Scorpio New Moon

Scorpions give most people the creeps, so why do they feature so heavily in our stories of the stars? Learn what the sign of Scorpio can teach us about humility, remembrance and the importance of change. From famous hunters (Orion) to terrifying poisoners (Serket), the legends surrounding the 8th sign of the zodiac always leave a sting in their tail. We'll explore why this sign brings about a slight sense of danger, before undertaking a simple meditation to cleanse the body and mind of toxic debris. 

Transcript

 Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Moon and You, the podcast that's all about the changing signs of the moon and how we can connect with them to unlock our own potential. My name's Jonah. I'm an Aussie living in South London, and this month we're focusing on the sign of Scorpio, which is the eighth sign in the Zodiac ruled by the element of water and the planet Pluto.

Water, as we know, is the element that rules emotion and mystery, and combined with the planet Pluto, these things are amplified. To be honest, these days I'm not even sure if Pluto counts as a planet. I've seen so many news stories for and against, but Pluto in an astrological sense represents the sort of deepest mysteries of the universe, the intangible and unknown things, almost like the spiritual equivalent of peripheral vision.

Pluto, the planet, is named after the Roman god, Pluto, who is the Italian version of Hades, so lord of the underworld and the sort of protector and guardian of our collective ancestors. As always, I'll start with some seasonal reflections on what Scorpio is all about, and it's mid autumn now, so immediately out.

Out my front door, I can see that there's some crab apples still falling on the pavers, and usually this time of year we would be marking the first frost, but there's always a bit of a delay in that in London because of the urban greenhouse effect. That aside, we've seen all faces of the weather in this past month, so we've had a mix of quiet sunny days, really windy and dreary days, and a number of different storms battering the coastline.

In the parks around me, I can see that they're dotted with puddles and this sort of kaleidoscope of leaves, um, standing out amongst those London Plane tree leaves, which look like big sort of caramel coloured dinner plates. I think the air is also more fragrant with that autumnal smell, that smell of petricor, of leaves, and of a sort of moisture within the air.

So, Halloween, uh, which we'll talk about in a second, marks the end of harvest season and, like I said earlier, usually the beginning of the first frost. And with that, nature's abundance starts to get a bit more conservative now that that's all at a close. If we take some time to walk through woodlands, we'll notice that there's still some mushrooms about, but many will be retreating into the ground after the first frost.

As will, um, the leaves of some of the more tuberous edibles like dandelions. So, this time of season is when we would start burning back fields back in Australia so that they can rest until the beginnings of spring, and I know the agricultural cycles are a little bit different here, but I fully expect that in more rural areas that practice will start to come back.

November means the ninth month, in reference to its origins before the Gregorian calendar was introduced. When reflecting on local custom and folklore around this time of year, there are two big standouts. The first is Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, which marks the lead up to All Saints Day. There's a long held belief that at this time of year, the dearly departed can visit their loved ones.

So old customs included things like leaving candles in windows, or lighting small fires outdoors, called tindals, such a cute name, to guide wandering souls. It was also customary to make offerings of food and drink at dining tables to reunite with and enjoy a meal with long lost friends, lovers, and family members.

In medieval times, it was a tradition to exchange soul cakes, which were made of flour and dried fruits, with those that you wanted to be in good relationship with. Today, this theme of remembrance is also reflected in Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day on the 11th of November, which falls within Scorpio season.

The second big seasonal marker is Bonfire Night, which commemorates the Gunpowder Plot. And, uh, for those who don't know, I'm sure many of you do, but it was a attempt to blow up the English Parliament, uh, many, many years ago. Um, and in rural areas and cities alike, we can still see these creepy effigies that are hung on people's fences and gates ahead of November the 5th, which is when folks gather around bonfires and under fireworks to share a drink and enjoy the changing of the season.

So, a bit more about the sign itself. The constellation of Scorpio is called Scorpius, and it sits in the middle of the Milky Way. It has a number of really bright stars, one of which, Antares, is called the rival of Mars because of its reddish hue. This might be why in old times Scorpio was linked to Mars and was said to reflect the quote unquote feminine side of Mars.

Scorpius has a really distinctive hook at its southern end, which connects it nicely with the imagery of a scorpion. However, the Hawaiians see something different. They don't see a scorpion in the hook. They see the fish hook of the demigod Maui. And in Javanese culture, that hook is connected with either a swan and its neck, or a leaning coconut tree.

What I find most interesting about this sign is that there are so many different versions of its tale in classical Greek mythology, which, as we know, is where we get most of modern, sort of, Western astrological wisdom from. So, I'll start with my favorite telling of this story, and it begins with the incredibly talented hunter Orion, who was a demigod and the son of Poseidon.

