Scorpio: The Scorpion
Mythology tells us that Orion, the mighty hunter, boasted to Artemis and Leto that he could kill all the animals upon the Earth. The Earth Mother, Gaia was outraged by this assertion and created Scorpion to exact punishment for his hubris. Orion was felled by the stinger of Scorpion, but the Scorpion lost his life as well. Zeus placed Orion in the Heavens at the request of Artemis and Leto. He also put the Scorpion in the heavens as a reminder to humans not to be overly prideful. To keep the peace, Zeus placed these archenemies on opposite sides of the sky, so that they never appear together. Orion only rises in the east after Scorpio sets in the southwest, and Scorpio only rises in the southeast after Orion sets in the west. Rafiki shares many heroic qualities with his sun sign.
House of Scorpio
Scorpio rules over the Eighth House, referred to as the House of Sex. This house goes further into the world of relationships and is concerned with things of a more intimate nature, such as secrets, core values, and our bodies. By relating with others in these profoundly personal and vulnerable ways, the House of Scorpio teaches us to set healthy roots to help us thrive in everyday life. More than that, though, this house wants to connect that vulnerability with great joy. It gives us compelling reasons to take the risks for this kind of itimacy. In the best world, sex is rejuvinating, nourishing, and makes us feel alive.
Scorpio also has an affinity with death. The French call an orgasm ‘le petit mort’ or little death. In giving ourselves over to another, we can reach that exalted state, but it requires trust and intimacy. We also have to let a part of our self go. The reward for that death is a flood of hormones and the possibility of re/birth. In this way, sex, death and birth are interconnected and all three live in balance in the House of Scorpio. “Let’s get it on” by Marvin Gaye is a classic song for this house.
The Magic of Scorpio
Correspondences
Order: Eighth
Dates: October 23 – November 21
Element: Water
Season: Autumn
Quality: Fixed (Steadiness)
Ruling Planet: Pluto
Exalted Planet: Mercury
Principle: Intimacy
Governs: Sex organs
Tarot: Death
Totems: Snake, Scorpion, Eagle, Phoenix
Deities: Artemis
Science of Scorpio
Astronomy
Degrees of Sky: 497
Total Stars: 47
Stars with Planets: 14
Main Stars: 18
Brightest Star: Antares (magnitude of 1.09)
NASA Dates: November 23 – November 29
The Personality of Scorpio
Strengths
Resourceful
Resiliant
Seductive
Brave
Passionate
Loyal
Clever
Weaknesses
Jealous
Competitive
Unforgiving
Controlling
Possessive
Manipulative
Defensive
Likes
Sex
Music
Truth
Facts
Being right
Teasing
Respect
Dislikes
Not understanding
Insincerity
Dishonesty
Passivity
Superficiality
Not being in control
Freeloaders
What is the late November doing
With the disturbance of the spring
And creatures of the summer heat,
And snowdrops writhing under feet
And hollyhocks that aim too high
Red into grey and tumble down
Late roses filled with early snow?
Thunder rolled by the rolling stars
Simulates triumphal cars
Deployed in constellated wars
Scorpion fights against the Sun
Until the Sun and Moon go down
Comets weep and Leonids fly
Hunt the heavens and the plains
Whirled in a vortex that shall bring
The world to that destructive fire
Which burns before the ice-cap reigns.