In the online astrocartography communities, there's alot of faulty bias, projected fears, and immature regurgitated opinions propagated about certain lines/planets.
I'd be lying if I said there haven't been significant butting-of-heads as I've attempted confronting some of it at times. Ha. Throughout my explorations of the subject, there's been a part of me that feels a responsibility to speak truth in the face of falsehoods, planting beacons of light, reason & wisdom to help guide others amidst abundant misinformation. Yet, there have seemed to be many preferring to simply engage in communal validation of confirmation biases that perpetuate victimhood & bypassing, not always receptive to differing viewpoints from common oversimplified "good/bad" generalizations. Though, it always is a wonderful pleasure when my contributions to these dialogues are well-received - and yet more sought...
Last week, I'd received a reply to a comment on a reddit thread I left a month ago with request to elaborate more. A beautiful invitation... and endeavor to fulfill upon.
I've been contemplating writing a book on the subject for a while, as there's alot to say. Oh yes, I could elaborate... though to what degree? Haha.
I contemplated flipping my answer into a post of its own, though opted to just keep it as direct reply to the person who asked. Yet running into tech errors attempting to reply - whether it was too long or who knows - I figured why not syndicate it here.
Albeit there may be a far smaller number of Hivians actually into astrocartography, as with much of my writing, it's not solely about astrocartography - but multi-layered / encoded with principles applicable in much broader domains of life. And hey, sometimes we can learn something new by venturing into territory we wouldn't otherwise - so who knows who may read this and gain some value from these different contemplations.
Without further ado...
alright, you asked for it... 😹
where to begin...? perhaps with the acknowledgement that you're right - there is a large amount of dialogue in the online ACG domains that IS substantially fear-based. (And/or the polar opposite of seeking pleasure & quick easy fixes, whether as an avoidant escapist strategy or 'manifestation hack.')
Perhaps it's part human psychology at work, as many of us discover this during challenging times and are enticed with the promise of such "solutions" that rely on something as simple as an external move rather than the harder, uglier shadow work & self-responsibility that may often be necessary to make real, sustainable change. And perhaps part the modern tech-driven culture of "influencers" pushing dopaminergic soundbytes playing to those desires, seeking to supply demand for self-profit in an attention economy rewarding flashy short-form content more than grounded wisdom & perspectives fostering deeper transformation. Thus, oversimplified one-size-fits-all opinions propagate like wildfire, collective confirmation bias thriving as a steady stream of newbies & amateurs overgeneralize with "good/bad" biases - finding solace in tribal agreement that project problems & cures externally on planets/lines. Agency outsourced in exchange for some (illusory) sense of certainty to cope with the overwhelm of complex forces requiring maturity & discernment to master, blind to the undertone of fear in which this dynamic perpetuates.
But of course, every planetary energy is part of the human experience.
It doesn't matter if you avoid Mars/Pluto/Saturn lines... they're still an integral part of your natal architecture. And transits will continue activating the lessons needed to master them.
Nor will going to lines that a large group of people on the internet collectively believe are "good" guarantee a life of ease, love, and abundance.
Every planetary energy has its yin & yang. Attempting to locationally-lobotomize oneself so as not experience the 'darker' sides is a losing strategy as it is a denial of & attempted escape from reality and self.
While the immature ego may not always like the structure & discipline of Saturn and prefer Neptunian escapism in Venusian gardens & Jupiterian idealism, it is only through that structure & discipline which sustainable growth can occur. Perhaps especially in this day & age where we've been conditioned for instant gratification with the click of a button or swipe left/right, facing Saturnian reality isn't always fun - but is essential to maturation and building foundations that last.
While it's understandable for us vulnerable humans to feel the sting of "others'" Martian energies directed our way unfairly and deem Mars to be "the problem," it is only through his assertiveness & drive embraced & channeled in/through ourselves that we grow to declare & defend our boundaries and put in the consistent effort to actually create what we want in/for our lives.
And while the shadows in Pluto's underworlds can be dark & scary to/for the uninitiated, it is only there one can ever truly access their true power. It is only by diving into the depths to unveil what lies underneath that one can ever really come to actual understanding - and into an embodiment of the type of empowerment that renders fears impotent, seeing through surface appearances deeper into the matrix codes with wisdom to navigate the shadows masterfully.
Yeah, there's something 'natural' about encountering the Tik-Tok soundbytes and thinking maybe if we just go to Venus/Jupiter, money & love will fall in our lap. But it's only through Saturn that character is built. And it is Pluto that rules wealth and our deepest creative potentials.
Working with those energies isn't a walk in the park. Not always sexy, fun, exciting, smooth. Thus, they're not always the most popular, and they have gotten a bad rep from people looking to blame, avoid and escape rather that rise to the challenge of their initiation rites.
As for my personal experience... yes, I may present my perspectives with a certain bias as my Saturn-Pluto (conjunct 1º) is well-aspected. Sextile from Leo Venus. Sextile south node + Neptune. Trine north node + Mercury (Gemini) + Mars (Cancer). Saturn exalted in Libra, both tropical & sidereal. So I can't speak to the experience of others whose Pluto has squares/oppositions - and am aware it's walking a fine line to invalidating/dismissing the difficulty of theirs as sharing certain principles from my lens that may appear to diminish the challenges that can be a part of Saturnian/Plutonic chapters, not myself living their geometry.
