto wants to tear apart the cosmos and render humans independent of it, harnessing the revolutionary energies of Uranus and the idealism of Neptune to this end. Nuclear power, nuclear weapons, space exploration, Freudian psychoanalysis, Communism, the sexual revolution and even modernism in art and music, are all Plutonian phenomena. An intriguing trait of these, at least according to the author, is that all of them began with extremely high world-shaking expectations, and yet all of them failed to live up to their promises, and then gradually declined. (Some are still with us, such as nuclear weapons, but Greer believes they will be phased out in the decades ahead.) Even astrology itself is part of this development, the classical form being replaced by a "psychological" version in which Pluto played a prominent role, but this astrology will according to the author decline and disappear, as well. Perhaps that explains why many astrologers went so hysterical when Pluto was declared a non-planet! 

I think its obvious that "Pluto" is here used as a metaphor for high modernity and materialism. Indeed, Greer explicitly says so in the most esoteric chapter, where he identifies Pluto with something occultists call "the Initiation of the Nadir", the lowest point at the involutionary journey of the soul into matter. The descent of the soul into the dense material realm is necessary in this perspective, but the goal is (of course) to ascend again - compare Theosophy and Anthroposophy. There are also similarities between Greer´s Plutonian concept and the "Faustian" mentality described by Oswald Spengler (Spengler dated its emergence to the High Middle Ages), and with the concept of an Axial Age when religions become salvationist, seeking liberation from the bondage of the material world (this age is said to have began about 2,500 years ago). Presumably, Pluto represents a kind of end point of this development, when humanity makes its best and last attempt to finally break out of cosmos and create a purely material civilization on its ruins. This "initiation" is inevitable, and it presumably teaches us the errors and absurdities of such an existence. It should be noted that John Michael Greer is a long-term participant on the "peak oil" scene, and believes that the decline and fall of modern civilization is pretty much inevitable at this point. His Druid Revival spirituality emphasizes ecological consciousness and the need to live wihin limits. (See his books "The Long Descent" and "Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth", respectively.) So in a sense, "The Twilight of Pluto" is Greer´s pitch for his own worldview and perspective.

Due to his "anti-modernist" slant, its interesting to note that Greer doesn´t completely reject Uranus and Neptune, despite their obvious associations to many things modern. In fact, he gives them prominent places in a planetary version of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Neptune is placed at the level of Kether - the highest level at the Tree - and identified with divine oneness and mysticism. (Greer actually believes that the Neptunian influences come from a goddess.) Uranus is identified with dynamic creative energy and placed at the level of Chokmah, the first "sphere" down from Kether. I suppose a Hindu might call them Shiva and Shakti! Greer also believes that the "modern" traits of these two planets (radical change and idealist utopianism) should be integrated in any post-Plutonian worldview for the sake of balance, rather than repudiated en toto. 

With that, I end my review of perhaps the most curious book on the dwarf planet Pluto written in a long time...