Mercury-Pluto
Mercury-Pluto combines Mercury's association with speech, thought, communication, and perception, with Pluto's associate with the depths, the instincts, the taboo, the mysterious and hidden.
This combination can be reflected in tendencies that include, but are not limited to, the mind (Mercury) that is powerfully driven (Pluto), the mind (Mercury) that sees into the depths (Pluto) were the hidden (Pluto) resides, and the voice (Mercury) the expresses the taboo (Pluto).
Below are examples of famous people born with this combination in their natal charts (natal chart is another word for astrological birth chart, or pictographic representation of the sky when they were born). When we witness how this combination shows up in the lives of others, we can become more self-aware of how this combination shows up in our own lives. The more we are conscious of the ways astrological alignments (otherwise known as “aspects”) show up in our lives, the more the archetypal tensions involved can become integrated in our lives, thus revealing inherent strengths to us.
Please note that the tension of this archetypal combination, as illustrated in the lives and creations of the famous people in the examples below, may be demonstrated in ways that are more integrated or less integrated.
The Mercury-Pluto combination is often associated with speech and the mouth (Mercury) combined with the taboo and libidinal impulses associated with Pluto. One of the ways Mercury/Pluto in the chart of Miley Cyrus shows up is in the singers tendency to stick out her tongue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tFcHZtrLRU
The tendency of the Mercury-Pluto combination to involve taboos and power (Pluto) in the realm of speech (Mercury) in the chart of Madonna shows up in this interview with David Letterman in which she uses profanities (Mercury-Pluto) and engages in power struggles (Pluto) of communication (Mercury) with Letterman involving sexuality (Pluto): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBm5kzTYfNU
The Mercury-Pluto combination in the chart of Keanu Reeves shows up in his role as Neo in the movie The Matrix, who is able to perceive (Mercury) at such a depth (Pluto) that he discovers what he thought was reality is really a program. This ability to perceive (Mercury) the depths (Pluto) can also be seen in the Mercury-Pluto combination in the birth chart of artist Alex Grey, and his artwork which reveals what lies beneath the surface.
The RZA, founding member of the hip hop group, The Wu-Tang Clan, was born with the Mercury-Pluto combination. In Greek mythology Pluto was the god of the underworld. For the RZA it is the mind and communication (Mercury) that is driven by Pluto’s depth and intensity. When fellow band member GZA first introduced the RZA to a form of religious practice know as Divine Mathematics the RZA says in his autobiographical book The Tao of Wu, “That night I started reading the Bible. And I kept reading until I finished it.” Those born with Mercury and Pluto in aspect have an ability to think (Mercury) deeply (Pluto) and research (Mercury) with intensity (Pluto). As well as being associated with depth and intensity the archetype of Pluto is also associated with the dark, the hidden. Just like the Greek god Pluto who always remained underground, the archetype of Pluto is associated with taboo and society’s dark thoughts. From a young age the RZA became fascinated with rhymes. From his uncle he heard one of his first rhymes. It was a southern folk rhyme that stuck with him:
“Never cry when a hearse goes by, because you might be the next to die. They’ll cover you with a cold white sheet. They’ll put you down about six feet deep. It’s not so bad the first few weeks, until you start to mumble and creep, and the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out, and the ants play pinochle on your snout, your stomach turns sickest green as pus runs out like thick whipped cream…”
The RZA subsequently carried his fascination with rhyming (Mercury) about the darker aspects of life (Pluto) into his profession, most notably in his work with the group The Gravediggaz, such as the song “1-800 Suicide,”
“Six fucking devils stepped up playing brave, had the fucking nerve to try and enter my grave yard. I’m the RZArector. Be my sacrifice, commit suicide and I’ll bring you back to life. The first was convinced, stuck a water hose in his mouth at full blast so head can explode. Second one said, ‘Hmm, that’s good but I can top it.’ Put an ax up to his head and then he chopped it. Blood shot out in every direction. The rest didn’t know what to do, I made suggestions: put a slug in your mug; overdose on a drug; wet your hand, stick a knife in the plug; or play like Richard Pryor, set your balls on fire. Better yet, go hang yourself with a barbed wire. Three and four fell deep into the spell and, ran to the zoo, locked themselves in the lion’s den. Number five said, ‘it ain’t worth being alive!’ Smoked a dust joint, mixed it with cyanide. The only one who escaped was number six. He went home, sat in the tub, and slit his wrists. Yeah, more graves to dig. Goodbye. There’s no need to cry, cause we all die.”
Interestingly, as dark as the references to death by suicide are above, the RZA premises the verses with a promise for resurrection. It’s worth noting that the archetype of Pluto is not just associated with death, but also with the resultant rebirth.
The Mercury-Pluto combination in natal chart of Edward Snowden can be seen in the themes of power struggles (Pluto) around communication (Mercury). As well it can be seen reflected in his desire to communicate (Mercury) about the hidden secretive (Pluto) surveillance (Mercury) engaged in by the government. Similarly he is known for perceiving (Mercury) that which is hidden in the shadows (Pluto). Here is a quote from Edward Snowden which exemplifies his Mercury-Pluto combination: “I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building.”
The Mercury-Pluto combination in the natal chart of actress Liv Tyler can be seen in the following clip from The Lord of The Rings in which she plays a character who uses the power (Pluto) of her voice (Mercury) to summon elemental power of nature (Pluto) against her enemies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9K7fueW4Bk
Pluto is associated with the deep instinctual and sexual in the psyche. Mercury is associated the the voice and vocal expression. The Mercury-Pluto combination can show up as deep sexual urges finding expression through vocalization. Actress Courteney Cox demonstrates this aspect of the Mercury-Pluto combination in her birth chart in the following comedic clip from the sitcom series “Friends”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brpa88zmdM0&t=4s
The Mercury-Pluto combination can be reflected in a vocal skill to express (Mercury) that which is deep and powerful. Astrologer Richard Tarnas described this as the ability of those born with Mercury-Pluto to express the “pre-verbal.” This capacity can be witnessed in the following clip of Phil Anselmo, lead singer of the band Pantera, who was born with the Mercury-Pluto combination in his birth chart: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyv_YK1rCwT/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The Mercury-Pluto combination in the natal chart of magician and tv personality Justin Willman can be seen in his ability to hypnotize and influence his audience such that their will responds to whatever he dictates. In this dynamic we see the ability to communicate, reflected by Mercury, infused with the powerful dominant force that can be associated with Pluto, creating a power of persuasion that can seemingly dominate another person’s actions. Here is a startling and entertaining example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RksLFJ7A2M