Loving the Darkness: New Moon in Scorpio 2017

The Cygnus Wall, part of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000); photo by Chuck Ayoub.

New Moon @ 26 Scorpio 19'
November 18, 2017
3:42 AM Los Angeles
6:42 AM New York
12:42 PM London
3:42 PM Dubai
5:42 PM Beijing
8:42 PM Sydney
11:42 PM Auckland

This month's New Moon in tropical Scorpio arrives just two weeks before Mercury's retrograde cycle in Sagittarius. Occurring in Mercury's retrograde shadow, this lunation is conducive for laying low, recharging, regeneration, and healing. Scorpio is a zodiac sign with a somewhat negative stigma. It is symbolized by a Scorpion after all. Scorpions and many other arachnids can be deadly creatures. So, naturally, the archetypal resonance of Scorpio is along the lines of danger, darkness, and even death. 

Scorpio's modern ruler, Pluto, symbolizes entropy and regeneration. When confronted with Plutonic realms, horrors, atrocities, and nightmares typically surface. And Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio is one of the "lesser malefics," i.e., a "bad" planet that to ancient astrologers caused destruction, violence, and separations. No wonder Scorpio is so feared by the western mind. As a fixed, water sign of yin (or feminine) polarity, Scorpio embodies most strongly the symbol of the abysmal and irrational unconscious, and ditto for Pluto. It's an interesting synchronicity that both rulers of Scorpio, Mars and Pluto, are applying in a square aspect alongside this New Moon (exact the following day). 

With Mars in detriment in Libra, this may not be the most comfortable lunation or the most promising for getting precisely what you want. However, the New Moon makes a trine to Chiron, and both Venus and Jupiter are currently transiting Scorpio, too. So, what is this New Moon good for? First off, it's an auspicious moment that helps us shed light on anything that's been obscured from conscious acknowledgment. Chiron's trine promises the opening of new pathways that could potentially lead to rapid reversals, healings, and breakthroughs. The western world's fear of death reflects its obsession with purity, light, and whiteness.

lf you've lived long enough, you've probably realized that life isn't always "love and light," that often, real healing requires not cleanliness or "good" thoughts, but boldly stepping into the dreaded darkness and facing some shit with a positive attitude. Life is far more interesting (and healthy) when you're inclusive of diversity. This New Moon is all about honesty, and when you're honest with yourself and your real feelings and needs, authentic healing opportunities emerge. Jupiter's transit through Scorpio (until Nov. of 2018) suggests rewards are waiting in the pit of hell. The risk? There's always a risk with Scorpio, Mars, and Pluto. The best advice for this New Moon: don't just listen to your impulses. In fact, if you're uncertain about what you should do, or what direction you should take, respond to reason, competent guidance, and intuition over any emotionally charged reaction. 

Ask people you trust to give you a more objective viewpoint. This is likely to be an intense lunation, extending some moodiness or seething hostility into the collective vibes. It could also be incredibly sexy, passionate, and profound. With Mars/Pluto, you may notice that any accumulation of repressed desires and instincts may come pouring forth here. And the best way to deal with that is to give them a voice and listen to what they have to say. Realize that whatever shows up, it's okay. If it hurts, feel it. If you feel angry, get it out. Sit in your darkness and embrace that everything, even your worst fears, is still a part of your wholeness and deserving of love.

Life feels overwhelming when faced with things outside of your control. Understanding yourself is key to finding your power and place in the world. While you can't control fate or the chaos of life, your destiny belongs to you, something you can always strive for to gain command of your life path. 

Life on the Threshold: Terence McKenna

By Entropath (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

American ethnobotanist, psychonaut, and mystic, Terence McKenna, was known as the Timothy Leary of the 90’s and the intellectual voice of rave culture. Born on November 16, 1946 (in Hotchkiss, CO at 7:25 AM MST), McKenna had the Sun, Venus, and Jupiter in tropical Scorpio in the twelfth house along with a Scorpio Ascendant. The sign of Scorpio is associated with death and rebirth, occultism, psychology, and sexuality. Scorpio dominant individuals have come into this life to play on the edge of existence--to experience the full and raw intensity of life experience. 
 
There’s something about the Scorpio archetype that is incredibly drawn to anything taboo, edgy, or controversial. As a spiritual pathway, Scorpio’s highest potential is to sit with uncomfortable truths about reality and to dare to share those truths with the world in some way, no matter how much it might offend or displease the cultural status quo. Terrance had an early interest in psychology. He read Carl Jung’s Psychology and Alchemy at the age of ten. As a young boy, McKenna was an amateur fossil hunter and had a profound interest in the natural sciences.
 
