Welcome to New Millennium Being

The Scorpio Path - Hidden Truth and Treasures

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #125 - October 20, 2006
Planetary Alignments
Scorpio gets Our Attention

Scorpio may rule the underworld and hide in our subconscious basement, but it does make the truth known, whether we like it or not. We are in for a heavy hitting Scorpio thriller starting October 23rd. We are well advised to tune into our neutral mind, so we have a balanced place from which to deal with the truth that is about to be revealed.

October 23rd and 24th the Sun, Mars and Venus join Mercury, Jupiter and the Moon in Scorpio. Four planets, the Sun and the Moon in one sign and this close together is a rare occurrence, and bound to get our attention. The Moon, of course, stays in a sign for only 2 days, but the other five are joined in Scorpio through November 16th. (Jupiter October 26th, 2005 - November 24th, 2006, Mercury October 2nd - December 7th, Venus October 24th - November 16th, Mars October 24th - December 5th).

In sum, it is a hot time in the old town tonight. We better have our neutral mind in place as we are confronted with truth AND consequences.

Adding to the intensity, Saturn in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius form a T-square in fixed signs with the planets in Scorpio. The issues of the fixed signs discussed in Issue 121 and Issue 123 continue to confront us. Only Uranus in Pisces and Pluto in Sagittarius are not in fixed signs.

Because Mercury is retrograde, it will be within 1° of Jupiter from October 21st to 31st. The Jupiter/Mercury pair brings optimism, expanded awareness and strategic thinking.

A Time of Big Change

So what does this mean for us? First and foremost it is time for a big change. We will feel the pressure of a lot of raw energy, and experience an overdose of visceral emotional intensity. We are being forced to change personally and collectively. Personal power is a major theme. Self-empowerment would be the conscious way to go. This can be an exciting time, IF we follow the deep motivations of our heart, release the brakes, surrender to the unfoldment, and go for the gold. However, for the unconscious members of the human race, whose reptilian brain and shadow side commands, power struggles, aggression masked as self-defense, lack of restraint, fear, loss and disempowerment can be played out.

At the personal level, issues of debt, over-extension, taking risks and deception can arise. If you are over-extended, cut out non-essentials. This is also a time of opportunity, but make sure you have all the facts, and don't sign anything or make any definite commitments until after Mercury goes direct November 17th.

In the financial and political arenas, Scorpio's probing can reveal some nasty secrets. The energy of death can lead to collapse of what is no longer workable, and expose corrupt attempts controling public resources, to maintain power and wealth.

Libra is polite and fair. Scorpio is direct, honest and exposes the naked truth. Scorpio is about transformation and the natural cycles of life. Death is a natural part of regeneration. What is no longer useful will be eliminated. What is no longer relevant will be exposed. What is buried in denial will bubble to the surface. Scorpio makes sure that we see what we need to see, and change what we need to change.

Consciousness, honesty and integrity are required to make it through the Scorpionic maze.

Scorpio exposes our shadow. What is the dark side of Scorpio? Inability to trust. Double standards. Addiction to drama. Black and white thinking.(1)

Where's My Scorpio

Not everyone has planets in Scorpio, but the energy of Scorpio is part of everyone's birth chart. There are three ways to identify where and how the Scorpio energy plays out in our lives:

  1. Locating the house or houses that contain Scorpio, helps us identify the arena in life where we confront our Scorpio issues.
  2. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, so the sign and house location of our natal Pluto also indicates how and where we confront our dark side, as well as claim our inner power.
  3. The 8th house is the house or territory ruled by Pluto, and associated with Scorpio. Any planets in our 8th house are immersed in Scorpio issues and power.

All of the above help us identify how and where we confront our deepest fears, long to express our most profound desires, repress or deny our truth, quest for our inner power, and wish to shine our light. In mythology, Pluto was both the God of the Underworld and the God of Wealth,(2) and herein lies the secret of Scorpio - Pluto and the 8th house. Our real treasures are hidden even from ourselves until we dig deep into our psyche. The excavation process involves facing our fears and our shadow, ferreting out the truth that lies buried in these distortions, exposing these misperceptions, and claiming the hidden gifts that long to serve the Light.

Taurus Full Moon - November 5th

The Taurus Full Moon highlights Scorpio issues, and brings to our attention critical ones that must be addressed. Mars stimulates us to action. Mars in Scorpio makes us examine the nature of our motivation. Why are we doing what were doing? Why are we NOT doing what we SHOULD be doing?(3)

Venus in Scorpio asks us to examine if what we are doing is going to make us feel authentically satisfied, or just breed more discontent. Mercury in Scorpio asks us to not only speak the truth, but to listen to the truth. Jupiter in Scorpio invites us to expand beyond our fears and stuckness, so we can enjoy the wealth of our soul.

The three outer planets are all players in this full moon. Pluto (semi-squares Sun and Mars) unlocks hidden power and truth. It is easier to see how our ego camouflages our true identity, and how hype is a poor substitute for authenticity. Neptune squares the Moon in Taurus, and the five planets in Scorpio. Neptune in Aquarius simply dissolves the veil of ignorance, shining the light of truth for all to see.

Uranus trines the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars, and sextiles the Moon, releasing our burdens so we can be open and flow with an unencumbered spirit. Trines (120°) facilitate flow and connection. This configuration makes it possible to let go, not be afraid, and relax into our next moves. If we allow ourself to go with the flow, we will be guided, and things can turn around overnight. Letting go makes it possible to align with cosmic forces. We are not only assisted: becoming unstuck releases extra power to do what we need and want to do. Uranus continues to enliven the party as it stations direct on November 19th, just before the Scorpio New Moon.

