Deep-Sea Divers is not an unexpected image to find in the sign of Scorpio, now at 7°. It expresses the will to explore the hidden depths of all experience and to search for primordial causes. That sentence is Scorpio in a nutshell. This oracle is ruled by Aries in a twelve-fold sequence. Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac is ruled by Mars which is also the co-ruler of Scorpio, along with poor de-planetized Pluto. (Scorpio is the only sign to have co-planetary rulers—Aquarius, has a primary ruler, Uranus, and a secondary one, Saturn [FC this]). Mars is the most primal of the cosmic energies as it is the impetus to life, survival. We think of this energy most readily embodied in Aries people in their me-first attitude, objectifying nature, in their leadership and pioneering spirit. Mars is the energy of creation, the spark of life, Genesis, the Big Bang and Aries is the premier masculine sign. In Scorpio, a feminine sign, that Mars energy isn’t directed outward as it is in forthright Aries, but inward where it mines for meaning, whether in ones own subconscious or in the hidden experience of life. It delves for the purposes of exposing cached truths, secrets, mysteries. It rules the unseen world, like that of chemistry and physics, where scientific focus is always direct. And Scorpio people have a tendency to look at life, and at others, as if sliding everything under a microscope. So, you see, this is a very apt symbol to have been randomly divined to fall in the sign of Scorpio.

Pluto is named for the god of the underworld, just as Alice of (W)underland had to fall down a rabbit hole to witness the workings of her wild subconscious. We speak of people as still waters that run deep;and Scorpio, a fixed-water sign, is not only expressed by still waters but by frozen ones—ice and crystal being akin to the gems (of self-understanding) that might be unearthed by miners just as sunken treasures would be discovered by these deep sea divers who are otherwise plunging to profjundity in search of uncovering what mysteries, unseen, as yet lie beneath or knoledge or understanding. We are also concerned with pulling rabbits out of hats. Being able to dig down to our own inner resource, knowing ourselves. The crystal possesses a vibration, a distillation of energy that can be used to power mechanics. Scorpio Joni Mitchell bid us: Turn me on, I’m you’re radio. And she wasn’t kidding. Pluto is not just god of the underworld and riches, he is the god of power which, we are learning is self-knowledge for starters. Fellow Scorpio Neil Young was a miner for a heart of gold, one aspect of human nature that may be the hardest to find.

Whenever we are dealing with Scorpio, remember, we are looking at experience whereby we merge and become a We. Sex is the most obvious example; but we see in this symbol that we are likely diving below our own individual psychologies to that collective unconscious wherein we all share.

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The Gold Rush Tears Men Away From Their Native Soil is the symbol at 6° Scorpio and again they are following a perfect metaphysical logic. Two symbols ago we saw devotion as the bonding ritual of the collective, with religious, certainly conservative overtones (ruled by Capricorn); next we saw a raging see trying to penetrate the edifice of a society now built by tradition and that common bonding which may have become conservative and exclusionary in the extreme, infiltration being all but impossible—slow erosion being the only affect, to the revolutionary/evolutionary spirit of the waterbearing (emotionally packed) Aquarian energy; and today, with a Pisces-ruled symbol we are transcending the need to infilitrate a world that doesn’t want us and we are seeking escape and/or asylum in another hope and dream outside of that original society. Pisces and the twelfth house ruled the disenfranchised, unincluded, outsider, pariah, untouchable and all outcasts; and it was those who felt they had no literal stake in society that would have uprooted themselves from their native soil, feeling already disenfranchised to stake a literal claim elsewhere, fueled by a dream which requires self belief as opposed to faith in the collective.

