Reports of Pluto's planetary death are greatly exaggerated! The planet that represents dying and being reborn is rising again. Far from being killed off as a planet and reduced to a more minor status in the solar system, Pluto might be about to give its name to a brand new category of objects: Plutons.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has begun its general assembly in Prague, long anticipated as the moment when a definition of the 'planet' would be formally and officially agreed. The IAU has released its draft resolution, which will be voted on on 24th August between 14:00hrs and 17:30hrs:

"The draft "Planet Definition" Resolution will be discussed and refined during the General Assembly and then it (plus four other Resolutions) will be presented for voting at the 2nd session of the GA 24 August between 14:00 and 17:30 CEST."
Source: http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0601/iau0601_release.html

Calculating the chart for the beginning of the IAU's general assembly (9:00am, 14th August 2006, Prague, Czech Republic) shows that Pluto is at the foundation of the chart, showing how fundamental this planet is to this assembly: the IC is 22 Sag 39, Pluto is tucked just inside the 4th house at 24 Sag 12, in almost exact square to the Ascendant at 24 Virgo 15. It would be difficult to think of a more appropriate place for Pluto in this chart; the IC represents 'midnight', the darkest time, and is the deepest point under the Earth - Pluto's natural abode in mythology.

Looking ahead to the afternoon of the 24th August when the IAU will vote on the draft resolution the astrology remains emphatic. Between 14:00hrs and 17:30hrs Pluto will rise from beneath the horizon and come up into the light of day. In astrology this is the part of the chart that symbolises the birth moment. In terms of clock time, this corresponds to 16:30hrs on 24/8/06. Whether the vote will take place close to half past four remains to be seen, but it is significant that the IAU has scheduled the vote to take place when Pluto will be rising in Prague. Pluto will be virtually motionless in its movement through the Zodiac, just a week and a half before its station - which is its turnaround point - on 4th September. Our local part of the universe (uni-verse = 'the one turning' or sometimes phrased as 'turning around the one') is set for a major turnaround.

I look forward to Pluto being reborn and rising again from the ashes, and I look forward to our human conception of the solar system being similarly reborn, symbolising a radical shift in our understanding of nature's environment, and thus our place in nature.

For more information from the IAU, see these links:-
Press release: Draft definition of 'planet' and 'plutons'
Draft resolution: definition of 'planet' - to be voted on on 24th August 2006
Questions & Answers on definition of 'planet'