The Taurus Full Moon highlights Scorpio issues, bringing unconsciousness programs, motivations and beliefs into awareness, so we can release debilitating baggage, claim our authentic power, and move forward on our soul's mission. During this intense time, it is important to remember that Scorpio and Pluto are not out to punish us. Their mission is actually to help set us free, by showing us what we need to address. If we listen, take our head out of the sand of denial, and get with the self-empowerment program, we can use all this energy to our advantage. When we stop being a victim and step into the seat of responsibility, life gets easier. Ultimately the Taurus Full Moon is trying to clear the emotional drama, so that we can experience more ease, comfort and worldly pleasures.

Scorpio New Moon Spiritual Crossroads - November 28th

With five heavenly bodies in Scorpio (Sun, Mars, Moon, Jupiter and Mercury), this is an extraordinary new moon. We are at a spiritual crossroads. We can either choose to continue in the same direction, or we can make a major life change and alter our course. Whatever we choose, the old has got to go. The Sun, Moon and Jupiter are all within 1° of each other, and Mars and Mercury are close behind. At the 29th degree of Scorpio, we are being tested by Scorpio. This is progress report time. How far have we advanced in mastering our Scorpio lessons?

To understand the dynamics of this new moon, we must realize that Scorpio walks the path of a double-edged sword. It must always choose between Light and Dark, but the choice is not that simple. We must give up the past in order to move forward, and we must embrace the dark and forgive the past in order to let it go. We have to descend into the underworld of our subconscious, confront our own mortality, and in some way die, in order to be reborn into greater awareness and empowerment. The process of death and rebirth takes place within ourselves, where we are alone with our self-tormentors.

Fortunately if we pay attention, Scorpio always shows us a way out. The question is, can we go deep enough to find the escape route? With Jupiter close to the Sun and Moon, this new moon offers us enough light to show us the way out of our internal prison. We will see possibilities that we did not see before. Our expanded perspective will free our mind, to take advantage of the opportunities available.

Quantum Leap - All Planets Direct for Two Weeks

From the 20th of November through the 5th of December every planet is in direct motion!This is the only two weeks in 2006 when all planets will be moving in this way. The path is clear. What will we decide to do with our life? What direction will we go? What path will we take?Breakthroughs, quantum leap, leap of faith and full speed ahead are the themes launched by Uranus going direct on November 19th.

The atmosphere is one of optimism, as the Sun enters Sagittarius on November 22nd, and Jupiter moves into Sagittarius on the 23rd, completing its year-long journey through Scorpio. We have had one year to look deeply into our unconscious, examine our directing beliefs and assumptions, confront our fears and shadow, and get in touch with our deepest heart's desires. Jupiter in Sagittarius will expand our hopes and opportunities and make us more committed to our spiritual path.

Saturn turns retrograde on December 5th, so enjoy the feeling of unfettered freedom before the taskmaster reminds us of the limits, and of the material world and the work it takes to manifest our dreams. The good news is that Saturn energy makes manifestation possible.

Scorpio - The Second Water Sign

Scorpio is the second water sign. There are three Zodiac signs in each of the elements. Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces represent water or the emotional body. They each teach us how to express and master the water element. Cancer teaches us how to nurture. Scorpio instructs us how to create through attraction. Pisces shows us how to be devotional.

Like all water signs, Scorpio finds a natural habitat is the world of feelings and instinct. Its emotional reservoir is incredibly strong, since its fixed nature is resistant to easy movement, allowing the watery element to seep into rarely accessed depths where it is not easily stirred, processed or purified.(4) Scorpio's unexpressed emotional energy is the source of both inner torment and dynamic magnetism. Not even a perfect childhood can prevent young Scorpio from being disturbed and troubled by its deep emotional rivers.

The Scorpio Evolutionary Journey
ImmatureMature
DenialAcceptance, awareness
DistrustTrust
Black and white thinkingSee things the way they are embrace all
Double standardsNon-judgment
Addiction to dramaIntense engagement in real life
Commotional emotionsConnection to the pulse of life
Inner torment, troubledStrong emotional core
Overpowering fear and angerInner truth, insight
Exhaust self with effortMagnetize opportunities
Downward spiral to depressionFocus on the Light and transformation
DeceitfulAbility to recognize deception
CorruptNaked honesty
ControllingInspiring
ManipulativeStrategic thinking
Need to controlAbility to surrender
Power strugglesProfitable and meaningful collaboration
Desire for controlDesire for highest good
Annoying poking at offerPenetrating wisdom
Fear of dissolutionAble to hold on to identity and oneness
ManipulateCollaborate, merge, flow with natural cycles
Isolated and aloneDeep intimacy with transformative powers
Scorpio's Basic Nature

Scorpionic energy is intense, driven, secretive and protective. Scorpio is committed, real, and in no way flippant or superficial. Scorpio's emotions run deep, are strong and passionate, and not easily expressed.(5) Scorpio is not relaxed or easy going, within itself or in relationships. When Scorpio withdraws and detaches to engage in its own personal process, it can appear to be cold-hearted, and leave a partner with an acute sense of abandonment.(6) Scorpios are loyal, take their responsibilities seriously, and respond positively to trust that is sincerely invested in them.(7) Ultimately however, even in relationship, they must follow their own path.

Scorpio is insightful, sensitive and philosophical. Through its powerful personal magnetism, Scorpio draws people and opportunities to itself. It learns the hard way that efforting is exhausting and many times counterproductive. Its motivating will strongly influences others in relationships and positions of power. Scorpio's ability to persevere usually guarantees its success.

Scorpio shies away from positions that involve long periods of being the center of attention. Scorpio's territory is underground. Bright light is stark and inhospitable to them. Although they enjoy pulling the strings of influence, they prefer to do so behind the scenes, or in a way that ensures their personal privacy is preserved.(8)

The Fundamental Dynamics of Scorpio

Scorpio's powerful and subterranean reservoir of emotional energy makes it sexually magnetic, charismatic, enigmatic and resilient, with an imperturbable reserve of will to back up its fixity of purpose. This feminine, nocturnal and autumnal sign should never be underestimated. It has a tendency to be defensive, a predisposition to intensity, and an icy detachment that makes it difficult to comprehend.

