Power, Pluto, and Symptoms of Megalomania

In their book, The Planets and their Psychological Meaning, Bruno and Louise Huber share their insights into the planets and associated observable patterns of human behaviour for each planet. They describe behaviours being expressed at three different levels, or stages:

At stage 1, the person will be largely unaware and attached to matter and what is  material; it's what they call a "blind stage" as far as awareness is concerned.

At stage 2, the person's emotional responses are engaged, often resulting in a polarity, an opposition, and of learning the difference between positive and negative.

At stage 3, the person is able to discriminate and form accurate judgements as a greater self-awareness kicks in. In a nutshell, it's all about growing and developing awareness of self and ultimately, of others.

I share this in light of the current global situation where a tariff war, affecting trade and stability in just about every country in the world, was started on 2nd April 2025 by the 47th president of the United States. You can see his chart here.

The Hubers outline manifestations of each of the planets used in Huber-style charts at these three stages. For manifestations of Pluto (for without a doubt, that is the flavour of the energies the current incumbent at the White House is engaging with and expressing) they suggest:

"Masks, egomania, use of power, imposing the will, destructiveness, stirring up of what is suppressed, crises" for stage 1. 

"Megalomania, drivenness......" are among their suggestions for stage 2, and for stage 3, where discrimination, fairness, self-awareness and a loosening of the individual's ego needs are more evident, they suggest "...effective power, making a creative contribution to evolution".

But let's stay with stage 1 for now, because it seems to dominate the observable behaviour, responses, language and general demeanour of this 47th president. Hardly a day goes by without more jaw-dropping news of further heavier tarrifs for some countries, while others appear to be getting an easy ride. Like a yo-yo bouncing up and down, the parameters, boundaries and rules are switched on and then off.

It's an object lesson in power and ego-ridden behaviour, where things are changed, seemingly on a whim, and if there is criticism within the inner circle, heads roll as people are dismissed. Like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, who is childish and quick to give death sentences at even the slightest of offences, numerous news reports echo  this aspect of the president's behaviour.

In The Planets the Hubers go further. Examples they give of stage 1 Pluto behaviour are here, and  I quote:

"Pluto is always involved in problems of power. One calls for an unlimited reach of power, believing oneself to be the best, the greatest and the only one who is right. In the case of hardened ego powers this gives rise to megalomania or egomania, where a person thinks only he is right and everyone else is a novice.....A lack of consideration for the demands of others and ruthlessness are the unpleasant side of Pluto on this level. All its efforts are mobilised, it fights like one possessed for its property, status and power. Anyone who wants to contest this power will be labelled an enemy who must be go rid of."   (Extract from The Planets, p.89, B&L Huber)

In terms of Age Progression, the 47th president's Age Point is currently in the 2nd house for The Second Time Around (click for more info on this) He's 78, and in terms of Age Point, has re-entered  the phase of life first encountered at ages 6 to 12 years. 

Between the ages of 6 and 12, the child establishes him/herself amongst peers, creating a sphere of personal possessions. In the 2nd house the child defines and defends his/her territory and possessions, which may determine behaviour in later life. Whereas at ages 6 to 12 the 2nd house  is about gathering and hanging on to possessions, at ages 78 to 81, it's about letting go.

A final thought/quote, in this post which attempts to throw some light and astrological-psychological understanding on current events and the person driving them:

"This house is about letting go, but the 2nd house can also reignite a preoccupation with material possessions. Those of a materialistic frame of mind surround themselves with material possessions; become tight-fisted, unwilling to part with anything. They are scared of being short-changed.....become jealous and take all possible precautions lest anyone deprive them of anything."  (Extract from The Second Time Around, p.15, J&B Hopewell. See also The Planets, p.251)

 

Donald Trump

I wrote this post in December 2015, ahead of Trump's inauguration the first time he became president. It was published on the Astrological Psychology website, and I've decided to revisit the chart and republish the article on my own blog following the unprecedented public falling out between him and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office on 28th February 2025. 

And now, in April 2026, with the eyes of the world on him he appears to be struggling to retain credibility as a world leader as he's up to his neck in the consequences of his decision to join Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in an illegal war both countries started against Iran on 28th February.

What I saw in his chart, and wrote about in 2015, is 10 years old; has he changed at all now he's back in the White House? I leave you, the reader, to speculate on this and invite you to leave comments.

