Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

For almost 70 years, standard Sidereal teachings about Pluto have emphasized that it's a neutral-to-kindly planet that, when very strong, becomes sublimely kind with benefics and has the possibility of become overwhelmingly cruel with malefics. For example, Garth Allen wrote in his mid-1950s "Kid Gloves" article on Pluto:

Kid Gloves wrote:Pluto-dominated souls...can be frighteningly cruel and unfeeling if Pluto is linked with a malefic planet, in which case the antisociality can take on diabolic forms. By contrast, Pluto coupled with a benefic can take on or radiate utterly angelic qualities. The dearest, most inoffensive souls you encounter in life are apt to have strong, unafflicted Plutos. No, Pluto by itself is not a malefic; it is more sinned against than sinning. People noted for their genuine niceness and lack of guile are born under Pluto interweavings with other benefic planetary forces.

So far as malefics are concerned, I know several people who contradict this, such as the friend with Mars and Pluto tightly straddling his Ascendant in 2° conjunction who is one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. (Martial arts have been his way of mastering and directing this.) The default, in my experience, is that angular Pluto people are innately kind and harmless.

But are there extremes where this magnified malevolence appears? (Are the usual appended warnings justified at all?) I decided to test the extremes - a test I haven't yet done as I type this sentence - by examining the charts of murderers with Pluto closely angular to see how Pluto is configured. Pluto was found tending foreground in the published Bradley study, though less commonly so in my collection of murderers' nativities, but I do have several infamous cases worth checking.

My immediate concern is how Pluto is aspected. (Is it primarily with malefics or benefics?) I'll also keep my eyes open for anything else that that may be evident.

O.J. SIMPSON
Pluto (0°22 from EP-a and octile Moon) has mixed aspects. The closest, though, is a partile (0°31') conjunction with Saturn. Its other main aspect, a square to Jupiter, is wider (5°35') but Jupiter is more angular (0°47' from IC): Saturn is not foreground.

The partile aspect probably dominates. (We can add the moderate Neptune sextile, though I don't want to lean too heavily on it since most people have one.)

JAMES HOLMES
A clear hit: The "Dark Knight killer" has a 1°42' Mars-Pluto conjunction with Mars 0°21' from IC (Pluto 3°19' the other side).

JAMES HANRATTY
Pluto is 0°33' from Asc. However, it isn't closely aspected by anything (moderate sextiles to Moon and Venus that, if anything, would make it lean positive). This is a fail or misdirection. It may be significant that the motives and setup were different in this case than most since the McDonald's murders rose out of newly arising and worsening mental illness. Nonetheless, Pluto is clearly unafflicted.

MARK DAVID CHAPMAN
John Lennon's killer has Pluto 1°08' from Zenith. Pluto's one close aspect (except for the Neptune sextile) is a 0°57' mundane square to an angular Sun. It then has a somewhat wider mundane square with Saturn (3°43'). It's not severely aspected but, yes, on balance Pluto is very strong and is afflicted.

MYRA HINDLEY
Ian Brady's partner in their numerous murders had Pluto on IC 1°25'. This is indeed an afflicted Pluto, being part of a mundane Moon-Saturn-Pluto T-square (and some Uranus), Saturn being 0°38' from Ascendant and 0°47' from square Pluto. (This isn't evident ecliptically. These charts are good examples of the importance of mundane aspects in a nativity.)

SUSAN ATKINS
Charles Manson's chief lieutenant had Pluto on Westpoint 0°42'. Ecliptically we see a moderate conjunction with Saturn and a close octile with Jupiter. Mundanely, though, the picture looks much harsher, with a triple Mars-Saturn-Pluto conjunction across about 6°, Pluto being between the other two, 2°40' from Saturn on one side and 3°48' from Mars on the other (0°34' from their midpoint). Acknowledging the strong Jupiter aspect, this is nonetheless a badly afflicted Pluto.

CHARLES WHITMAN
The man who invented modern mass murder sprees from a tower at the University of Texas (another example of incipient mental illness that couldn't get treated in time) had Pluto 0°06' from Nadir. Again, it is the mundane aspects that speak most loudly and again it centers on an aspect from Saturn: His mundane Saturn-Pluto square was 0°24', topped only by his mundane Uranus-Pluto square 0°05'.

