Tag: scorpio

Chiron ~ The Wounded Healer

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I saw this video on Jana Groscot Matthews’ site, New Moon Manifesting, which I just discovered this past weekend. Jana has some great affirmations for Scorpio, so be sure to check out her lovely site.

2nd third of 19th century

Image via Wikipedia

There are some wonderful quotes in the video. Two of my favorites are:

In his search for his own cure, he discovered how to heal others.

When I stand before thee at the day’s end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

I remain rather clueless on how Chiron works in my chart, but expect to know a lot more after transiting Pluto finishes its conjunction to it.

Do you understand how Chiron works in your chart? Have you been healed?

Loteria for Moon in Libra

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Are you familiar with loteria cards?

The cards are a Mexican bingo game for children, but the cards can be used quite successfully as an oracle. Being a lunar type, I strive to follow my hunches. Listening to my inner urges, I pulled a loteria card this morning.

La Garza / The Heron

The first thing I noticed about the card was its number ~ 19, a number of the Moon. (Of course I’m going to notice a lunar symbol first!) The Metonic cycle is the 19-year cycle of the Moon whereby it returns to the exact sign and phase it was in 19 years ago. It’s the  basis of our lunar calendars. If you keep extensive journals, take a peek at what you wrote 19 years ago.

19 is also a number associated with the cycle of Venus. She retrogrades for 40 days every 19 months. So it is through a number that the Venus/Moon symbol intuitively clicked in.

The Heron is a symbol of balance. Aha ~ Libra! Ted Andrews tells us in Animal Magic that the heron is sacred to both Athena (goddess of wisdom) and Aphrodite/Venus and carries their messages to humans. Both have proven themselves to be very wise women.

Maybe Athena’s (and Venus’) message for today is not to engage in the warlike behavior of their brother (and lover), Aries, but to use patience and strategy should any type of battle arise. In other words, “Wade it out.” Moon in Libra seeks peace, harmony, and has a need for loving relationships. As an oracle for the day, that’s much more appealing than engaging in an emotional battle.

What are your favorite lunar symbols?

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Scorpio Moon Trackers are now available with new astrological calendars and transits during the sign. There’s also lots of information on Scorpio and the New and Full Moons. You can even get yours personalized with transits to your natal chart and your own calendars. Check it out here.

Scorpio ~ Feeling the Tug to Let Go?

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Everything is feeling like dead weight. There’s an overwhelming urge to just throw everything out. But that’s not practical, even in the Season of Discard.

This is Scorpio, the sign of letting go. Honestly, we do have to bury our dead and we do have to make room for abundance. But today feels different. I look at the emphemeris and see that today is my personal Full Moon Day ~ the day each year when the Sun opposes my Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Taurus.

There’s an urge to give everything away or just toss it, while at the same time I’m wondering if I might need it in the future. So, I’m compromising ~ creating a Time-released Release.

I started the morning by reading some magazines and suddenly felt overwhelmed by the piles of them around the house. I’ve decided to organize them by months. They’ll keep me reading through all of 2011, getting tossed as I clip articles that relate to zodiac signs. I swear an oath that I am NOT buying any more magazines until these are gone, tempting as new ones may be.

Hark! There must be a plan here!

Being a Cancer has its difficulties ~ moods and focus do change quickly, yet with regularity. Since this is my Full Moon Day, and it’s caught between Scorpio and Taurus, I have to reach some kind of balance on this seesaw I’ve been living with all my life.

And why am I focused on magazines today? Well, my personal Full Moon Day is squaring my Mercury, ruler of magazines. Thank goodness it will only last a day ~ otherwise, I might be down at the Library redoing their shelves!

Do you have planets in Taurus that has resulted in a similar tug? Or perhaps the Sun is squaring placements in Aquarius or Leo today?

Where’s your tug?

Death from Silver Era Tarot ~ Aunia Kahn, Artist

Scorpio ~ Quotes about Death

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We are coming upon Halloween, Samhain, All Saints Day, the Day of the Dead, a time to honor our ancestors and look the Grim Reaper right in the eye in hope of finding something ~ a truth, a secret, a way forward or out ~ within those hollow orbs. Ultimately, none of us knows the truth about what lays on the other side. But we can look to the words of the wise to guide us toward arriving at that final moment and realizing, yes, my life was worth it, it was not in vain.

