scorpio season begins with a battle between mars and pluto...

did someone say rebirth?

"in the midst of hate, i found there was, within me, an invincible love. in the midst of tears, i found there was, within me, an invincible smile. in the midst of chaos, i found there was, within me, an invincible calm. i realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, i found there was, within me, an invincible summer. and that makes me happy. for it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger-something better, pushing right back."

-albert camus, scorpio sun 

the stars above us:

i really do hate the scorpio slander that fills the airwaves this time of year. pop astrology will tell tales of a hypersexual, insecure, brooding and seething stalker and then leave it at that. there's seeds of truth in there, but it's not the whole story and it should never be the headline. but we really can’t discuss scorpio w/o discussing death so…there is that. maybe this is why they get the bad rap?

scorpio is the sign of the zodiac most closely associated with transformation, aka death. until it is confronted, the fear of death is such a profound force in the psyche that it becomes a massive driver of all sort of questionable (neurotic) behaviors. but a fear of death is not a love of life. on the contrary, anyone afraid to die is also afraid to live because safety seeking is the death of spontaneous action and joy. the more fearlessly you can meet life on life’s terms (including the fact that it will someday kill you) the more deeply you can sink into the present moment, where all the good action is. this is the nature of the existential wound, our subconscious hand wringing over the fact that everything that exists must one day perish. but then what happens? 

it’s beyond the scope of this blog to answer that question but if you want to check in on how comfortable you are with your own mortality, how you handle the little deaths in your life can tell you a lot. Michael Meade explains this beautifully in “Waters of Life”:

“the little death was an old term for a brush with death that generates greater life. a creative death is another term which distinguishes initiation from actual death while indicating that something must die in order for life to grow and continue on. accident, divorce, the death of a loved one, the loss of a career, even eruptions of nature which destroy and reshape the landscape; whatever severely alters the overt patterns of life, also opens a person to psychological and mythical levels of unusual depth.”

and this is exactly the sort of scorpio season that could reliably deliver a little death & the psychic rebirth he describes.

• the libra sun will make one last, demanding square to pluto in capricorn as it enters scorpio.

• mars, ruler of scorpio, is headed towards an opposition with pluto, which doesn’t complete until the scorpio new moon on 11/1. 

• not only will the ruler of the new moon be opposing pluto, the new moon itself will be trining saturn rx.

• both benefics will be averse the fireworks, unable to provide refreshment or aid. that leave us mars, saturn + pluto as the main characters of this moon. that’s heavy stuff.  

this all goes down in the first decan of scorpio, new moon included. from T. Susan Chang; 

“in Scorpio I, what we encounter is bereavement - the sharp. sudden sense of loss, a kind of monstrous hunger for what is no longer ours. this is not a forward-looking intention of magical sacrifice. no! something has been taken from us without our consent.

however, we can redeem that loss by retroactively making it meaningful. we are the masters of our own stories.”

the little death testimony continues to stack.

this may not be a “literal” loss by the way, it’s just as likely to be a new beginning- a new project, a new job, a new home, a new love. if that’s the case, this opposition may manifest as a sobering realization of just how much is going to have to be sacrificed to make The Big Thing happen.  

which brings us back to the alchemical magic of these little deaths aka the Tao of Scorpio; anything that must be surrendered at the new moon is bearing potent seeds of your next expansion . the beginning lives in the end, so treat it gently, with respect and gratitude. in the words of Empedocles (who has come up a lot in the last two days, weird)

“god is a circle whose center is everywhere, and its circumference nowhere. no mortal thing has a beginning, nor does it end in death and obliteration; there is only a mixing and then separating of what was mixed, but by mortal men these processes are named beginnings.”

the three decans of scorpio are the full story of the death / rebirth cycle. we face death in scorpio I, we let it change + transform us in scorpio II, and are reborn with new energy, joy + passion in scorpio III. whatever peaks at the new moon is truly just a <mortalish> beginning. in the meantime, i love the words of albert camus that we started with (a scorpio sun of course)

i’ve always found it is in the seemingly worst moments that we get to meet the best parts of ourselves. whatever happens this month, take it like a scorpio. meet it head on with strength and style and you just might f*ck around and change your life.

future lore:

if the Little Grim Reaper finds your doorstep, some (michael meade inspired) thoughts on how to align with the call to initiate:

• drape yourself in personal mythos and any ancient lore that calls you. myth is one of the most powerful guides we have in times of challenge + uncertainty, may its meaning making lead you thru your labryinth in one piece.

• if an Ordeal appears (as it sometimes does under mars-pluto), is it an initiation or an interruption because the answer to that question is entirely up to you. if it’s the path of the initiate, what threshold are you being asked to cross? what old self will you be required to shed?

• the dreams and synchronicities that appear now are messengers from the deep, carrying clues. be mindful of any meaningful coincidences or symbols that reveal themselves. write them down if you can, a grimoire being the preferred medium. obviously.

• the elders, guides, and friends who can witness your transformation without trying to "fix" it are true allies. if they know how to hold space for the darkness without rushing in to turn on all the lights they are WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD (and should be loved on as such). if you know who these people are in your life, now is a good time to pour into them so they are refreshed and ready should you need to call on their wisdom later.

i’m no enthusiast of involuntary transformation so i like to remind myself that with each little death i move thru (as gracefully as i am able) i grow more skillful and more experienced in the ways of love and loss. i learn to show up loudly whenever give the chance because i’ll have to let go gently when it’s time to surrender to the destined path. that’s my lore anyways and I’m sticking to it.

anyways I know that’s deep but it’s also real and no matter what happens, it won’t be boring. and we can unpack it all here, together! so really, it’s all upside baby.

want to know what all of this means for you?

happy scorpio season everyone, may your transformations be welcome and true <3

emilie