Tag Archives: Soul Sign

Scorpio Rising: The Scorpio Soul

The Irish Goddess Morrigan as Scorpio. © Karen MacKenzie, 2013. Details below.

The Irish Goddess Morrigan as Scorpio. © Karen MacKenzie, 2013. Details below.

As we contiue our journey exploring the love-base expressions and fear-based reactions of each zodiac sign, we arrive at the beautiful and enigmatic sign of Scorpio.

The intense sign of Scorpio is most commonly associated with sex, death and regeneration. It is also associated with other people’s money and resources, and even cruelty, so why beautiful? Because when we understand the underlying soul dynamics in Scorpio, we see that there is a beautiful, natural, and inevitable process of integration, healing, and transformation happening.

To connect the dots and see what these seemingly diverse associations have in common, we have to understand a little about the stages of development of our soul through the signs and what particularly is happening at this stage of our soul’s journey. In Esoteric Astrology, it is said that the soul “does battle” in two signs, Leo and Scorpio. In Leo, the battle is for our individuality; in Scorpio, the battle is for our soul. Esoterically, what happens in Scorpio is a process of personality-soul fusion. This explains the depth and intensity of Scorpio, for it is in this sign that we need to face the depths of our own soul and succumb to the surrender of the ego that happens as a result.

The Woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
~ Robert Frost

The individuality that we fought so hard to gain in Leo appears in Scorpio to be dissolving in the light of the soul and, at the ego-personality level of instinct, when we feel threatened it is natural to fight. To onlookers this can also appear cruel. When our Scorpio friends feel fear, it is felt at a depth and intensity that few of us can even imagine – as though their very survival is at stake, which, from the ego’s perspective, it is!

When we instinctively fight for survival, things can become really viscious. If you have ever tried to take a terrified cat to the vet, you’ll know what I mean. The claws come out, there’s hissing and spitting, and it will grasp and claw at anything to try and get away. This is an instinctive fear-based reaction, and in the case of the cat, we can clearly see that it isn’t personal. The cat doesn’t even know who you are; it will just scratch anybody or anything that is getting in the way! This is a clue to the solution and the power of healing and transformation in Scorpio.

To get beyond our fear-based reactions, we need to look at the roots of fear itself, and this is why Scorpio will often merrily go where angels fear to tread – to go as deep as possible and uncover the root of an issue. The root cause of our fear is actually our inability to tell illusion from reality. The ego, our personality as we know and think about ourselves, is actually a complex illusion created by our mind. In our earlier post on Leo, we outlined the process whereby at a certain point in early childhood development we form a mental concept of ourselves that we call “I.” This is the idea that there is a “person” in here that we call “me.”

When our Scorpio friends, or indeed any of us, are attacking, grasping, and clawing, we are suffering from a false sense of separation where we feel we have to defend our illusory sense of self by attacking an illusory “other.” Going deeper, beneath this illusion of “me” to discover the underlying reality of our existence and hence the Universe, is the soul purpose of Scorpio. This is how we discover the point of light in the darkness and that ultimately everything is light. The higher purpose of Scorpio is to transform darkness into light. But first, our attachment to the idea of “me” must finally be overcome.

[quote cite=”~ Kalu Rinpoche”]You live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality, but you do not know this. When you understand this, you will see that you are nothing, and being nothing you are everything. That is all.[/quote]

When our frightened Scorpio is fighting for survival, other people’s money and resources seem to be of great importance. It can feel as though we have to fight or compete with others to get our share. One of the ego challenges of Scorpio can also be a tendency to become overly dependent on other people’s resources to meet their needs. This is part of the illusion: that what we need is outside of us and under the control of others. When our Scorpio friend discovers the true nature underlying the illusion, there is a softening and a realization that there is nothing and nobody to fight. We are only ever fighting reflections of ourselves.

[quote cite=”~ Nisargadatta”]Contemplate life as infinite, undivided, ever present, ever active, until you realize yourself as one with it. It is not even very difficult, for you will be returning only to your own natural condition.[/quote]

In Leo we experienced the process of self-realization. In Scorpio that self-realization turns to self-reliance. Everything we need is already within us. We have heard that phrase so often it can seem like a cliché, yet it really does point to a deep spiritual truth. Once our Scorpio friend discovers the reality that everything they have is already within them, they will have discovered the very thing that they can always rely on: their own Divine presence.

There are many names for this unchanging presence that we can always rely on: awareness, God, Great Spirit, Quantum Intelligence, the Divine, consciousness, the Self or even simply life itself. Whatever we call it, if we go deep enough in our journey, we find that it is always there. It can always be relied upon, and it is who we are. This is why Scorpio is also associated with birth, death, and regeneration; it is in Scorpio that we have the potential to discover within ourselves this everlasting presence that permeates and supercedes all forms and all lifetimes.