When I go down to the grave, I can say, like so many others, I have finished my work; but I cannot say I have finished my life. My life will continue. My tomb is not a blind alley. It is a thoroughfare. ~ Victor Hugo

Silver Era Tarot ~ Aunia Kahn, Artist

There is no death! What seems so is transition. This life of mortal breath is but a suburb of the life elysian, whose portal we call death. ~ Longfellow

If your songs contain truths, then death is just the middle of a long lasting existence. ~ Lucan, Roman poet

The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then? ~ St. Philip Romolo Neri

Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ~ John 12:24

We begin to die as soon as we are born and the end is linked to the beginning. ~ Manilius

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. ~ Flora Whittemore

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve. ~ Unknown

The key to change… is to let go of fear. ~ Roseanne Cash

Tarot Authors on the Death Card

On the journey through the night…there is no guaranteed return ticket. ~ Hajo Banzhaf, Tarot and the Journey of the Hero

Death becomes the Teacher Card when you realize that coming to terms with death is true liberation. You can then die to those rules that constrict your freedom of spirit. ~ Mary K. Greer, Tarot Constellations

Death is not only a physical transformation but the change from a subjective to an objective state of mind. ~ Amber Jayanti, Living the Tarot

Whatever Death signifies, you can be sure that, whether or not you’re ready, here it comes–barreling around the corner. ~ Yasmine Galenorn, Tarot Journeys

You’d think that the Death card would be the last of the major arcana. It isn’t because Death is merely a spoke on the wheel of life, the gate to the afterlife. It’s a step in a process, a stage in development. The body dies but the spirit remains. ~ Lady Lorelei, Tarot Life Planner

The planets turn in a slow orbit of seasons–the barren sleep of winter always leading the Earth into the warmth and resurgence of spring; the moon lives and dies, and lives again, holding oceans and lovers captive in her spell. ~ Michele Morgan, A Magical Course in Tarot

The wise welcome the cleansing power of this card, which almost certainly suggests a time when you will have the opportunity to let go of something that is holding you back. ~ Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, The Druidcraft Tarot

New Moon in Scorpio ~ Little Red Apple

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We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us. ~ Francois Rabelois

EveThe turning point in humanity’s evolution according to Judeo-Christian belief is one bite from a little red apple. Oh what a tasty word “don’t” is.

What do you desire that is being denied you, and how can you bring it into your life?

That’s very fertile fodder for a Scorpio New Moon, especially with the current planetary configuration looming over us ~ that being Saturn squaring Scorpio’s ruler, Pluto. It’s a power play between God and the Serpent all over again. The trophy? One little bite, or the whole apple? Who will win?

Eve is one of my heroines. Some think she was a failure, duped, that her disobedience led us all down a path of destruction ~ that she was the patsy between a battle of good and evil, God and Satan. I think she is the epitome of desire fulfilled and, if you look deeply into the creation story, she is the reason all of us are here now reading about Scorpio. She was the original Hot Mama She-Devil, and I wish I had more of her in me. Not that I want to be led down an evil path because of temptation, but because she saw something she wanted and she grabbed it.

What do you desire? You probably don’t have to spend much time thinking about it. I don’t have to think twice about mine.

  • What’s the little red apple that is being denied you ~ and by whom ~ and how do you get a taste of it?
  • Is it something you used to have, but is lost to you now?
  • Is it something you’ve never had and always wanted?
  • Does it make you crazy in the wee dark hours and in brazen sunlight?
  • Does it roll around and around in your head overpowering other thoughts and affecting all other aspects of your life?
  • Will you disobey the commandment “Thou Shalt Not” in order to get it into your life?
  • How do you see your life changed by taking a big bite out of this juicy fruit?
  • Is it worth it?
  • Will therapy help?

Denial breeds obsession. Frustration gives birth to rage. This is when desire becomes dark, cloaked in Pluto’s nasty robe, and all you want to do is throw that rotting mantle off your shoulders and run naked back to the garden screaming at the powers that be, “Give me my paradise! ”

Apple pie ~ domesticated desire. Plucked, sugar added, sliced and baked to perfection. No star in the middle. No seeds ~ the possibility of new life gone. Yummy for a minute or two, but unsatisfactory in the long run. More, please…more. And then the echo of “Thou Shalt Not” and obsession starts to emerge again. How do we heal this?

