Scorpio – The Season of the Dead

It is time!

We are all going to dive deep into the magical but mysterious realms of emotion. What has been suppressed in the darkness of our subconscious is now clearly rising up. Egos are being shattered and the layers of defensive behaviors are being stripped away. The illusions that seemed so cherished and golden are now turning our fingers green and we know that what we believed in and put our faith in was worthless.

For many this is a shock. But as we move into the season of Halloween or Samhain, it is those things in the shadows that hold the greatest wisdom. As the light darkens and the night lengthens, what becomes brilliantly clear is any light that shines with a purity of intention.

We are in a time when the veils between our world and the netherworld is quite thin. As the darkness seeps in the magic becomes quite strong. The spiritual ideals now hold a more powerful meaning, and we know that what is walking towards us in the mists of this time requires our undivided attention.

In the Tarot, the Death card represents Scorpio. It is a reminder that to fully live we often have to allow our spiritual self to take charge and to tear down the false beliefs and walls that the ego has built.

In the Tarot, the numerological sequence of each suit tells the story of how things evolve in the soul (Major Arcana), the heart (Cups), the mind (Swords), the physical reality (Disks), and the flows of energy (Wands). At this time the cards that are associated with the sign of Scorpio and the Ruling Planets of Scorpio (Pluto and Mars) are lighting the path forward as clearly as they can in the depth of this darkness.

The Death card is associated with Scorpio and it is always a warning about the emotional intensity that arises when illusions shatter and egos are forced to bend the knee to the will of spirit.

As we moved along the road of lessons in the Major Arcana, the eleventh card is the Lust card. It shows us our power and passion. But too much of a good thing allows the ego to become arrogant and pompous if left unchecked. That is why the next card is the Hanged Man card (the number twelve). It shows us how easy it is to become trapped by limiting our perspective into those places where we believe that the mind has absolute accuracy, when in reality the mind loves to simplify things down to a place where we can feel vindicated and right. The lesson of the Hanged Man is that dogmatic beliefs will always lead the soul into a trap. The definition of dogma is … a spiritual ideal or belief that becomes a trap to the evolution of a soul beyond the ego and mind. Through words, philosophies, and the attachments that they create inside a person’s soul, dogma can become a rigid adherence to what is “written” can become an avoidance of our own self-reliance. In essence, we believe so fully that we step away from empathy and feeling into what is true in this moment.

The Death card is the next step when the soul recognizes that to grow, one must learn to let go of what might be limiting the soul’s evolution. We are asked to let go of our old attachments and identity. This card indicates we have the opportunity to totally shift directions. It is a card that tells us that those that cling to power will have that power ripped out of their hands by a higher, divine force. This is a time when we are asked to be steadfast to the truth and to be willing to see what has been hidden.

Those that do not want to let go of their ego and need to be right will have a cycle where they will instead generate terrible problems. Refusal to change will come with some very harsh consequences.

Scorpio is ruled by the planet Pluto, and it is a planet that is the God of the Underworld. Pluto points out the trap and those that intend to suppress us. It is a planet that will wipe the slate clean to begin anew. It points out the social conditioning in which you might be still operating and then requires you to honestly look at if those beliefs cause others suffering. If they do, then perhaps you have chosen poorly. Those that refuse to let go will go into anguish and more struggle. Refusing to let go will look like a person that needs to make someone bad and wrong. It will also look like displaced anger that is lashing out at those that are innocent. This is a planet that reminds us that when you generate misery … it will end up being you that will suffer the most.

The season of Scorpio rules the 8^th House in Astrology. This is a house that can change our fortune quickly through financial inheritances and an unwavering commitment to the truth. It is a reminder that when we let go, we have hands with which to pick up something new.

Mars was Scorpio’s secondary ruling planet before Pluto was discovered in the early 1900’s. And this is associated with the Emperor card in the tarot. Ideally, this is a card that is like a King Arthur. A ruler that wants a round table, where everyone is heard, and their opinions are honored and recognized. It is a king that wishes to create a place of peace rather than war. In the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot, this card shows a lamb laying calmly on the ground with a flag that it is protecting. Meaning that a king’s job is to protect those that need protection … not to cause more suffering to the people.

This month I am reminded of the quote by the Dali Lama, “Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic desire for freedom and dignity.”

Let that quote become your guiding light as we move into the darkness in order to reclaim the light.

~Suzanne Wagner~