If you have Scorpio Rising, you can consider yourself to be a Scorpio soul, and your soul’s purpose is to transform darkness into light. You do this by confronting the apparent darkness within yourself. When you have the courage to face your fear directly, the illusion dissolves and what remains is your light. You recognize “the point of light” in the darkness as your own awareness, and you realize once and for all that your true nature really is one of light. You realize oneness with all that is and clearly see that there is no enemy outside of yourself. There is no one to fight. All fear naturally subsides (for there is nothing left to fear) and you are transformed. Then, as a result of your own personal journey of healing and transformation, you naturally become an inspirational source of healing and transformation for others.


Ruth

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Karen MacKenzie is working on a series of astrology inspired paintings using goddesses from different cultures. For more information about the symbolism in this print and to view other works in her ongoing series, check out her website, Karen MacKenzie Art.

Pluto, Mars and the Inner Journey of Scorpio, Part II

Detail from Hercules, by John Singer Sargent, 1921.

In Part I, we discussed how material desires, fear, cruelty and other destructive emotions are distractions that keep us from fulfilling our life’s purpose.

We can see how such obsessions keep us from our spiritual path, and how evident they are as dominating factors in our current world age. It is a misuse of our divine energy. While we are lost in the pursuit of these activities, we remain unaware of our spiritual nature.

In The Labours of Hercules, by Alice Bailey, the ninth labor, in which Hercules enters a stagnant swamp to battle a nine-headed Hydra, is symbolic of this battle in Scorpio. Whenever Hercules cut off one of the heads of the Hydra, another would grow in its place. The only way Hercules triumphed was by lifting the Hydra above ground, into the light, whereupon it withered and died. This symbolizes our struggle with the desires of the personality which have control over us for as long as they remain in the dark, unseen.

The relentless activity of Mars magnifies these desires to the degree we can no longer ignore them, and then the activity of Pluto brings them into the light of our awareness. We cannot change what we cannot see. Once we see and fully understand the nature of desire, and the source of the struggle, it is transformed. The struggle itself lies in our trying to hold onto something which needs to change.

This is similar to the symbolism of the lotus. A lotus usually grows in a filthy, stagnant swamp. The symbology is that, just like the battle of Hercules with the hydra, our own spiritual essence blossoms as a result of our inner struggles. Interestingly, in addition to being known as the lord of the underworld, the mythological figure of Pluto was also known in some traditions as a lord of abundance, riches, or wealth. The symbolism here is the spiritual wealth that arises when we emerge victorious from our struggle with our own underworld (our lower nature).

Soft conquers hard,

weak conquers strong.

The flexible is always superior to the immovable.

This is the principle of controlling things

By bringing oneself into tune with them,

The principle of mastery through harmony.

~ Lao Tzu

Once Pluto and Mars have done their work at personality level, by revealing this darkness to not be our true nature but a result of the misdirection of our mind and energy, we are now receptive to a higher octave of Mars which transforms passion into spiritual energy through awareness, thus revealing our true divine nature. When Mars has conditioned the passions at personality level and Pluto has brought illumination, Mars at soul level reveals knowledge through awareness.

At soul level, Mars brings the higher consciousness that is pure awareness beyond the five senses. From this perspective, it becomes clear that all our darkness is the result of our misinterpretation of energetic influences as perceived by our five senses and misinterpreted through our ignorant, fearful and confused lower mind. With the illumination of Pluto, we are then able to use this higher wisdom of Mars to perceive through our senses our own divine energy and that of others. Once this happens, we naturally correct any excesses and misapplications of our energy, and use the power of our mind to direct our energy to the highest good.

The sage avoids excesses, extremes, and complacency.

~ Lao Tzu

In Esoteric Astrology, the Tibetan refers to Scorpio as a sign of discipleship. The word disciple and discipline come from the same root, which means learning or knowledge. With the knowledge gained through these tests in Scorpio, we acquire deep wisdom and understanding of our role as a spiritual being. We are ready to renounce worldly pursuits, those activities that misuse our spiritual energy, and dedicate our lives to our spiritual path and purpose. As the soul develops through the 12 zodiac signs, the first four signs are signs of preparation, the middle four are signs of crisis and challenge (for the purpose of growth and learning), and the final four signs are the signs of service to humanity. Scorpio is the last of the signs of challenge.

The self-indulgence which was initiated in Taurus gives way in Scorpio to the selfless attitude of the disciple; ambition gives place to the executive quality of the soul, whilst attachment to personality desires, likes and dislikes is transmuted into the tenacity of soul purpose. The hidden powers of the soul nature – misused because misunderstood and misapplied and, therefore, misdirected – are superseded by … the practical understanding of the energies.

~ The Tibetan, Esoteric Astrology

Due to the revelatory action of Mars and Pluto, we will all sooner or later undergo these trials and tribulations in Scorpio, as we continue our soul’s journey. The soul’s purpose in Scorpio is to transform darkness into light. The activity of Mars and Pluto elevates and illuminates, lifting our collective “Hydra” to the light so we can see that we are not our darkness, and that we truly are an emanation of divine love and light.

Ruth

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”