in your birth chart can help you understand aspects of your childhood, adulthood, and your life.

In Healing Pluto Problems, Donna Cunningham explains how Pluto functions in the birth chart and shows how Plutonian problems can manifest throughout one's life. Pluto's energy is extremely potent and powerful. In astrology, it is considered a "generational planet"--the length of its orbit (248 years) means it influences both individuals and entire generations as it travels through the zodiac. Cunningham shows how transiting Pluto aspects can affect childhood, adulthood, and life in general.

Symbolically, Pluto governs our compulsive behavior--all those things we know we shouldn't do but feel compelled to do anyway. It also represents the hidden dimension of our emotional lives, all the parts of ourselves that we'd rather bury in our subconscious and not reveal to others. With numerous case studies to bring her insights to life, Cunningham's interpretations, written with care and compassion, are straightforward and easy to grasp. She presents her material with warmth and empathy, without avoiding the tough lessons that Pluto has to offer.

Cunningham addresses such topics as

• Guilt, resentment, and fear
• Emotional secrets and their contribution to self-isolation
• Incest, abuse, and domestic violence
• Pluto and the need for power and control
• The psychology of being a victim
• Death and transformation
• The consequences of avoiding grief

Interested not only in diagnosing Pluto problems, Cunningham also gives us tools for healing those problems--affirmations, flower remedies, exercises for working with the chakras--and shows us how to use Pluto transits for growth.

This Weiser Classics edition includes a foreword by Lisa Stardust, author of Saturn Return Survival Guide.

"In astrology, Pluto represents destruction and creation. Pluto is a dwarf planet that is always pushing us to evolve and grow so that we align with the times and themes of our lives. This ultimate, evolutionary experience brings us to our truest selves. As lord of the underworld, Pluto represents the juxtaposition between life and death--that which defines transformation.

"Donna Cunningham's Healing Pluto Problems was the first book I read on Pluto. It helped me comprehend the depths and significance of Pluto and how to use the planet to my advantage. Also, it gave me a chance to see myself clearly and understand my feelings. Not only that, but I gained insight into my relationships. I can honestly say that I have become a more mature and self-aware person from reading this book. Now I know why I act out when pushed to the limit and how to temper myself when I begin to seek such actions."
--from the foreword