Now, in 2026, his Age Point is in the 2nd house for the second time (see my co-authored book The Second Time Around). The 2nd house psychologically and physically is about possessions and raises questions and stimulates behaviour about what we want to hang on to, and what we are willing to give up. With a 2nd house Age Point the second time around, when the individual is between the ages of 78 and 80, it's often a time of letting go of things and attitudes which have lost their significance or "pull". Trump's Age Point is conjunct his 2nd house Neptune, the planet which can, on a less conscious level, or even unconscious level, be about escapism, ideals, dreams, and illusions. It could represent the psychological drive or need for all of these, especially in someone who is not self aware. On it's highest level the drive will be focussed on inclusion and acceptance of what is, along with a strong ethic of unconditional love and respect for people and the world we live in. Trump, without a doubt, is not there yet.

 *  *  *  *  *

 Here's what I wrote in 2015

If you’ll pardon the pun, this man has been trumpeting forth on a variety of controversial subjects for the past few months as he ramps up his bid to be nominated as the Republican Party candidate to become the next President of the United States.

Much as I dislike the views and opinions of this man, I’m intrigued to see if, and how, his mind set and attitudes might show up in his chart.

         14 June 1946, 10:54, Jamaica, NY, USA (Rating AA *)

The overall chart image brings to mind two overlapping images: a well-aimed dart, maybe a paper plane, with the Moon at it’s sharp end, the apex. But look again – the dart, the blue/green quadrilateral ‘Megaphone’ figure, is overlaid by a louder, heavier triangular ‘Ambivalence’ figure, which is reminiscent of a paper “thunderclap” toy, which when held in the hand and thrust through the air like a sword, emits a loud bang. I’m already beginning to connect these initial images of sound amplification and attention-seeking to the windbag-like behaviour that Trump has been exhibiting.

There is no doubt that this man is an impressive and successful entrepreneur. The Sun/Uranus conjunction in Gemini in the 10th house of his chart speaks fathoms of his ability to communicate, think divergently, and possibly wheel and deal too. The Moon’s North Node sits in the middle of this conjunction, indicating that standing out as an individual and making his mark on the world is part of Trump’s developmental path. But wait a minute… he was born the son of a millionaire, and chose to develop his own empire of riches. What he’s possibly neglected here (as far as I know, I’m not a fan or a follower) is the South Node end of the nodal axis. His South Node offers the possibility of balancing the big 10th house “out there” stuff by making a connection with the other end of this axis, namely the 4th house and the collective. His Moon sits in this house, and by default is conjunct the South Node. He appears to be currently tapping into this collective area, but in a way which fuels the needs of his Sagittarian Moon, namely to be outrageous yet still admired at the same time.

It’s interesting to note, too, that both Sun and Moon are intercepted in their respective houses, so Trump will have to shout louder and work harder to express these aspects of his personality in more garish and noticeable ways to get them recognised and acknowledged. Which begs the next question, if we move on to consider the Family Model… how did he as a child (Moon) perceive and experience his father (Sun)? Connected as they are by the hefty oppositions on the 4/10 Individuality axis, things were probably not always smooth. With two key ego planets intercepted, Trump has to divert their expression to go via the third pinning planet in the triangular Ambivalence figure – Jupiter. In the 2nd house of the chart, where possessions are significant, Jupiter’s risk-taking and adventurous entreprenuerism seem to have been capitalised upon to help him make his millions. Yet Jupiter is on the Low Point, making it more challenging for him to do this, so here I’ll cut him a bit of slack as he has successfully made a whole heap of money. It’s more than likely that the intercepted planets have sought a less blocked pathway out into the environment via the Venus/Saturn conjunction in 11th, and through Mars in Leo, stressed before the AC, which could be extremely pushy.

And what of the Megaphone, connected as it is to Sun and Moon, both of them also pinning planets in this figure? A Megaphone in the chart is like having an amplifying mouthpiece to hand, to help express closely held ideals. Regardless of whether or not Trump’s personal ideals are liked or accepted, he’s going to use that figure to make them heard. The Huber’s described the Megaphone thus: “We speak quietly into the narrow end and our voice suddenly fills the room.”

We have a personal choice with Trump though. We don’t have to listen.

 

• Further thoughts on Trump's chart are shared here, on the Astrological Psychology website. Take a look and offer your own feedback.
  

•  For more details of the ‘Megaphone’ aspect figure, see  ‘Aspect Patterns in Colour’ by Joyce Hopewell.

* Chart data from astro.com.

 

 

Masks - it's a Pluto thing

Masks made by particpants at an astrological psychology workshop. The masks they are wearing represent a part of themselves they would not nomally share or show.

 

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, mask wearing has become a hot and controversial topic. 

Some people are strongly against wearing masks, even though these are known to be the most effective barrier against spreading the Covid-19 virus and its variants. The airborne viral load breathed out or in by we humans is effectively sequestered by the wearing of masks which cover both mouth and nose. Masks protect both the wearer and everyone else they come into contact with. For me it's a no-brainer not to wear one; they're beneficial to all. Otherwise why have medical/surgical staff been wearing them long before the onset of the pandemic? How might a mask-denier feel about a surgeon operating on them without a mask, breathing goodness-knows-what out into the operating theatre and all over them?