Scorpio carefully guards and internalizes its energy. It is a worldly-wise sign that operates through emotional and instinctual gut reactions. Taking advantage of its magnetism, it allows its energy to attract to it. It is capable of probing to the depths of any problem, exposing and eliminating whatever is superfluous and artificial. Its penetrating emotional and psychic sensitivity, ability to penetrate superficial gloss, and its almost compulsive ability to focus on a problem, allows it to get at the root cause, and offer a meaningful solution.(9)

In mythology, Scorpio plays the role of guardian, custodian and protector, whose power comes from its cool and calculated focus. The ability to remain undisturbed by external distractions frees it to concentrate on strategic defense.

Reminding us that archetypes represent and bring into focus the extremes of that theme, Scorpio can be a master of deceit, as well as a master at recognizing deception, superficiality and façades. Scorpio delivers us to a deeper level of truth, by penetrating to levels of reality most of us prefer not to even contemplate. If we want real communication with Scorpio, we have to be totally honest and direct. Scorpio can't be fooled, and it doesn't waste its time on pleasantries.(10)

Scorpio is Our Inner Mars

In Vedic astrology, both Aries and Scorpio are ruled by Mars. Aries, the active, externally oriented expression of Mars, is open, direct, and indulges in the bravado of war and competition. Scorpio is the internally oriented expression of Mars. Scorpio does not make open war, seldom initiates attacks, and carefully holds its power in reserve. Covert, secretive, silent and stealthy, Scorpio is more preoccupied with strategic defense, and neutralizing the enemy through infiltration and ruse.

Scorpio helps us understand where our inner Mars got repressed, suppressed, shamed and damaged - where our deep emotional reservoir got blocked, stuck, disoriented and wounded. Scorpio teaches us that it is definitely better to examine the anger to which we don't want to admit, than to live our lives as wounded warriors. To live powerful, courageous and independent lives, we have to examine our shadow, so that it will not draw us into either victim or victimizer roles. This examination is a natural part of our developmental process.

If we ignore, deny, or try to suppress our fear and rage when we are young, these unresolved emotions become deep conflicts, and breed self-hatred. We unconsciously act out these repressed emotions until we acknowledge and make peace with them. If the emotional energy of our inner Mars/Scorpio is misdirected we feel troubled and drained of energy. When our inner Mars is not marginalized, its energy can be directed toward a mission.

When our emotional energy can be consciously directed to what we love, we can feel vital and strong. Instead of feeling as if we are struggling against an antagonistic, hostile, unidentifiable force, we feel supported by a deep confidence, strength and wisdom within ourselves. The gift of Scorpio is to uncover and empower our core emotional strength, which gives us the capacity for enduring patience, unquestioned determination and a natural resilience to meet all life's challenges with grace.

The Symbology of Scorpio's Path

No sign of the Zodiac reveals or determines our level of consciousness. Each can be expressed in the most childish immature way, or at the highest level of self-mastery. Our level of maturity and mastery is determined by our willingness and ability to learn our lessons, and grow into adult expressions of our embodied soul. The possibility of all levels of mastery exists for each sign, and each has its challenges that we must both face and embrace.

The symbology of Scorpio offers us a chance to evolve from the scorpion, to the phoenix, to the eagle. Our ability to ascend the ladder of evolutionary expression of this energy, depends on acknowledging and accepting our dark side. Scorpio's core experience gets it in touch with the fact we humans are capable of demonic expressions. Scorpio teaches us to get in touch with this primal energy, and figure out how to work with it. If we try to repress this energy and cage the beast in our subconscious, it will subtly, or not so subtly, manipulate our reality. It will control our life and how we project, attract and manifest in the world.

Scorpio Tells Us the Truth

Scorpio and Pluto tell us the truth. Someone has to do it, or we will remain forever stuck in our denial and illusions! When we really pay attention to what Scorpio is showing us, we can find it appalling how we lie to ourselves and each other. It takes only a few hours in front of the television, to be sickened by the depths of depravity and perversion that humans are not only capable of, but actually indulge in. It is shocking how our whole culture revolves around a superficial bubble gum reality, and how we buy into it as gospel truth. How can we not see what we are doing? The degree to which we see, why don't we ask why? Why don't we care? Why don't we do something about our low level of consciousness and existence?

To protect our sanity, we may limit the extent to which we torment ourselves, with the atrocities and idiocies that systematically organize our political and economic lives. Making a business out of fear and gore is one of the major ways those in power control our minds and emotions. Buying into the deception is not the way out, but escapism and denial don't deliver us from evil either.

Some forms of denial can be used as protective mechanisms, against the tyranny of political propaganda. How much truth about the human condition can we bear? How much violence is healthy? At what point do we feel overpowered by the forces in power and simply turn off the tv and live our lives the best we can? What perception of reality simply fosters an attitude of victimization, allowing us to continue wallowing in our stance of disempowerment?

How many facts are needed to motivate us to take responsibility and work together to create alternatives?

Scorpio Directs Us toward the Light

Although Scorpio is totally cognizant of the dark side of human nature, it doesn't encourage us to get caught in the claws of negativity, or the muddy pools of the subconscious. The Scorpio archetype shows us a way out of the pit. Scorpio acknowledges the darkness, but directs us toward the Light. In fact, Scorpio teaches us that the only way out of the darkness is to turn our vision toward the Light. Of course, it isn't all that simple to extricate ourselves from our darkness, but Scorpio demonstrates that it is both possible, and ultimately, very rewarding.

