Product Description

Why has the concept of fate become so offensive to the modern Western reader? Why does it imply for us a lack of free will, a loss of control, a sense of powerlessness, humiliation and impotence? Why has the meaning of fate become so disconnected from its sister concept, karma? In this masterwork by the author of Relating, Liz Greene confronts and questions the issue of fate head-on, and renders a broader perception of just what fate is: an unfoldment of natural processes rather than predestined or preordained events in the individual's life. Greene argues that we have lost touch with Nature and natural law, and that understanding our fate is understanding our relationship to the natural laws of the universe. The original concept of fate did acknowledge is as a cause and effect principle, but postulated that we humans are generally too blind to see the results implicit in our actions. Whenever there is a concern with fate, there is also a concern with astrology, for the concept of fate evolves from a vision of an orderly interconnected cosmos. Through the use of myth, legend, dreams, fairy tale and literature, Greene amplifies the meaning of fate and of astrological transits and natal configurations. She explores the Zodiacal signs as portraying a mythical journey, the hero journey, wherein the mythic meanings are connected to the individual's fate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157317 in Books
• Published on: 1984-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Hail Pluto, those of us who are about to die, salute you
My humorous title for this review is in contrast to my profound respect for Liz Greene and the job she has done with this book about the planet Pluto, the planet of death and transformation.

I always, always recommend this book to my clients who are Plutonic (Scorpio in the personal signs or on the Ascendant, Pluto conjuncting inner planets, important planets in the 8th house, etc.). Their names are legion because I am Plutonic myself and draw them to me.

I believe that the greatest fear of the Plutonic person is that they are alone in the dark. I mean this symbolically and on every imaginable level. If you are so young that you want to tell me this is an outmoded impression of Pluto, I will speak to you after your first couple of Pluto transits and God help you for your naivete.

After reading Greene's book you will understand yourself at an entirely different level and you will be able to contact the MEANING in what it is you are struggling with in your life.

It is extremely difficult to talk about Pluto and its effect in people's lives with any degree of clarity. Greene shows depth, compassion, scope and breadth and, as always, her writing is TOP NOTCH. Greene is my favorite writer in the field and I highly recommend all of her books.

Perhaps her own Scorpio Rising and Pluto in the 9th house are helpful in her endeavor here but I recommend the book without qualification as the premier book on this pesky planet.

Pluto People! Liz Greene Rules
Liz Greene has influenced my thinking more than any individual, astrologer or not. Her experience as a Jungian analyst, her Rising Sign in Scorpio, her Pluto in the 9th house, all give her the power and perspective to write as she does about this difficult area of astrology. If you have Pluto prominent in your chart, do yourself a favor and read this book. You will probably feel like, at last, someone understands you and the "way it is" for the Pluto Club. Greene gives unforgettable examples of case history from her astrological practice. Her writing is a marvel of craft, skill, and discipline, laced with some British-isms that seem charming to me. I place her at the top of writers in the field for her style and scope. What I like most about this book, however, is the profundity of her thoughts, the compassion so evident in her commentary and the healing insights which accompany her lucid descriptions of this dark planet through the signs, houses and lives of those discussed. I do not think you can adequately understand Pluto without absorbing this book. There is none other its equal in the present market.

An illuminating work
This book is essentially about Pluto and how he can temper our hubris. Liz Greene's style may be too 'heavy' for some, but if you are serious about astrology or interested in depth psychology you will find it a gem.

The author offers lots of quotes--from Joseph Campbell to James Hillman to Jung. I think these words from Jung best sum up the meaning of 'fate' in the title: "A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passion has never overcome them...whenever we give up, leave behind, and forget too much, there is always the danger that the things we have neglected will return with added force."

This book is not only recommended to astrology students. Those with Pluto, Scorpio or 8th house prominent in their natal charts will find it helpful too.