So why don't people like them? Is it purely to do with not liking the effect they have on being able to breathe properly or communicate easily? Or is it something to do with people not liking being "told" what to do, maybe thinking they know best? Thinking they look a bit daft or strange wearing them? How vain and anti-social might that be?

In astrology, masks are associated with Pluto, the outermost planet in our solar system, most distant from the Sun, and is associated with the psychological drive of transpersonal will, which is engaged when our energies are directed towards perfecting ourselves and upping our personal ante.

Pluto operates at different levels of awareness. On a personal level it can be seen in disruptive, power-laden behaviour. Pluto is symbolic of the masks we wear to cover up what we don't want others to see. It can make us manipulative, allowing us to force our will on others, trying to dominate them.

Masks can also provide a hiding place for aspects of ourselves we don't want to show or share, to keep safe something hidden about ourselves - think of the smiling face and demeanour which hides a ruthless personality, or a person whose actions belie their true colours.

Masks are not all bad, as long as they are used as masks and not as a hiding place for truth. They can be fun too, but in a superficial way - think of masked balls, dressing up in costumes for a specific role, and make-up which transforms the face of the person beneath. Pluto is the transpersonal planet of tranformation, change and power, things which should definitely be used with awareness and always with the mantra of "do no harm". 

Pluto as a power trip is the expression of this planet at its lowest level; at its highest level of expression personal power has to be surrendered and control relinquished. Those who refuse to wear masks and disapprove of those who do have quite a way to go yet on their path to perfection, which is Pluto at it's highest level: the perfect being. 

That's something we all have to work at, but maybe the mask-deniers have to do it just that little bit harder.

NB - I'm aware that some people have exemptions for wearing masks because they have a medical condition. I know someone in this category who wears an uncomfortable face shield to protect herself and others when she is out, and I take my hat off to her for doing this selflessly.

 

 

 

There's more on Pluto and the transpersonal planets in my book,

 The Cosmic Egg Timer,

and in The Planets by Bruno and Louise Huber.

Both books are available on Amazon.

Click here and here for details of these and other books on astrological psychology.

 

Asleep, waking or awake?

The inconsistency of being human is always with us. It happens all the time.

We decide to do something, but at a later date we change our minds. We have an opinion about something, but as we grow and change so do our opinions. We make choices which are sometimes right and sometimes disastrously wrong.

Using astrological psychology and applying the psychological functions of the planets to everyday life, it can be useful to know if we're expressing ourselves in an asleep, waking or awake manner. Here the inconsistency comes into play.

Take the Sun, for example. Here I'm assuming that readers will know their Sun sign and some of the characteristics associasted with that sign. The Sun is a strong contender for being of significance when we present ourselves to others because it's symbolic of our sense of self.

But the person with their Sun/sense of self in an asleep, unaware and unconscious state bellows loudly "I am the greatest" in all words and actions. This could be someone who has to be at the forefront of everything, always right, often full of hot air, egocentricity and narcissism. They need an audience and they care for little other than themselves.

Wake that Sun up a little and it comes into greater self-awareness and consciousness as they test themselves out against reactions from the environment (i.e. other people).

Expression of the Sun/sense of self when fully awake shows a person with self-confidence, autonomy and intelligence. They know they don't always have to be right, they have learned from mistakes they've made, and they are able to show humility and be magnanimous to others.

As with the Sun, so with the other planets. I'm not intending to discuss each one in turn as there's a lot of detailed info on the asleep, walking and awake stages of expression of all the planets in the full Astrological Psychology course book, available at Amazon.

So for now, we'll just take a brief look at Jupiter, renowned for its expression of vision, its ability to be joyful and to potentially be good company and fun to have around.

Asleep, Jupiter will easily be waylaid by the lure of sensuality of all kinds, and may go OTT with it, to the point of being sated and inactive. Like drunk!

Waking up it comes into its own, expressing joviality, good humour and joie ve vivre, and although this may be laced with a touch of self-righteousness, there will always be a good helping of optimism, which will attract others as some of this tends to rub off and create positive vibes.

When Jupiter is expressed in an awake manner, justice and good judgement abound. There's a sound sense of values, and a clear perpsective on situations and problems that arise. At this level, wisdom and ethics are present. 

Something worthwhile to aim for here! Be aware of which level(s) you might be expressing different planets on and remember - we're all prone to inconsistency. But the more we're aware of which level we're coming from - fully awake and conscious - the clearer and better will be our capacity to aim for the top level.