The Book of Pluto: Finding Wisdom in Darkness with Astrology Paperback – December 12, 2012

I need to start by saying I'm such a fan of Steven Forrest. His system just makes sense to me and I love that he has series of books for the non-beginner astrologer (I'm far from a pro but have been studying for over a decade). Even though I could have gotten something out of this book years ago, it's a deep dive into Pluto and all that that entails - I'm not sure if I would have appreciated it as much when I was still looking for cookbook interpretations. I actually picked it up now when I realized I was in the middle of a Pluto/Pluto trine and needed some insight into it I wasn't finding elsewhere. Plus, it rounded out my Steven Forrest library.If you want a solid resource for interpreting Pluto in any birth chart, you should have a copy of this book. I'm only bummed he never wrote one for Uranus, even though it's well covered in some of his other books - Uranus deserves its own tome.I rated this book 4.5 stars.

I was raised by a professional astrologer, my earliest memories feature family discussions about astrology, and I have been a professional astrologer myself for much of my life. In fact, I run a worldwide healing and metaphysical counseling practice, and astrology is a vital part of the way in which I determine where my clients are struggling, why, and how to help them heal. And yet, despite a lifetime of working with astrology, and years upon years of personal introspective practice, there were pieces of myself that I just couldn't seem to understand and heal. When I mentioned on my professional Facebook page that those seeking resources to better understand astrology might try Forrest's book, The Inner Sky, as this is hands-down my favorite astrological text, a reader mentioned that she had read Forrest's The Book of Pluto, and that it had "changed her life." Since I was already familiar with Forrest, I had good reason to believe this was true, and I ordered the book myself. To say I was shocked would be a vast understatement; Forrest, in a brief section about my particular placement of Pluto, answered a mystery that had haunted--and often hindered--me my entire life. I've worked with Pluto placements before, but never with this level of insight. I am excited for the changes I can already feel unfolding in myself, and for the new level of understanding and assistance I can offer my clients. This book is truly an inspired work, and Forrest is to be commended, as always, for his wisdom and compassion.

Reading this book peeled back another layer of astrology in general, as well as helping me understand Pluto’s role in astrology. It helped me understand and fill in some additional information about astrology. I feel like my overall knowledge of astrology grew as a result of reading this book.

I love reading Steven’s insights and especially as he sometimes unravels the process by which he has found some of them. It is helping me come to a better understanding of pluto within my own plutonic chart, those of my family, and the many charts I’m studying as I expand my comprehension and digestion of the subject in general. Loved all of his books thus far.

Steven Forrest, my new favorite astrologer and teacher. Steven, do you take on pro bono students?? This guy's a great writer, has a deep knowledge of astrology, psychology, things Jungian & how 'the shadow knows', clearly written, good teacher, inspires & cajoles with a light, humorous touch. The kind of person who you'd want to sit around the kitchen table/campfire with talking about life and astrology, his celebrity friends (Sting?!) and a certain zest for life. Love this guy.

I gave this title to compare and contrast with Jeff Green's stuff. I am more inclined to Steven's view that Pluto is not the Soul but the Soul's wound. That rings true. Steven goes on to look at that wound, and different levels of response to that wound and how the native may respond with their Pluto placement. This is a valuable contribution to astrology, with some excellent insights. It is such a mystery that this relatively small and remote celestial body can be so frigging intense right? Still I do consider Jeff's work to be a more thorough analysis .... it was his life's work I guess, but this is a good read, for those grappling with these trans neptunian objects ....

This book gave me amazing clarity on dealing with Pluto transits and aspects including learning more about my natal Pluto. The writer is very descriptive with great attention to detail.

I personally like astrology books that get to the point; this is just my personal preference. I think there is good information here in this book if one is patient enough to continue reading through a lot of tedious storytelling. Simplicity is a large aspect of healing my Pluto issues. That said, I really appreciate the attention paid to what some term "victim/victimizer programming." I do find great value in the descriptions of Pluto. I was hoping to find information on the 8th house & Scorpio but that was not discussed in this book.