So, I remember when I was a teenager, one of my favorite music videos was Thriller by Michael Jackson. (I’ve put a link to it on YouTube below, in case you live under a rock and have never seen it)

All those zombies, ghouls, and creatures of the night were simply fascinating; not to mention, the creepiness of Vincent Price.

Now, 30+ years later, I am still mesmerized by horrors and hauntings, but for different reasons.

You see, all these nocturnal aberrations are alive and well and living in the subterranean realm of the sign of Scorpio.

And, guess what?  It’s Scorpio Season!

Everyone knows I love mythology, and the mythic figures that represent the sign of Scorpio could easily be transported from the underworld to Michael Jackson’s video, but my favorite could easily be his queen – her name is Medusa.

I was a little concerned about writing about the sign of Scorpio because it’s not as easy to digest as some of the other signs, and is as confusing as Pisces in its meaning.  It requires finding your way through the dark, and the dark can sometimes be quite scary.

As I am writing this blog post, Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney has joined over 100+ gymnasts that have accused USA gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, of sexual abuse.  This comes on the heels of disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s abuse allegations and the on-going accusations of US President Donald Trump.  The #metoo (hashtag created by actress Alyssa Milano) revolution began as Jupiter moved into Scorpio.

In many ways, Scorpio season brings to the surface our darkest feelings and emotions.  The ones that we hide from people because they are not gentle, warm and fuzzy, or stuff you discuss over a pumpkin spice latte.  They are feelings, emotions, and experiences that haunt our souls and often leave us paralyzed.  These experiences change us forever.  We cannot go back to who we were before they happened.

This brings me back to Medusa.  There are several versions of the myth, but the one that I feel is most relatable – especially in our current climate goes a bit like this:

Medusa was a priestess of the Goddess Athena. One night the God Poseidon (Athena’s mortal enemy) raped Medusa in Athena’s temple.  Athena, being a virgin goddess was enraged and to protect Medusa from Poseidon, she transformed Medusa into a winged monster with powerfully hypnotic eyes, a snake-like tongue, serpent locks, and her gaze turned men to stone.

The image is powerful, and it’s a symbol of anyone that has been violated by life’s circumstances.  The power that circumstances have upon us can continue for years and years, and for some violations, they can continue to plague us for a lifetime.  Meanwhile, if the issues are not dealt with, the snakes become more numerous, the bitterness becomes more potent, and anger towards life begins to control our very existence.  It infects us from the inside and projects itself onto how we relate to the outer world.

We have all been violated by life on one level or another, and the Medusa is alive and well. She is a universal archetypal figure, and she can spring forth through many experiences, not just sexual based ones.  She can come out because of being abandoned, feeling unlovable, codependency issues, adult children issues, and she is a frequent bed partner of the depressed.

There is a resolution for Medusa issues.  After all, she is just as redeemable as any other mythic figure.

In the myth, Perseus can conquer Medusa with gifts that the gods gave him.  A reflective shield and sword from Athena, winged sandals and a magic wallet from Hermes, and an invisible helm from Hades.

Perseus cannot attack Medusa the way a normal hero would conquer a monster. Instead, he must travel to her lair in the underworld and make himself invisible.  This means that we must travel into our unconscious and deal with the issues that Medusa controls, but we must do it invisibly.  We cannot approach her directly because she freezes us to stone. For many, psychotherapy or support groups is the indirect approach and for others, it is simply managing dark emotions in a way that gives them value and meaning.

Perseus then must use the reflective shield and sword to cut off Medusa’s head and let the poison out.  Of course, many people get caught up in the defeat of Medusa. It is rather epic; however they often miss the key – for Perseus to kill her, he must look in his shield, and what do we see when we look in a mirror?  We see ourselves.  It is only through the process of reflection that we can see Medusa without being frozen to stone.

REFLECTION AND SELF-HONESTY is the key to the sign of Scorpio.  It is the month where we can look at ourselves and come to terms with our darker parts and redeem the Medusa within.  Remember, when Medusa is killed she releases her son Pegasus — A beautiful stead that can travel upwards into heaven and commune with the gods.  He is a symbol that something good always comes out of something bad. By facing our darkest feelings and emotions, we can transmute them into something positive that we can use so that we can flourish and grow.

Are you ready to find your way through the dark?

Notable dates:

October 26^th – Sun conjoins Jupiter – This is a great aspect and probably one of the most positive astrological aspects of the year.  With Scorpio season underway, this is an amazing time to spend doing you.  Nurture yourself a little, explore things you want to see, perhaps a bit of travel, or looking at the big picture of your life.  Sun square Jupiter is the big ‘anything is possible’ aspect, so use it to your advantage.

November 9^th – Sun sextile Pluto – Pluto is the natural ruler of Scorpio, and many of those ghouls and goblins I discussed in the main article apply to him as well.  We all have ghouls and demons. We have abuse ghouls, self-importance ghouls, unlovable ghouls, poverty ghouls, depression ghouls, and all other fears and anxiety ghouls.   However, the sextile gives us the opportunity to deal with them and reclaim our power.  Use this time to begin to face your ghouls honestly and with the power of acceptance you can begin to change them.

November 17^th – Sun inconjunct Uranus – Uranus likes to shake things up.  He likes to show the flaws in any plan because anything rooted in the physical world is just not good enough for Uranus.  Because of this, you may feel thwarted by obstacles when they present themselves.  Anything that shakes up your world can be nerve-wracking, even if it ultimately is better for you.  Try to avoid idealizing a perfect life that doesn’t exist.  You can notice yourself doing this with two little words – IF ONLY.

Happy Scorpio Season!

Storm