Inferior Superiors...How Unusual!

I got this question about the Venus in Aries Retrograde and Anger as a Guiding Force post, and it's a perfect example of what I was talking about regarding Pluto in Libras and the role of Aries/anger, in general, so I thought I would respond in a post. (Hope this is OK with you Anonymous. Since you're Anonymous, I thought, what the heck.)


So Anonymous wrote:

"What if the person you are feeling these flickers of anger towards is a person who got a position that you had applied for, but were denied, and then, that person ended up supervising you, and they have no management experience? What do you then? You can't express your anger...even though it is totally valid...and fueled by many people at your workplace and partner agencies/workplaces who are all saying "you should have got the job, it was totally political." What do you do then? Because you're pretty angry. You really are.

PS...I love your blog and read it all the time. I'm really tryuing to synthesize the lessons of being a Sag Rising/Leo Sun/Gemini Moon/Pluto in Libra/Pluto conjunct midheaven and north node/sun saturn conjunct in 8th house and you are helping me do it so thank you!"


Yes. Well then. There's one of those Pluto in Libra lessons all stirred up as Venus in Aries opposes (Venus leaves Aries June 5). And with Pluto in Libra on the MC (MC = Midheaven - the 10th House cusp and most visible area of the chart), it's unfolding in the business world, within the work hierarchy. In a very visible, public area.

When Pluto in Libra is activated, it often has something to do with a person's inherent sense of injustice being stirred up by the experience of oppressively unjust circumstances. We can see that here. Someone who was not qualified for a position of authority over you got the job due to shifty office political reasons.

So you just got burned by this situation in the typically Plutonic method...and continue to be singed on a daily basis. You can't get away from it. It's right there, in your face. Also fits the Plutonic modus operandi, as it tries to work the thorn out. It's not going to let you forget this is there and unresolved.

OK. So, what to do about it.

Well, first off - don't deny that you're angry about it because everyone already knows you are. This situation is playing out on your MC, so it's out there for all to see in your workplace. The ugly feelings Pluto stirs up are not generally things we want to air in our workplace...but here you are. The people who know about the situation know that you got screwed and that you're pissed about it. So pretending it didn't happen or stuffing it down is not going to work. At the same time, maintaining professional dignity is crucial. You have to work the balance here. People are going to be watching to see how you react to/interact with this person, how you deal with this hateful new power dynamic and how it affects your professional performance.

Right now, you are oppressed by the situation. You, ostensibly, did not come out on top and now have an inferior in a position of authority over you. Ugh. But, yes, there is a reason this is happening. Your Pluto work. So this is evolutionary desire (what the universe wants) trumping personal desire (the promotion). You have to think of your personal situation in the larger context of evolutionary imperative on the planet. There are millions of situations just like your's going on right now, triggering people to make moves, create changes. There is pressure building (Pluto) in these situations, and when there's enough pressure, complete transformation happens. Coal turns to diamond and all that crap. The pressure of injustice forces people to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle their way out from under it and over the long run, people reacting, making moves, making decisions, following impulses, following their guts will create justice, balance and equality. Basically, we hope to get to a point where this kind of political hogwash doesn't happen because people see through it and won't tolerate it anymore.

More context: we also currently have Pluto in Capricorn (rules the 10th House). So there is SO MUCH of this invalid, bullshitty hierarchy stuff going on it could choke a horse. (I was born in the Year of the Horse, and I can say yes, it does choke me.) The lack of integrity inherent in these structures brings about their downfall eventually. This is what we're seeing en masse in the U.S. business/economic world. And it exists in varying degrees right now in any business/workplace. Pluto in Cap is doing its work...on us and through us.

So basically, there's Plutonic gold in your situation waiting to be mined. It's just a bitch to get to it. Working through it successfully will take you to the place where you need to be.

OK. So how to get to it. I'm not sure if your Pluto is actually on the 10th House side of the MC? I'm making an ass out of u and me here and assuming.

So the polarity point is Aries on the IC on the 4th House side. So going right back into your fiery, angry centre to get through this. Babying yourself a bit. Telling yourself that you are you and everything is OK regardless of what is going on in the backdrop of your work life. Knowing that your feelings here are righteous. That person ISN'T qualified. It's not fair that that person is in a position of authority over you. But it exists. So accept those very basic ideas as a grounding point. But also understand that with Pluto involved, there are reasons for these conditions that are not yet understood.

Don't downplay, squash or invalidate any of your feelings about it. Do your inner work so that you don't have a Plutonic volcano of hell erupting in your work life over this every week or so. Make it all about you and getting you through this.

It's imperative to get some distance from the Plutonic process, and the furthest point away is that Aries in the 4th. This is how you can separate YOU from the process seemingly happening to you. This is happening TO you, but it's not you. You're still you regardless of what happens. Hold your core.

Process as much of it as you can inside yourself. Take action in your life in other ways, also. Do peripheral things. Trust your anger to show you what needs new direction.

You know that dumping the angry emotions on your co-workers is just not professional and will do nothing but hurt you in the long run. Sure, some hashing over with allies during coffee break can be ever-so-therapeutic. Go ahead. But at a certain point, it no longer does any good. You also have to realize that true allies are (generally) few when dealing with Pluto in the workplace, so make sure you don't vent to the wrong person. Pluto lessons just beg for us to misuse our emotional energy and bring inappropriate people into the loop so that we get our asses nailed for it.

There is an emotional independence here (Aries in the 4th) that has to be cultivated.

At the same time, you have to actually feel the emotions being stirred up and get to the exact root of each one. So every time you are triggered by the situation with the Inferior Superior, you have to go back into yourself and figure out exactly what it was that rubbed you the wrong way and take some sort of action on it, no matter how tiny. Just make a move out of the situation. Follow your impulses and channel them properly...or you will have a totally toxic Passo Aggro Fest on your hands, which no one wants. You have to get to the point where you can at least work around this person and interact, even if you think the person is a complete dumbass. And if the person IS a complete dumbass, it will more than likely come out on its own.

So speak up when you know you have to, but don't have a vendetta against this person. It's best to let nature run its course rather than getting involved yourself and running the risk of it backfiring on you.

Things aren't fair. It sucks. But we're working on it.

With the Sun and Saturn in Leo in the 8th, you have more fire emphasis. Getting through these tough times means shining the light of who you are in the world, taking charge of your creative process and being the star you are in whatever circumstances you find yourself in. The power of your personality and who you are lead you to better circumstances.

Also ask yourself if you are creatively happy in this job...

You were up for a promotion, so obviously you are craving some movement in your position...some new responsibilities, new creative challenges, new goals.

Look at what you can do from your current position. Forget about the position you were passed over for and try to work with what you've got.

If there is no way to progress in the job, you might have to start looking elsewhere. If this political bullshittery runs throughout the organization, it might be a losing battle. Only you know that.

You have a huge power of transformational creativity within you that wants to be utilized. Demands to be utilized, actually. And you need a vehicle for it befitting such a grand power.

Tell yourself that you will try to turn these lemons into lemonade, but give yourself permission to leave the situation if it proves to be intolerable/hopeless.

Good luck, and I hope this is helpful.


Willow