The breeze is cooling, the leaves are wilting, and the sun descends into the underworld–Scorpio’s realm–when it moves into this sign on October 23rd. Spooky season is just around the corner and the keyphrase for this astrological season is “I desire”; there’s no better time to petition your dearly departed for a bit of luck.
WELCOME TO SCORPIO SEASON!
The veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest when the Sun moves into this sign’s domain. Scorpio’s association with death is ancient; in Mesopotamia it was believed that the underworld was guarded by scorpion-men. This is why, in modern astrology, Scorpio rules over the eighth house of sex, death, and taxes.
The eighth house–much like Scorpios themselves–is often misunderstood. For instance, that sex is a main feature of the eighth house does not make it a house of romance, or even one of pleasure. Sex is assigned to this house because it is a form of creation, which is as fundamental to Scorpio’s essence as death. After all, though we might think of the two as polar opposites, creation is nothing more than one side of a coin whose other face is death–they are inextricably linked. In truth, it would be more precise to say that Scorpio rules over resurrections and transformations.
This is reflected in the fact that Scorpio is the only sign in the zodiac that expresses itself through three different symbols: the scorpion, the snake, and the eagle (or the phoenix, depending on the tradition). This can be taken to mean that evolution-of-self is a key pillar of the Scorpio archetype and that it unfolds in stages; the first stage being that of the scorpion—a fierce little creature with enough venom to fell a man. The scorpion is shown to be this sign’s base form because this form is still, in essence, a slave to their own passions.
It reminds me of the Greek myth from which this zodiac sign springs from: Artemis called forth a giant scorpion from the earth to strike down Orion, the hunter. Sources are divided on her reasons; some say she was motivated by jealousy, as Orion’s hunting skills rivaled her own; others say she did it in defense, sometimes of herself, and sometimes of Gaia’s creatures whom Orion was slaying with impunity. After Orion’s slaying, Artemis exalted the scorpion to a place amongst the heavens where the constellation still sits today. Through this myth we see that the scorpion is a representation of Artemis’ passion herself, the wild goddess of the hunt.
We see in this myth that passion is neither a good or bad trait; that natives of this sign protect and defend their loved ones, their convictions, and themselves fiercely is an admirable quality but it would be a disservice to ignore the ways in which passion can interfere with empathy and tolerance.
Scorpio season is a powerful time for transformation. It’s a time to embrace our shadow selves–a good reminder that there is no joy without suffering, no light without darkness.
SEASONAL FORECAST
Scorpio season kicks off with a total lunar eclipse in Taurus on November 8th. Here, we close out the eclipse cycle which began with the partial solar eclipse in Taurus back in April. It’s time to take inventory! As a reminder, this eclipse cycle ran along the Scorpio-Taurus axis which addressed themes of security and stability. How has your relationship with money changed? Where are the areas in your life that need firm boundaries? Alternatively, where have you resisted change? What does security look/feel like to you? It’s time to integrate the lessons we’ve learned into our psyche and move accordingly.
Venus enters Sagittarius on November 16 and how the goddess of love enters this sign depends on her mood. For some, this transit might infuse your love life with a little light hearted fun. Sagittarius is a free-spirited sign and when Venus enters Sagittarius’ essence she wants to belong to everyone! Venus is love and love is renewable resource, it is an ever-flowing spring, not something be borrowed and bartered with. For others, this transit might influence you to seek spiritual connections as Sagittarius is a deeply spiritual sign (ruled by Jupiter, the guru).
Mercury joins in on Venus’ fun the day after when it moves into Sagittarius on November 17th; and it is a party, with Sagittarius’ infectious joy spreading throughout. This is a beneficial time to get a little laugh therapy in by finding a local open mic night and supporting your local comedy club! This transit might also put things into perspective for us; as a spiritual sign, Sagittarius’ influence on Mercury (which rules our intellect) reminds us that we don’t need to feel chained to outdated modes of thinking for fear of appearing indecisive. You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to grow.