He was so talented, in fact, that Artemis, who was the goddess of the hunt, would often join him on his exploits. While it was unusual for a god and a demigod to be friends in this way, their shared love of the hunt is what brought them together. I think it would be fair to say that Orion may be one of the only people that Artemis, in many of the stories about her, actually respected.

Some stories paint the pair as lovers, but if you've read anything about Artemis, you'll remember that she is pretty steadfast in upholding her sort of virgin, huntress vibe. And you can't count how many times she's brought misery to mortals that would threaten that. By glancing at her with lust or stumbling upon her in the woods by accident.

So I prefer the version where they're friends, bonded together through the hunt, and spending a lot of time together doing what they love. Orion's talent was undeniable. He could keep up with Artemis, the great mistress of the hunt. He grew proud, and with that pride, he grew boastful. He foolishly declared out loud that his skills were so great that he would hunt every animal on earth and succeed.

The gods, of course, talk. And Gaia, on hearing this, hearing that all of her precious creatures were going to be wiped out by one proud man, brought forth a giant scorpion, the scariest creature she could imagine, bigger than a house, to battle against Orion and stop him in his tracks. And battle they did, ferociously, with the scorpion flailing its tail about, wet with poison, and Orion, quickly drawing arrow after arrow, firing it at the great beast.

After one terrible and tragic misstep, the scorpion landed a sting on Orion's skin. But before the poison could take hold, Orion drew back his bow and fired a fatal arrow to the scorpion's chest. The scorpion died instantly. And in time, the poison took Orion's life too. Gaia commemorated the scorpion and its sacrifice for all other living creatures by placing him in the sky as the constellation Scorpius.

And Artemis, with the help of her father Zeus, did the same for Orion, placing him in the sky to recognize their friendship. To this day, the constellation of Orion and the constellation of Scorpius sit 180 degrees away from each other. Constantly avoiding each other's presence. Other versions of the story do have Artemis and Orion being star crossed lovers, and in one retelling, Apollo was so jealous of their relationship that it was him that sent the scorpion towards Orion.

When Orion was dealt that fatal sting and passed away, Artemis placed him in the sky so that she could stare wistfully at him from the earth below. I personally don't really connect with this story because it seems so out of step with all of the other stories about Artemis, who is refreshingly aromantic.

But in other versions of this same story, Artemis and Orion were not friends, or lovers, in fact they were enemies, and when he made his boastful claim, Artemis sought Gaia's help to knock him down a peg. On his demise, Zeus lifted his body into the sky, making the constellation of Orion, to remind mortals of the fateful impacts of pride.

I did take a look into other cultural interpretations of Scorpio or Scorpius and what it means to them, and I couldn't easily find fables from Mesopotamia, but early texts do attribute the sign to the scorpion. In Babylonian culture, the scorpion was a prolific symbol of, uh, fertility, mystery, and guardians of sacred knowledge, sacred to a number of different gods and goddesses, most importantly Ishtar and Shamash.

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you'll probably remember Ishtar features in a number of different Babylonian stories and is the goddess of lust and fertility, famous for her beauty and desirability, but also the epic and memorable tantrums that she throws when mortals cross her way.

But, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, uh, there are these scorpion men which are referenced as guardians of the gates of the sun god Shamash. Their role was to open the gates during the daytime so that Shamash could shine his rays down upon the earth, and they would close the gates at night where darkness overcame the land.

In Egypt, that star I mentioned earlier, Antares, was sacred to the scorpion goddess, Serket. Serket's name translates to, 'she who tightens the throat', or, 'she who causes the throat to breathe'. And while temples to her were few, her priests were abundant, and offered prayers against poisoning, snake bites, and of course, the Deathstalker scorpion, which lurks about those parts.

Over time, Serket became an aspect of the great goddess of life and healing, Isis. But as a side note, I did come across a number of eerie stories from Egypt just two years ago when the Nile flooded, which led to a scorpion plague and a small number of fatalities. The timing of this is really eerie because it does land in the middle of Scorpio season, but part of me wonders if it's the first time this has happened.

So, jumping back to the stories and what they mean, what can we learn from Scorpio? Firstly, it's known for being one of the most intense signs, and when reflecting on these myths we can see why that might be the case. At a surface level, Scorpio calls us to reflect on what heals and what harms us. How are we treating our body and our mind?

Are we nourishing our body with the right foods? Or, are we eating junk? Are we nourishing our mind with the right thoughts and intentions? Or are we spending too much time dwelling in toxicity? Orion's story, or at least the one that I prefer, also kind of puts us in our place a bit. Don't be proud, sure, but also, how can afflicting suffering on other beings bring about joy?

