The Sun now begins to move through the mystery of SCORPIO. It is ‘the season of the witch’!
When I was just beginning my journey into astrology, I encountered a fellow who authoritatively informed me that as a Scorpio, he was a ‘fiery’ sort of guy. I wrinkled my brow as I tried to understand how this fixed water sign could be viewed as ‘fiery’. I was just starting my beginner courses so I had to stop & think about what he was saying. Then, 
suddenly, I got it! He was actually zoning in on the Mars side of Scorpio since that planet ‘co-rules’ this energy. Mars is also linked with the sign of Aries, a cardinal fire sign. That is the energy that he felt within himself, impulsive, instinctive, passionate, intuitive, artistic & independent. It’s there, for sure. The Mars side of Scorpio makes this complex energy even more complex than first imagined. In fact, if the Mars side of Scorpio is not properly integrated into the whole of the energy, it can really mess things up. A developed Scorpio will know when to access the primal thrust of Mars without becoming a victim to its potential chaos. An undeveloped Scorpio will suffer the consequences of that potentially chaotic energy at a far deeper level than any Aries ever will since Aries is much better equipped to instinctively push & thrust his way into manifestation! Scorpio, on the other hand, needs to clearly understand his instincts if he is to successfully manage his Mars side.
The planet associated with Scorpio in modern times, since about 1930, is Pluto, now designated as a ‘dwarf’ planet. Most astrologers rolled their eyes when the secular world decided to downgrade the 9th planet to this status. Call it what you wish, Pluto opens up centers within the self as nothing else can. When Pluto comes into contact with any of your personal energy (& this happens in a multitude of ways!!!), the only thing you can do is take a deep breath & enter the darkness in the cave of your soul to meet your core self, full-frontal…Keep those eyes open, little flower…lol!
That may sound like a scary prospect but it doesn’t have to be. The scary part occurs if you have been living an inauthentic life. Worst case scenario is that the dishonesty upon which you have based your reality structure will begin to tremble & ultimately explode before your very eyes. (Pluto is linked to the atomic bomb—get it?) That, indeed, is scary. What the ego-self 
seeks is security, safety, a sense of place. Thus, truth-telling can be earth-shaking if your so-called sense of security is based on something that is NOT REAL or even worse, downright deceptive. However, the happy side of this story is that once the lies have been swept away in the tidal force of Pluto’s ‘devastation’, a new day can begin. Gone are all of the old soul-denying elements of your former life. It’s almost like having a blank slate (not quite) to work with. You can begin to fill up the empty places of your SELF with authentic representations of who you are.
An example of this could be something as simple as suddenly realizing that your primary relationship is not an expression of your ‘real’ heart impulse. Maybe you went into it for reasons other than love. Maybe you pretended to be the person you thought your partner wanted. Maybe you had just come out of another relationship that had left you vulnerable & confused. It could well be any number of reasons but the bottom line is that you come to realize that whatever the impulse that led you into the relationship was, it was NOT AUTHENTIC. If you choose to work with the Plutonic energy of TRANSFORMATION, you will have to make some hard choices in regards to your relationship & those choices will inevitably transform your reality. This is not easy but it is always exhilarating.
A real-life example is as follows: A young woman found herself in a ‘dead-end’ relationship even though she desperately wanted to be with someone she could love. Because her motivation was idealistic, (Sagittarius Ascendant), she had overlooked various troubling characteristics that her ‘ideal’ partner displayed. For 
several years, she worked hard to ‘change’ him (broken wing syndrome), but, of course, that never works. Finally, Pluto began his approach to her ascendant degree & moved into her first house. Suddenly, she reached the end of her rope. The relationship ended (badly). The interesting thing in this experience is that leaving the relationship also triggered further self-assessment which led to her switching careers. Over a few years, she completely altered her public persona through the sheer force of her will (1st house) to do so. Instead of limiting herself to a 9-5 office job, she became a self-employed entrepreneur & eventually gained a reputation solely by word of mouth. Today, though the journey has not been easy, she is well-known and sought after in her ‘new’ field of enterprise. And, just to drive home the point, this all happened when she was well into her 30’s since she had 
already created a successful career for herself in her prior incarnation. The point is, that it was not easy, it was damn hard, for her to take the leap into re-invention but after the challenges she endured, she came out the other side, less conflicted & more aligned to her own truth. That’s what the combo of Pluto & the 1st house can look like if you just resolve to follow your gut.
