23 Oct The Death of the Sun ~ Scorpio Season – October 23rd- November 22nd, 2019

On October 23rd, 2019, the Sun slips into the dark waters of Scorpio, initiating the season of death. Enfolded in the lengthening shadows, you will feel haunted by the past: sighing for what could have been, for what should have been. 

The sign of Scorpio is best understood through the pangs of hunger, the primal instinct that craves and consumes, hunts and devours. Satiety brings temporary peace, but hunger quickly arises again.

Fueled by this hunger, the waters of Scorpio churn with intense emotions. This is the season when many of your repressed feelings will be dredged up, all the desire, lust and revulsion that have been hidden beneath the surface. As uncomfortable as this may be, this is your opportunity to purify the waters of your psyche, to purge the accumulated poisons.

A healing crisis is painful, but it always means that you’re evolving. Scorpio is the sign of alchemical transformation, where creation emerges out of destruction. The snake eats its own tail in the eternal cycle of loss and renewal. 

The undulating waves of transformation arise from the most primal hungers, for sex (intimacy, passion, connection) and death (release, loss, and peace). The father of psychotherapy, Sigmund Freud identified the sex and death drives as eros (god of love) and thanatos (god of death). 

It is eros that craves orgasmic bliss and thanatos that smokes a post-coital cigarette. 

Scorpio season is the time of year where death can not be ignored. Your sex drive pushes you to create greater intimacy and unity. While your death drive seeks to dissolve structures and break things apart. This is the dynamic flux that creates the motion of the universe.

As a Mars-ruled sign, Scorpio season ignites a new passion for living. You will be driven towards intensity, potency, and catharsis.

The light has faded. And loss is felt everywhere. But the martial wisdom of Scorpio offers you two choices: to rage against the dying of the light or to break on through to other side.

Breakthrough

When the light is dim and the nights are long, more primal senses come alive: sounds, smells, and inner visions.

Scorpio is the realm of mysteries, where the Sun’s light pierces the veil and penetrates into the occult sources of magnetism and magic.

Scorpio rules all the invisible rays, the unseen forces of sex, death and witchcraft. In the modern world, the study of psychology is also Scorpionic for it explores the uncharted territories of humanity’s unconscious instincts and transformative powers.

Psychology emerged in the 19th Century to discover that which lay beneath the light of logic and rationality. 

Psychology was interested in humanity’s irrationality, its unconscious subservience to sex and death, dreams and desires; passions and phantasms.

One of the first important psychologists was the American philosopher, William James, who built his career upon as vast and prolific study of Scorpionic themes, including drugs, mysticism, and the mysteries of the unconscious mind.

James perceived that human beings were comprised of a plurality of states: a whole symphony rather than a solo instrumental. This is in agreement with the astrological perspective that views a person as an amalgam of ten (or more) planetary energies.

His theories also inspired the art of stream of consciousness writing.

“The existence of this stream is the primal fact, the nature and origin of it form the essential problem, of our science.”

Stream of consciousness as an artform discards conventions, opening up to words spilling out freely without much construction. Stream of consciousness writing jumps from observation…to sensation…to reflection…to memory. Being in the flow allows one to discover many hidden rivulets of creative energy.

Whether magic, mysticism, or the stream of consciousness, Scorpio season is all about tapping into the underworld and exploring the hidden powers within.

Scorpionic Poetry

Ouija

By Sylvia Plath (1956)

“It is a chilly god, a god of shades,

Rises to the glass from his black fathoms.

At the window, those unborn, those undone

Assemble with the frail paleness of moths,

An envious phosphorescence in their wings…”

One famous author who favored stream of consciousness writing was the tragic Scorpionic poet, Sylvia Plath. 

Born on October 27th, 1932, Sylvia Plath had her Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, two placements that penetrate deeply into the unconscious mind. Though she was renowned in life for her rare beauty and talent, Sylvia Plath is infamous for her suicide at the age of thirty.

As a writer, Plath was enamored with stream of consciousness because it afforded her the opportunity to tap into the innermost thoughts and feelings without interruption. 

Sylvia Plath was an American dream girl and a genius, born in a time when poetry was dead and dying. 

He hymns the rotten queen with saffron hair

Who has saltier aphrodisiacs

Than virgins’ tears. That bawdy queen of death,

Her wormy couriers are at his bones.

