Shiva is said to be the essence of the sacred masculine and so elements of him can be found in all male astrological symbols, as his multifaceted nature includes the wild man (Mars, Uranus) the phallic god (Eros, Mars, Pluto) the perfect, detached yogi (Neptune, Uranus, Saturn) the Guru (Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune) and the Lord of death, dissolution, transformation and rebirth (Pluto, Neptune), to mention some of the obvious connections. And yet he is also intricately connected to the feminine, his images are highly androgynous, the Moon is close, a serpent coils around his neck and Mother Ganges pours through his wild locks. While the trident is another traditional symbol, linking him with Neptune, as far as planets go Pluto is his most obvious astrological body, as both are associated with the great karmic cycles of death and rebirth, with the destruction of ignorance and with processes of purification and empowerment. Even then, my take on Pluto is that “he” is both Shiva and Kali, the Hindu equivalent of Hades and Persephone, King and Queen of the Underworld, as there is far more than masculine energy within the primal depths of Pluto.

So any time Pluto is active, we can be certain that Shiva energy is afoot and as for tantric exploration, especially when s/he is aspecting any planet to do with love and sexuality. There is also an actual Shiva asteroid, which from our experiential astrology work, we’ve found to be an extremely potent point in the chart and significant transits to him and by him, are brilliant times for reaching into the depths of the sacred masculine.

In a similar way, Shakti is both a general and a specific term for the spiritual power of the goddess, her formal title being the goddess Kundalini Shakti. As with the Mother, she is found in all feminine symbols to some extent but is especially present in all those archetypes that have connections with the serpent power, the primal transformative and healing power and wisdom of the sacred feminine. Most of the major goddess asteroids are included in this, particularly Pallas Athena, Juno, Hygeia, as are virtually all of the so-called dark goddesses, Hekate, Medusa, Lilith, the Black Moon, Persephone, some of which are more disposed to relating well to the masculine more than others. There is also a huge part of Neptune that is truly feminine, as s/he has much more ancient goddess mythology than the Greco-roman god of the ocean.