Mythologically, Pluto (Greek, Hades), is the God of the Underworld, a member of the pantheon of Gods but happy to dwell in his dark mysterious realm rather than with his brother & sister deities. The mythic stories all center around potential loss, reparation, and action & consequence. The stories can be uncomfortable, dealing with core survival issues & taboo subjects. In one of the primary narratives, the story of the 
abduction of Prosperina (Greek, Persephone), Pluto is a manipulative conniver, kidnapper, & (horrors!), rapist. And yet, in that same story, he appears to win over his victim & come to terms of agreement with his accusers. Now that’s ‘restorative justice’ at work!!!
And, so it is with the astrological Pluto. When Pluto interacts with natal energy, the effects can be devastating, unthinkable, and seemingly irredeemable but ultimately, rejuvenating, if one holds to one’s inner truth through to the end.
Pluto takes about 250 years to get through all of the 12 signs of the zodiac or, in astronomical terms, to orbit the Sun. Since 2008, he has been transiting the sign of Capricorn & will enter Aquarius in the next few years. Because of the elliptical nature of the Pluto orbit, he can spend from 12-20 ish years in any one sign. He will transit Capricorn for about 16 ish years, (& Aquarius for another 20 ish years). Capricorn refers to everything that holds our current reality together, the overlords, the governments, the laws, the monetary systems, the supply chains, …yes, everything that we have come to know & accept about our current social system. Pluto, however, uncovers the flaw, the lie, the UNTRUTH. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that our current social system with all of its hidden & overt power structures is struggling to maintain itself. People have become both increasingly disenchanted with their ‘overlords’ & strangely, more compliant to those same overlords’ demands. The economic grid is in disarray 
and yet we, in the so-called ‘first world’, continue to cling to the idea that it works. Over and over, it is revealed just how corrupt the political systems, worldwide, really are. Most of the world is under authoritarian control while the so-called ‘democratic’ countries are increasingly shown to be playing at an ersatz democracy. How many times have we heard about rigged elections in the second & third world? Do you really think it is any different here in the first world? And, even if you still have faith in the electoral process that YOU participate in, who, really is running the government. As an example, there are bureaucrats behind the scenes who ‘advise’ each subsequently elected government who have held their positions for decades though not 
through a democratic process but rather because of powerful union advocacy that prevents them from losing their jobs. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man who has, for the last 2 years controlled the U.S. response to the so-called Pandemic, is the highest-paid Federal employee in the U.S. and who controls a budget of over 40 BILLION dollars. In many cases, it is his sole privilege to dispense those funds according to his preference. That is the power to influence and yet he has NEVER been elected by the people for the people. There are many like him in all democracies in the Western world.
Finally, democracy can only work if the people actually go out & vote, not because of an aggressive media campaign but because they have actually informed themselves of the critical issues & 
arrived at a conscious, logical conclusion in terms of who to elect. This is not a particular partisan statement. If you vote left, do you know why you vote left? Can you make a reasonable, clear argument for your position? If you vote to the right, can you do the same? And, even more importantly, are you willing to sit down with someone who holds opposite views from you? Are you willing to actually have a debate about issues with those who disagree with you? Do you have it in you to look for areas of compromise & agreement rather than focusing on difference & dispute? Sadly, most voters (a fraction of those who actually have the privilege to vote: last Federal election, 62% of the population voted here in Canada), cast their vote based on minute-long ads & 15 second sound bites. And, even more sadly, 
most voters vote for the candidate who is promising them the biggest entitlement, rather than taking the LONG VIEW & choosing what is best for the collective as a whole. No wonder our leaders continue to lie their way into elected office. One can only hope that there are still some honest politicians who will eventually swell in number.
The transit of the God of the Underworld, when secrets that are held can be suddenly & even violently exposed, through the establishment energy of Capricorn, has forced all of us to re-examine the fundamental construct of the society that we have collectively brought into form. Are we living authentic HUMAN lives? Is this really the way we, as HUMANS, should be existing? We have built cities of steel that reach up into the heavens. Some of us NEVER touch the earth with our bare feet. Some of us have never seen a natural living ecosystem, a FARM, 
that generates our food. We have to ask ourselves if we are satisfied with this state of affairs. What is the future we are creating as we continue to perpetuate this artificial way of life? That is the question that Pluto is asking as he slowly trudges through the social artifice that is our current reality.
There’s a story in Genesis about a TOWER that a mighty hunter, named Nimrod, built to challenge God himself; to demonstrate his power & superiority over God’s creation. His assertion was that he could live in the heavens just like God. The end of that story was that GOD, (the Divine), intervened 
& totally undid what Nimrod had been attempting to do. By confusing the language of the people, communication was disrupted & the famous TOWER came to naught. Because they could no longer communicate with one another, the people scattered to the far corners of the earth & had to start all over! Nimrod passed away into oblivion leaving behind the morality tale of what can happen when hubris is demonstrated by one who does not have the capacity to actually follow through on his egotistical claims.
