To be blunt – we’ve been had. Humanity as a whole is born hard-wired to reproduce and once we hit puberty, we’re at the mercy of the changes in blood & brain chemistry unless we learn to pay attention to what the heck is going on. And you better believe that this has not escaped the notice of the Powers That Be all through out history. One way or another in the guise of religious rules & regulations or greedy folk making a buck off sex through the sale of pornography & prostitution, humanity in general has a history of being lead by their gonads . . . not pretty, people, not pretty!With my Mars/Mercury in Scorpio plus a strong Pluto influence, I have observed how this has played out all my life. That being said, it wasn’t until I was close to 40 that I started putting some of the pieces together . . . and with the advent of the crone phase the picture has become even clearer. Some of the research done in this area really opened my eyes. For instance, studies have found there are biological aspects to what draws us to certain people. Here is a link to an article “The Biology of Attraction” from the Psychology Today website.Many cultures, especially those with strong religious teachings, encourage early marriages with an eye to controlling through the distraction of sex. We’ve had a big dose of abstinence promoted in this country the last several years . . . what better way to muddle the thinking of young, healthy people in this sex drenched culture. What’s the best way to make someone focus on something?! Deny them access to it! There are two periods in a woman’s life when the drive to reproduce is almost overwhelming – the first 5-10 years after menarche and the last 5-10 years before menopause. If we are allowed to acknowledge this driving force (Pluto/8th House), then we can gain some perspective and objectivity . . . tactics familiar to anyone who is working with Pluto. Men reading this can draw on their own experiences when it comes to the drive to procreate . . .

There is another facet to this puzzle that’s tied into brain chemistry. Dr. Helen Fisher has a quote that I really feel is true: “Don’t copulate with people you don’t want to fall in love with because indeed you may do just that.” This is the other side of how we are hard-wired to stay together long enough to reproduce. Yes, I am cynical! But read this article from McMan’s Depression and Bipolar Website on “The Brain in Love and Lust” and draw your own conclusions.For those of us with the Plutonian signatures in our charts – lots of Scorpio, loaded 8th House & natal aspects involving personal planets and Pluto – paying attention to this kind of information can save us a lot of heartache because we tend to take the bonds we form with other humans very seriously. We just don’t do casual very well . . . and I see this as a good thing. I have another post in the back of my mind about the pitfalls of so-called “casual” sex . . . but that’s for another day.