Scorpio shows us that everything exists - good and evil, black and white, the wicked and the pure. If everything is possible, then what do we do? We have to make a choice. Responsibility is the stepping stone of Scorpio's deliverance from the under world.

Scorpio teaches us that the Dark and the Light both exist. One is part of the other. We are always evolving to higher levels of Lightness. Our path is:

Scorpio Helps Us Get Real

Getting real for Scorpio is accepting our evolutionary journey, and getting thoroughly involved in the process:

  1. witnessing our dark side, our less than optimal behaviors, and the extent to which we live robotic and unconscious lives
  2. acknowledging how our inner reality creates our outer reality
  3. learning how to let go of sub-optimal behaviors, beliefs, programs
  4. consciously engaging in the death and rebirth process of our own psyche
  5. always keeping in mind that there is a higher truth in the Universe that expresses through ourself, and
  6. questing to embody this pure expression of our soul.

Scorpio lets us know that we can transform dark into light, but there is no quick fix or simplistic route. We have to take our physical and emotional bodies with us into the light. Evolution is not a mental, out-of-the body experience. Most people have no idea what to do with their emotional energy, which explains why we expend it in perverse activities, squander it in fear and anger, and try to sublimate it to not feel out of control.

Scorpio reminds us, again and again, that emotional energy can be denied only at our own expense - illness, crime, torment and meaningless existence. We have to patiently and lovingly transform and transmute our emotional energy, that is buried in sensitive wounds, deep hurts, nagging dramas and obvious scars. Transcendence happens only after we have given up our need to control, judge and punish, and have surrendered to the highest good. Scorpio does not let go easily, but let go it must, to rise above the ashes of the past.

Scorpio's X-Ray Vision Exposes the Truth

Scorpio has the uncanny capacity to see things exactly the way they are. Scorpio's X-ray vision unmasks façades, and exposes whatever lurks in our subconscious. There is no hiding from Scorpio's penetrating gaze, that uncovers our deepest secrets and exposes our debilitating self-deception. Scorpio is like a prism through which the whole spectrum of good and evil becomes visible.(11)

Scorpio exposes the dark side of human existence - cruelty, violence, murder, sexual perversion, dominance and submission, the forbidden and the taboo. Scorpio is magnetically drawn to experiences that the light-hearted don't dare to even contemplate. Scorpio does not hide under a façade of social acceptability. It excavates our buried secrets and unabashedly exposes them.

Scorpio is able to observe, acknowledge, and even immerse itself in horrors, identify how we have buried ourselves and lost our way, and then reveal truths that can liberate us from the quagmire of corruption and depravity.

Denial and Projection

Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, is the rooter router in our birth chart. Pluto performs the same function for the collective consciousness. The mission of both Scorpio and Pluto is to make us aware of how our unconscious manifests in our lives. Their task is to show us how our internal state of affairs determines both our personal and collective realities. When we cooly observe ourselves and others, we can clearly see that what we do, how we behave, and how we relate, are all determined by our inner state of being. Nastiness, aggression, defensiveness, kindness and compassion are all generated inside ourselves.

Our internal state determines our outer reality, through an interrelated process of denial and projection. We use denial to protect our conscious awareness, from seeing uncomfortable truths and facts that threaten our ego identity. Denial is a conscious or unconscious defense mechanism, that refuses to acknowledge qualities, feelings, beliefs, motivations, desires, wants, needs, attitudes and facts about ourself, others or the world. What we deny can be either true or untrue.

Projection is the result of denial, and is made possible by the fact that our internal reality impacts our external reality. What we deny is externalized through projection. Whatever we are unwilling to recognize in ourself, we see as a problem or a threat coming from people or circumstances outside ourselves. The tricky part of projection, is that our illusion can become a reality, because we draw to us what we most fear or dislike. Our projections create our reality whether what we believe is real or true, or not.

The first step in releasing ourselves from the denial/projection trap is to recognize what we are doing. It is the job of both Scorpio and Pluto to deliver us from denial. No one really enjoys this part of the maturation/empowerment process, but it is a requirement in order to quit sabotaging ourselves, and to move toward self-mastery.

One very important thing to remember, is that we can deny both our positive and our negative attributes, and our denial can be either accurate or fallacious. Poverty consciousness is rooted in false assumptions about universal abundance. Low self-esteem is founded on inaccurate beliefs about our own merits and worthiness. To get the maximum benefit from this Scorpionic overdose, we need to be aware of how we underestimate ourselves, limit our success, and settle for less than we deserve. For many people negative beliefs often cause more damage than hubris and ego trips.

Pluto in Sagittarius - Morality and Immorality

Pluto's passage through Sagittarius from 1995 to 2008 is in the process of exposing political corruption and religious inconsistencies. And more is yet to come. Pluto in Sagittarius is making us aware, of how both religious and political extremism create distrust and wars, and how both are a product of denial and projection on a mass scale. Both our personal and collective unconscious are up for deep scrutiny and cleansing.

The question of morality and immorality falls in Sagittarius' turf. Its the job of Pluto and Scorpio to show us the source and impact of this type of evil compared to good thinking. The first reality check is to observe that evil vs. good thinking creates polarization and division. It doesn't take much observation of the current world situation, to note that both the sacred and the secular are now profoundly disturbed and in conflict.(12)

Polarized thinking positions everyone into one of two categories - either (1) with us or (2) against us. Polarization is an absolute or simplistic way, of seeing the world as a clear division into black and white versions of good and evil.(13) (Saturn opposing Pluto 2000-2003 provoked polarized thinking).

The political ruse for fostering polarized thinking, is that the real reasons for going to war - expanding power, control and dominance over people, territory, and resources - can be eliminated from the discussion and effectively denied. Anyone who makes these arguments is shunned into the evil category of not supporting the soldiers or the country.