Use this Scorpio New Moon to plant a seed for the thing you most desire. Use the dark nights to think about the changes it might bring to your life, how making that desire real can change who you are now and forever, and how you might respond to the new life on the other side of that desire.

Write your desire down on a small piece of paper and draw a box around it. Be very succinct. Don’t be vague. The New Moon in Scorpio offers the opportunity to gradually manifest your desire and you must be sure of what you want. Plant the seed, tend it carefully. With focused intention, and perhaps a little inspiration from Eve, you’ll get a taste of the fruit. You’ll carry it in your belly ~ a new life.

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Eve by Gleb Kalashnikoff courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.

Jewel of Scorpio ~ Topaz

topazLegends about the miraculous properties of stones and precious gems abound. I place that kind of info in the “magical lore” category and find that it can offer a real boost if I’m using the symbolism to strengthen a particular thought in my head.

I’ve always enjoyed the beauty of crystals, stones, and rocks, and remain curious about the various healing properties associated with them. I love their lore and symbolism. Here are some of the legends and myths about the Topaz.

  1. The ancient Egyptians saw in its golden glow the radiance of Ra, their sun god.
  2. The Greeks felt the Topaz strengthened them and warded off sudden death.
  3. Topaz is said to make its wearer invisible in times of emergency.
  4. A Topaz will change color in the presence of poison.

In her book Stone Power, Dorothee L. Mella has this to say about Topaz’s abilities,

Ancient lore claims great healing powers for this stone, especially the power to control angry passions and to balance diseases of emotional origin.

If the topaz is mounted in gold, these properties are supposed to be enhanced. This is lore, though, and I wouldn’t recommend a topaz to replace proper medical guidance in controlling any emotional disease or rage.

Here are a few qualities that create a symbolic bond between Scorpio and the Topaz. The keywords for Scorpio are in bold lettering.

  • Because of its association with gold, it is used to bring or enhance the wearer’s gold and money gathering abilities.
  • Wearing topaz is said to bring friendship, better and deeper relationships, and enhance one’s ability to give and resurrect love.

There are lots of variations on which stone applies to which sign and Topaz is often listed as a stone belonging to Sagittarius. Rex E. Bills assigns it to Scorpio in The Rulership Book. J. Lee Lehman lists the stone falling under the rulership of the Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter in The Book of Rulerships. There doesn’t seem to be any disagreement among jewellers that the stone is the November birthstone. If you have a Topaz, enjoy it no matter when you were born.

citrineIf you like Topaz but it isn’t in your budget, you can substitute Citrine ~ which is one of my favorites. You can find Citrine cystals that range from white to yellow to smokey brown. Quite beautiful.

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Photo courtesy of NYPL Digital Editions.

Astrological Picture Book ~ The Death Card and Scorpio

The astrological associations of the tarot are open to lots of debate among authors and readers. The tarot is a symbolic system that holds personal meaning for the individual readers, so there’s lot of room for interpretation. I associate the Death card with Scorpio, and will investigate the sign of Scorpio, the 8th house, and the issues that surround them when this card is drawn. I associate the card Judgement with the planet Pluto. Together, these two cards represent the cycle of endings, transformational power, and new beginnings.

Death becomes the Teacher Card when you realize that coming to terms with death is true liberation. You can then die to those rules that constrict your freedom of spirit. ~ Mary K. Greer, Tarot Constellations

Death&JudgementIf you have some experience with tarot, you’ve most likely been taught that the Death card is not the harbinger of physical death. It’s a scary looking card ~ and death tends to scare the patootey out of most folks ~ but no one has ever died when I pulled this card. Death does, however, represent the natural end of things ~ work, projects, relationships, and believe it or not ~ even the end of bad habits and hardships. Everything is cyclical, so all things end. Even long-term commitments end through change or by evolving. At least, we can hope that they change because the only alternative is stagnation and, ultimately, true death. Rotting, non-evolving, never ending, eternal stagnation. The last rut.

How long can you hold onto something that has no life of its own or that sucks the life out of you as you try to keep it barely alive? Do you just keep trying to revive it again and again? Sooner or later, you’re going to have to loosen that death grip and let go.

