Scorpio 2003: Scorpio and the Astral Body. Halloween. Prince Charles.
Keynote
“Warrior I am, and from the battle I emerge triumphant.“
Scorpio and the Astral Body
Scorpio and Halloween
Scorpio and Prince Charles
Scorpio and the Astral Body
Scorpio is the sign of the world disciple and always delivers the most daunting challenges for us to overcome. It is a sign of deep and somewhat brooding intensity and through its ruler Pluto, is well acquainted with the power aspect of the first ray Will-Power equation. Typically in the more undeveloped Scorpio, but also quite commonly in even the developed Scorpio, this power is appropriated through sex and money, two of the themes of the previous sign Libra.
Scorpio has a deserved reputation on the one hand for its dark side and yet on the other it has been unfairly slighted because of the emphasis that has been put on the negative side of Scorpio.
Yet Scorpio essentially rules the human condition from a higher perspective, being the ruler of the “Fourth Creative Hierarchy”, known also as “The Initiates” and the “Lords of Sacrifice”. The latter term relates to that which Humanity must sacrifice through the “making sacred” and lifting up of the lower nature, which of course relates to the sacral or sexual chakra as well as the solar plexus and base of the spine centres.
Uranus, ruler of the Aquarian Age, soul ruler of Libra and ruler of the sacral centre, is exalted in Scorpio:
“Uranus is the planet whose characteristics are the scientific mind, which, at this stage of the disciple’s career, means that he can begin to live the occult life and the way of divine knowledge can take the place of the mystic way of feeling.”1
This is an important consideration as water-sign Scorpio is very much associated with the astral body and an intensity and depth of the emotions. Generically speaking, Scorpio rules over the mystical, heart-centred stage of awareness which culminates at the second degree initiation. Even though this stage of unfoldment is regarded by the Masters as one of the two lesser “Earthly” initiations, it is probably the most difficult to overcome, as a complete control over the astral body must be demonstrated; quite often the higher initiations come in rapid succession when this one has met with success.
Mars, the God of War is the personality and soul ruler of Scorpio. Combine this with the fact that the fourth ray of Harmony through Conflict is the major ray to pour through this sign, we can perceive the intensity of the inner battle, as the pairs of opposites upon the astral plane seek harmony and balance. Those opposites oscillate between love and hate, calm-anger, fear-courage, humility-pride, kindness-cruelty, etc.
In this respect it is easy to see why Mars also rules the solar plexus that “burning ground” that we all tread on our path to the heart. Mars in its lower personality rulership is immersed in materiality, aggression and lust for power in all its guises. Mars in its higher soul rulership is the revealer of that which is at war within, and combined with Pluto, sets about destroying those impediments to progress.
Interestingly Neptune, a sacred planet and god of the astral waters, is the co-ruler of the solar plexus, reflecting the idealism and aspiration which is part of the mystical heart-path of the mystic. The fully flowered mystic and second degree initiate is one who has triumphed over many lower impediments with higher-octave Mars, and has had a resulting, expanded all-seeing consciousness conferred by Neptune.
Of course there are many lives between the first and second initiation where both the lower and higher aspects of these planets are expressing, creating much confusion and glamour within. This is why the keynote for Scorpio on the “ordinary wheel” is “Let maya flourish and deception rule”, whilst on the “reversed wheel” it is “Warrior am I and from the battle I emerge triumphant”.
It is worth mentioning here too that many creative artists are found between these two initiations. The creative throat centre through which the mental body works, is awakening and gaining power, finding its higher expression in some future life at the culmination of the third initiation. Yet at the aspiring mystic and artistic-creativity stage there is much oscillation between the throat and sacral centres which can be seen as two polar opposites; in a similar way we see Taurus as the polar opposite to Scorpio. Let us explore the rest of the above passage relating to the exaltation of Uranus in Scorpio:
“It means also that knowledge can be transmuted into the way of wisdom and of light. This necessarily brings in the will aspect or the influence of the first ray (Vulcan) blended with the seventh ray (Uranus) producing the desired manifestation upon the physical plane. Uranus, therefore, initiates a new order of life and conditions and this – when developed in the life of the disciple – in its turn produces an understanding of the causes of things as they are, and the desire to change the old order and the old orientation into the new.
This produces the reversal of the wheel. This can be seen happening today most clearly in connection with humanity and with world processes. Carried forward to its logical conclusion, the influence of Uranus finally produces an unfolded spiritual consciousness in contradistinction to the human; for this reason, Uranus is exalted in this sign and assumes a position of power and of directed influence.”2
Note “initiates a new order” and “desire to change the old order”, both these phrases are the key to why Uranus is the revolutionary and ruler of that other fixed sign, Aquarius. Humanity en masse are “reversing the wheel”, and pain, confusion, conflict are somewhat incidental to this, being somewhat tranistory from the perspective of the longer cycle.
Scorpio and Halloween
“This date was also the eve of the new year in both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon times and was the occasion for one of the ancient fire festivals when huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits … The souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favourable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death.
Mischief-making on this occasion by boys and young men included overturning sheds and outhouses and breaking windows, and damage to property was sometimes severe. In later years, the occasion has come to be observed mainly by small children, who go from house to house, often in costume, demanding “trick or treat” … ”3
Here we can see many of the Scorpio “traditions” of magic, witchcraft (black or white), the deva realm and death. Interestingly Mercury is the prankster and is the highest or “hierarchical” ruler of Scorpio, yet seems to come through in his “trick or treat” mode.
Scorpio and Prince Charles
Another Briton in the Scorpionic wars (2003) is Prince Charles, one whose interests in organic gardening, astrology and homoeopathy has had him branded “weird” by the British tabloids. The Prince of Wales is an obvious disciple and has Sun in Scorpio with a Taurus Moon.
His life has been a very difficult one from a very young age, at a transition time in history when most monarchies are falling by the wayside. The whole Taurus-Scorpio axis of desire and its fulfilment is being brought out at the moment with allegations of homosexual rape close to the those in the employ of Charles.
The new moon of Scorpio 2003 was conjunct Charles’ Moon and no doubt the progressed Moon back in Taurus for the first time in 27 years is partly the trigger for these events. In about six weeks his progressed Moon will conjoin his north node in Taurus, perhaps seeing some sort of resolution of the crisis.
However, Pluto and Mars, both co-rulers of his Scorpio Sun are being currently activated. Natal Mars is in Sagittarius reflecting some of his alternative philosophies, and transiting Pluto for the whole of 2004 and briefly in August 2005, will move back and forth across Mars.
This will probably mirror some of Charles’ greatest challenges and could well be a torrid time for him. With both planets ruling his Scorpio Sun, which is the integrating personality factor in the chart, he may well find himself going through a “crucible experience”. The fires will burn away any hindrances that may lie within the personality that are counter-productive to soul alignment and opening of the heart. On this latter note, his impending marriage may be related to this.
It could also be a very powerful time for Charles where he finds a strong voice within himself to espouse his philosophies and stand up to the repeated attacks from the tabloid press.
Phillip Lindsay © 2003.
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