This month we have a comment on the potential impact of Pluto's demotion on astrology and feedback on last month's monthly forum.

Hi Yolande

I for one would like Pluto to maintain its status as a planet. It would be exiting to have another 14 planets out there to spin themselves into the human psyche through the assimilation of archetypal energies. It is more of a non event to modern astrologers anyway, except perhaps in weighting. If we accept Chiron and the asteroids as valid in interpretation, there is no way we will chuck Pluto.

I feel that it is important to have a body that signifies the dark side of the human condition. Life out there is definitely not fair. In many cases you need to adapt a positive attitude to adversity to make it through the crises that come our way. Without Pluto and the dark archetypes that it represents, we astrologers would end up sugar coating the natal chart. The clients will not doubt be wondering why our songs do not ring true with the issues that is currently going on in their lives.

Poor Saturn would be sorely overworked if we had to blame him for all the shit that we get ourselves into. It would be really interesting to try and explain a hard patch a client is going through in a particular area of their chart where ex planet Pluto is transiting if Saturn is nowhere in sight.
- Regards, Marcus

Hi Isabella

For me, the birth time is definitely calculated at the time of the first breath. We might plan ceasers, but if the time of birth is meant to be at some other time, life seems to intervene. Perhaps the doctor has to perform another operation and the baby is born later, or mom goes into premature labour.

Unfortunately, although you have given such detailed information on your student astrologer, I would need to sit with her at the computer to rectify her birthtime. So I leave it to Elena to carry on.
- Karen