The Jupiter/Pluto Midpoint
Earlier, I saw Basil Fearrington had posted a link to a two part article on "The Symbols of Success & Prominence in a Horoscope" (parts one and two) and decided to have a look. As I've recently been examining career and success associated elements in my own chart, the topic took my interest.
I must confess I'm not entirely sure how to take his presentation, however. His focus is on the application of midpoints and planetary pictures, particularly the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint, and he claims his basis was the work of Reinhold Ebertin:
"I ran across a book by Reinhold Ebertin. I no longer own it and cannot remember its title. But I do remember that the cover had the words, 'I am successful.' Alongside those words were the planetary symbols for Jupiter, Pluto, and I believe the Sun and Midheaven were also included." (ibid., pt. 1)
Clearly, he is referring to this book:
However, the focus of that book is not natal midpoints but the use of transits, progressions, solar arcs and directions to make quick analysis of current or future life trends, and the pattern on the cover concerning success isn't showing a static meaning of a midpoint but addressing the potential when the directed MC conjuncts the natal Sun which is on the midpoint of Jupiter/Pluto, which is quite another thing than simply the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. Ebertin's core book presenting his view on and work with midpoints is The Combination of Stellar Influences (COSI), the English translation of the original Kombination der Gestimeinfluße, itself based on Alfred Witte's Rules For Planetary Pictures / Regelwerk für Planetenbilder. But his presentation of Jupiter/Pluto does not in itself match that which Mr. Fearrington seems to be presenting in passages such as
"Jupiter's symbolism is one of expansion, good luck, rewards, etc. So when Pluto is in hard aspect relationship with Jupiter, all of the wonderful elements of Jupiter's symbolism are really quite magnified. The potential of expansiveness, luck, and all of those things that you know about Jupiter become much larger than they are when Jupiter is in an aspect relationship with other planets. This fortunate, lucky, expansive prowess is also extended to aspect contacts to the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint." (Fearrington)
In COSI, Jupiter/Pluto isn't explicitly "success" or "good fortune" but desire for power (plutocracy) (p. 234). Psychologically, Ebertin says that, if positively set, it suggests a striving for the development of power (spiritual, mental, material, whatever), the desire to lead/direct the masses and so forth, while if poorly placed it can indicate fanaticism in these goals, the desire to exploit the masses and wastefulness. When addressing the "probable manifestations", he cites it as indicating (positive) "leading or participating in uprisings" and/or the "attainment of leadership", which I suppose latter item might be taken as a kind of success; but if negative, rather the opposite: the "loss of social standing and wealth; conflict with authorities and the executors of governmental power (arrest). The misfortune to lose everything." For specific manifestations contrary to the success theme, Ebertin cites for instance Mars = Jupiter/Pluto as the "desire to achieve great things" and not the actual achievement of them; Mercury at Jupiter/Pluto is similary a desire to influence, an indication of a propensity for propaganda, but not necessarily the success of that propaganda. Saturn at Jupiter/Pluto is given as "Inhibitions in one's development. The inability to progress, difficulties, separation." With Neptune, the "Inclination to deceive others, and to cheat and seduce people. A general disappointment, suffering damage or loss through others without being aware of it." The closest match in Ebertin to what Fearrington seems to intend would appear to be MC = Jupiter/Pluto, which was given as "advantages in one's occupation, advancement and promotion, great luck." Which brings us back, again, to the actual book cover illustration which Mr. Fearrington says he'd forgotten: the MC directed to the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint.
With Ebertin, Sun = Jupiter/Pluto indicates the potential for a successful use of "extraordinary physical or mental powers", the "creation of (apparently) magical effects" in a life. In the charted example, that potential is present natally; it is presented as manifesting in actual success around age 35 when the directed MC conjuncts the Sun. The placement of the red "I AM" is also not coincidental on the cover, since the Sun and MC in the Hamburg school and Ebertin's own Cosmobiology are symbols of self, so their conjunction is an explicit manifestation of the individual's self and thus the expression "I AM". In COSI, the "probable manifestation" of the well-placed Sun/MC conjunction is "individual progress or advancement, individual relations, pursuit of one's objective, successes".
In my own chart, on the 90° dial, I have no natal bodies directly on my Jupiter/Pluto midpoint, but my Venus/MC midpoint is conjunct with an orb of 15 minutes, and Node/Ascendant by 26 minutes, either of which might suggest why a handful of people occasionally enjoy my music or varied efforts at artistic pursuits. Had I been born roughly a half hour later, I would have had MC = Jupiter/Pluto exactly and very nearly Fortune = Jupiter/Pluto.
Do you have any bodies conjunct your Jupiter/Pluto?