Here’s some good news about the Death card. It’s in the middle of the Major Arcana cards (#13 of 22) because Death is not the end. Based on the meanings of numbers, the card has the base number of 4 (13=1+3=4). 4 represents solid foundations, stability. The skeleton shows us that ~ even when everything else has been stripped away ~ we are left with our basic foundation, our core. We can survive if we find the strength and a sustaining way to rebuild.

The number 1 is the unique spark, the urge toward birth, and the desire to survive. It’s the Sun. 3 is the ability to express oneself and expand ~ Jupiter. 4 is Saturn, the earth, stability, foundation, continuum. And that means growth. Growth is the only alternative. Whatever it is that the Death card is pointing at, craves new life.

There’s a little white thingy in the upper left hand corner of the BOTA Death card. It’s a seed, ready to be planted, carrying all the potential of whatever you will have it become. It’s a seed from the Tree of Life. As long as there’s a seed, a spark, we can go on.

You have to make room for abundance and the only way to do that is to get rid of all the rubbish that’s holding you down. All things end. Go ahead and grieve for what you have to let go. Hold on to what you need to. Bury your dead. Clean house. It’s time for something new. So much more is waiting for you.

Judgement shows us that we will all be called forward again, and not necessarily in “the next life.” It could be today. As Pluto, Judgement insists that we make major changes in our lives so that we may live again.

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Quotes about Death, with quotes from tarot authors included

The cards in this post are from the BOTA deck which you color yourself. You can find all images from the deck here. You can order a deck or print the images on heavy card stock. The cards in this post are the ones I colored.

Suggested reading for the Death card is Hajo Banzjaf’s chapter on Death in Tarot and the Journey of the Hero.

Scorpio ~ Got Any Secrets You Want to Share?

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One of the most powerful ~ and frustrating ~ characteristics of Scorpio is its great secrecy. It’s frustrating for those who want or need the information and very powerful for the person holding the secret.

Everyone has a secret, even if it’s only a small one. Whether or not we decide to share that secret takes great consideration for everyone involved. With it, we hold the power to help or to harm.

Why would we reveal a secret? Perhaps one reason is because it will stop pain or heal a wound. Maybe it’s because we got caught, so we may as well step up to the plate and tell the truth. It may not be an easy thing to do, and it takes a great deal of humility to reveal something so personally ugly. That’s all part of Pluto’s job, though ~ to take all the ugly, fermenting things out from under his decaying cloak and expose them to the light of day.

postsecret survivalAre dark secrets ~ skeletons in the closet, so to speak ~ best kept hidden? That’s impossible to guess, and taking a chance on revealing a dark secret can be paramount to personal destruction. A false ego has to die. You can no longer be what you pretended to be. The self-annihilation that is part of revealing your secret can come with pain, anger, shame, and ~ if we complete the process ~ atonement. And, of course, a great deal of forgiveness is required of the person who was deceived. It really is the only way to survive.

Many secrets start with lies, a cover-up for the truth. We either know of or have done something that is so awful that we can’t bear to believe it’s true. We can’t imagine that we could be or do something so horrible. We think it’s better to just shuttle it away out of sight, hide it. The problem is, that little hidden something sprouts in the dark, eventually pushing its way up out of the darkness. It wants out, and the only way out is into the light for all the world to see.

It’s not easy to reveal a secret, but that doesn’t always stop the desire to share it, the need to tell. So what’s yours? Do you have something you need to share, but just can’t tell anyone you know? It’s interesting how people are prone to tell strangers things they wouldn’t consider telling people they’re close to. Strangers can be a sort of anonymous confessional. You get a little something off your chest, and feel better for a while. Sometimes that pressure does need to be relieved.  And that stranger just might have the answer you’re looking for.

Click for video sneak peek.

Click for video sneak peek.

There’s a website and a series of books devoted to secrets that are absolutely fascinating, mesmerizing. People write a secret on a 4×6 post card and mail it to PostSecret. Frank Warren, originator of PostSecret, receives a couple of hundred post cards a day, each carrying someone’s secret and most with altered art ~ altered art being quite a metaphor for anything cloaked in secrecy. Some of the post cards are quite sad and others are humourous, but each is filled with poignancy and quite revealing. PostSecret’s latest book is PostSecret Confessions on Life, Death, and God, especially fitting for a sneak peek during Scorpio.

PostSecret
13345 Copper Ridge Rd.
Germantown, Maryland 20874