And as a consummate Scorpio, her life was occupied by death, darkness and a voracious interest in the occult. She found her biggest inspiration in the life and work of William Butler Yeats, who lived as a poet, mystic and occultist.

Plath’s fascination with Yeats turned into an obsession, and she sought to replicate many of his occult experiments in order to learn to possess his poetic genius. (It should be noted that the house where she committed suicide was in fact a house where Yeats had once lived.)

With Yeats as her idealized poetic father, Plath used the tarot as a frequent symbolic framework and she was especially fond of using the Ouija board to talk to spirits that would inspire her poetry.

In short, Plath’s poems were inspired by her communication with the dead. The name of the spirit that Plath adopted as her muse called himself, Prince Otto, who claimed to have great power in the underworld. (It should be noted that Plath’s late father’s name was Otto)

It is a chilly god, a god of shades,

Rises to the glass from his black fathoms.

Plath’s god of shades is not like the great god Apollo or the lyrical Hermes. Sylvia Plath was a poet in a world that was destroying its own soul: a world rich in resources, yet increasingly poor in spirit.

Despite the tragedy that Sylvia Plath lived out, her work is still resonant because of how many layers of myth and magic she uprooted from her subconscious to weave into eternal words. Even if the gods were dying in her time, she still summoned the strength to capture vivid images of their requiem. 

Still he hymns juice of her, hot nectarine.

I see him, horny-skinned and tough, construe

What flinty pebbles the ploughblade upturns

In Sylvia Plath’s time, the great literary tradition of poetry did die, crushed under the weight of mass media and modernism. But the art of poetry has had many transformations throughout the ages and its spirit always finds a way to re-emerge as vibrant as ever! 

This is the message of Scorpio: let things die so they may be reborn.

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TRANSITS

I. October 23rd-November 1st ~ Penetration

This is when the veil between the worlds is said to be at its thinnest. The initiation of Scorpio season begins the journey through the underworld. In the dark, many hungers and desires emerge. 

You may feel like you are dying for something real, something that makes you feel alive. The swelling passion inherent to this part of the zodiac will help you break through outworn bonds, throwing them to the ground in the fervent rush towards something that is pulsing with life-force. This is a natural time to say goodbye to the unavailable lover or to some uninspired work. 

The Sun, Mercury and Venus will all be traveling through Scorpio. And when Mercury stations retrograde on Halloween, an intense dissolution and reconstruction will begin. Pay attention to where Scorpio falls in your natal chart, as this will be the area of focus.

October 25th- Venus in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn 

This is an aspect that is focused upon sex and money. Venus and Pluto create a powerful synergy that hungers for intimacy and influence. Thus, you may find that your ability to attract and seduce is greatly heightened at this time. Your desires seem to be more easily met, making this a time when you feel like you’re rising. 

Do not become unconscious of this magnetic power. Without careful direction from you, Venus in Scorpio will manifest images from your dreams as well as your nightmares. Keep hold of basic common sense. 

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Nothing is free. Everything has a price. 

October 27th – New Moon in Scorpio

The New Moon in Scorpio will be opposed to Uranus in Taurus. This lunar cycle begins with an electric feel, summoning volatile energies that are both creative and destructive. 

All New Moons refresh your emotional and creative energy. But in Scorpio, the Moon’s gentle cycle of generation is compounded by a much deeper transmutational tide.

Now is the time when new leaves can finally be turned over. Your innate alchemical power will become activated, allowing you to push through many layers of conditioning, fear and trauma. 

New Moons are the natural time for planting seeds and setting intentions for your growth and development. But do not have any rigid expectations. This a period to embrace change, honoring the element of chaos as a necessary aspect of creation.

October 28th – Sun in Scorpio opposed Uranus in Taurus  

After the New Moon, the Sun will oppose Uranus in Taurus, lingering upon an unnerving and overstimulating note. There is a lot of potential for creative breakthroughs as well as nervous breakdowns. Seek out as much calming and grounding as you can. And give yourself a little extra freedom and space.

