This week’s question comes from Sarah in London, England:

Will relations with colleagues improve? I know Scorpios are infamous for being misunderstood, but this seems to be an ongoing theme for me. I perceive my behavior or reactions as either trying too hard by being too nice or reticent and withdrawn, which can leave me vulnerable to people making assumptions about who they think I am.

Sarah, as you probably know, you are a Rising Scorpio, in addition to having the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars all in Scorpio. With Scorpio on the Ascendant, that means you have Taurus on the Descendant – the cusp of the house associated with one-on-one relationships – and the ruler of Taurus is Venus. In addition, your chart ruler, Pluto, is in the eleventh house, which has to do with your circle of friends and your business network.

No matter how you cut it, your über-Scorpio personality is very much a factor in your relationships, and there’s not much you can do about that. Trying to be someone or something you aren’t just isn’t going to work for you.

You’re right about Scorpio being misunderstood. That’s because people tend to fear what they don’t understand, and Scorpio is an intensely powerful sign. I’ve often observed that Scorpios seem to be plugged into a cosmic energy source that isn’t accessible to anyone without strong Pluto or Scorpio in their charts. You have that, and it’s like carrying around a loaded weapon. Moreover, anyone who has been on the receiving end of Scorpio’s sting has learned to keep their distance.

What you’re describing is the essential dilemma of Scorpio (or anyone with strong Scorpio in their chart). On one hand, you crave intimacy and merging with another on a soul level, yet you tend to keep people at an arm’s length for fear of being annihilated. The fact is, we’re all vulnerable to being hurt if we open up our hearts, but eventually we learn that we won’t cease to exist if someone we love hurts us. Scorpios who are aware of their power also fear that they will annihilate others, and I think that stops them sometimes from being who they’re meant to be.

As for the assumptions, people tend to judge others by their own moral values and beliefs. There is simply no way to control what others think of us. In other words, we’re all vulnerable to being misunderstood. That said, Scorpio does seem to have this problem a bit more than others, because of the tendency to be secretive. With co-workers, you may have to work at being more open with information that concerns them. If it doesn’t, then what you do in private on your own time is none of their business.

I would urge you to work on stepping into your power and making no excuses for it. The key is to wield your power for the good of the collective and not just for your own personal gain. It’s not an easy mission, but you are more than equipped with the tools you need for the job.

There’s a lot more I could say about your chart, and I didn’t answer all of the questions in your e-mail, because there just isn’t the space here for that. I think you would benefit greatly from a complete reading with a professional astrologer. I do them, but there are many others out there as well, and some much closer to home, if you prefer to do it in person.

I wish you the best of everything, and thanks for writing!

Pat

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