It isn’t just the transcendence of a society that doesn’t seem to accept us that’s being shown via this symbol. It’s the impetus to even greater heights than most enjoy in that original collective. It’s not so much greed that drives one to this gold rush, but the chance to be forever free of the confines of a collective and to set the rules from this new exalted perspective. I am about to embark tomorrow on a trip to Scotland to attend a party at a old friend who was once, I suppose, a disenfranchised individual who lived on the dole; this person took the transcendent route and went for their own gold rush and now is amongst the richest people in the world. And from that perspective one can have a great impact on the state of the world, bettering it, as this person has done. Anything but a conservative, which the impenetrable cliffs of yesterday’s image represent, one can have great fortune and share that wealth in such a way, not conserving it (for themselves) but sprinkling it around to make the world a better place. In that way people of this ilk are so rare and so precious.

Being able to tear ourselves away from the norm based solely on a dream is, thus, part of human nature; although not everyone is designed to embody such avidity.

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I’m starting to anticipate the roll-out of these symbols. Yesterday was all about tradition via Capricorn’s rule so I knew the opposite would have to be true with an Aquarius rulership of the symbol to follow. A Massive Rocky Shore Resists The Pounding Of The Sea is the oracle at 5° Scorpio and it points to the inertia of all institutionalized procedures. So much for the devotional ritual of the former symbol. The previous Capricorn-ruled image is the mighty shorecliff that has been built over time and it has become resistant to the gathering storm of all change. Such change to the face of this edified existence will be slow indeed. Conservatism can be counterproduct to evolution, which of course is ultimately inevitable. And I don’t have to tell you how binding and impenetrable a communal way of life can be; especially ones that were built on secret occult ritual to cement their enclaves and edifications. Hello Skull and Bones society. The fact that Aquarius has two rulers—Saturn (which it shares with Capricorn) and Uranus, tradition and progress, seeming opposite energies—speaks volumes. When it comes to this particular shift in energy it can’t be sudden. The traditional aspect must be kept intact and only slowly eroded to make way for progress; otherwise we have pure revolution, all of the time, anarchy, and evolution has nothing via which to take hold.

Also, all that is new is not good. We must mainly withstand that which is not aready edified in our culture. Just as extreme conservatism is the stuff of evil, so too would utter anarchy be. The Louvre would be covered by graffitti otherwise. Still graffitti finds its place and becomes slowly part of the overall schema. We created rituals to form a bond between individuals, merging into a cultural whole. Now we must stand united as a fortress of sorts.

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Scorpio is quite hinged on ritual, especially as it impresses the subconscious, which may be akin to ritual having occult power. It’s all of a piece. At 4° Scoprio the symbol is A Youth Carries A Lighted Candle In A Devotional Ritual. It’s about the power of ceremony which, through acts and images, more than words, galvanizes a community of participants—bringing the power to the people or creating the power via the people. This is the infinite question—Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac and the 8 is akin to the lemniscate which is the symbol of infinity. This symbol would be ruled by Capricorn in a twelve-fold sequence and (I think this is why Scorpios are so attracted to Capricorns) the sign of the SeaGoat is hinged on preservation, conservation, tradition and rich culture—that which the experience of ritual is seeking to establish, achieve, attain. The tarot card associated with Capricorn is the Hierophant, the one who has achieved ultimate wisdom, an embodiment of religion (means to re-link) in all its forms—he wears the triple-crown of spirit, consciousness and unconsciousness. The youth here in this image will one day become him. For now the youth is like us:

Here: We are seeking to become ensouled by a few basic symbols that structure and illustrate a collective way of life. As is true for the youth, our minds and feelings are formed by the participation with others in ritualized activities, whether they be going to church, doing a particular yoga practice, performing fraternity rituals, or attending weekly football matches. Scorpio is all about merging with other beings—where as Libra was about being with other individuals, remaining separate but equal. Here we become one actual body. Doing the wave at a sports game is a ritual illustration of becoming one organic entity, like individual coral on a reef. Scorpio rules sex and death, both of which entail becoming one with other—another human (hopefully) and with the great spiritual collective (double hopefully). In occult practices, which also fall under Scorpio rule, we sometimes see ritualistic sex as a powerful tool for uniting people at the root level. But I’m never invited to parties such as these.