Total 8 years Saturn-Pluto-IC (plus Chiron/Pluto, Uranus/Pluto and Jupiter/Pluto parans) in Vancouver... yin & yang, of course. As expected of living anywhere for that long in twenties/thirties, especially as a 6/2 in first phase. Good, bad, ugly. Peak highs & lows. Massive expansion, growth, challenges, transformation. And I'm hella glad I never knew about astrocartography back then. It would've been a HUGE disservice to my soul path, were anyone to assert their "bad lines/planets" bias and tell me not to move there. (Almost) zero regrets. (And the potential one I'd be tempted to have was not a "I wish I never went" type, but only pertaining to the last of five times I lived there.)
And Phuket at my Pluto zenith latitude - two months first time; planned to move back permanently but only lasted 7 months until $ ran dry. Full spectrum. The sexual explorations, hedonistic & taboo engagements. A couple brushes with death. Confrontations with inner shadows. But a richness & vibrancy of life I only wish I still had access to and regularly contemplate returning for. (Also Scorpio rising + Saturn-Pluto-AC there on my Human Design body/design side.)
When I first discovered astrocartography, I was in the final Vancouver chapter mid-marriage-implosion, feeling the dark side of that Pluto-IC, and would've conceded with the "bad" biases. Truth be told, I was looking for some "better" place on the map as an escape, engaging in the exact same dynamics which I've become critical of as seeing them commonly projected in these spaces. But once the emotional waves of that chapter subsided and time allowed for reflection & integration, things look alot different in hindsight.
It was easy to engage the victimization angle at the time, but there's a whole different appreciation for it all now - and knowing that there is no blaming a planet/line, for the only thing they "did" if anything was reflect back where I'd been mismanaging my own Plutonic energies. Saturn-Pluto may have facilitated excavations, but it was my responsibility to own what was in the shadows - and to transmute it in order to level-up to a greater maturity & wisdom that couldn't be possible without undergoing it all. Yeah, there was trauma involved - but there was also a ton of good as well. Yin & yang. You don't get to the gold without the lead and the alchemical journey.
Indeed, there are people who go through some tough stuff on/with Pluto/Saturn/Mars lines. Just as there are others who go through challenges on allegedly "good" lines. And while natal aspects may be indicative of 'level of difficulty,' there are still no hard rules guaranteeing "good/bad" experiences. You could take 1000 people with the exact same chart in the same place, and they're each going to have their own unique experience that isn't as predictable as many would like to believe. Too many micro & macro factors to consider that don't show on a map or chart - soul contracts, level of character, integrity, consciousness, details of one's passions & career, and how one works with the energies within all those unique contexts to either take responsibility for harnessing them constructively OR not (and instead designating others & external conditions the shadow roles via projection).
Imo, telling someone to avoid those lines without any real understanding of who they are, what they want & need is highly irresponsible - typically a projection of biases & fears, attempted interference with a sovereign path often requiring certain "difficult" experiences as initiation rites on the soul journey of mastery.
Also seeing more how there may also be somewhat of a Plutonic tribalistic crab-bucket dynamic at play too with such "advice"- many communally validating victimization with narratives rationalizing "safety," security, comfort, and bypassing. Not everyone wants to see others confront the shadows they themselves are scared of and emerge with a level of empowerment, sovereignty and wealth that contrastively confronts them with their own fears & resolutions to play/remain small.
And also to note: it's not always just the lines themselves, but the PLACE. You could have the same lines / relocation chart in two different cities, and it's gonna be two different experiences. I coulda lived in the middle of drug-ridden East Hastings in Vancouver rather than nicer areas, and it would've been two completely different Plutonic realities. You could go to where group consensus says is your "best" astrology, but if you actually have no desire to be there and don't vibe with the culture, it could be hell - whereas you find your heaven following your heart, soul-calling, intuition, Strategy & Authority (Human Design) to places others would astrologically fear.
Indeed, astrocartography has its value - but I've consistently seen way too many people put far too much fear & faith in mistranslations & projections of its purpose/role, delegating authority to flawed logic & cognitive biases of the mind.
"The planets do not do' things to us. Instead, they are symbols of psychological forces within us, mirroring our inner world in the outer cosmos."
-Liz Greene"
Also, an interesting observation: there's something beautifully Plutonic about your inquiry... digging back deeper into the history of this community, looking beyond the surface of common preconceptions in search of something to validate your sense there is more - excavating these perspectives with your question, which shine more light on the complexity of the topic, deconstruct the trending psychological biases, and unlock a level of agency/empowerment as receiving reflections of your deeper knowing that wouldn't have come without your willingness to engage that Plutonic urge to dig this far back and inquire. Haha. 😼
I hope it satisfied. And I appreciated the invitation/opportunity to share. 🙏✨