October 30th – Mercury in Scorpio conjunct Venus in Scorpio

On the day before Mercury goes retrograde he makes a conjunction with Venus in Scorpio. Important discussion about love or money may arise, offering deep insights and plenty of raw truth. Passionate confessions and deep dark secrets are also more likely to emerge. 

October 31st – Mercury Retrograde at 27° of Scorpio 

As the season of mysteries, Scorpio is a window of opportunity to access these other realms which lie just beyond waking awareness. 

This will become especially pronounced as Mercury turns retrograde in Scorpio on October 31st. 

Mercury’s retrograde through this already murky and subconscious sign will summon a very different level of consciousness. The subconscious will open wide, like a dilated pupil in the dark. 

In Scorpio, Mercury will trace the rivers of your most primal desires all the way back to their libidinal sources. Here you will find the origins of your emotional reactions and beliefs, from which your current mental state has evolved.

When Mercury first stations retrograde, it can feel somewhat disorienting. Expect miscommunications and Freudian slips, where your words fall out unconsciousnly, revealing the psychic undercurrents of sex and death churning beneath the surface. 

Mercury is the god of language, commerce and communication, but he is by nature flexible, androgynous, and ambivalent. As a mythological psychopomp, Mercury is the messenger between the overworld and the underworld, the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. As a channel of human intelligence in all its dynamism, Mercury should not be expected to act as a mechanistic algorithm. 

In order to appreciateMercury’s gifts within yourself, it is necessary to learn to appreciate his retrograde cycles. These are the periods that promote collective neuroplasticity as the mind’s eye loses focus on the mundane and becomes submerged in the prima materia of the subconscious.

Though you may feel disoriented in this strange slipstream of thoughts, retrogrades are the periods where Mercury nourishes your mind with new potential energy. So rather than believing this period to be anathema to your progress, consider that this is a miraculous time to refresh your mind, drinking deeply from the wells of the Logos.

November 1st – Venus in Sagittarius

November begins with a grinding square between Mars in his sign of debility and Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. This will make your time and efforts feel slowed down and frustrated by obstacles.

Fortunately, Venus leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius at this time, bringing a pink flush of optimism and good cheer. Yes, things are difficult right now. But now that Venus and Jupiter are in the spirited sign of Sagittarius, you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is no doubt that many challenges lay ahead, but you’ll have faith and hope restored. 

II. November 2nd-11th ~ Interpenetration

The middle of Scorpio season rests upon the nexus between life and death. This is a time of transfusion and interpenetration between eternal spirit and finite matter. With life and death transfixed in this coital embrace, you may feel a strong urge to become thus entwined. Whether you indulge this urge through sex, study, or intimate conversation, know that the underlying desire of Scorpio season is to realize Primal Unity. 

November 3 —  Venus in Sagittarius Trine Chiron in Aries — This is a time when overcoming emotional hurts can bring great outcomes.  Topics like this previously worked on can bear fruit now or making a decision to respond to something occurring from your “Higher” self can bring great joy.

November 5th – The square between Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn is an aspect that requires caution. Under the best of circumstances, this is considered to be a very tense aspect, one that tests strength and resolve. 

It may manifest as an inner conflict, one that stems from a frustrating dilemma that has no easy answers or compromises. But this transit may also manifest through people who are driven to use coercive and manipulative tactics to tempt you into squandering your energies.

Though the strain and stress may feel acute, this square between Mars and Pluto can be channeled very positively into work that requires depth of feeling or intensity of focus. Like when you’re on a mountain hike, it may be challenging to maintain momentum, but the rewards will be well worth the effort. 

Whether you are studying, writing, designing, or teaching, let your love, will and desire come into alignment. 

November 8th- Sun in Scorpio favorably aspecting Saturn in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces

Saturn will sextile Neptune for the third and final time this year. Imagine this as being a union between spirit and matter, a perfect aspect to bring your dreams into reality.

The Sun in Scorpio will sextile Saturn in Capricorn bringing a much needed feeling of support and stability. You will feel aligned with the wisdom of your ancestors, feeling gratitude for the knowledge and traditions that have blessed your life.

Simultaneously, the Sun in Scorpio will trine Neptune in Pisces. You will naturally attune to the symbolic world of dreams, divination and art.

In the misty light of Neptune, you will lose the hyper-focus on personal identity, instead feeling the vast interconnectivity across time and space with the living and the dead.  

