Scorpio - knowing from experience

Being about the depths, Scorpio can only ever be partially described. How deep into a single cell can scientists see these days? How do we relate to existence before the Big Bang? Where do we interface with consciousness? Where do my feelings today originate? These questions are not the ‘why’ questions of Sagittarius looking for understanding, but rather the pushing forward to ‘know’ from experience. It takes deep courage and determination to brave discomfort, pain, fear, and enormity beyond the survival of the self. This is the path of transformation - not something we can accomplish, but rather a way of living.

Owning up to the ‘lesser’ in order to be the greater

At this New Moon, we find ourselves looking down from a wider understanding, into the depths of what has really been happening in our world, both around us ‘out there’ and our inner experience (Mercury still in Sagittarius, but moving backwards into Scorpio within a few hours). We are being asked to focus clearly on the deeper needs that may have sparked our reactions, and the actions of others (Saturn in Scorpio). And we need to be kind to ourselves when we see the potentially ‘childish’ or ‘selfish’ motives behind our airy statements and choices. We are at least seven eighths unconscious, and what lurks in the shadows is the fear of not surviving, an understandable bodily reaction in the material world.

On earth, we are naturally competitive, grasping, manipulative, or whatever worked for us in childhood - and these are not just our behaviours but the resulting characteristics, part of our identity. We may be forgiven for thinking that we are that, and giving ourselves a hard time for not being more socially minded or generous. The less acceptable our methods seemed to be, the deeper in our unconscious we are likely to have buried them - ‘I don’t do that, or feel that - I’m not like that!’ Denying what’s there holds it static, but releasing our judgement of it allows it to flow. After all, the greater Self contains everything that we have, and so acknowledges and accepts the entire content of our unconscious.

Unmask your judgemental superego

One revealing approach to discovering what we have denied in ourselves, is to check what really makes us angry in someone else! ‘How terrible!’ we say, ‘I can’t understand how he can do such a thing!’ We just need to look a little deeper inside - kindly and without wasting time judging whatever we find.

There are many ways of disguising a judgement to pretend we are not being judgemental - for instance, trying to change something to make it ‘better’ or more ‘acceptable’; wishing something hadn’t happened, or that you hadn’t done or said it; just wishing things could be different from how they are. All these are ways of holding ourselves away from the truth, and, until we can accept it as it is, we prevent it from developing on its own, becoming its next form. For the truth is that life unfolds itself, and it is in the deepest currents of the Scorpio flow that growth and unfolding can take place without the interference of our clever consciousness.

Our intentions may be powerfully effective, but we need to surrender control of how they are to come about, because trying to force results to be what we want prevents the flow of life’s giving. We are particularly open to making mistaken decisions this month (Mercury squaring Neptune now and just before the next new moon), so we need to combine our sense of ‘not knowing’ with trust in spiritual love and guidance.

Admit your needs

This month is an opportunity (Mercury will move over the North Node) to become more aware of how you feel, what you want, what you need in order to feel yourself a worthwhile human being in this world, and also to discover how all this is for each other person you relate to. In those conversations where understanding each other seems impossible, Marshall Rosenberg’s ‘Non-Violent Communication’ offers a way of untangling the inner threads. This is a good month for talking things through (Venus in Libra is trine Jupiter, and will move into Scorpio 22 November.)

So instead of shirking or putting off dealing with the issues which arise, look into what’s really going on; instead of blaming anyone or yourself, accept what’s there; instead of trying to change anything or yourself, ask for assistance in order to grow. Your spirit knows what you need, and knows that the universe is full of it, and complete (Saturn in Scorpio in harmony with Neptune and Chiron in Pisces). This work helps us identify ourselves with the one who looks at it all and ‘sees’, the one who knows not to interfere with life’s flow.

Be kind - NOW

So when something comes up from the depths treat it gently, with kindness, because not every difficult feeling we have can be explained away, or expressed to its end. Our reactions, feelings and thoughts are what we have, not what we are. They may change in the future, but everything has its own timing as nature is constantly demonstrating for us. The beautiful thing about our earthly view of the universe is that the planets’ inexorable orbiting is measurable - we can sometimes see the timing of growth and change, even though we may not know the results.

Astrology is the art of making some sense out of celestial movements, and we can only do that if we constantly update our understanding of how those movements connect with what actually happens. We use hindsight, a good teacher as far as it goes, which is the step before the one we are on. The step we are actually on is constantly forming itself out of future possibilities. All is flow and flux, including our bodies, our surroundings, and also our thoughts and feelings if we allow.

Consciousness is at the prow of our life’s boat, the point of spirit’s spear into the material world. This is where we can actually meet each other - not in tomorrow’s field. So let’s bring our consciousness to bear in every moment of our experience, open, fresh, interested, bright . . . and receiving with gentle kindness.