Moon Pluto Aspects (Conjunction, Opposition, Square) - The devouring mother

The hard aspects between the moon (mother) and pluto (power) are associated with the archetype of the devouring mother.
In its purest form, the mother figure is one that gives life - through birth and breast feeding.
Pluto is the planet of life and death, of the cycle of transformation, life that devours itself.

A devouring mother is one that wants to take back what she has given. One that can't bear to not receive anything in return, because it would leave her empty and powerless.
Rather than her feeding her child, she is now the one who wants to be fed.
Those with moon pluto aspects can feel like they are deeply indebted to their mother.
Rather than giving love, nurturing, and support unconditionally, she needed something in return.
She fills herself up emotionally by giving to her child. She is dependent on it.
In a healthy mother-child relationship, the child can depend on the mother, but the devouring mother sees the relationship as a sort of power struggle - if she gets less out of it than her child, she loses.
"I love you and I did so much for you, so you have to be grateful to me and love me back and nurture me too!"

The devouring mother has a compulsive need to nourish because she feels nourished by nurturing others, having someone depend on them. That is why she can be a very controlling and paranoid mother, one that won't let her children grow up and become independent.
She needs someone who will admire and love her for being such a great, selfless mother.
The theme of moon and pluto is strongly tied to emotional blackmail.
"I love you so much, I do so much for you, it would be so heartless and insensitive of you not to do the same in return!"
Giving and receiving nurturing in the moon/pluto person becomes tied to power struggles.
When somebody gives you emotional support, they now have control over you, you are now indebted to them.
Our first attachments and their relationship dynamics will become a theme throughout our whole lives.

These people can have a hard time trusting others, because they always expect some type of manipulation or abuse of power in close relationships.
Being nurtured always comes with conditions.
In order to protect themselves, they may also end up using the same techniques - saying things like "if you don't do this, I will be so hurt and disappointed" or "if you really loved me, you woul do this for me" and "if I meant anything to you, you wouldn't leave me alone".
When emotions and nurturing turn into power struggles and methods of manipulation, relationships really suffer.
Since this was one of their earliest experiences with close relationships, it's only natural that the moon/pluto person will develop the same abusive traits.
It's important to be aware and conscious of this to avoid it and develop more open and healthy relationships.
As much as we deny possessing the negative traits of our mothers, we tend to become more and more like them as we grow older.
Blaming others is yet another way of  excusing your behavior so learn to understand how the devouring mother must have felt to act this way - you have to feel very unlovable to think that you have to bribe someone into loving you. Instead of taking plutonian revenge on a controlling mother, forgive her and consciously build more healthy relationships.