Scorpio: The Death Card

I can already imagine some of your trepidation just reading the title for this blog, but hang in there. Why is Scorpio equated to the Death card in the Tarot? Traditionally, Scorpio is ruled by Mars, but with the discovery of Pluto in 1930, Pluto became the co-ruler of Scorpio.

Let's start by looking at the glyph of Scorpio. It looks like a capital M with a tale on it's end. Scorpio, out of all of the glyphs in astrology has the most symbols connected to it. It begins with the scorpion, but is also associated with the snake, the dove, the eagle or condor, and eventually the phoenix rising (the tail). Some animals are low lying and some fly high above. That's the promise of Scorpio in essence-- to change and to transform. Whatever area(s) of life and planets you have in Scorpio you can expect the roller coaster ups and downs of life. This doesn't have to strike fear in you. It's a frame of reference. What goes up, must come down...but then it goes up again.

"Progess is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." -Bernard Shaw

This quote reminds us that Scorpio is a fixed sign. Fixity speaks to the modality of Scorpio, or the purpose of this sign. Scorpio comes after the cardinal sign of Libra. Cardinal signs initiate and begin things. Fixed signs want to sustain what was begun--there is a steadfastness and an ability to persevere in this sign. Scorpio is a water sign which describes Scorpio's potential to provide deep emotional stability. It has staying power--maybe sometimes choosing to stay too long or to become too possessive. In the quote above, Shaw points out the inability to change our mind, but we could substitue a host of other words that would equate with a stubborn refusal to shift (and thus the purpose of mutable signs after fixed ones). Which leads us to the question, "What can no longer endure?"

The Death card in the Tarot symbolizes endings, major shifts, transformations, and change. It doesn't often mean a physical death, but instead, a metaphorical one. Change is inevitable in life, in fact, it's one of the things we can rely on and expect to happen. We can look to the cycles of nature to reflect and mirror back what this process looks like. The time of year connected to Scorpio is the Autumn in the Northern hemisphere. The leaves change, they fall, the trees grow bare, and go dormant. What do we need to shed or release so something new can occur? How can we work with the energy and step into acceptance?

Look to your Scorpio house for clues. Is it the 1st house? Is there something having to do with your body or appearance? Is it your 2nd house? Is there something around your attitude around money that needs to change? Is it the 5th house? What is your relationship to pleasure, and what could use some transformation? Maybe it's the 11th house? Do you need to network in a new way?

Regardless of where Scorpio is, how can you embrace change? Harness the energy of Scorpio and dig deeply into this area of life. Be your own detective and get to what is old, decaying, and maybe even putrid. Roll up your sleeves and do the work. Imagine what powerful regeneration could do in this area of your life.