The Scorpio New Moon's big reveal

On a magical trip to the Costa Rican rain forest a number of years ago, I went hiking with a British couple and their three adorable little girls. We trekked through the lush jungle, competed in spotting exotic creatures and waded through a cool babbling stream. It was an intoxicating day, but that’s not the point I want to make.

I had my digital camera with me and snapped a lot of photos. And with every click, one, two or all three of the girls would scurry over to me, insisting on seeing the picture. “But we’re standing right here in the forest—or waterfall!” I pointed out.

They didn’t care. They were far more fascinated with the image on my camera screen than the raw beauty we were immersed in.

And that reminds me of our wonderful local meteorologist (when you live in a hurricane zone, you come to know your weatherperson on an almost personal level). He’s reliable, responsible and intent on keeping everyone calm. He gives solid info every few hours in the days leading up to an event, and then he says, and I’m paraphrasing, “When the hurricane is almost here, stop reading my forecasts and go see what’s happening outside your front door.”

How’s that connected to astrology…?

I am absolutely passionate about astrology. To me, it’s the unrivaled best tool for self-understanding (and much more). There’s a reason I call a chart a psychic MRI: because skillful and sensitive interpretation can help you “diagnose” a person’s life, experiences, challenges, gifts and soul purpose—also timing—with eerie accuracy.

But there’s one thing astrology can’t do, and that’s live your life for you.

As you learn the language of astrology, you (or your astro counselor) can talk about your disposition, ambitions and blocks, and that typically leads to a discussion about how to overcome limiting beliefs, make the most of circumstances, develop resilience and coping skills, and map out a path to your vision.

But just like how your doctor’s MRI doesn’t actually fix anything, the chart and the astrological counseling don’t move the needle. They inform and guide, but it’s you that gets to do the work.

When we glance in a mirror, we don’t smooth down the reflection’s hair or pick the kale out of its teeth. Of course not: That’s silly. We all know the mirror is just an aid that helps us see what needs adjustment.

And yet the contemporary popularity of astrology—and whenever something becomes “pop,” you can bet on it getting watered down—is turning people’s focus to the chart and the planets rather than their personal agency.

“What does that mean…?” and “What’s going to happen…?” are the perfect wrong questions to ask when you work with your chart. Far better would be, “What are the opportunities…?” or “What’s the evolutionary potential here…?”

I know people who describe themselves by stating their planetary placements. “I’m an Aries with a Sag Moon and Taurus rising.” All well and good, but what are you like? What are your dreams? That’s what I want to know.

Believing that the planets cause action rather reflect it is the number one biggest mistake impassioned new students make. The moment the penny drops and you realize the chart is a mirror of your inner landscape, that’s when you gain the built-in advantage of working with these cosmic symbols.

So what about that Scorpio New Moon?

Friday hosts the year’s only New Moon in Scorpio, and it’s a doozy—and not just because it’s on the eve of the U.S. Presidential election. (Note: This is a politics-free zone.) All New Moons are about planting seeds and considering infinite possibilities. But this one is stunningly rich in interconnectedness.

At 8:47am EDT, the luminaries align at 9º35 Scorpio. In the Washington, DC, chart, that falls in the 12th house, and the auspicious Part of Fortune sits smack on the Ascendant (to the minute) at 22º47 Scorpio. November 1 is also the Day of the Dead in certain Latin cultures, most famously Mexico’s, and participating in the collective honoring of ancestors there is a profound experience you will never, ever forget.

Scorpio, of course, is the sign of mystery and intrigue; of secrets and subterranean topics and metaphysics; of shadow and rawness, obsession, power and control. Scorpio and the 8th house (in modern astrology) are associated with birth, death and rebirth: regeneration and transformation. One of its three symbols is the phoenix bird, which rises from its own ashes—which you can read literally or as a metaphor for going through the fire and emerging stronger and wiser.

One way to look at the luminaries is to associate the Sun with conscious expression and the Moon with all things unconscious. When they unite every month, it’s a fusing of our inner and outer selves: Our ego can come into alignment with our true essence. And in Scorpio, this is about as deep and raw and scarily revelatory as it gets.

This New Moon is hardly occurring in a vacuum. It’s in a supportive trine with Saturn, which is about making things real, solid and sustainable. And the two rulers of Scorpio (traditional ruler Mars and modern ruler Pluto) are in a partile opposition and both at the last (“anaretic”) degree, with Mars at 29 Cancer and Pluto at 29 Capricorn—and out of bounds, meaning gloves off, rules suspended, let the chips fall where they may.

(Mars and Pluto will face off two more times in this cycle but not in these signs, which signals an end of a very long era.)

Venus, also out of bounds, in Sagittarius, is applying to an opposition with Jupiter, which rules it. (But good luck ruling an OOB planet!) Plus there’s a shimmering grand water trine involving Mercury, Mars and Neptune. It’s almost too much to unpack.

To make the most of this energy, superimpose Friday’s transits on your natal chart. What’s getting activated? (The tighter the orb, the stronger the influence is felt.) Finding planets or points at 9-10º of any fixed sign suggests areas where you can dig a little deeper and be a little more truthful with yourself. And planets at 29º of any cardinal or 0º of fixed signs are getting majorly activated, but chances are you’ve known that for a while.

For all of us, bottomless Scorpio power is on tap. New Moons are a time to sit and reflect on your intentions for the coming lunar cycle and even the next six months. What are you still developing (fixed-sign energy), where do you need to put in more effort and reconnect to your purpose or release control and do that most terrifying thing: trust the process. Why scary? Because Scorpio’s ultimate teaching is that in spite of everything we’ve scrambled to put into place, we really aren’t in control here.