Scorpio, death, sex, and mystical transformation

When the Sun moves into Scorpio death is all around us, in the falling leaves and in the fading light of day ~ as the nights grow increasingly longer. The Sun enters the sign of Scorpio Friday, October 23, 2009.

Halloween, happens in Scorpio, and with it's witches, ghouls, ghosts, and goblins, we are reminded that Scorpio is the time of year for facing our own scary realities, for working on psychological and spiritual transformation, for looking into sexual issues, for dealing with joint finances and debts...and for learning to trust and let go of our attachment to suffering itself.

Scorpio, the 8th sign of the zodiac, is a fixed water sign. As one of the three water signs Scorpio has a almost unlimited capacity to feel and a heightened sense of intuition. But unlike sensitive nurturing Cancer or dreamy psychic Pisces, Scorpio is about passion, desire and the extremes of emotions and feelings. As a fixed sign Scorpio endures and does not flinch when confronted by these powerful emotions.

Scorpio is intense, passionate, brooding, magnetic and driven by emotional extremes. It acts covertly to manipulate power and naturally understands “what evil lurks in the hearts of men”. Intrigued by the darker side of life, Scorpio is prone to dive into the murky waters of the subconscious or delve beneath surface appearances to find the true source of life.

Scorpio's end game is to know the unknowable, see the unseeable and think the unthinkable. It's not surprising that the year's most haunting holidays ~ Halloween and it's Latin counterpart Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) ~ both happen while the Sun is in the dark and mysterious sign of Scorpio.

The Three Symbols of Scorpio ~ the Scorpion, the Eagle and the Phoenix

When Scorpio fearlessly delves into the darker aspects of human nature - it crawls along the ground, hides in corners and is prepared to defend itself if threatened in any way.

The Scorpion represents the earthly and aggressive intensity of Scorpio's rage and it's sting as a means of self-protection, while the Eagle shares Scorpio's ability to distance itself and then with probing eyes, see what others miss.

But the most intriguing and inspirational aspect of Scorpio is represented by the transformational symbol of of the Phoenix. It's not in the Scorpio nature to run from the fiery destruction of emotional intensity, because Scorpio understands that within that fire is the secret of immortality and resurrection. It is Scorpio, along with its ruler Pluto, that gives humanity the courage to enter the fire, break through limitations, face death, and be reborn.

Scorpio and "La petite mort"

Scorpio is often called the sexiest sign of the zodiac, but Scorpio is not about the simple enjoyment of sex. Scorpio desires “La petite mort” ~ the little death. La petite mort, a French metaphor for orgasm, does not refer to the physical release that comes with orgasm but rather the spiritual release and the transcendence that results from the loss of self in an altered state of consciousness.

Below is a short excerpt from Robert Hand”s book, ”Horoscope Symbols”, that reveals the complex nature of Scorpio sexuality.

"The essence [of Scorpio] is transformation, and it is inherently mystical. This is not the mysticism of Christianity, which is primarily otherworldly, ascetic, and self-denying. It is a mysticism that sees the power of transformation at work in ordinary reality. Rather than deny the physical universe in order to transcend it, Scorpio will immerse itself in physicality and even drown in it in order to go beyond it."

"Whether in criticism or in envy, Scorpio is often called an extremely sexy sign. But if one is referring to the simple enjoyment of sex, Scorpio is not necessarily sexy. In fact, the sign is capable of denying itself sex altogether. Yet there is a relationship between Scorpio and sexuality. It is not the search for pleasure that brings a Scorpio to sex, it is the search for transcendence. The orgasm offers one of the few experiences of ego death and self-transcendence that is accessible to the ordinary human being. And it is characteristic of Scorpio that this is also one of the few experiences where ego death and supreme ego gratification are experienced at the same time. Scorpio does not feel the need to separate the two as much as other signs do. To a Scorpio, no matter how attractive and sexy the partner is in other respects, love that does not contain drama and emotional intensity will not endure."

It should come as no surprise that most people born under the sign of Scorpio were conceived on or around Valentines Day! ~ the day that celebrates Lovers.

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Patricia Lantz is a practicing astrologer and hypnotherapist living in Atlanta Georgia. She can be reached by calling (678) 763 0552 or by visiting her home on the web at www.astrology-hypnotherapy.com. Patricia is also the Astrology Editor for All Things Healing, an online community for spiritual and healing practices.