Secrets, Seduction and Shapeshifting
Last Monday night’s Scorpio full pink supermoon shook a lot of people up more than they were expecting. Full moons generally bring culmination and illumination—of what’s been hidden or obscured. Scorpio, associated with the eighth house of the zodiac wheel, is about transformation, the occult, sexuality and all kinds of mergers.
Where Taurus, where the Sun is, is a fairly WYSIWYG sign, all about practical matters and keeping it real, Scorpio prefers to hint and tease and seduce: “Let’s make this interesting, why don't we?”
This month’s full moon occurred on the eve of a related and equally momentous annual celestial event: On Tuesday, Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio, commenced its annual five-and-a-half-month retrograde, or (apparent) backspin, in Capricorn.
For me, there's a strong resonance between these two occurrences. Both set the stage for deep reflection, which is a prerequisite to transformation. (And of course, the big important steps in between are the real work.)
Scorpio doesn’t make things easier, but it can make them more urgent. And because Uranus, the other planetary agent of change, is sandwiched in between the Sun and Taurus’ ruling planet, Venus, there’s an even greater sense of “something’s gotta give.” (Or, for some of us, “something’s gonna blow.”)
What strikes me is that these two planets of transformation (Pluto, Uranus) are intimately connected with earth signs (Pluto in Cap, and all those Taurus planets). That suggests that the changes we’re facing can’t or won’t be abstract theoretical concepts, like changing our opinion about something.
I think that’s a big part of what 2020 was about.
Now the challenge—the invitation—is to make tangible, measurable, embodied changes in our lives, relationships and the very way we show up in the world.
Stuck in a dead-end partnership? Clinging to moribund platonic relationships? Logging frequent-flier miles on an unfulfilling professional hamster wheel? (Oh, I felt some heads nodding there.) Still not sure what your “calling” or “purpose” is?
I’d say Welcome to the club, but that’s a sorority no one wants to accept membership into.
So what do with this Scorpio full moon and Pluto going retrograde?
First thing I’d suggest, and I mean this literally: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Stop whatever you’re doing and give yourself permission, time or just the strong suggestion that you’re going to allow information to come in. Trust your intuition—your “knowing,” which is the Scorpio part—but then, make sure it makes sense in a realistic way (the Taurus/Capricorn).
Mostly, give yourself enough space and freedom to explore these interior landscapes. Pluto dives deep and doesn’t always surface with fun, light or easy material. But this is where the “buried treasure” is to be found.
Where are Taurus/Scorpio in your birth chart? This full moon is at 7º, and Pluto is turning retrograde at almost 27º Capricorn. These events will impact any other planets at very close degrees in the same “modality,” so anything close to 7º of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius, or at 26-28º Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn will get activated. Think about what those planets or major house cusps represent. That’s where the seduction and shapeshifting are most likely to occur.
Pay attention to what comes up for you between now and October 6, when Pluto straightens out, especially any repeating patterns or things that feel more intense or problematic to you than to others going through something similar. These are big clues, and Pluto, the detective of the horoscope, isn’t here to make it easy, just hugely rewarding.