The problem is that, once categorically defined and polarized, good and evil inevitably morph back into each other.(14) The preachers (political, religious and corporate) of moral authority fall prey to their subconscious lust and greed. Denial and projection play out in illicit sexual encounters, lining of pockets and kickbacks. Pluto and Scorpio expose foul play and all levels of lack of integrity. There is no place to hide in Pluto/Scorpio territory. The secrets leak out. There are mirrors everywhere we turn.

Practicality and Effectiveness Offers Us a Solution

Moral codes of conduct and ethical frameworks are ideals that we may aspire to, wish for, or use as a model to live by, or employ to judge others and ourselves. This is Sagittarius' territory. In Scorpio's terrain, we simply look at the impact of polarized moralistic thinking on how we create our reality. Unlike Sagittarius, Scorpio is not idealistic. Scorpio is pragmatic. Scorpio knows that morality is vulnerable to hypocrisy, and Scorpio hates hypocrisy.(15)

Scorpio has no illusions about the dark side and how we deceive ourselves. Scorpio serves us well by telling us the truth, exactly the way it is. The sensitivity of the Scorpio archetype to the dark side is useful and relevant, because it offers a way out of the moral quagmire of empty posturing and sanctimony, not to mention outright lies and deceit. Distinctions between good and evil are certainly not erased, and may occasionally be highlighted in Scorpionic consciousness, but here, the gates between those contrasting fields of moral judgment are flung wide open. Scorpio ferrets out the hidden truth, that apparent good often contains seeds of evil, and gross evil may at times spark profound goodness.(16)

Scorpio is the practical and emotional application of Libra's neutral mind. Libra must learn to be neutral to help compensate for its naïveté. Libra doesn't quite have the guts to face what Scorpio embraces. However, without the neutral mind, Scorpio's heightened psychic and emotional sensitivity can be a trap instead of a gift.

Scorpio sees and accepts things exactly the way they are, and is neither shocked nor surprised by human behavior. The Scorpionic lens does not view reality from the perspective of right or wrong. In a pure observational mode, it understands how polarities and extremes are not separate, and in fact often morph into each other. Scorpio's non-judgmental, amoral view is one of its strengths.

Scorpio does not base its action on moral principles or judgments. Scorpio operates from the ethic of effectiveness. Scorpio wants to gather power, conserve and concentrate it, then use that intensified power to maximum effect. Morality has nothing to do with it.(17)

Pluto Exposes Gradual Corruption

We have just begun to witness the results of the penetrating probing of Pluto in Sagittarius. The next month of concentrated Scorpio energy will uncover more of humanity's dark side - corruption, moral authority betrayed, falls from grace and public disgrace.

Public scandals grab our attention, partly because we are relieved that those violating pubic trust finally get caught. However, there is another reason, and it has to do with denial and projection. We are relieved that we did not get caught and that our silent participation in collective corruption is not exposed.

Most of those who eventually get caught do not start out as intentional criminals, or planning to be thieves of public coffers. They gradually allow themselves to be corrupted by the temptations of money, sex and power. The moral breakdown of a government, corporation or society is a collective affair. Many people contribute through their passiveness, and denial mode of existence, finding it more comfortable to be not counted than to participate. We contribute to collective corruption, through subtle non-action and invisible loss of integrity.(18) We remain silent so as not to displease others or endanger our position. We let our need for security, social approval, wish to please and gain influence, serve as rationalizations to cover up our lack of courage.

Pluto exposes the collective responsibility for society's dark side. Pluto shows us how our individual psyche is related to group dynamics. Like an insidious, invisible radioactivity that slowly poisons, our fear, anger, hatred, intolerance, good and bad moralistic thinking gradually poison our emotional environment. Like a psychic Geiger counter, Scorpio is especially sensitized to these poisons.(19)

Imaginary threats are created in our subconscious, from fear and hatred of the other because of what we deny in ourselves. (20) "We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo.

Transforming the Dark Side through Acceptance

Scorpio's sensitivity to the dark side does not invite us to succumb, to or to indiscriminately play out our primal urges. It simply lets us know that they are there, and that we are at choice as to how to use this energy. Scorpio simply informs us that we are capable of anything, and have the potential to express everything from utter depravity to the highest states of grace.

Conscious Scorpio does not live in denial, which is possible because of its ability to use its laser-like perception to penetrate to the truth, perceive motivations, accurately reveal, understand, and access our true hearts desires. The real questions are: How do we elevate our consciousness enough so that we can become aware of our own dark side, and how we participate creating both dysfunctional personal and collective realities? How can we reach authentic maturity and not remain in suspended childhood or arrested adolescence, merely posing as adults?(21)

Scorpio teaches us that authentic transformation is not easy, never neutral, and an on-going cyclical process, in which decay and death are an integral part of renewal and rebirth. We have to experience our dark side to get in touch with the energies that make fear, hate and destruction possible. The shift has to take place within ourselves. We are transformed by accepting what is without judgment, viewing our past as part of our empowerment training, and allowing ourselves to reunite with our highest expressions.

Scorpio's Paradox and Lesson

When we get to Scorpio, we become aware of the fact that we have to figure out some way to process our emotions. We also realize that we usually store our unprocessed emotions in a certain place in our body. As our default receptacle of thoughts that we don't want to feel or even know about, this area of our body becomes our weak point. Two of the most common disposal areas are our shoulder/neck/upper back and our belly/lower back.

Scorpio is the fixed modality of the water signs. The fixed signs - Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius - are both the most stable and the most stubborn. The fixed expression of the water element manifests literally and symbolically as long-accumulated sediment, water trapped by the coldness of ice or the heaviness of mud.(22) Water in these murky and solidified forms can be moved only with great force and effort. This helps us make sense of Scorpio's qualities of intensity and control.

