While on a walk in December along a dry river wash in Tucson under blue skies, I spotted a marking on the pavement that runs along the side of the wash.  It was one of 2 universal glyphs of the dwarf planet Pluto.  I stopped in my tracks at the unusual sight.  Who placed the astro-graffiti on this path?  Why was it spray painted on the ground?  At the moment, I thought about my own personal astrological cycle or initiation in the underworld as Pluto was nearly exact on my Capricorn Ascendant at the time I saw the glyph.  It brought me into the feeling of what is Capricorn and more specifically what does it mean to have a Capricorn Ascendant?

But it was also the unexpectedness of seeing it, which was Uranian in nature, that reminded me I was also taking part in the greater Uranus-Pluto square planetary alignment that has dominated the energy of the planet since 2011.  I also happen to be at the ending stages of my Uranus Opposition (which means that Uranus has traveled halfway around the Sun in orbit since I was born).  But first, let’s dive into some basic details of the Ascendant, Capricorn and Pluto.

What the Ascendant is in Short

In the type of astrology I practice, Shamanic Astrology, the Ascendant (or Rising Sign) is seen as the dawning of what you are training to become in this lifetime, archetypally-speaking, of course.  When we are born, there is a sign in which the Sun is in, marking the part of the season in which we are born.  The Ascendant is the sign that is “rising” in the east.  For most of us, it is a sign we are generally unfamiliar with in our experiences in this lifetime and in our ancestry/lineage.

The Ascendant is also the place on the natal astrology chart where a person generally receives the most “kudos” or “rewards” in life.  The Rising Sign is where a person is a “beginner” at in life.  If a person has the same sign in the Moon and the Ascendant, then it is further defined by the Nodes of the Moon and the astrological house they reside in on a person’s chart (in Shamanic Astrology, we use the Whole Sign House system).

The Nature of Capricorn

For me, I come from the lineage of Pisces (my Moon Sign) and have an abundance of Sagittarius on my chart.  But Capricorn stands out as quite different from either Pisces (Water Empath) or Sagittarius (Fire Explorer).  It is an Earth sign dedicated to “planting the seeds for the next seven generations.”  It is an Earth Manager or Administrator in its archetypal vibe.  Capricorn gives through its responsible administration of a domain.  For Capricorn, the motivation to work comes from knowing that the “work” that needs to be done actually contributes to a purpose for something that benefits others.  Of course, Capricorn benefits from this as well, but its more in the experience of having a purpose and in genuinely seeing that benefit others in healthy and wholesome way.

Capricorn work is doing it “because it must be done” or “needs to be done” without the frame of mind of how it elevates Capricorn’s status or prestige (that’s more in the Leo department).  However, it is important for Capricorn to be respected and/or honored for doing the work for the growth and support of learning what Capricorn is all about.  But none of what Capricorn represents is “personal” in any way.  Capricorn’s focus is on building the future and the maintenance of the present.

Some of the major archetypal images for Capricorn include: Teacher, Prime Minister, Elder Grandmother/Grandmother, Director, The Advisor, Record-Keeper and Knowledge-Bearer among others.  All of that is where I’m a beginner.  With the Lineage (Moon) of Pisces, I have come from having “mastered” being an empath, healer, transpersonal giver, mystic, dreamer and being in-service spirit.  While very different from other, Capricorn and Pisces are both Giver-Class signs.  One of the biggest differences is Pisces operates through the heart while Capricorn operates through mind and body.  It’s physical reality for Capricorn and celestial or mystical unreality (if I could use that term) for Pisces.

My Capricorn Ascendant is further defined by having what we call the “Taurus job” (in Shamanic Astrology) in the Capricorn tribe.  For those who know some astrology, it is because I have the North Node of the Moon in the 2^nd House.  Loosely written, it means the symbol of my purpose in this lifetime is the “pleasure of being a responsible administrator or teacher”.

My Underworld Initiation with Capricorn

My encounter on the river path with the glyph of Pluto gave me pause to reflect on my experience so far with Pluto (which doesn’t end until September, 2016).  One could say, I was initiated at the moment of my first breath in this lifetime with Pluto and Capricorn Rising.  I have a loose natal aspect (a square) of Pluto to my Capricorn Ascendant, so I was essentially born with it.   It took Pluto over 43 years to get within a degree (or close enough for the cycle to “count” in Shamanic Astrology) in a conjunction with my Ascendant.  Of course, during those 43 years, Pluto made landfall (in conjunction) on my all 5 of my Sagittarius planets (Sun-Neptune complex, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury), then squared itself (known as a Pluto square Pluto and called the “Dark Night of the Soul”) off and on (mostly on) between 1996 and 2009.  In other words, I am well-acquainted with Pluto’s underworld.

This current Pluto initiation for me began almost a year ago, in mid-January of 2015.  When Pluto transits (Square, Conjunction or Opposition) a person’s personal planet or point on their natal chart, it triggers what is called a planetary cycle or initiation.  Pluto is there in astrology to provide us with a way to truly feel our feelings and face our deepest fears.  In a Pluto initiation, it is typical for the saying, “Shit Happens” to transpire in ways that are completely beyond our control. We can’t think or ignore our way out of it.  We can’t necessarily trick our way out of it either.  It requires unconditional surrender to the underworld process.

In very ancient times, the underworld (literally under the land or water) was represented by the feminine (i.e. Erishkigal in ancient Sumer) and the deities that went to the underworld generally

had to “die” in some way, then become re-born or re-birthed in new way.  At the end of the Pluto cycle, once a person faces the fears and feels their deep feelings, the process involves empowerment.  The underworld was and still is known for the rich treasures that lay in wait.  On a soul level, we travel to meet the essence of ourselves, seeing ourselves in the mirror of who we really are with all the trappings of the material world gone.  The underworld journey is one of the ways in which our souls experience growth and we all experience it at some point (or points) in our lives.