Is this what that old story was talking about? Was it a warning that separating ourselves from NATURE would eventually lead to 
destruction? The Tower of Babel was a monolithic structure that could also represent the singular systems that have been developed in these dystopian times. The global overlords control all aspects of society from distribution of both natural resources & information dispensation to political/economic systems and even to spiritual disciplines. Their control of these various social constructs ranges from the overtly obvious to the clandestine, secretive & manipulative. It is only now, as Pluto nears the completion of his transit through Capricorn that we are beginning to realize how coordinated & complete this control really is. This is the battle that has been 
raging for millennia, the little man against the big machine. That ‘big machine’ has morphed throughout the centuries, changed its face, altered its delivery system. What has remained constant is ‘the little man’—you, me, us. Nothing can prevent the force of love & goodness which resides in the heart of the ordinary 
human being. In the end, LOVE WILL PREVAIL. That is the promise that Pluto makes for his transit of the AQUARIUS/ LEO polarity. If we send LOVE out, we will receive LOVE in return. Of the MANY, for the ONE. The ONE for the MANY. May it be so…
Pluto stationed Direct on October 6, 2021, @ 25* Capricorn. He will remain direct until April 29, 2022, when he stations Retrograde @ 29* Capricorn. These are the last few degrees of the Virgo decanate of Capricorn where the final analysis can be made of all that has been uncovered, brought to light. What shall we hold onto? What is now worthless? Can we really make a fresh start with what is left? Is Transformation possible? Think about it.
If Pluto has activated any of your personals during his transit through Capricorn, you are being asked to re-evaluate yourself.
Pluto/Sun: This is the complete transformation of the ideal self. A re-thinking of your core impulse to re-create yourself. What are your hopes & dreams & how can they better reflect who you have become? Can you be the best version of your potential self?
Pluto/Moon: You have been turned inside out & outside in and over again. Are you in touch with your authentic feelings? Have you been to your confessor (your higher self) & laid bare your sorrows & your grief? Can you touch your inner place of JOY? Are you still confined to inauthentic heart-based expressions? Have you found forgiveness for yourself & for those around you?
Pluto/Mercury: Do not be afraid to think the unthinkable. Step outside the box that has held you a prisoner. Be bold in your thoughts & in the expression of those thoughts. Be a FREE thinker! Go where you have not gone before.
Pluto/Venus: Do not be startled if you suddenly realize that what you want is not what you have been trying to get. Give yourself permission to love as you will rather than as you must. Be brave & be true to the values that most accurately reflect who you have become.
Pluto/Mars: Accidents happen to those who take a so-called wrong path. Check your map to be sure that you are heading in the right direction. Stop pushing that square peg into that round hole. They do not fit together. If you are currently in the midst of chaos, hang on tight & carry on. The one constant is change.
As we move into this mysterious & magical ‘season of the witch’, the Sun’s transit through Scorpio, we should take the time to look within, go deep into our secret selves & unearth what lies beneath. Self-assessment is never pleasant, even for those amongst us who appear to have succeeded. There is always more work to be done in the struggle to ‘ascend’, and particularly so during these strange, dystopian times when it appears that many in our human family have lost their way completely. Stand steady. Stay the course. Keep searching for your own authentic expression. Only show love to those who show you hate. Forgive them. Love them to the best of your capacity to do so. And, always, stay close to the divine that keeps you safe; she is your constant protector.
From the THE WAY OF LIFE: ACCORDING TO LAO TZU
translated by WITTER BYNNER
VERSE 18
When people lost sight of the way to live
Came codes of love and honesty,
Learning came, charity came,
Hypocrisy took charge;
When differences weakened family ties
Came benevolent fathers and dutiful sons;
And when lands were disrupted and misgoverned
Came ministers commended as loyal.
HOW I CHOOSE THE VERSES THAT I ADD AT THE END OF THE BLOG:
After I have written my blog, I focus for a moment & pick up my copy of the book that I have chosen to use. In this case it is the one translated by Witter Bynner. I hold it lightly, close my eyes & begin to shuffle through the pages until I feel that I have come to the appropriate one. In every case, once I open my eyes & read the verse, I am astonished at the synchronicity that is evident. So far, this process has yet to disappoint me. Other times, I am moved to do some free flow writing & a poem might emerge.