I have written about Chiron Sun, Chiron Moon, Chiron Mercury, Chiron Venus, Chiron Mars, Chiron Jupiter, Chiron Saturn, Chiron Uranus, and Chiron Neptune aspects, as well as Chiron in the Houses of the birth chart. In this post, I will address Chiron Pluto aspects:

Chiron Pluto: Conjunction

As I have already written about this archetype, Pluto symbolizes the long-lasting soul habits carried over from previous lifetimes. In other words, Pluto contains a history of our soul and a record of all the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” we have ever endured. This is why this archetype represents darkness, hiding from us that which we cannot repeatedly remember unless we are equipped with a pain balm.

When Chiron meets Pluto in the natal chart, we are taken down to the realm of shadows, where Pluto resides. What Pluto offers to us passes through the soothing hands of Chiron, so we can “feel” the loneliness, the sheer shyness of our history hiding from us, the tears shed centuries ago, yet fossilized in time and space, packed in all the dark corners of our soul. The gravity of this all becomes bearable in the presence of a soothing touch, and this is precisely what Chiron provides for us in the presence of Pluto.

With this configuration in the birth chart, a rare opportunity arises, perhaps for the very first time in the history of our evolution: we can lose our fear of darkness, go down into the cave, and embrace our shadow, without teasing it, hiding from it, or worse, shaming it with light. We can just let it be, a necessary component for our existence as creatures of light and darkness.

As Chiron symbolizes a healing touch and Pluto is associated with crisis, trauma, or death, this configuration may indicate a natural ability to work with victims of trauma or to help the dying to die peacefully. Alternatively, if this energy is channeled in a non-professional direction, the individual may have a unique gift for turning inward and working on his or her own traumatic experiences with an empathic approach.

Chiron Pluto: Square

With this configuration in the birth chart, our longing to embrace our shadow may have been deeply affected by the presence of a wound regarding our past, our parents, or those we care for.

One of the many possible scenarios is that a parental figure has shamed us regarding what is perceived as “dark” or “unwanted.” We may have been raised to believe that darkness is dirty, and light is all we have to yearn for. We may even have built our sense of safety in the world around the concept of burying the shadow.

As both Chiron and Pluto operate in the deepest layers of our psyche, they may make their presence known through generating a vague sense of empathy for all that is taboo, accompanied by a deep fear of being caught and shamed because of this empathy.

In some cases, a parental figure or someone we deeply care for is ashamed of their own dark side but buries this shame in us. We may carry this energy around without understanding its genesis. We may even feel awkward around this person, sensing that they cannot love all of us. We may therefore condition ourselves to become the light they want us to be, hiding all that is dark in us. Eventually, what remains is a wounded shadow that prevents us from experiencing complete safety and acceptance in our family setting or homeland.

The individuals with this configuration in their birth charts should be diligent in understanding themselves and the mechanisms that may trigger shame or embarrassment in them. It is important to cultivate an awareness of how these mechanisms may have been instilled in our psyche as we were raised and nurtured. The ultimate gift of this configuration is the ability to understand not only ourselves but anyone who may have been similarly affected by their family of origin, tribe, or homeland, in this life or the previous ones.

Chiron Pluto: Opposition

Individuals with this configuration in their natal charts may act as healers, teachers, or therapists for those who have been traumatized, shamed, or repressed. They instinctively know how to approach a trauma site without trampling on the remnants.

Alternatively, a wound may have been formed around the concepts of shame and shadow: we may have been shamed by others or witnessed others being shamed. We may have been told that we could not be all of ourselves if we wanted a functional relationship or successful partnership. We may have been oppressed because of our interest in interacting with the sick, the wounded, or other Chironic figures in our lives.

In either case, as in any planetary opposition, one of these archetypes may be disowned and projected onto others: one may thus inadvertently attract a situation that represents this energetic interplay, be it a partnership, marriage, or business association.

Individuals with this configuration in their natal charts should cultivate an awareness of how such possible projections may only provide temporary solutions to a complex problem: whatever we “see” in others, either as Chironic (i.e., wounded) or Plutonic (i.e., shameful), may actually belong to us, brutally banished only to keep us safe. Recognizing this delicate truth can help us love with acceptance and sensitivity, reclaiming all that is awkward or unwanted in us, thus offering the same gift to others. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the celebrated French writer and poet who had this configuration in his natal chart, beautifully stated:

“Perhaps love is the process of my leading you gently back to yourself.”

Chiron Pluto: Quincunx (Inconjunction)

This configuration signals that our empathy or sensitivity may have been blindsided by our shadow content. In this case, we may feel unable to develop a functional relationship with what is dark or unwanted in us.

Individuals with this configuration in their natal charts may find it quite challenging to bring empathy to what is unaccepted in themselves, yet, at times, they may over-empathize with the very same concept in others.

In this case, channeling this energy through professional outlets (such as working in the helping or healing fields) may provide some insight into the shadow content or the shameful material that the psyche cannot properly “see” in order to process. Absolute honesty is required here. As William Faulkner, the celebrated American novelist who had this configuration in his natal chart, succinctly stated,

“Unless you’re ashamed of yourself now and then, you’re not honest.”

Chiron Pluto: Semi-Sextile

This configuration signals that our shadow content may have been partitioned off from our emphatic impulses. In other words, these two spheres operate separately, yet there is an energetic tension between them that we may only sense but cannot consciously process.

Individuals with this configuration in their natal charts may find creative methods to work with these archetypal energies. In its most sublimated form, this configuration invites us to trust what we cannot consciously process but viscerally sense in ourselves and others.

Chiron Pluto: Trine

With this configuration in the natal chart, our empathy flows toward our shadow content. In other words, we are naturally in touch with what is dark in us if other factors in our chart do not suppress this energetic interaction.

In some cases, however, Chiron may become such an integral part of our shadow that empathy itself can become synonymous with darkness: we may develop empathy only for those parts of us that have been driven away into the shadow, rather than for our entirety.

Individuals with this configuration in the natal charts should stay aware of this possibility: to be in touch with our dark corners does not necessarily mean an indifference toward what is accepted and celebrated in us, as we will be simultaneously both, creatures of light and darkness, navigating all the changing shades of our human experience to the best of our ability.

Chiron Pluto: Sextile

With this configuration in the natal chart, we may encounter opportunities to develop sensitivity and empathy through shadow work.

If other placements in the birth chart support this energetic exchange, we can channel these archetypes professionally, as counselors or therapists, helping others embark on a similar journey of self-discovery: if the shadow is viewed with curiosity and objectivity, we will be able to study it in ourselves and others without necessarily judging it for what it represents.

As we delve deeper into this work, we recall parts of ourselves that may have been repressed or shamed. This, in turn, will make us more playful and less serious about our existence, confident in the knowledge that no matter what, we are who we are, with the light, the dark, and everything in between.

As Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century French philosopher who had this configuration in his birth chart, firmly declared,

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

You can read about Chiron Signs and Houses in my other articles.

If you are interested in understanding your own birth chart or if you have specific questions, you can book a consultation session or take a class.