However, the need to control is the one thing that Scorpio must learn to give up, if it is move forward on its path of self-mastery. As with the other archetypes, the gut focus of the unconscious expression of the sign makes sense, but it is the Achilles heal that must be transcended. Within the paradox are both the lesson and the means of liberation.

Attuning to Natural Rhythms and Cycles of Nature

To achieve self-mastery, Scorpio has to let go of control. Letting go and surrendering to:

  1. the innate flow of energies within the body,
  2. the progressive unfoldment of the soul,
  3. the natural cycles of nature, and
  4. the rhythmic pulse of the Universe,

are all essential for Scorpio to uncover, know and embody the truth.

When we relax our body, we can experience and attune ourselves to the rhythm of our breath through our physical vessel. Our breath is our primal connection with the cycles of our soul, nature and the Universe. As we return to the natural rhythm of our breath and our pulse in our body, we awaken to deeper levels of truth. The truth is that all levels of existence unfold in evolutionary cycles. Scorpio's power comes from the ability to tune into natural cycles, to patiently let them unfold, and then to respond at the most appropriate time. Scorpio's secret and challenge is to release the need to control the uncontrollable, and to give up the equally unproductive tendency to resist inevitable change.

Scorpio has the uncanny ability to attune its primal being with natural and universal energies. When it synchronizes the pulse of its soul with the pulse of the Universe, it can participate in the cosmic unfoldment as an astute and highly proficient co-creator. The faculty that was used to try to control can now be employed to focus the mind, to be attentive to shifts of energy, and to be aware of the most opportune moment to take action.

Scorpio knows the truth of natural cycles - decay, death, birth, growth, regeneration, decay, etc. It also knows that attuning to the natural flow is the best way to let Thy will be done, which guarantees the highest outcome of any situation. Scorpio's challenge and power lie in the ability to let go, and allow the flow of all levels of cycles, starting with the breath.

Scorpio's Path - Letting Go deep Within

Scorpio is able to get in touch with what is stuck, and why we can't let go and move on. Scorpio uncovers the deep programs of fear, anger and sadness, that block our flow and impede our power. Only visceral emotional letting go can end the inner torment. Scorpio can go beyond surface appearances, and withdraw back to the source and root causes of our destructive habits. Scorpio is in touch with the primal power that alchemically either creates or destructs. This transformative force can neutralize and eliminate all resistance.

The Scorpionic evolutionary dance unfolds through continual attraction, creation, destruction and regeneration.(23)) This never-ending process can be painful and exhausting for the unconscious ones who do not understand, accept, or know how to deal with the active dynamics of transformation. Manic/depressive highs and lows, involving uncontrollable passion and raw pain, can wreak havoc with an uninitiated psyche that is constantly exposed to the distress of agonizing emotions.

The disquieting and harsh emotional energies that defy rational interpretation lead the unconscious Scorpio into an inner hell, from which it seems to have no escape route. Scorpio is, however, inexorably drawn to both confront and deal with its demons. Scorpio's deep insight is that what we suffer from, we have contributed to its creation, and herein lies our power to reverse a downward cycle and turn it around. Empowered by the truth of co-creation, Scorpio engages itself in the process of regeneration and rebirth, to deliver itself to freedom.

Scorpio represents our initiation into the sacred mysteries of life and evolution. The soaring eagle represents the elevated Scorpio which, by freeing itself from the muck of unprocessed emotions, is now able to use this liberated energy to fly to great heights. Scorpio's symbology - the scorpion, the phoenix (rising from the ashes of its own nest turned into a funeral pyre), and the eagle, portray a transformative spiritual quest. Scorpio is committed to a purposeful and transformational journey. Ultimately Scorpio will be redeemed from its fallen earth-bound follies and spiritualized into the heights of self-mastery.

Scorpio's Main Lesson - Let Go of Control and Trust

Scorpio's main lesson is to learn that real power is not achieved though control and dominance. To learn this lesson, Scorpio must let go, accept things the way they are, and work with what is. When we really let go at a visceral level, we discover the rhythm of our body and being. Scorpio's path is not only to experience this deep level of being but to TRUST it.

The path of Libra is to attune our mind to the Divine channel. Unconscious Libra simply ignores the existence of this neutral channel. Similarly, Scorpio's path is to attune our emotional body to our soul channel. The emotions are the communication mechanism of our soul. In our unconscious state, we not only ignore the communications of our soul through denial, we block and distort their expression. Whereas our mind needs mental purification, our physical and emotional bodies need emotional purification.

Any form of control blocks the free flow of our emotional energy. Our emotions not only deliver information from our soul; they are a critical part of our manifestation mechanism, and they can be a source of deep satisfaction. Control is counter productive to probing for the truth. We have to give up control, and let go, to investigate the depths of our being, and to get in touch with the flow of our soul. The more we let go, the more treasures we find. The same applies to relationships - any attempts to control or dominate others simply prevents us from knowing another's truth, beauty and gifts.

As we release our stranglehold, we get in touch with natural rhythms and cycles. We find out we can't control the deepest level of our being, others or nature, and we don't want to! Everything and everybody has its own life flow, that plays out independent of our interference. We can make our life miserable trying to control, or we join the flow and enjoy the seasons as they unfold. Scorpio eventually finds out that following the current of the river of life is infinitely easier and more pleasurable than pushing against it.

Scorpio has the innate capacity to know its own energy, and to blend it with prevailing energies. As we let go of our limiting individual agendas, we can use our acute sensory awareness to notice the play of energies, tap into them, and work with, instead of against, them. Scorpio teaches us to hold on to the essence of our goal, and trust the big river of life. With our higher purpose in place, we can release obsessions over particulars, bypass obstructed routes, and be open to the most effective and efficient way of getting to our final destination.