November 11th ~ Sun in Scorpio conjunct Mercury in Scorpio 

The inferior conjunction of Mercury retrograde with the Sun in Scorpio represents the center of the retrograde period. Your introspective and reflective mood will yield some significant realization or connection now. 

Whenever a planet conjoins the Sun, it is poetically described as entering the heart of the Sun, where its energies are purified and reified. When Mercury enters the heart of the Sun there is a merging of conscious and unconscious, offering a quiet moment of reflection.

III. November 12th-23rd ~ Transformation

Poised between darkness and the resurrection of the light, this final chapter of Scorpio season contains an intense catharsis.

This is the area of the zodiac where all taboos and forbidden desires reside. Though the rarified enjoyments of mystery and magic are certainly offered, here also resides obsession, murder and mayhem. Wild curiosity turns into sadistic pleasure as you gaze directly into the abyss, unblinking eyes fixated upon visions of humanity, utterly lost to corruption, addiction, and abuse.

Lest you shun the idea of embracing death, darkness and pain, remember that there is great purpose in doing so. This is the time to show love to all that has been exiled in shadow. Finding the courage and compassion to embrace fear, grief, guilt, and rage is where the transmutational power of Scorpio really lies.

November 12th – Full Moon in Taurus 

Every Full Moon represents an energetic climax and this Full Moon in Taurus brings a wealth of sensual pleasure and enjoyment to offset the darkness of Scorpio.

The Moon is exalted in Taurus, taking her most ecstatic pleasures and reaching her most climactic magical powers at this Full Moon in the middle of autumn.

The Moon’s affinity for water, its most natural element, is transformed into pure ardor when the solid earth and definite form of Taurus is encountered. 

During Scorpio season, as the light of rational certainty dims into a subconscious glint, the influence of lunar awareness brings everything out of the abstract and back into attunement with the wisdom of the body. 

On this Full Moon night, your receptivity to sensual pleasures will be greatly enhanced, strengthening your spirit and nourishing your soul. By grounding consciousness back into your body, this Full Moon will illuminate your senses, bringing new sparkle into your eyes, new softness into your hands, and a new melting into your mouth. Thus, your consciousness will expand as the wonder of infinity is revealed through the simplest enjoyments.

At the Full Moon in Taurus, you will be put in touch with many potential moments for such contentment. Your inner eye will dilate upon a vision: the earth breathing deeply at the setting Sun, lingering upon the caramel sweetness of dusk. And in the darkness, the memory of that sweetness finds new life in the curling tendrils of midnight reveries.

The Moon in Taurus will be trine to Pluto in Capricorn, bringing the healing crisis of October’s Full Moon in Aries up to a higher level. The alchemical powers of this Full Moon touched by Pluto are potent. A great catharsis will finally arrive, inviting you to feel holy and enchanted.

November 13th – Mercury in Scorpio trine Neptune in Pisces 

Under a flowing aspect between Mercury and Neptune, your emotional capacity and imagination will bloom, creating an inner world of aching beauty and soft enchantments. Shimmering in this reverie, aquatic thoughtforms will emerge, pulsing with hunger and renewed lust for life.

With Venus in Sagittarius applying to square Neptune, a lovely atmosphere emerges from the mist. All the dark moods that percolate while Mercury is in Scorpio will be uplifted into pronoia, the opposite of paranoia where the world seems to be conspiring to help you out.

November 20th – Mercury Direct at 11° of Scorpio 

On November 20th, Mercury will station direct in Scorpio, slowing things down as he changes directions once again. The last three weeks have focused your mind towards deep introspection, a long and winding trip down memory lane.Reflect upon the insights you have gained over the last three weeks, acknowledging how vital these Mercury retrograde periods are for your continued growth and expansion. 

November 23rd – Sun moves into Sagittarius

The journey through the dark tunnels of the underworld will finally come to an end when the Sun  moves into the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius! The crushing fear of death-being-the-end is finally conquered. 

Following the period of decay, your spirit is resurrected by an eternal flame, leaping upward into the open sky. 

Sagittarius is the season when the holiday spirit of good fortune and generosity is born! 

 

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Re-enchant your life with the art of astrological magic!

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DISCOVERY begins on October 27th! Click here to register now!