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At 3° Scorpio we encounter A House-Raising Party In A Small Village Enlists The Neighbor’s Cooperation, signifiying the feeling of community via a basic joint effort. Here we see the “we have” of Scorpio being demonstrated by group-making of the most essential of possessions, a home. Paradoxically, the home will belong to one family and yet, as everyone has built it, it will be home to all—the impication here is that this is a circular enterprise, that everyone has had a hand in the making of everyone else’s home so that home is everywhere the tribe has collectively made it. This is ruled by Sagittarius in a twelve-fold sequence and we see that sign’s expansive energy radiating outward from the first group effort. We not only have our own home but we are at home everywhere we go. I remember witnessing a barn-raising in Amish country in Pennsylvania as a child; and of course there is that famous scene in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. It is a rural experience to be sure, in reality; while metaphorically speaking it goes beyond the duality of mine/yours to that tertiary Sagittarian realm of ours. We have emotional investment in each other’s well being, security, protection and comfort. And there is a sense of freedom, one imagines, in communities built in this way. Doors are likely left unlocked and we are free to enter in wherever we are in said community. If we think about this as a metaphor for the doors of perception, we can see our neighbors as ourselves and presumably treat them with the kind of respect we hope to receive in return.

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At 3° Scorpio we encounter A House-Raising Party In A Small Village Enlists The Neighbor’s Cooperation, signifying the feeling of community via a basic joint effort. Here we see the “we have” of Scorpio being demonstrated by group-making of the most essential of possessions, a home. Paradoxically, the home will belong to one family and yet, as everyone has built it, it will be home to all—the impication here is that this is a circular enterprise, that everyone has had a hand in the making of everyone else’s home so that home is everywhere the tribe has collectively made it. This is ruled by Sagittarius in a twelve-fold sequence and we see that sign’s expansive energy radiating outward from the first group effort. We not only have our own home but we are at home everywhere we go. I remember witnessing a barn-raising in Amish country in Pennsylvania as a child; and of course there is that famous scene in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. It is a rural experience to be sure, in reality; while metaphorically speaking it goes beyond the duality of mine/yours to that tertiary Sagittarian realm of ours. We have emotional investment in each other’s well being, security, protection and comfort. And there is a sense of freedom, one imagines, in communities built in this way. Doors are likely left unlocked and we are free to enter in wherever we are in said community. If we think about this as a metaphor for the doors of perception, we can see our neighbors as ourselves and presumably treat them with the kind of respect we hope to receive in return.

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A Delicate Bottle of Perfume Lies Broken, Releasing Its Fragrance is the symbol at 2° Scorpio, which is ruled by that same sign in a twelve-fold sequence. As Stella will tell you I’m not great with things I love breaking. Just minutes before alighting on this image, a favorite shirt of mine ripped and I was on the brink of despair (yes over a shirt). I often attach too much meaning to a fallen teacup or bent spoke. Not sure why that is but the meaning of this symbol is helping me: The accidental nature of opportunities that impel one to break from the past, the remembrance of which is still poignant and cherished.

New understanding does usually require surrender or sacrifice. And, really, it always comes down to the meaning of the thing not the thing itself. It’s not the shirt. It’s the memories that the shirt recalls. It’s not the teacup. It’s the thirty years drinking from it every day. But the thing must be sacrificed, often, to gain the apprecation of its associative meaning. An old friendship (for me, one in particular with a Scorpio comes to mind) must die for one to glean the importance, the good stuff, of what that relationship provided or taught (if only as a cautionary tale to keep one repeating with similar types).

Remembrance is emotional. Though we think of memory as a thing of the mind it isn’t. Any actor worth his salt knows what emotional recall really means. In that craft we call upon our own real feelings when working on material, as a character, who is experiencing like circumstance, and we act from that place. Memories are painful; especially the happy ones. A ripped shirt or broken teacup or bottle of perfume is a reminder, you see, of our own impending doom. What? You thought the Scorpio symbols were going to be a cake walk?