Why can't we Let Go? The Fear of Death

Let go. Surrender. Trust. We are all familiar with these concepts, yet we hold on with dear life to things, beliefs, ideas and the past with a tenaciousness of a pit bull. The grip is so tight that we are simply unable to relinquish control. Usually we can't even identify what we are holding on to, but we can't let go of some unidentifiable force that controls our will. The most basic force, preventing us from letting go, is the fear of death. We may be eternal souls, but we live in human bodies. Our primal instinct is to struggle for survival and to do what it takes to stay alive. When we are not conscious of the fact that our soul will not die when we leave this physical vehicle, we hold on even stronger to our physical reality.

Our primal gut reaction to fight for our life is strengthened, by the innumerable ways we are imprinted from the womb on, with struggle and death threats. Our Scorpio experiences lead us through many mental, emotional, and sometimes physical, near-death experiences, where the outcome is a transformational death. A part of us dies so that we can live fuller, freer lives.

One important thing to remember, while we are working with ourselves to let go, is that we have to let go at a physical, emotional, cellular level. Letting go, surrendering and trusting are visceral experiences, and require more than mental training. We must cultivate in-the-body experiences, where we realize at a core level that something lives no matter what. We will not and cannot die.

The meditation to attune to our natural rhythms, outlined below, can facilitate the process of letting go. Chanting divine mantras are also powerful tools designed to imprint the truth of our eternal reality in our being.

Acceptance is Scorpio's Master Strategy

Acceptance of things exactly the way they are is Scorpio's master strategy. Scorpio knows that acceptance of the present moment is the secret to knowledge. The basic problem with denial is that it breeds ignorance. In denial we are not in touch with the reality of the moment, which prevents us from knowing what to do, and how to move forward.

Guilt, shame, grief, regrets, judgment, disappointment, lack of forgiveness, and wishful thinking, all preclude acceptance and deep connection with the energies of the moment. In non-acceptance, we are preoccupied with either the past or the future. Our mind is immersed in dissatisfaction with what we or others have done, or with what has happened, or we are preoccupied with what we wish to happen, with feelings of anticipation, instead of feeling and loving ourselves (mind, body, breath) and our life at this moment. Past or future-directed anger, fear, frustration and hope, all temper our emotional energy, and cause it to create future moments that are also not to our liking.

Scorpio teaches that we can live a passionate, committed and powerfully creative life, only if we connect with things and ourselves exactly the way they are. Scorpio knows that everything changes and evolves. Life unfolds in a beauty, so deep and profound, that we don't want to miss one exquisite moment. The more we appreciate the wonder of the moment, the more meaning and satisfaction we will experience and co-create.

From Manipulation to Meaningful Maturity

Immature Scorpio likes to provoke a reaction, or instigate conflict, by taking advantage of others vulnerabilities. These cheap thrills to demonstrate dominance are destructive, and succeed only in annoying and alienating others. Manipulation is a misdirected use of Scorpio's power. Scorpio's tendency to manipulate and use others only fosters stagnation, rigidity and fear of loss within its psyche. The result is that Scorpio feels isolated and insecure.

The more rigid our internal structure, the more we shut off meaningful opportunities for interacting with others. We miss the chance to discover others' values and lose our own feeling of self-worth. Scorpio has both the awareness to perceive hidden talents, and the ability to inspire others to access their gifts, and live to their full potential. Contributing to others transformation is transformational for Scorpio as well. Directing its power to helping others enhance their own power makes Scorpio feel worthwhile and valuable, and promotes the meaningful connections that Scorpio desires.

Unidentified and unexpressed inner emotional turmoil, in the form of anger and impatience, can make Scorpio secretive, defensive and vindictive. When Scorpio can get in touch with these hidden motives and agendas within itself, it can contribute to others by sharing and revealing the secrets, that help them also transform their lives.

Scorpio's strong survival instinct can make it distrustful, feel emotionally isolated, and prone to engage in battles for power. Although Scorpio thrives on intensity, it ultimately wants to experience serenity and peacefulness within, and in relationship, this lifetime. Taurus is the polarity that can help Scorpio achieve this balance.

From Manipulation to Merging

Scorpio has a tendency to create roles of control and dependency. Fearing loss of control, or of being controlled, builds walls that make intimacy impossible, and result in frustrating isolation for both partners. If Scorpio shuts down and does not participate fully, its relationships can remain stagnant or deadlocked. In either business or intimate relationships, Scorpio can transform stuck situations, if it is clear within itself about its motives and intentions. It must also be upfront with others about what needs to be done to transform existing circumstances.

Scorpio has the capacity to engage in deep, intimate and highly rewarding relationships. To participate in mutually beneficial relationships, Scorpio must first give up its need to compete for power. Power struggles not only alienate others, they squander energy by directing the power of desire toward maintaining control. Scorpio has the capacity to share and merge resources with others, in order to create powerful business enterprises resulting in significant financial gain. Scorpio can also connect on deep psychic levels, which makes authentic Tantric sexual relationships possible.

Scorpio must learn that manipulating others to demonstrate its power, or to create dependencies, is counterproductive. To find the depth and intensity in relationships that it seeks, Scorpio must commit to its own purification and emotional growth, and promote this dynamic transformation in others. Scorpio seeks the stimulation of change, and requires risk and mystery for fulfillment. The only way to experience this radical level of intimacy in relationships, is to personally and in partnership be committed to continual renewal, ongoing transformation, sharing of power, and freedom to be totally honest and authentic. A deep dedication to spiritual and emotional liberation is key.

