Profile

Gender

Female

Grace

Water

Sign Type

Fixed

Number of the Zodiac

8

Ruler

co-ruled by pluto and mars

Day of the Week

none

Colours

crimson, vermillion, deep reds of all hues blue-green, cream

Gemstones

turquoise, ruby, topaz, malachite, jasper

Metal

iron and steel

Flowers and plants

cactus, ivy, leeks, bramble heather, oak

Tarot Cards

death (regeneration)

Cities and Countries

Liverpool, new Orleans, Washington DC, fez Egypt, libya, Syria, morocco, norway

Animals

Scorpion, eagle Dove and wolf

Negatives

Hates people who drop in uninvited, can be sadistic and cruel with verbal rhetoric, can be incredibly intolerant of human failings, are quick tempered, has a large ego, is distrustful, ruthless in getting to the top, judgemental, critical, manipulative, vindictive, uses people to get personal power or gains, moody, secretive, hides emotions in public, suspicious, can be self-destructive and prone to bouts of darkness and/or depression.

Positives

Great determination to achieve, tenacious ability to keep going even in the face of adversity, intuitive, penetrating, sensual, compassionate, seducer, sexy, dynamic, magnetic, self-focussed, self-reliant, loyal friend, inspirational, philosophical, devoted partner, good looking, mesmerising eyes, gives honest answers and appraisals, wise and confident.

Symbolism, mythology and influence

The planet Pluto is a relatively recent discovery in man’s time frame, discovered only in 1930. Scorpio also shared Mars as one of its rulers with Aries. Mars is now considered to be a ‘lower’ form of the Plutonic energy matrix, but is still the ruler of Aries. It is the last planet known to man, and is deep, dark and mysterious. Which gives many clues to the characteristics of the Scorpio being. It is an unusual planet to say the least. Its orbit is irregular, unlike the rest of the planets, which scribe relatively concentric circles around the Sun. It’s inclination is such that it passes between Uranus and Neptune on its journey, adding to its mystery.

The most commonly used glyph for Pluto is a capital P and a capital L joined together. It also has an esoteric symbol that brings together the elemental pictures of the semi circle of the soul over the cross of matter that together depicts the evolution of mankind. Suffice to say here however, is that Pluto stands for regeneration, transformation and change.

Various ancient religions, both in real terms and in mythological terms, have dealt with regeneration, transformation and death by giving the process a ‘human form’, then giving this human form a god-like persona or making it a deity.

The most well known of these would be Pluto as the god of the underworld, [Greek], and is also known as Hades, Satan, Shiva and Hel [Norse people]. Pluto deals with transcendence and purification (sometimes through ‘fire’) of the soul so that it can pass on, cleansed, into the afterlife to be reborn in another form. The concept of reincarnation is attached to the Plutonic process.

As the ruler of the 8th house of the zodiac, it is not for nothing that this house is associated with death, sex, secrets and change. The energy is impenetrable and usually intractable and stubborn.

The constellation of Scorpio is one of the largest in our heavens and contains the great red star of Antares to which many ancient civilisations erected monuments to celebrate its passage through the night skies.

The glyph of Scorpio a capital M connected with an arrow that points upwards, this is suggestive of a coiled serpent ready to strike its victim. To cause it death so that it can be transformed either by becoming a meal or dying and moving into the afterlife. It also represents the males’ sexual energy, intercourse and orgasm; for sex and death are the two most generative, regenerative and transforming of all processes known to humans. Scorpio is sometimes seen as the Serpent in the Garden of Eden who tempted Eve and caused the Fall from Grace. The greatest transformation of all!

Archetype

All the zodiac signs are complex and interesting, but probably none more so than secretive, dark and sexual Scorpio. Scorpio and the placement of the other planets in the 8th house that it rules can create quite distinctive patterns and characteristics, in physical, mental and spiritual terms for the Scorpio ruled person.

The fixed female water sign Scorpio rules the 8th house of the zodiac, which deals with death, sex, inheritances, legacies, secrets and investigations. The water in which Scorpio dwells is very deep, that over time proves to be a relentless power that wears down even the hardest of people or things. But being a water sign also makes these individuals rather sensitive or intuitive too.

The fixidity of Scorpio is represented by ice. This can mean an icy heart that is not easily melted, or that keeps the truth hidden and does not allow others to penetrate within the hallowed halls of either their personality or love.

There is said to be a trinity within the Scorpio domain, as she moves from one phase to another, she becomes manifest as certain types of Scorpio, for they are not all the same! The first phase of Scorpio is the scorpion, who exercises her power through a sheer instinct for survival, kill or be killed. The second phase is the eagle that uses the power of her intellect to get what she wants. Lastly the dove, the final phase, where icy waters have been melted, perhaps through love or death, and where she can at last give love and be at peace. A Scorpio can be any one of these, or move through the phases over a lifetime.