What's that about? What, what's that about, Orion? It's one thing to hunt for nourishment and materials, but I think it's another thing to hunt or take from nature's gifts to satisfy our ego. Scorpio reminds us of our dependency on nature and our own mortality, and, importantly, how quickly and easily the natural world can end us if we don't respect it.

There's something deeply transformative about Scorpio. The Scorpion Men of Babylon are essentially gatekeepers of time. Serket's gifts can take life just as easily as they can give life. And both Orion and the giant Scorpion remain forever changed after their fateful battle. This month, we're going to channel this energy into a really simple meditation, which I hope will change your mood.

So, get ready to go inwards, find yourself somewhere comfortable, sit down, and relax.

And we'll start, as always, by focusing on our breath. Breathing in through our nose, and out through our mouth.

In through the nose, and out through the mouth.

Letting your body relax. Letting your mind relax and taking some moments just to connect with your deepest self.

Breathing in,

breathing out.

Breathing in, and breathing out.

Start to draw your focus to the rising and falling of your chest. In, and out.

Being conscious and present with the rise and fall of your chest cavity and your diaphragm. Following the flow of your breath in and out and becoming a vessel for breath. Ready and waiting for change. Breathing in and breathing out.

I want you to imagine that the air that you are breathing in is brilliant white light. A cleansing light, bringing nothing but healing, peace, and stillness. Breathing in through your nose, letting it fall within your chest cavity, breathing out through your mouth. And breathing more of that white light in.

Let it fill your chest like hot liquid. Swirling, cleansing and cleaning. Washing away all negative debris and tension held within your chest cavity.

Now as you breathe out, imagine that all of the day's tension, all of the stress. It's coming out of your mouth as black smoke, returning to the atmosphere around you to be transformed.

Breathe that white, cleansing, healing light into your chest, let it swirl around, let it relax you and heal you, and breathe out that tension, that stress, those tiny little worries becoming smoke. Before your eyes, surrendering them to the atmosphere. Breathe in that white light through your nose, and breathe out that black smoke through your mouth.

Now take this sensation further. Let that white light spill into your shoulders and down your arms. Breathing in that white healing light. Letting it transform all tension and negativity and worry, held in your arms, held in your shoulders, and breathe out that tension as black smoke.

Welcome in that white, healing, cleansing, transformative light, let it trickle down your arms, into your hands, washing away all of that debris that you breathe out again through your mouth.

Now extend that downwards into your hips. Breathe in the white transformative light, and breathe out all worry and tension as black smoke.

Breathe in the white light, letting it trickle down your legs, through your thighs, towards your knees, washing away all of the tension that you might hold in your body, all of those little niggles and worries that you might feel as tightness. And breathe it out as black smoke. And again, let that white light fall gently down through your calves, towards your ankles, and into your feet.

Feeling it totally relax you and transform you into a being of peacefulness, of stillness, and of brilliant light.

Now take that white light upwards into your neck and into your skull, letting it swirl around. Cleanse away any worries or niggles that you might have still at the back of your mind. Letting it wash away the tension that you might hold in your neck. Breathe it all out as black smoke.

Now spend a few moments breathing in this white light, letting it wash all through and around your body. Being totally connected with all that is love, all that is healing, all that is calm. Shining, like Antares itself, the brilliant star of the Scorpion,

Enveloped in gentle love and healing, Shining like a star, brilliant white light, totally at peace.

Spend a few moments, enjoying and appreciating this moment and this feeling. And when you're ready to return to the waking world, slowly bring your attention to your fingertips and your toes, to your hips and to your shoulders, to your diaphragm and again the rising and falling of your chest. And send that waking consciousness up towards your eyes.

And when you're ready, open them to return to the waking world. 

I hope you're feeling as chill as I am after that. And to close this poddy off, um, I guess it's time to reflect on what we can do to bring this Scorpio energy into action. So, The first thing that I would say is that this moon cycle is all about the big questions. We need to ask those soul deep questions like, Am I happy with my life?

If I could change one thing, what would it be? Why? And what's stopping me? Are my words healing or are they harmful? Am I poison? This isn't meant to spiral us into despair or uncertainty, but to vibe with that deeply transformative nature of Scorpio, and to use the quietening of activity around us to work on forgiveness, to work on acceptance of our own areas for improvement, and, of course, the areas for improvement of those around us.

A more tangible thing which sounds a bit preachy is to try cleaning up your diet and the toxins you put into your body. Try something plant based or try a week or two off the drink and see how it transforms your mood. And the final thing that Scorpio leaves us with is an appreciation of the Beloved Dead.

So it's the perfect time to be going through old photo albums or looking at pictures of those that you've loved and may have lost and just saying a little prayer of thanks for them. And that brings us to the end of Scorpio season, so enjoy the month ahead, and I will see you next month when we explore the sign of Sagittarius.

Until then.