For no other reason than that I find this fascinating, here is a little post about Sun conjunct Pluto. The Sun conjunct Pluto in a natal chart is a particularly difficult aspect, because the Sun is what shines, illuminates and is visible, while Pluto is dark, unseen and invisible. What a combination! While there are many ways to talk about this, I want to use Gwyneth Paltrow as an example.
Gwyneth Paltrow was born with Sun in Libra closely conjunct Pluto in Libra. She won the 1998 Best Actress Academy Award for her starring role(s) in “Shakespeare in Love.” And this is where I turn to see Sun conjunct Pluto.
In the movie, Gwyneth plays Viola de Lesseps, who in turn disguises herself as Thomas Kent, who in turn ends up cast in the premiere performance of “Romeo & Juliet” alongside none other than William Shakespeare himself. The performance brings down the house.
Viola de Lesseps had to disguise herself as Thomas Kent, a male actor, because at that time in history women were not allowed to be on stage. Only men were allowed to play female roles, and Viola de Lesseps was in love with poetry, theatre, the stage, and particularly William Shakespeare. Nothing could stop her. As the performance commenced, word of the disguise trick made its way to the officials, and after the performance the officials marched in and put everyone under arrest under charges of public indecency.
Little did anyone know Queen Elizabeth herself was in attendance! The Queen emerged from the crowd to take charge, telling the officials they must surely be mistaken, because the Queen “does not attend exhibitions of public lewdness.” Yet, we already know from previous scenes that Queen Elizabeth has a razor-sharp eye for seeing the invisible reality hidden underneath the surface. She calls Master Kent forth, looks “him” over, and says, “Yes, the illusion is remarkable” before dismissing all charges.
This is where Sun conjunct Pluto comes in.
In playing Viola de Lesseps, disguised as Thomas Kent, cast as Juliet, Gwyneth Paltrow was never more luminous. Hidden under layer upon layer upon layer, we could clearly see Gwyneth Paltrow’s brilliant genius better than ever. She glowed from within. The more hidden she was, the more she could shine, working with the remarkable truth of illusion—which is precisely what Sun conjunct Pluto does best. We saw this clearly, and gave Gwyneth the highest honor we could give her for it.