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Entering the sign of Scorpio, we encounter A Crowded Sightseeing Bus On A City Street. We have left the realm of Libra “we are” and have entered that of Scorpio “we have”; and this symbol is ruled by Libra in a twelve-fold sequence, making this a gentle transition. What this busload of people have is a shared experience; they have, as a tribe of one sort, entered into a new reality, a city, that was built by a separate tribe or collective. Or perhaps the bus is filled with people of a variety of sorts coming together to commune in this new experience that is foreign to them all, despite their own differences. It strikes me that this image depicts a busload of Libra entering into a new environment of Scorpio.

This new environment has its own rules and rhythms of activity. We will certainly find new sensations and feelings here. Libra took us to the height of consciousness in its realm of light where we may have met the archetypes of the seven rays watching over us, vibrating on the highest of conscious levels. Now we shall plunge into the depths of human (sub)consciousness and uncover the mysteries that lurk therein. It is the feeling mind, in a sense, not to be confused with the emotional intelligence associated with the signs of Cancer and Virgo. We are entering the world of the hidden and even the repressed and the compulsive, just as we are unlocking new secrets to feed that outer world of consciousness, which depends on new realities being brought to light. We need to touch the darkness to know the full breadth of our being.

Speaking of which, I must dig below the surface here myself, in meta fashion, not in terms of anything personal (then again, who knows) but in regard to the Cosmic Blague. What is the wider meaning of these symbols? Well, for starters: Let’s say you have a planet at this particular degree in your chart; we might examine how that planet channels the energy of this degree in your chart and in what area of life—which astrological house—this symbol “lives”. Say you have this degree falling into your tenth house. Well then we might see how this manifests in the area of your life concerned with career, public image and your sway in the world.

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Three Mounds of Knowledge On A Philosopher’s Head is the Sabian Symbol at Libra 30°—the Sun enters Scorpio this evening (Europe time) around 5:46 PM, that’s nigh on noon for you folk back home in the good ol’ US of A. This is a Virgo-ruled Libran Symbol and this makes sense given the alchemical energy of the mutable-earth sign of Virgo for whom the Philosopher’s Stone is a central archetypal emblem. The three mounds, I believe refer to the physical, emotional and mental levels of existence which must blend to creat the spiritual forth. Three is a number of fulfillment forming the perfect circle, and thus an understand of a cyclical, non-linear pattern to life. The true philosopher lives this meaning. He understands the workings of the world. He is beyond mere knowledge, the three mounds of knowledge is forming a three-fold wisdom. Wisdom is based on experience rather than acquired learning. Here we have a holistic approach to knowledge which is based on that universal experience, having worked through so many Libran symbols of interpersonal realtionships and that with the collective, of full understanding of the We Are. And We Are a circle of life, a connected humanity, and that which we share is what contributes to our wisdom about ourselves and our world. Here we don’t simply entertain abstract concepts unless in their direct application to the human experience.

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The oracle at 29° Libra, which would be ruled by Leo in a twelve-fold sequence is: Mankind’s Vast And Enduring Effort To Reach For Knowledge Transferable From Generation To Generation. It speaks to our characteristic human train of transfering to other humans, as yet unborn, all that we have learned via our conscious experience and endeavors. There is no biological reason to do this. It is choice, decision, based on high consciousness and self-sacrifice for others. We are. How Libra. After yesterday’s oracle about unseen forces helping and guiding us, we now become those unseen forces. We have sacrificed what we have harvested, mentally and culturally, passing it along to people we will never know, helping them and guiding them. We give them a past and make them feel part of the fabric, helping to eradicate any feelings of their loneliness.

We are consciously participating in a civilization that will last longer, terrestrially, than we will. This is what makes us divinely human. The legacy, which is a very Leo word indeed. I’m going to let that be all I say on this.

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