Pluto in the Natal Chart of Marie Curie
Pluto represents the archetype of death and destruction as well as renewal and transformation. Being the outermost ‘planet’ Pluto (still interpreted as a planet for Astrology’s purposes) in it’s mundane sense represents ‘mob mentality’ or ‘attitude of the masses’. Pluto has the longest orbit of 248 years, rendering Plutonian effects more evident in a generational sense than on an individual basis. Pluto in a Natal Chart becomes more individual when it closely aspects personal planets or points in the chart as is the case in Marie Curie’s chart. In an individual sense Pluto represents our personal power & our capacity to transform and renew ourselves. In Marie Curie’s chart Pluto is conjunct the Part of Fortune in the fifth house.
The Part of Fortune is a mathematically calculated point in a chart which compares the arc distance between the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. I have found ‘that which is brought by the person’s life‘ to be an accurate designation for the Part of Fortune.
The fifth house of children/self expression can be seen to symbolize the traditional ‘domain of women’ as this is the house of children and where Venus has her joy’. The outpouring of creativity of the self indicated by the 5th house can manifest as much in the fields of math and science as those of art and music.
“Of the Part of Fortune in Taurus: … a more steady, self-assured and even obstinate personality… loves consciously or not, to deal with social collective power, and must see definite material results to be happy. The main desire is to bring whatever has been in the past to a new evolutionary level in response to the need of the times. It is to become an agent of evolutionary forces- or we might say, the “mother’ of tomorrow.”
“Of Pluto aspects with the Part of Fortune; One can expect from this relationship a stress upon political activity and all strenuous forms of social agitation, of protest against convention or custom, of personal ruthlessness.”
Dane Rudhyar The Lunation Cycle p.81
In a determined and stubborn yet peaceful and steadfast way (Part of Fortune in Taurus)Marie Curie’s unrelenting academic drive, scientific accomplishments and creativity ( fifth house/self-expression ) powerfully (Pluto) transmutated (Pluto) the traditional outdated opinion of the public(Pluto) on ‘women’s roles’ (5th house).
Marie Curie’s Sun (stellium) in the 11th house in Scorpio is OPPOSITE Pluto conjunct her part of fortune in the fifth house in the sign of Taurus.
This aspect is a good example of the complex multidimensional nature of astrological symbols. Often multiple interpretations are true of the symbols – *this does not mean that every symbol can be interpreted in any way.
1) Marie Curie’s dedicated work in the field of research science (shown by her 11th house stellium in Scorpio ) is in opposition to the attitude of the masses (Pluto’s mundane meaning) about the traditional roles of women ( fifth house)
2)On an individual sense, however Pluto represents our own personal power/ transformation. The tremendous thrust of individual creativity and self-expression that fueled Marie Curie’s drive for achievement ( Part of Fortune in Taurus conjunct Pluto in the fifth house)- is in opposition to the public’s opinion (MC) of HOW or WHO should carry out collaborative scientific research (11th house) where much of her life activity took place (Sun stellium in Scorpio in the 11th house)
*The ‘goal’ of the natal chart is to balance and reintegrate the energies to the center. Therefore adversarial aspects indicate challenges we face . The difficulty of this aspect in Marie Curie’s Chart is concurrent with the many obstacles she had to overcome trying to accomplish her goals.
‘The physical and societal aspects of the Curies’ work (Pierre and Marie’s) contributed to shaping the world of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. If Marie Curie’s work helped overturn established ideas in physics and chemistry, it has had an equally profound effect in the societal sphere. To attain her scientific achievements, she had to overcome barriers, in both her native and her adoptive country, that were placed in her way because she was a woman.”