The initiation is further teased out by the archetype and the point of the chart in which it is triggering.  Generally speaking, Pluto on the Ascendant is one of the most progressive Pluto cycles.  That means, whatever takes place during that cycle will increase one’s understanding (or feeling) of what they are intended to learn in this lifetime.  For me, while colorized by two other powerful cycles (like the Uranus Opposition) which mark the mid-life passage of human being, the Pluto initiation has been painful, forcing me to own up to the challenges I must meet to feel into this whole Capricorn thing.

Underworld challenges for a Capricorn Rising consist of facing one’s feelings centered around the work, for the most part, but also around the major responsibilities that relate to the work.  For me, I ran into a situation where I had been hired to make a major contribution in for a special astrology writing project.  It was exciting and required me to work extra hours to see that my deadlines were met.  After some success there, an absence of contact with the administrator triggered a fear or a “bad feeling” in me as Han Solo of Star Wars fame would call it.  A contract was signed and promises were made by those directing the project, which created some anticipation of really combining two things I really love: writing (since my early 20s) and astrology in more recent years.

That absence of contact/communication was my fear being brought to the surface.  Essentially, through no fault of my own, I was fired from the project.  The contract was ripped up and burned as was what I had thought to be an important step that I took to really contributing to the astrology community and the Shamanic Astrology paradigm.  I felt betrayed and disrespected in ways I hadn’t in a very long time.  No matter what I said in response or how much it hurt, it was beyond my control.  It wasn’t a personal decision they made, but a business decision that was cold and corporate in its nature.  They went in a more efficient and different way.    I carried that wound and anger for months.  I am still coming to terms with it, but I’m finding something under it all, even beneath the wound, that leaves me with an intangible understanding, more a sensation or feeling then something mental in nature.  It is still in processing, but now in a mode of acceptance and openness as to what is to come from it.  I’m surrendering to myself.

The Uranus and Saturn Factors

Two of the major influences that colorized the experience of underworld for me during this past summer where that project went awry beyond my control were Saturn and Uranus.  While it is not unique to have three very powerful initiations happening at the same time, it is unusual.  But of course, as mentioned in the beginning of this article, the Uranus-Pluto square is still alive and kicking (in spite of that alignment not being “exact” anymore).  Those planets move very slowly and can linger for years in a steady alignment.

Uranus as an initiation, teacher and guide is about rolling with unexpected, unpredictable events of great novelty.  That certainly played a role in bringing in the astrology writing in a novel and unexpected way, but then working with Pluto, wringing it out of my world just as suddenly.  Like Pluto or any other planetary initiation, there is no bias or judgment when it comes to these cycles.  Uranus’ methodology doesn’t operate in known time or linear time.  It happens when it happens.  The knowledge gained from Uranus is to let go, roll with the punches and embrace the novelty and uniqueness of the experience.

Saturn, on the other hand, had been in opposition as well, but now in its second opposition since my birth (it takes Saturn 29.5 years to come back around to its original point).  The last time it was in opposition to itself on my chart was between December of 1985 and September of 1986.  I had recently graduated from Junior High School and was in my sophomore year in regular High School.  It was a time of a new plateau for me as a teenager.  For the most part, I really enjoyed that time in my life and generally enjoyed future Saturn cycles, especially during my Saturn Return of 2000-01.

But back to the what Saturn is now.  Briefly, Saturn initiations involve growth through limits and boundaries.  It is about making a commitment, doing your homework and showing up in life.  It is a time when the Real World makes its mark on a person including in financial terms, relationships, property and job/career/work.  Saturn can feel like extra pressure or density in one’s life where “excuses” don’t work and one has to own up to own responsibilities in life, especially to themselves.  But we must invest in ourselves with Saturn in our life.

When Saturn is there in a big initiation with equal amounts of Pluto and Uranus, things can get confusing and confounding.  But it also opens the doors for incredible opportunities that are rare when it is just one of the three initiations taking place.  For me, I believe Saturn showed up as way to help me do what I love to do, organize my area of expertise and plant those seeds in what I wrote.  The writing I did on the project was real and challenged me to step up and grow from what was there before.  Saturn also provided some level of grounding energy during the “underworld/Uranus unexpected” experience.

Another area where the Pluto, Uranus and Saturn mix can drive a person outside themselves relates to our concept of time.  Uranus and Pluto operate in non-linear time, a place where our calendars and clocks really don’t work well.  But Saturn’s energy is fully invested in linear time as it marks regular intervals in our lives about every 7 years or so.  These can collide when operating together and also take us into a radical period of lives, even points of crises.  The combination of these cycles or initiations are not meant to be easy, but if we are aware and recognize them we can honor ourselves when they show up in big ways.

Back to the Underworld

It won’t be until 2027 before Pluto comes back into my life as planetary cycle once this cycle ends in September.  In the meantime, the Pluto glyph I encountered on my walk gave me a needed reminder of the impact this planet hidden in dark of space has had on me.  During this Pluto cycle, the underworld initiation has given me access to some very deep fears including anxieties I had thought would no longer show up in my life.  But of course, Pluto doesn’t operate in linear time and without concern for where a person is in life.  Only a month ago, I experienced a panic attack of the kind that plagued me when I was a kid and teenager.  And it took place in what many would call a “normal” everyday situation.  Later, I found some inner strength and faced the fear, but still realizing I still have work to do with it.

It all revolves around my training in the school of Capricorn.  Showing up and taking responsibility for the knowledge I’ve obtained is an enormous part of this training.  Pluto does make it more challenging in doing that, but it guides me into the depths of my soul like no other planetary teacher.