Brother Pluto, Sister Eris

History has been full of battles, wars, and times of upheaval that lead to greater struggles. What if we were to look at these events as crime scenes, in which murder takes place at an extreme level? If we were to examine each crime scene, we would find two persons of interest who would bear closer attention. These persons of interest are Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, and Eris, Lady of Discord. Today, we know them only as dwarf planets, far out at the edge of the solar system. Yet, by observing their orbits and aspects, we can see that they appear at the crime scenes of the most violent events of history.

     When there have been cooperative aspects between these two dwarf planets, that was when the biggest struggles have taken place, such as World War II, the Taiping Rebellion, and the Thirty Years War. Challenging aspects between the dwarf planets have shown confused fighting, lopsided victories, and achievements which seem good at the time but which bring disaster later on. Conjunctions between these bodies can be a time of treachery, leading to a collapse of international power.

     This book examines 800 years of major aspects between these two bodies.  Their appearances at times of trouble are well-documented. Astrological charts for the events provide snapshots of the crime scenes, with these bodies making a connection. There are also charts for historical figures taking part in these upheavals, with descriptions of how the dwarf planet transits were aspecting their natal charts.

        Thomas Canfield has previously examined the role of dwarf planet Eris in his book “Yankee Doodle Discord: A Walk with Planet Eris through USA History.” His book explained the idea of the Eris Frenemy Principle, in which the most discord takes place when Eris is in cooperative aspects.  In his work with historical events, he has found that connections between Eris and Pluto mark the most destructive times between nations or within nations. “Brother Pluto, Sister Eris” is an expansion upon this theme, showing how the cycles of the dwarf planets match the most violent cycles with humanity. Can future generations resist these cycles of violence, or will survival depend upon moving to the most neutral spot and then waiting out the conflict?