Photo by Anton Darius | @theSollers on Unsplash
As a Scorpio, I’m here to advise you: Come closer. Closer. This is the one time of year, Scorpio Season (Oct. 23 to Nov. 22), when getting a little closer and looking a little deeper is, in some ways, inevitable.
This dark, sensual, and intense season — and the Scorpio herself — is all about transformation, sloughing off the dead skin and growing a new layer. It’s a time to let the darkness engulf you, trusting that the murky pool you leap into will not let you drown.
Because Scorpio is a water sign, it makes sense that its depth is felt during the time of year when we celebrate holidays like Dia de Los Muertos, Halloween, or All Souls Day. The October-November arch is a time of great depth and reflection. It is the time when the veil has thinned, leaving but a glint of silky dark film to peer through to see the other side. This is a time of ancestral work, when we process old traumas, move through old wounds, embrace our mortality, and light candles for the dead.
In essence, it’s HEAVY doses of self-care!
It is, not surprisingly, also a time of celebration — for those who have passed, yes, but for our mortality. We recognize not just what or who has passed, but that we are still here — and we are full of blood and lust and fun and resistance and dreams and song.
And, it’s no surprise that Scorpio Season is horny as hell, is it? The Scorpio is the sign of sex and death and rebirth — and the body itself is smack-dab in the middle of that cthonic, sexy party. It gives life, it gives pleasure, and it departs. Now is the time to feel all of that, unapologetically.
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As your Scorpio representative, I am here to share the ways you can use this season to your benefit, whether you’ve got not an ounce of Scorpio in your chart, or if perhaps you do (hello, fellow darkling).
1. Get to shadow working
Because Scorpio season occurs (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) during the chilliness and early darkness of Autumn, we are more inclined to nest, naturally becoming more introspective.
This time of year is one of death and decay, change and discovery, making it the time to work with your shadow self. I recently published a book, Light Magic for Dark Times, which is a collection of self-care rituals aimed at trauma management, self-love and regeneration.
In it, I dedicate a chapter to Shadow Work — my favorite chapter to write — which is largely based on the concept of the “shadow,” which, in Jungian psychology, refers to the “dark” side or the unconscious. It’s where we bury memories and feelings, fears and desires. In my book, I recommend getting connected to your shadow self by taking about an hour for yourself and:
- Getting into a comfortable position on the floor or bed, or in a chair
- If possible, lighting a candle — one for each difficult memory or secret feeling or dark desire you feel — to literally illuminate your darkness. Spend a few solid minutes focusing on each.
- Journal or note why the memory or feeling has been buried or repressed or silenced, and what you may want to do to manage it or work through it.
I encourage this practice in steps. If possible, speak with a therapist or support group in tandem. Push yourself to be honest, but be mindful of what you can handle. Not all shadows need to come out at once. For example, I have been working through feelings of insecurity and grief. It’s a structured process.
Keep a shadow journal — a place just for your darknesses; it’s not to be seen as a shameful or dirty thing. If anything, it’s a part of you, one that requires attention to heal or bloom or transform. The Scorpio is all about transformation; this is your turn.
2. Get in touch with your senses, dreams, and intuition.
The Scorpio and its watery siblings — Cancer and Pisces— are highly intuitive signs, bordering on psychic.
This is the time when messages from our unconscious or the “other side” come through clearer or brighter than usual. Nightmares, dreams, gut feelings, and empathic feelings may burst through you. It’s not always pleasant, but if you lean into them, you may find the message you seek.
One practice I like to do is to lay out an assortment of “sense items”: a scarf, a glass of wine, a crystal, some spices. Taste and touch and look upon them, thinking of what they signify. Close your eyes and take note. Let these senses grow and get stronger; this is a super easy and tangible way to get in touch with your senses.
With your gut more tuned in, you can wake up and journal your dreams. When you have a gut feeling, jot it down. What patterns are you seeing? What are you sensing?
3. Make an altar for your dead
During this time of year, we see the streets flooded with images of death: skeletons and Calaveras and coffins and costumes of the dead. Where Halloween is a more purposefully-macabre holiday with roots in Samhain (a Celtic/Pagan festival on October 31 marking the ‘darker half’ of the year — at least in the Northern Hemisphere), the Mexican celebration of Dia de Los Muertos is literally a celebration of those who have passed.
The dead don’t have to be spooky. They can be comforting. They can be missed. They can be loved. And many believe they can speak to us. During this time, establish your connection to both the darkness and the dead and the sacred unknown. I often light a candle for my dead during the later days of October and well through November, letting it burn all day and night. It represents my memories of them, and often I will surround it (carefully!) with pictures or objects that represent them.
So, just as we are reminded of how the earth and our bodies die, a sort of other realm opens — one in which we feel connected, heard, held, alive. Peer into it. Most importantly, have FUN with it. Dance in the dark. Say “fuck off” to what doesn’t serve you. Go deep with your alter ego.
Here is to your transformation.
