AstroCast: October 22 - November 4, 2013

Scorpio loves to probe deeply into the lives others.  Known archetypally as the Sorcerer, he has an uncanny ability to seduce the most intimate of secrets from even the most reticent subject.  A big part of the reason why we would be so willing to tell passionate Scorpio anything is because instinctively we know he can handle it like no other sign in the zodiac can.  Grim, taboo subjects are Scorpio’s forté and when the Sun enters Scorpio on October 22nd at 11:10 p.m. we’ll all embark on our annual ride through the Hall of Horrors.  It is no coincidence such holidays as Halloween and the Day of the Dead occur under the dramatic influence of this sign.  The former revels in all things frightening and the latter celebrates death, or more specifically it encourages the spirits of our dearly departed to connect with us.  Scorpio is the quintessential conduit between life and death.

Because the Sun in Scorpio is aware of his natural ability to easily enter into fiercely guarded territory, he deeply mistrusts others who attempt to do the same to him.  He suspects they may do what he himself may have done with über sensitive information – let it out.  He fears the direst of consequences, the symbolic equivalent of death – of a reputation, of a relationship, or anything else he obsessively holds dear.  Fear of death, real or symbolic, is probably the single most compelling negative force affecting our collective experience on this planet.  It puts us in a state of limbo, neither alive nor dead.  Scorpio, therefore, is the master archetype that exists for us primarily to learn how to accept death in any form in order that we might live.

The Sun in Scorpio’s greatest challenge, therefore, is Trust.  While he gleefully explores the psychic depths of others, his own fear of going deep into himself can be paralyzing.  His modus operandi crystalizes into a fortress of secrecy surrounding his own inner world.  Since we all have Scorpio, and his ruling planet Pluto, operating in us somewhere, the problem for all of us is that everything backs up when we are afraid to allow others to witness what we fear most.  There is no power to resolve issues when we refuse to open a channel for those fears to be purged.  The transformational process is atrophied.  Or to put it in terms Scorpio would understand, there is nothing better than a good bowel evacuation to bring relief and nothing worse than constipation to make us feel miserable.  Both extremes characterize Scorpio, which rules the body’s best asset for elimination.  It all depends on where we are.  Can we let go of a precious belief or expose a vampiric secret to the light of day, or are we holding on in abject fear?

In the spirit of messed up mind games, what Scorpio truly fears is the total annihilation of the captivating prison those beguiling confidences keep him locked up in day in and day out.  Integrity is key to Scorpio’s freedom and his power.  Is the Scorpio energy acting through us zealously probing with selfish intent, or selflessly?  Are we out to gain something from the vulnerabilities of others, or are we here to aid in the heroic rebirth of a soul being slain by fear?  If we fear vulnerability then we will attract exploitation.  We can only tap into our true power if we face our fears courageously and begin to neutralize them through conscious effort.

The Sun’s scorpionic intensity is diffused with a trine to Neptune in Pisces on October 25th at 3° of their respective signs.  This harmonious relationship between the giants of our solar system bathes us with the will to love and inspires us with the courage to simply accept what is.   Acceptance is a large part of what trusting is all about.  While this aspect is relatively short in duration, it can leave us with an experience of what it feels like to know compassion at the core of our being, for ourselves as well as others.  We can then build on the memory of that knowingness when the underworld Scorpio days ahead challenge us to shine light on the dark thoughts lurking within.

As discussed in the last AstroCast, Mercury and Saturn are in a deeply involved relationship in Scorpio for an extended period of time.  Now retrograde, Mercury has his second huddle with Saturn at 13° of the sign of the detective on October 29th.  Discrete discussions about taking responsibility where needed, probably in relation to others, could yield positive breakthroughs if open honesty prevails.  The potential for darkness, however, is great, as anyone with fears – that would be all of us – are being asked to deal with them.  Doubt and depression could be the energetic manifestation for many who succumb to the feeling that there is no way out of the small impenetrable box we’ve built around our mind that refuses to see the infinite possibilities of the universe before us.  Ironically, we need to dig deep into our psyche in order to emerge through the pinhole of the camera obscura to see the projections we put upon others and that are put upon us.  All we need is the courage to look.

