We've been visiting with Pluto, astrology's Great Transformer, over the last two articles.  In the celestial sky, this planet may seem small and lacking in potency, but in the astrological universe, Pluto carries the potency of nuclear reactor.

That means it can turn your life radioactive if you misuse its energies.  However, the good news is you can also use Pluto as your personal nuclear fusion reactor -- and that's the sort of energy that powers the stars.

We started our discussion on Pluto by talking about theory -- metaphorical meanings and its potency.  Today, I want to turn from theory and delve into practicalities.  Let's talk strategy for how you can use this planet's energies to enhance your life.

Pluto = choice

Amanda Owen, one of my favorite astrologers, has a life-changing Pluto strategy that you can employ to keep Pluto focused on a positive creative expression.

All you have to do is remember a keyword for Pluto is choice.  It's so simple that it might be hard to believe the great power underlying that tidbit of knowledge.

You might think you have no choice in a certain area of you life but don’t kid yourself.  You always do.  Just because you don’t always like your choices doesn’t mean that you don’t have them.

So here’s a strategy you can use when you feel Pluto rear it’s ugly side and you’re starting to grab for control or are engaged in some sort of power struggle:

1. Create a list of at least five choice you could make about your situation.
2. Evaluate your options.
3. Implement your decision.
4. Remember it’s your choice so if need be, decide again.

It’s that simple.  Here are a few things to remember, though:

• Don’t evaluate your options while you’re creating your list. 
• No option is too crazy or outlandish but it must be something you can bring to pass though your own efforts or teamed with a willing partner (like a spouse).

Each option will carry positive and negatives with it and some options may carry heavy penalties. 

What you want to do is to find the option that has the most positives and the least negatives and then choose that.  And once you do choose, then let go of the negative feelings about your choose because — and this is the important bit — you choose it.

Just remember too, if you choose once, then you can choose again if you decide at some point in the future you want something different.

Let’s take a real-life example

John is the husband of a friend of mine and he hates his job.  John stays there because he feels it's his only choice in order to generate the income he needs to maintain his lifestyle.  John is in his late 40s and wants to retire in his mid-50s so he wants to maximize his income.  Additionally, he has a fondness for toys like boats and vacation homes.

At the same time, though, he too often expresses his dissatisfaction by snarking at his wife.  She’s pretty fed up with his attitude.

Using Amanda’s strategy, here are some possible choices could John make to empower his life:

1. Kill his boss.
2. Sell off everything he owns and go live in a shack in Mexico.
3. Stay at his current job.
4. Stay with his current company but seek a different position.
5. Find another job, in his same functional area, in another company.
6. Change his career.
7. Demand his wife make more money while he goes and plays.

Kill his boss?  Well, it might change some aspects of John’s situation and could bring delightful emotional satisfaction.  Jail is a big downer, though, and the toys are way limited.  Plus, no retirement to a cool locale.

Option 2 sounds dandy but John’s wife won’t fly with it so choosing this option means losing his wife and hey, he loves her and being married to her.  Plus, his long-term financial situation would be unstable and being old with no dough is also a downer. 

If John selects Option 3, he’ll continue to work in a dissatisfying job.  However, he’ll also continue to move forward towards his goal of early retirement and will maintain his ability to fund his lifestyle at the same level he is now.

John is a partner in his company and if he left, it’s doubtful he could command the same salary somewhere else.  If he went this route, then he’d have to adjust his early retirement goal.  He and his wife might also have to make a downward adjustment in their lifestyles.  However, a career change or change of company might improve his day-to-day attitudes enough that it would be worth it.

If John selects Option 7, he will have to give up some of the ease of his personal life.  His wife does work, but they previously agreed she would choose a low-demand corporate job in order to have more time to dedicate home management activities to the benefit of both of them.

As you can see, not all the options are ones that John can select on his own.  Not, that is, if he wants to maintain the quality of his marriage.  And you can also see that each option has both positives and negatives. 

Additionally, John could select an option that will lead to more choices.  For example, John could elect to stay in his current job and he and his wife could agree to adjust their expenses downward, allowing them to save money at a higher rate.  That would then allow them to retire that much faster.

The point is this.  Whatever option John chooses will be his choice.  That means if he stays in his current job, then he should quit bitching about hating his job because — say it with me — he choose that option so it’s the one he most wanted.

Summary — Choose choice

The summary is easy to write because it all comes down to this.  To make friends with Pluto, to express it creatively, then choose choice.

Now, inquiring minds want to know.  Tell us your stories of making choices.

Coming next:  My next article is related to the personal branding series in a way.  I didn't release it on the tails of the series, though, because I thought it might be helpful to have a bit of space.  The article delves into the astrological Sun and Ascendant, which ties back to value propositions and life themes, and it uses super heroes to explain the way these two energies interact.  Yeah, I grant you that might sound a bit weird but if will give you a strong visual image and I'm about the visuals.

Related articles:

Uranian Rebels versus Revolutionaries

Pluto's Control versus Creativity Continuum

The Great Transformer -- Insights into the astrological Pluto's esoteric meaning