Rebirth into the sign of SCORPIO is not for the faint of heart. By the time the soul has traversed all the way around the Zodiac clockwise again to reincarnate once more under the Constellation of SCORPIO, the time has come on the soul’s journey for the resolve of some serious karma, the expression of some serious creativity, and to find a way to be of serious service to some faction of the human race. There are a great many of those who come for a reading that tend to more or less, to some degree, wince, when KEY 13, DEATH, shows up in their tarot spread. Actor Peter Sellers had that key in the first house of his spread when he came for his last reading a little over a year before he made his transition, graduating once again from this School of Life. Actually, during that entire reading, Peter had a hard time keeping his eyes off of that particular tarot key, and that was in spite of all my many attempts to reassure him as to its various and sundry meanings. At the time, Saturn was transiting Virgo, Peter’s Sun sign. There is more on this story in my memoir in the chapter: Angel of Death

The sign of SCORPIO is ruled by two somewhat dramatic and dynamic planetary forces represented by KEY 16, THE TOWER, MARS, god of War and Destruction, and KEY 20, JUDGEMENT, PLUTO, Lord of the Underworld, death, rebirth and regeneration. Pluto is known as the higher octave of the planet Mars in astrology, even though the scientific community recently demoted Pluto to the role of a dwarf planet, but I beg to differ! The power of this planetary transit to the sun, moon or ascendant tends to dwarf all over aspects taking place at the time! In earthly and historical terms these two planetary forces appear to work hand in hand in matters of death and regeneration on a multitude of levels in various societies on our planet. There is often the need to tear down in order to build up once more, demolition and destruction necessary before there is the possibility of rebuilding and reconstructing in various manners in different efforts, patterns, and communities. Only, as currently seen in the ongoing War in Iraq, the destructive part of the process is much easier to execute and accomplish than the reconstructive, again on a multitude of levels: material, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and, naturally, political. Nonetheless, KEY 16, THE TOWER, Mars, co-ruler of Scorpio, has multiple meanings, many of which require various degrees of transmutation or transformation on the journey of the soul toward the full expression of its inherent divinity. I’d also like to point out, that we all have Scorpio somewhere in our horoscope, along with an eighth house that deals with death, rebirth, joint finances and investments, as well as taxes! However, there is the need to transmute many expressions of the lower ego such as: jealousy, envy, possessiveness, hostility, anger, aggression, and some, if not all, of these traits are definitely assigned to the lower nature of Scorpio, to include cutting sarcasm and hurtful or offensive language at times. The Hebrew letter Peh assigned to Key 16 translates as “the mouth as the organ of speech.” Strong words can do as much or more damage to the psyche of another as any weapon or overt act of aggression, and on occasion, words have been the primary impetus for certain factions of our world community to enter into full-fledged war with all guns blazing!

One of the most important words assigned to KEY 13, DEATH, is CHANGE, whether it’s a change of dimension, feelings, investment strategy, or desire on any and all levels, it’s likely to be dramatic and downright transformative. Perhaps this is where I need to introduce the planet exalted in Scorpio, URANUS, KEY 0, THE FOOL, which actually rules AQUARIUS, the Water Bearer, the air sign of Humanity, for the human body contains more water than other element. After all, Scorpio is a water sign, and human beings are about 70 percent water Our planet is covered by about the same amount of water. Interesting, huh? The earthly children and Mother Earth have almost the same thing going for them in that respect. This is why it’s important to drink a lot of pure water to keep the physical body running in prime condition. Scorpio also rules the colon and bladder, besides the genitals and reproduction, so in addition to being one of the sexiest signs of the Zodiac (lots of sexual lessons for this sign), the organs that eliminate toxins from the body are also governed. Regular elimination is important for everyone, contributing to good health and a clear head. Sometimes it’s also important to eliminate a bad habit, pattern or person from your life to be healthier and possess a greater sense of freedom, an aspect of the revolutionary energy of URANUS. Uranus rules SUPERCONSCIOUSNESS, the consciousness of all that is, also the No-Thing, for the elliptical represents the Cosmic Egg of Creation. The in-breathing and out-breathing of the Universe. The pause that exists before and after each breath, for THE FOOL represents the Divine Breath. With the first breath the soul enters earthly existence. With the last breath the soul experiences what is commonly called death. But the end of existence in one dimension is only the beginning of existence in another in dimension the eternal cycles of life and living.

Another thing about THE FOOL exalted in SCORPIO, it is said the wisdom of God is as folly to most of mankind. The deeper aspect of Scorpio involves the role of being a psychic, mystic, medium, occultist, or initiate dedicated to helping others find their way back to the Self. Many Scorpios are secretive by nature and are attracted to secret societies, unique or unusual pursuits. They are natural detectives, researchers, investigators, archeologists, and paleontologists, with many attracted to some form of the healing arts. Creative self expression is part of their process through the arts, music, design, writing, with many involved with restoration, antiquities or antiques. They enjoy unraveling any mystery!          

The symbols assigned to Scorpio include the poisonous scorpion that stings itself to death when cornered, the masochistic side of the sign; the gray lizard, a reptile capable of regenerating limbs and tails when injured, with a sometimes chameleon nature necessary for spies, and the eagle, king of the birds, with its keen vision and predatory, carnivorous habits. Many eagles mate for life. And in spite of a ravenous sexual appetite, the evolved Scorpio is monogamous by nature, faithful and loyal until the end. The practice of Tantra Yoga appeals to these types. It is only the unevolved who act out in a promiscuous, addictive pattern, usually to learn sooner rather than later the folly of such actions, which lead away from cherished objectives rather than toward them. Wise Scorpios surround themselves with eagle artifacts as a suggestion to reach for the heights. I did that with my young Scorpio son whose now a pilot with a major airline, besides being a devoted husband and father. Of course, I’m not biased!

While aiming to fly as high as the Scorpio eagle in refining your vision in matters of this earth and the heavens, it is my opinion the mythical Phoenix should also be assigned to the higher initiate aspects of the regenerative, transformative Scorpio. The bird with renewed popularity because of the recent success of the books and films concerning a charming young wizard and renowned student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, HARRY POTTER, artfully and ingeniously crafted by imaginative author J .K. Rowling, whom I admire. After all, some Scorpios live several incarnations in one life, forced to constantly resurrect him or herself from the ashes of the former self into something finer and purer. As it says in the Good Book: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”  (I Corinthians 15:26)

Phoenix Rising

Since September 2007