Pluto is the planet which deals with death and darkness.

Hades Above

  It is where we hide ourselves away from the light, in the safety of seclusion. In our chart, where Pluto is found is where we are private and secretive. We don't want others to know. Pluto involves a high concentration of will power; it's something that we focus on intently, to the point of obsession. On the high side, much can be revealed, while on the low side, much is revealed; possibly more than you wanted others to know. From the mythological perspective, Pluto is the Lord of the Underworld and deals with death and dying.

  When Pluto is triggered in a chart, either by transit, progression or by having the position of the natal Pluto activated, we must deal with the quality of this vibration. The same is true when we look at the chart of a nation. Pluto was located in the 27th degree of Capricorn on the 4th of July, 1776, the birthday of our country. During Andrew Jackson's two terms of office, Pluto was repeatedly being activated both by progression and transit, indicating that this was an ongoing issue for him. If we look at just one alignment during his tenure, Pluto squaring the US Sun, we can perhaps better understand some of the emotional battles which were involved during his presidency. Transiting Pluto was squaring the US Sun during this period, and made the aspect five times; May 20 and September 8th, 1834, April 4th and Nov. 4th, 1835, and February 17, 1836.

  Jackson viewed this dynamic (while Pluto is death and darkness, the Sun is light and life, the anthesis of Pluto's power, and therefore a very powerful alignment) discharge as an attempt on his life by those backing the Second Bank of the United States. On January 30th, 1835 while attending (appropriately enough) a funeral, a man approached Jackson in the Capitol Rotunda and pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the president.

Jackson assassination attempt as remembered and later sketched by an eye witness

The percussion cap exploded, but the bullet in the chamber failed to discharge. Prepared for this eventuality, the attacker pulled out a second pistol, and also fired that one a Jackson, who by this time (although he was 67 years old) raised his cane and was attempting to thrash his attacker. Once again, the percussion cap exploded, but the bullet failed to dislodge. It has been calculated by some that the chances of this happening twice was something over one hundred thousand to one. Richard Lawrence, the deranged attacker, was thought to have worked alone in opinion of the current press, but Jackson always felt that it had been an attempt by his political enemies, the Whigs, to stop his plan to destroy the Second Bank of the United States.

  While following our celestial clues, there is good evidence that what Jackson was claiming was correct. During 1833 and 1834, the progressed Ascendant conjuncted the natal and progressed Plutos. In 1834, 1835 and 1836, transiting Pluto was squaring the US Sun. Both the Ascendant and Sun are two of the most obvious and 'conscious' positions in the chart, which stand out like the Sun in the sky. Pluto often deals with what goes on in secrecy, as debate behind closed doors, voting behind a drawn curtain, or as discussions of political conspiracy. While wrestling with the Sunlight (Pluto squaring the Sun), the source of Pluto's power came closer to the surface where we could see it in the light of day.