Scorpio is the Zodical repository of all things dark and dangerous. This is definitively a part of life, no denying it. Scorpio season contains Halloween, or Samhain, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. In the Northern Hemisphere the light of the Sun wanes in the wheel of year. The Veil between worlds is thinner, leaves fall from trees, the natural world seems to “die” as roots dig deep into the earth awaiting rebirth. Fittingly, its Tarot Card is Death.
Scorpio in one’s chart shows where you connect to this liminal, shadowy space.
A feminine water element sign of Fixed mode, Scorpio and the 8th house of the chart wheel represent the collective underground; our shadows, the occult, hidden and the invisible. Sexuality and taboos reside here too, as well as obsessions, power and resources shared and over others, passion and intimacy too..Where you have Scorpio in your own natal chart you will find powers of depth and magnetism as well as experiences that embody the themes of its domain." Secretive Scorpio" my Mother would say of those who have the sign prominent in their charts.
The planets that rule Scorpio are Mars and Pluto. In Greco Roman mythology Hades/Pluto, “The Unseen one” is the God of the Underworld and all of it’s riches. He wears a helmet of invisibility, representing his kingdom, also called Hades. Pluto was worshipped by the Romans as the God of both wealth and the dead, representing the literal and figurative features of his dark kingdom. You may recall the myth of his abduction of Persephone, known then as Kore or Proserpina; the daughter of Ceres/Demeter his sister.
As the maiden goddess Proserpina was innocently picking flowers in a field with her friends, the ground opened up and Hades rose up from the Underworld, abducted her and dragged her down into his kingdom. She was said to have then been raped by him- an ancient way of claiming a bride.
From this myth, came possibly an explanation of the Seasons, as Proserpina’s mother withdrew Earths life giving energy, not allowing plants to grow while she was held. Unfortunately Proserpina had inadvertently eaten the food of the dead while in captivity, an action which didn’t allow one to leave. After much suffering on earth, a deal was brokered and she returned to her Mother for 6, or in some accounts 3 months- (representing the pomegranate seeds she had eaten), living the other time with Hades whom she then married, becoming Persephone Queen of the Underworld, a Psychopomp and torch bearer for visitors and denizens of the Underworld.
This Scorpio season can be seen as visit to the Underworld, with shadow, fear and a focus on depth. I will attempt to shine a light of meaning here, much like the lantern or light of consciousness that Persephone’s guide, the Goddess Hekate shone for her in the darkness. This light is also the “key” (another symbol of Hekate) to not getting lost in this bleak place.
Scorpios Motto is “ I transform”.
It’s interesting to connect this to the process of recycling in nature. There is a kind of death, then a decomposition or breaking down of organic matter in order to transform the matter into new, nutrient rich materials that can be used again for natural growth.
This cycle can also be found the ancient process of Alchemy which had three classic stages, Nigredo the blackening, Albedo the whitening and Rubedo the reddening. The psycho-spiritual esoteric process purpose of Alchemy is to transmute and transform, to refine and evolve.
In keeping with this theme, Scorpio also has several symbols associated with it; Scorpion, Eagle, Phoenix, each describing the journey of transformation available in its mystery.
If done properly, a kind of enlightenment, an “Albredo” comes into being from the integration and acceptance of death and what follows then can be true re-birth, the Rubedo, the light of the Ruby, the Phoenix which knows what it really is, indestructible.
I have the South Node of the Moon placed in Scorpio, along with the planet Neptune. The South Node of the Moon has long been associated with concept of Karma in Astrology. There is a particular kind of chart, called a Draconic chart that can be calculated with the Nodes of the Moon, called “Caput and Cauda Draconis” in Latin- the Dragon’s head and tail. This chart takes the North Node of the Moon as 0 Aries in it’s calculation. It will have your planets and house placements the same, but in completely different signs, and it is easy for you to calculate from most Astrology programs.
Now, I tend towards seeking meaning in life, however esoteric. I also tend to a fairly open idea as to what exactly that meaning may be. As Shakespeare wrote famously in Hamlet “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.
In Evolutionary or Karmic Astrology, which are focuses of Astrology that have a foundation in the idea of human souls evolution through life, we look at the Nodes of the Moon and Outer planets as keys to our more “expansive” self. Simply put, you can find a story if you choose, within your own psyche and Astrology that reflects your deepest self, or soul, which is an infinite being whose existence transcends your current egoic one. Much of this idea incorporates the ancient belief in the souls transmigration into other lives and dimensions of being.
In my Draconic Chart my Ascendant, Sun and Mercury are all in Scorpio, potentially reflecting a past/other life, and early life experiences and instincts that are symbolically “Scorpionic”. In addition, my natal chart features Scorpio ruling my 11th house of friends and groups.
This resonates with me deeply. We are all learning to become the potential of our Astrological Natal Charts, and within this experience is a struggle to release some of the themes present in our karmic footprint. Issues of power and powerlessness, betrayal, sexual abuse and some of the other sordid aspects of Scorpio’s archetype have been extremely present in my life. However, so too has been the positive aspects of Scorpio and it’s chart house the 8th; intense experiences of deep regeneration, healing, sharing of resources, power and control, perceptiveness, keen intuition, passion and interest in the depths of life’s mystery.
The gifts of Pluto and Scorpio’s experience in consciousness building cannot be underestimated. They serve to develop a kind of inner strength and understanding of life’s myriad expressions, which has personally brought immense peace and wisdom to my awareness. From Prosperina to Queen Persephone, the passage of experience symbolic and otherwise in life includes finding and facing the shadow. This can be deeply empowering and ennobling.
It’s been fascinating to me to study Astrology as a blueprint of Karma, the ever revolving wheel of life of life and see how it “makes one suffer” as well as provides context for experiences that seem to go beyond any simplistic understanding of cause and effect.
Though we may think we have some measure of control over our lives, the Astrology of Fate tells a different story, one that is less self-determined than many would desire.
My own redemption and healing has come from recognizing the profundity of the correspondence between the mysteries of the planets, their organizing factors and archetypal part in what is called “the collective consciousness” symbolized by the corresponding actions, thoughts, beliefs and activities of humans on earth. This, and the ability to live with pain, to see and perceive greater truths and finally to transcend states of negativity is the gift of my own underworld journey.
Photo by @nevararmur- Lawrence Drayton