During the period October 31st through November 3rd, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Pluto and Uranus will all cross the 9° to 11° space in their respective signs, making 10 exact aspects between them ranging from the harmonious trine and smart sextile, to a powerful conjunction, to the defiant square and awkward inconjunct.  The elements represented by those signs are earth (2) and fire (2), but predominantly water (5, then 6 when the Moon arrives in Scorpio on November 2nd).  While Jupiter in Cancer and Neptune in Pisces are out of close degree range from their colleagues in Scorpio, they form a grand water trine with them by element, making for some powerful emotions playing out.  From October 23rd through November 8th there is no astral player acting through air.  That means we will all be feeling our way through this period, having to rely on our emotional intelligence and intuition instead of a cool rational mind.  A sense of detachment from whatever is going on will be extremely difficult to say the least.  Objectivity will be a highly valued commodity.  Throw in the featured aspects of these few days the Inferior Conjunction between the Sun and Mercury and the New Moon Solar eclipse, both in Scorpio, as well as the next exact pass of the era-defining square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, and we’ve got an astral Greek Chorus telling us all about how our world is exploding (or imploding) at worst, or at its most benign how it is morphing before our very eyes into an unrecognizable shifted paradigm.

Mars in Virgo kicks off the drama on October 31st when he trines (120°) Pluto in Capricorn and forms an inconjunct (150°) to Uranus in Aries.  Mars’ influence on the square (90°) between Uranus and Pluto, which becomes exact on November 1st, adds a powerful martial drive that has great potential to be reckless.  The square itself is extra potent because it is “double applying,” meaning that retrograde Uranus backs up as Pluto moves forward generating a more forceful vibration. These players in the Greek Chorus are telling us how strongly we might react to the unfolding drama, no matter if we’re on the side of the freedom fighters or the powerful establishment they threaten.  The insight the Chorus will provide comes on November 1st by way of the Inferior Conjunction (0°) between retrograde Mercury and the Sun, which also sextiles (60°) Pluto and inconjuncts Uranus, with Mercury additionally sextiling Mars.  Uranus in all this feels completely blocked by the Yod (aka “finger of God”) configuration he makes with Mars and Sun/Mercury so will need to find unusual ways to release his considerable dynamism.  Whatever revelations we have, individually or collectively, could rock our world as the Chorus reveals secrets we are unable or unwilling to speak of ourselves.  If we commit our attention to, rather than fleeing the scene, we just may have a flash of awareness that brings the clarity we need to move forward on an issue.

The New Moon in this passion play represents us, the general population of the story.  Being a relatively rare hybrid annular/total Solar eclipse, we may feel in more of a time warp than usual for eclipse season.  Generally, all the aspects described above are in effect for longer periods of time than just the day they happen, the duration of which depends on the relative speed of the planet or luminary as they traverse the space above.  Eclipse effects can manifest up to 3 months before or after the actual astral event, which in this case occurs on November 3rd at 5:50 a.m.  Events triggered by the eclipse are probably already unfolding and we therefore know what it is about, but for some it may have yet to be triggered in full.  It also may not manifest in the way of events happening out in the physical world.  Dramatic changes can occur internally in the way we perceive and subsequently handle ourselves.  If people around us aren’t ready to accept the New Us, they will remain in old patterns of relating but find they aren’t working out quite the way they expect.  We may need to find out what it is like to try to get out of an antique box we’ve been in with someone.  That it would be emotional is likely an understatement and the intensity will need some kind of outlet.  Frequently we choose not to deal with distressful situations through escape.  The desire to numb can be equally intense – that is the fear taking over.  We’ll need to find healthy ways to regulate the Scorpionic fire hose of passion, rage, fury, despair or whatever we’re feeling, for our own sake as well as others.  The Sun sextiles Mars shortly before the New Moon for an extra burst of action, but also decisiveness and resiliency.  We will survive this!  Even Venus plays a role in this Scorpio New Moon cycle.  Being unaspected, she represents the wild card to underscore how intimate relationships may take a surprising turn.  Saturn in Scorpio works quietly behind the scenes feeding lines to the Sun, Moon and Mercury as they take center stage.  His presence reminds us this is just a play and any fears we experience are being staged.  He demands, however, for us to take this drama seriously and show up to play our part, to develop the ability to respond to the fears we’re facing so that we can learn how to master them rather than allowing them to control us.