CONCLUSION FOR NOW
Perhaps for "afflicted Pluto" we should substitute "Pluto afflicted by Saturn!" - because every single example above was this specific aspect. Mars was only involved twice, and in one of those cases Saturn was still closer. (Holmes was the pure Mars-Pluto example.) There is also unusual emphasis on mundane aspects over ecliptical, which might be because Saturn-Pluto is an outer planet aspect that wouldn't have been so important as an ecliptical aspect.

I find this fascinating confirmation - not that people with afflicted Pluto will be murderers, but that, indeed, in extreme cases, horrible cruelty and harmfulness can be a consequence of Pluto aspected by malefics.

I think I have more examples of Pluto angular for murders - examples that didn't make it to my short list for studying Pluto foreground. I'll dig through my Murderers file and see if I can find them.

PETER KURTEN
This is an interesting case. Due to its high latitude, Pluto isn't really foreground. Nonetheless, his partile Saturn-Pluto conjunction caught my attention (0°21'). Kurten's chart is most marked by angular Neptune 0°31' from Ascendant, but, while Pluto much farther below the horizon, Saturn is 5° from Ascendant - most reasonably foreground (and in 0°06' mundane conjunction with Sun). Similar themes, even if not the exact thing being tested.

MARIA SWANENBURG
An interesting example of the importance of mundane aspects: Swanenburg had Pluto widely foreground (8°+), not a good fit for the primary study above. Nonetheless, while ecliptically Pluto was quite beautifully aspected by close oppositions to Venus and Jupiter (Venus-Pluto is partile), mundanely it had a partile opposition to Saturn.

MARC DUTROUX
As with Swanenburg, Pluto was widely foreground (8°+ from MC) - but in close (2°33') ecliptical square to Saturn!

JAMES DEGORSKI
The lesser known Degorski had Pluto 1°48' from Zenith, beautifully aspected by a 2° square to his rising Jupiter. He doesn't match the pattern we've been seeing.

HERBERT MULLIN
Pluto was 1°43' from Nadir, its only significant aspect being an octile with Moon. Mundanely, he adds a moderate square to Uranus. This doesn't fit the pattern.

HENRI DESIRE LANDRU
The infamous wife murderer had Mars square Pluto 0°54' but, due to extreme latitude, Pluto was far from Ascendant - not foreground.

FRITZ HARMANN
Similarly, the gruesome Harmann had Mars conjunct Pluto 0°41'. Though Pluto wasn't foreground, Mars was 3°14' from Asc, his most angular planet. This is noteworthy.

DYLAN KLEBOLD
Pluto is 1°09' from Ascendant. He's an exception to the pattern, though, since Pluto's main examples are wide contacts with Venus (ecliptical) and Jupiter (mundane).

BRUNO HAUPTMAN
The kidnapper and murderer of the Lindbergh baby is a moderately good example. Though Moon is his most angular planet (< 2°), Pluto is (widely) foreground (8°) but sound by aspect: Ecliptically Pluto squares Moon (1°29') and opposes Mars (1°05').

Notice how the Mars-Pluto aspects (which move faster) are often ecliptical, but the Saturn-Pluto aspects (being slower and thus less distinctive ecliptically) are nearly all mundane aspects in these examples.

ARTHUR LEIGH ALLEN
I'm including this as an instructive example. Though Allen (the Zodiac Killer) has Pluto background, it's mostly afflicted, being about 1° from opposite a 0°13' Moon-Mars conjunction (in Sagittarius of all signs!). - The aspects have surprisingly similar orbs mundanely and ecliptically.

Pluto afflicted with Saturn, I get:

Marc Dutroux
6 nov 1956 7.35AM Ixelles, Belgium
Child molester and murderer

Pim Fortuyn
19 feb 1948 00.15AM Velsen, Netherlands
Harsh politician, condescending personality.
Not gentle or angelic despite his Taurus Moon.
He rose to high populairity.

I was reading some data about how people in groups tend to exhibit the groups lowest emotional expression.
It has been said that people do tend to act their worst when around others, and that it is also then when people are alone that they can be their best.

From my experience this is mostly true, and this is why I do not feel good in groups and around people for the most part, that it feels like I now have to strive for my peace and happiness, that my own inner homeostasis feels like it is being tapped, and water seeking it's own level seems to flow down.

I think this ties into the understand of the Pluto kindness/cruelty expression. I think more then the other planets Pluto expression is influenced heavily by the emotional bodies of water that surround or aspect it.