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Scorpio
'Scorpio' from 'Urania's Mirror or, a view of the Heavens' (1824)
Contents
Cover
The Myths and Legends of Scorpio
The Stars
The Sun in Astrology
Pluto and Mars, Rulers of Scorpio
The Flowers of Scorpio
Copyright Information
The Myths and Legends of Scorpio
As the Golden Huntsman, Orion, sets in the west each spring, his enemy, the Scorpion, rises in the
eastern sky. For this is the Scorpion who, at the command of Artemis, the chaste goddess of
hunting and the moon, stung the handsome Orion and caused his death, from which even Asclepius,
the god of healing, could not save him.
The Scorpion was also thought to have stung the horses of the sun god's chariot when Phaeton
drove them, causing them to bolt and career through the heavens, drying up rivers and scorching
the earth below. It has also always been greatly feared by sailors, as its autumn setting promised
storms.
But the Scorpion was really formed in about 5000 BC in the Euphrates valley, where it was sacred
to the god of war and was a symbol of the darkness and decay of the waning year. Gilgamesh, the
Babylonian prototype of all our heroes, was challenged by a scorpion-man who guarded the gates
of the sunrise, which were great folding doors in the steep side of the mountains of the East.
Alchemy
For the alchemists, who believed that they could produce gold by releasing the spirit from its
bondage in matter, November, Scorpio's season, when the earth decays, was their busiest time of
year. Only then could the spirit be released, and base metal be transmuted into gold.
The Stars
Antares
The great, red heart of Scorpio, Antares, 'the rival of Mars', was one of the Persian Royal Stars in
3000 BC, and is the Chinese 'Heart of the Green Dragon'. Antares, like the other red 'supergiant',
Betelgeuse in Orion, which rises as it sets, portends war and martial honours. It is surrounded by a
huge red nebula, invisible to the naked eye, and is 700 times larger, and 9000 times brighter than
our sun. North of the Scorpion's tail, where the birthplace of Mars was thought to be located, lies
the famous Butterfly star cluster, appearing to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch half the diameter of
the full moon.
To Locate
The Scorpion of the zodiac, with its curving tail, lies on the zodiac band between Libra, which once
made up its claws, and the wild centaur, Sagittarius, who aims his arrow at its heart. Antares, the
great red star that marks the heart of Scorpio, is 9000 times brighter than our sun.Scorpio also lies
between Hydra and Serpentarius (now Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer), but most of its stars are
invisible from the northern hemisphere. Antares can be seen on summer evenings, a great, red star
low on the southern horizon from the northern hemisphere. It is high in the northern sky during the
winter from the southern hemisphere.
The Sun in Astrology
Just as the sun in the sky is the center of the solar system, the Sun in astrology is the central nucleus
of your personality. If each of the planets circling round the sun represents a single facet of your
personality - Venus describes how you love and Saturn how you relate to responsibility, for
example - then the Sun is the conductor of your personal orchestra, giving meaning and coherence
to the wholeness that is you. It is the part of yourself that you identify with, your sense of self. Its
sign - your sun-sign - and house position, as well as the aspects that it makes to other planets,
describe your true potential; the 'you' you are deep down and are striving to express, as well as your
will, your goals and purpose. While the feminine Moon represents your Soul, the masculine Sun
represents your Spirit. Its position in your chart also shows the ways in which your outlook has
been influenced by your father.
The Sun in Scorpio
With the Sun in Scorpio, you are a passionate person and you never do things by half measures.
Still waters run deep with you and you do not show your feelings to anyone or everyone who
comes along. Others may accuse you of being secretive or hard to fathom, but it is the very power
of your emotions that makes you so cautious. For you can be hurt, and, when you are, you do not
take it lightly, and you tend to take revenge. However, you are loyal to the end to those who do not
let you down, and your perseverance and determination mean that you can overcome the greatest
setbacks. For Scorpio is the sign of transformation and regeneration, and your ability to leave the
past behind you and start over is your greatest strength.
Pluto and Mars, Rulers of Scorpio
The ruling planet of your personal chart is the one that rules your Rising Sign. However, if Scorpio
is your Sun Sign, its ruler, Pluto, will also play an important role in your psychology.
Pluto Lord of the Underworld, governs the unconscious mind, as well as hidden riches. Secrets,
intense emotions, soul truths and sudden endings and beginnings are also ruled by mysterious Pluto,
the most recently discovered and most distant of the planets. It gives magnetism and an almost
X-ray insight into others' motives. Its position at birth shows where change and soul growth can
occur.
Because it is the furthest planet from the Sun, Pluto takes so long to travel through one zodiac sign
that you share its influence by sign with your whole generation, as you do with Uranus and
Neptune.
Mars, the Ancient Ruler of Scorpio
The god of action and of war, portrayed with helmet, shield and sword, Mars rules strength,
courage, leadership, decisiveness and sexuality, as well as rashness and aggression. The wolf and
the woodpecker were sacred to Mars. The dynamic 'red planet' which belongs to him stands
between us and the outer solar system.
The fiery and dynamic planet, Mars, rules your will power, sexuality and drive. Its sign and house
position, as well as the links it makes to other planets, show your energy and motivation. It is the
action planet, revealing where, and how, you are assertive, as well as your courage - and aggression.
It also rules your sex drive and your general libido.
In a woman's chart it shows what kind of man she is drawn to.
In a man's chart it also describes his type of masculinity.
The Flowers of Scorpio
The flower of Pluto, Scorpio's planet, is the sweetly scented narcissus, which Proserpine, the
daughter of the corn goddess, Ceres, was gathering when she was abducted by Pluto and taken to
the underworld below to be his queen.
But flowers of the mountains and wild places, such as bright, golden broom and thorny gorse, royal
blue mountain gentians, with their martial, spiky leaves, wild pink cyclamen and anemones, or
wind flowers, belong to Scorpio, too, as they are ruled by Mars, Scorpio's other ruling planet. Your
trees are cypress, hawthorn, or may, ash and frankincense. Your herbs are warm and spicy ginger,
pepper, coriander and basil, which are also ruled by energetic, fiery Mars.
Basil is especially considered to be Scorpio's herb.
Your essential oils are basil, coriander, ginger and frankincense, which warm and soothe, balancing
your strong, Scorpio emotions and bringing out your natural courage.
The Jewels of Scorpio
Scorpio, the most magnetic and intense of all the signs, has the bloodstone as its precious stone.
The bloodstone was believed to protect its wearer from ill health and brought both respect and
consideration from others. It also guards against deception, strengthening Scorpio's well- known
insight into others and their motives. The deep red garnet reflects the passionate, hidden emotions
of Scorpio, putting the wearer in touch with the healing springs of their deep feelings and bringing
warmth and trust.
Copyright Catherine Tennant, from 'The Box of Stars,
a Guide to the Night Sky and to its Myths and Legends'.
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