Pluto's location in your natal chart (house, sign, and aspects) and its opposing location (house and sign) are packed with information on the type of experiences you are looking to have in this lifetime. The sign will tell how you and your generation intend on impacting the world. For instance, those born from 1972 to 1984 are at a soul level, wanting to find harmony and balance (Libra). Each individual with Pluto in Libra will be calling in experiences that will show them the path towards authentically expressing themselves in relationships and society. As each soul in this generation navigates their own unique experiences and continues to discover inner balance, this naturally shifts the collective.
Whatever house Pluto is in for you is the area you have a magnifying glass on in this lifetime. For instance, let's say you have Pluto in Libra in the 3rd house. Your soul motto may look like..."I want to find inner balance through communication, varied experiences, others' perspectives, and learning. Tapping into my own needs first, following my intuition, establishing my philosophy which naturally navigates me towards people and environments that are supportive and allow me to flourish (Aries/9th House polarity)". On this path to balance and harmony, there is typically an experience of imbalance. With this Pluto/Libra/3rd house, it could display as being exposed to and accepting misinformation, too much info in general, accommodating others at the exclusion of your own needs, or cyclic changes which may appear to knock you off course. Wherever Pluto sits in your chart, power dynamics (sometimes intense) are typically experienced, which are meant for your evolution. Moving you towards the energy of the opposing house and sign to help actualize the intent of that natal Pluto placement.
Another consideration here is if Pluto is retrograde in your natal chart. This takes place five months out of the year, so having this wouldn't be uncommon. The ironic part is that if you have this signature, the way you'll need to express yourself in this area of life (house/sign) will require a unique expression. Think of other lifetimes where you may have conformed to the ways of others or supported a cause that wasn't fully aligned with your soul. For many with this signature, that theme will be the case for most of this life. "Trying on" many different ways of expressing yourself until you find your unique way.
When I think about the energy of Pluto, it brings me to the concept of only being able to see everything from the center. The space between light and dark. Between inhale and exhale—another reason why sunrise and sunset times are powerful (good times to meditate!). I grabbed the image below from the "Initiation" series on Gaia hosted by Matías De Stefano, which is a good illustration of this. As this person walks closer to the light, the shadow (dark) consumes the space. If he were to step back too far towards the shadow, the light would be all-consuming.
Think of the symbol of Pluto in Astrology as representing the need to experience the extremes. Making a move towards one direction to gain experience and wisdom. At some point, there will be an "event" to help you remember who you are. The combination of "positive" (purpose, good, masculine) and "negative" (mission, bad, feminine) …which are always connected (unity). That "event" can seem to be thrust upon you or can be something you decide as a response to the experience.
In this series, which you can find here, I will take you for a spin through Pluto's placement in each of the 12 houses. I see this as foundational when looking at anyone's natal chart. That said, keep in mind this info is "colored" (sometimes significantly) by other planets that form aspects (relationships) to its placement in your chart. I have published a quick overview of each Pluto generation here so you can overlay your generational sign on your house placement. To find your Pluto house placement (also includes sign), visit free-horoscope.com.
All the best,
Keith