Not to be forgotten however, is the representation of the spider, who most assuredly shows quite clearly how Scorpio lures her prey into being transformed by her power. At her manipulative best she weaves her web and waits patiently.

Because of the secret nature of Pluto, the ruler of this sign, Scorpio is the most likely of signs to be swayed by the dark side. But is just as likely to be pulled into the light, albeit kicking and screaming most often, for they find it easier to merge with darkness than light and can give in to long periods of brooding or depression. Though often they have to give in to the lighter side of life, it is usually only in the short-term, in order to achieve a long-term goal or objective they hold dear.

What you see is very often not what you get with a Scorpio, they are like an iceberg, with most of their true selves hidden under the cover of a blanket of ice. This makes it very difficult for others to truly know them. They love mystery too. This is surely the sign of James Bond, the Mars-Pluto ruled spy, who has a licence to kill, and skilfully manipulates beautiful women into making love to him with his charm and allure!

They are driven to find out, to investigate, to tenaciously do what they feel they must do to get what they have chosen to get. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it is the energy behind it that makes all the difference with a Scorpio. They share their dogged gnaw at the bone behaviour with the other fixed signs of Taurus, Leo and Aquarius, all of whom can keep an eye on the goal or aim like no other.

Transformation, of one kind or another, is usually a key issue with lots of Scorpios. Whether this is through birth, death or sex, they seem fundamentally concerned with rites of passage in more ways than one.

They are extremely sensual, sexual, passionate animals and can be incredibly ardent, yet they also have a sensitive side to their nature that is uncovered when they find the love of their life, or people whom they trust completely. Eroticism is also one area where Scorpio excels. Yet they are rarely promiscuous, and tend to go from love to love, rather than have many strings to their bow. But once you’ve earned their trust more than one will tell you the one about the night they too walked on the wild side! But usually they value depth of commitment and give it too.

Pluto also rules money. The Greeks gave us the word plutocracy meaning a class of people who rule by virtue of their great wealth. You only have to look at Bill Gates which is a Scorpio, to see how that works. Control is the keyword.

A lot of Scorpios can be associated with large international companies or financial institutions because they know that where there is power there is wealth, for they believe that the two go hand in glove. Many Scorpios are wheeler-dealer types who work in finance, stocks and shares. They can hold extreme views about money and power too, and not only dream about it, but dare to make that dream a reality in whatever way they can.

Do not ever try to deceive a Scorpio, for if a transgression is discovered the Scorpio will do all in his or her power to make you regret the day you were born! Such is the fixed will that Scorpio has. They can be jealous, even though you may never know that, and will demand unswerving loyalty in return for theirs. If you find that your friendship, love relationship or business partnership has ended don’t ever expect a Scorpio to look back, for they know only too well that what has happened will undoubtedly be for the best. They realise that it is a transformation or a transmutation and they will move on to the next thing. A rejected Scorpio is not one to forgive or forget, ever. It is very easy for Scorpio to move on. But many have to choose between the power of love and the desire for power.

They can have almost psychic powers about other peoples motives and seem able to see secrets no matter how well hidden they may be.

Intelligent, discerning and charming, the Scorpio is a person who can be trusted and can be counted on not to gossip. But if you miss a Scorpio when you call them, it doesn’t usually concern them for they believe that it’ll be your loss not theirs. They are too busy doing their own thing to worry about others. Out of sight out of mind is very often their catch phrase. That’s one of the negative aspects of Scorpio.

Scorpio can seem reserved even distant, yet there is an air of magnetism that shimmers around them. They seem to be the ones who have that certain something about them that defies explanation. They don’t need to be extremely good looking, though they often are, as it’s the energy around them that attracts.

Scorpios at work enjoy autonomy and like to be in control. When they are not it can cause them a fair amount of spiritual angst. They are usually attracted to positions where they can lead or are alone and often gravitate to having their own business. Irrespective of how long that may take them, the Scorpio person will wait patiently until the time is right to make their move.

Investigative journalism, finance, research, scientist, underground workers (such as miners), analysts and pathology are all examples of occupations that may best suit a Scorpio. But any position or business will suit provided that they feel they are achieving something by their efforts. They can be incredibly exciting and stimulating people to work for and with.

Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, and the tail end of the digestive system. They can be plagued with ailments of these generative organs. Scorpio also regulates the menstrual cycle and certain bodily secretions. These rulerships all connect to create sexual desire and fertility so that life can be born anew.