In his later life, he was a vocal advocate for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic substances (catalyzed by his experiences in the Colombian Amazon in the late 1960's). His lectures focused heavily on his relationship with psilocybin mushrooms, which he eventually claimed to be an advanced extraterrestrial intelligence seeking to communicate with higher evolved species throughout the cosmos. If that sounds too far out, it should. McKenna had a powerful cluster of planets in the twelfth house of his horoscope, a house we associate with experiences of transcendence or which facilitate communion with higher consciousness. In its shadow side, the combination of Scorpio and the twelfth house can push too far beyond the boundaries of reality, tending toward the extremes of escapism. 
 
To many, especially critics of his work, McKenna did just that. His ideas about reality and psychedelic substances, would to most people, appear far-fetched or just plain insane. But, if we look closely at McKenna’s chart, it appears that his life story was pretty clearly in alignment with his spiritual mission--to push the envelope of consciousness and life experience, to dance on the razor edge threshold of reality and the numinous. As someone who has heavily researched (and dabbled with) psychedelics, I can honestly say that I don’t believe these substances to be a form of escapism at all. 
 
I'll admit that I share with McKenna the idea that psychedelics open the mind to a potential we don’t normally have access to. In accord with the Scorpionic archetype, psychedelic substances certainly reveal the raw truth of reality which makes the ego incredibly uncomfortable. It is their nature to momentarily disparage the ego’s grip on an individual’s conscious state, thus showcasing the mind from the perspective of an objective observer. Terence lectured heavily on the nature of the psychedelic experience and its impact on human evolution. He authored several books, including Food of the Gods, True Hallucinations, The Archaic Revival, and The Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide, which he co-authored with his brother, Dennis McKenna. 
 
McKenna died of an aggressive brain cancer in April of 2000 at the age of 54. Perhaps, in some way, at least metaphysically, McKenna pushed too far. Or, perhaps, it was a part of his destiny to do so. Before his death, Terence in true Scorpionic/twelfth house fashion, had this to say about facing the reality of dying, "I always thought death would come on the freeway in a few horrifying moments, so you'd have no time to sort it out. Having months and months to look at it and think about it and talk to people and hear what they have to say, it's a kind of blessing. It's certainly an opportunity to grow up and get a grip and sort it all out. Just being told by an unsmiling guy in a white coat that you're going to be dead in four months definitely turns on the lights. ... It makes life rich and poignant. When it first happened, and I got these diagnoses, I could see the light of eternity, a la William Blake, shining through every leaf. I mean, a bug walking across the ground moved me to tears."

Happy solar return, Terence!

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Honest Assesment: New Moon in Scorpio 2016

Image by Chad Woodward

New Moon @ 7 degrees Scorpio 44'

October 30, 2016

10:38 AM Pacific

1:38 PM Eastern

October's New Moon in tropical Scorpio highlights a time to go deeper within yourself and with those you are connected to. During any New Moon, we are consolidating our energy, turning inward, and recharging ourselves for the new lunar cycle ahead. Notice what emerges around you now. This New Moon is likely to reveal to you insights about life and yourself you may have been unconscious of or weren’t ready to face. The sign of Scorpio deals with uncomfortable truths and favors blunt honesty.
 
With Mercury’s conjunction to the New Moon, use this time to explore subjugated topics--sex, death, occultism, psychology. Take conversations to a new level of depth and meaning. Look around for opportunities to bond, make eye contact, and to say what you’ve been afraid to say. New seeds are being planted for the honest assessment of yourself, your relationships, and more truthful communication. Often, we move through our social interactions behind a superficial veneer.
 
That works well to establish connections, rapport, and social cohesion, but too much politeness deprives us of expressing who we truly are. As the Sun and Moon conjoin in Scorpio, expect that veneer to disappear, exposing us to the raw dimensions of others, ourselves, and the world around us. With Venus and Saturn conjunct in Sagittarius, consider how new or established relationships take on a tone of seriousness, tending toward the assessment or possibility of commitment. Saturn conjunct Venus is stirring up our ideals about partnership, favoring a more sober and realistic assessment of what’s possible (and what supports further growth and maturity).
 
Combined with this Scorpio lunation conjunct Mercury, this might be a time to openly discuss what you really want from yourself and others. Don’t settle for small talk or superficial exchange. This is the season to take things further, maybe even take a risk to fully express yourself to another person you trust. The New Moon makes a trine to Neptune in Pisces. Expect certain topics of exploration or conversations to lead toward an expansion of consciousness or an opportunity to glimpse spiritual insights. If you get anything from this New Moon, keep your mind and heart open to a reality you’ve been avoiding. It has the power to greatly alter your perception, leaving you more insightful and aware of what’s possible.

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You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.