Intimacy can Lead to Self-Mastery

As Scorpio releases its desire for power over others, it achieves a level of integrity that makes it possible to transform itself as well as them. Scorpio has to feel unrestrained within itself, to open up to the powerful connections possible in truly intimate relationships. Scorpio has to feel free to play a defined leadership role to be effective in business relationships. Ultimately, Scorpio must surrender its personal power to a higher power, and trust the transformative nature of authentic partnership, in order to co-create relationships that are mutually beneficial and fulfilling.

Scorpio possesses the innate skill, to work with creative sexual energies for mutual regeneration and transformation in intimate relationships.(24) To engage at these profound levels, Scorpio must feel secure enough within itself to confront the inevitable challenges, and to undergo profound levels of purification, death and rebirth. Giving up selfish and secretive motives, and risking and trusting true intimacy, are both required. To release the fear of being dissolved by merging with another, Scorpio must be able to hold on to its own soul identity and divine connection. Fear-based psychic defenses must be replaced by an invulnerable power to retain oneness within, which is pleasurably expanded and strengthened by union with another.

A profound sense of our own individuality, as well as a deep respect for the individual uniqueness of others, serves as the basis for intending, and creating, freedom for oneself and others in relationship. This releases us from expecting, or depending upon, emotional fulfillment from our partner. It also allows us to commit to, and support, each others' process of self-purification, required for continual regeneration and renewal. Trusting the Universe and the potential power of relationship, can greatly facilitate our experience of meaning and fulfillment in potently unfolding relationships. In the end, continually surrendering to the unknown transforms our fears into the dynamic realization of self-mastery.

Scorpio Touchstones
Kundalini Yoga - Meditation to Attune to Our Natural Rhythms

Let go and surrender sounds like a great idea. The question is, "How is it possible to let go and surrender to the unknown?" The reality is that the human psyche will not let go, unless it has an experience of what it is surrendering to. A belief, a good idea, even the truth are not sufficient to convince our body to let go of control. We can nurture the possibility of letting go by getting in touch with the innate flow of energies within our body. We can begin by attuning to the cycle of our own breath.

Let go, allow the flow of the breath in your body. Note where the breath and the energy stop and start.

Do a Kundalini Yoga exercise for 1-2 minutes, for example, spinal flex. Then be with your breath in your body. Be with the experience of the breath slowing down and eventually coming back to a stable rhythm.

Notice the relationship between the rhythm of your breath and the state of relaxation or stress in your body. When we are able to relax our body, we can experience and attune ourselves to deeper levels of the rhythm of our breath through our physical vessel.

For 3 to 5 minutes, consciously slow your breath down to 4 or less complete cycles per minute. Then be with your breath as it breathes through your body. Be very attentive, and note the difference between consciously controlling the breath and simply being with it as it breathes. This is the difference between control and letting go.

Our breath is our primal connection with the cycles of our soul, nature and the Universe. As we return to the natural rhythm of our breath and the pulse in our body, we awaken to deeper levels of connection with our own truth.

This exercise (adding your own personal variations) can be used between the exercises of any Kundalini Yoga set. Be sure to be especially attentive to letting go and surrendering at the end of the set, and after any mantra or breathing meditation.

The goals of this exercise are:

  1. to release the need to control the breath
  2. to surrender to the natural cycle of the breath
  3. to experience that there is a natural rhythm within yourself that you can trust
  4. to experience that you will not die if you release control of your breath
  5. to monitor your resistance, to allow it, to feel how it feels in your body, and through acceptance feel your body let go and relax even a little bit
  6. For one precious moment, enjoy letting go and relaxing in your own body.
Mantras Elevate Our Attitude

The recitation and chanting of mantras changes our attitude, perspective and beliefs. Our continual practice eventually creates an experience of the Truth of our undying nature. Chanting or listening to any divine mantra (25) will send a message to our body that it is safe for us to relax, let go and surrender to the unknown. Mantras nurture our emotional body so that we feel safe. Mantras create alignment with universal forces. I remember Yogi Bhajan telling us that the Universe is set up for us to win. We just have to be willing to win. Surrendering to the unknown is required. Surrendering to our experience of the unknown in our own body makes it possible.

During this time it is very important to keep our vibration high. Practicing Kundalini Yoga and the chanting of mantras are designed to raise our vibratory frequency and shift our internal space. Pick a mantra or mantras, and keep the sound current going within your being.

References and Footnotes

"Taurus Full Moon, Scorpio New Moon", Austin, Stephanie, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #129, Oct/Nov, 2006, pp.103-104.

"Astrology and Spiritual Awakening", Bogart, Gregory C., DawnMountain Press, Berkeley, 1994.

"Mars", Gerhardt, Dana, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #129, Oct/Nov, 2006, pp. 19-23.

"In Defense of Scorpio's Dark Side", Herbst, Bill, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #129, Oct/Nov, 2006, pp. 29-34.

"Scorpio the Scorpion", Houlding, Deborah, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #129, Oct/Nov, 2006, pp.37-43.

"Spiritual Astrology", Spiller, Jan and McCoy, Karen, Simon and Schuster, 1985 and 1988.

"The 2006 Scorpio Overdose", Tarriktar, Tem, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #129, Oct/Nov, 2006, pp.35-6.

1. Austin, p. 103
2. Austin, p. 103
3. Austin, p. 103
4. Houlding, p. 38
5. Houlding, p. 40
6. Houlding, p. 40
7. Houlding, p. 40
8. Houlding, p. 40
9. Houlding, p. 38
10. Houlding, p. 38
11. Herbst, p. 32
12. Herbst, p. 30
13. Herbst, p. 30
14. Herbst, p. 30.
15. Herbst, p. 31
16. Herbst, p. 30-1
17. Herbst, p. 30
18. Herbst, p. 31
19. Herbst, p. 31
20. Herbst, p. 34
21. Herbst, p. 34
22. Houlding, p.39
23. Houlding, p. 39
24. Spiller, p. 118

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