The days continue to darken, and the Sun’s light continues to dim. Even this cloudless autumn day can’t beat back the November chill. In my own home in western Pennsylvania, we had our first frost this morning, an overture of the crystalline hush and stillness of winter about to come.
It seems ever so fitting that the first frost - the first winnowing of the plant, animal, and insect life this season - occured before the New Moon in Scorpio. On November 4th, at 5:15pm eastern time, the Moon will be reborn in his fires at 12 degress of Scorpio, and a new lunar cycle will begin. I wish all of my readership a happy Scorpio New Moon.
New moons indicate new beginnings in astrology. As the moon courses through the twelve signs of the zodiac, she becomes full of energies and spirits which pass through her and down to the earth to effect change on the world. She spends the entire month collecting the light of the other planets and stars and transmitting them to earth, and now she is full and ready for rebirth.
When the Moon is reborn, so are we. Old patterns and alignments become cleared and new ones are ready to take their place. Magically speaking, the obscured moon can be likened to a fallow field – an empty bed rife with possibility and potential. As such, they make excellent opportunities to set new intentions and plant new seeds in the fertile soil of your own subconscious.
Each new moon is special - the sign placement and unique planetary alignments conspire to create a once in a lifetime opportunity for growth. This time, the astral configurations in the sky carry a great deal of heaviness and will pull you into uncomfortable depths where whatever you have been avoiding seeing awaits your gaze. But within those depths you will also find a dynamic fire of transformation and transmutation awaiting you.
In what follows, I’m going to address the character of Scorpio and how the Moon acts in this abode of still and deep water. From there, I will go into detail about this specific new moon and what kinds of energies you can expect to arise during this period.
And, as always, I will give you practical measures to employ in order to really utilize this new moon to its fullest potential.
Facing the Shadows on a Moonless Night
Traditional astrologers associate Scorpio with death, loss, endings, and the inevitable plummet of the world into the darkness of wintertime. Mars becomes activated during Scorpio season - the lord of pain, strife, hunger, and war. But this is not a period of overt struggles and conflict as we see in Aries, his other place of rulership. This is his yin, watery home. Here we see the God of war take up a defensive position, preparing for the long winter and doing whatever it can to stave off the passing of time.
Of course, the fast descent of the world away from the warmth of Summer into the cold of winter also foretells the death of animals, plants, and people as well. Food becomes scarce. Your DNA and ancestry contain this programming after tens of thousands of years. Even if you no longer need to worry about losing food, you still become triggered at a very deep, non-cognitive level. Unless you have done oodles of spiritual practice, you will go into a fear state during this period.
Because of this intensity, much of Scorpionic season involves confronting triggers and shadows and examining those difficult emotional states and responses that we would rather not look at. Because your brain is in fear-response, your system is standing at the ready to be triggered and allow issues to rise up to the surface.
People with planetary placements in Scorpio have a deep acquaintance with what I am describing - they can never fully shake the awareness of life’s impermanence. They struggle with fear and paranoia. They fight the passing of time and inevitable decay of life. They hold onto what they have with the vice-like grip of a…scorpion (bet you didn’t see that one coming). They choose to dive headfirst into difficult topics and difficult emotional experiences because they are most comfortable and familiar with them.
But truth be told, Scorpio excels at all kinds of emotional alchemy and transmutation, not just ones related to fear, death, and loss. You will find that the triggers which arise naturally open up doorways and opportunities for other kinds of emotions, traumas, and memories to be integrated that you had repressed to enter into your sphere. You can become a more whole person by confronting those challenging emotions and situations that you would rather not look at.
Scorpio is arguably the most difficult placement for the Moon. If you don’t have a Scorpio moon, you may think I’m being mean. If you have a Scorpio Moon, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Moon rules comfort, support, ease, good fortune, the maternal instinct, emoptional safety, and more. When she occupies Scorpio, the universe calls you to let those things go. You can’t have the support you want. You can’t have the things you need. You are stripped of your comforts and made to face the darkness of the world with nothing but the light of your own spirit.
This, in broad brush strokes, is the kind of energy we can expect from this new moon. When the Moon is reborn within this sign, we have the opportunity to set new intentions and begin developing new patterns that encourage emotional depth and exploration. You will find events consistently arising that trigger you and raise your levels of fear and anxiety. Buried memories will surface.
Your shadows will reveal themselves more, and you will be called to confront them in a grounded way. You will be unable to use any of your old tricks, mind games, or creature comforts to avoid this confrontation with your shadow and old wounds. You cannot hide from them. You cannot gloss them over. You cannot hide behind your previous work. Whatever comes up, you will have to face.
Mastering the Wisdom of The Dark
I am painting a morbid picture. But…
The fact of the matter is that such compulsory emotional alchemy as only a Scorpio New Moon can bring is a huge gift. Sometimes it is the only way that we can muster the courage and bravery to face things that are painful and uncomfortable. It is the only way we can relieve ourselves of the pains and wounds that we carry.
This is a time to set intentions to face your shadows head on. This is a time to begin habits of confronting and dealing with difficult situations and difficult emotions head-on, instead of hiding from them or glossing over them in your day-to-day life.
You will be held well during this period, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Mars, the lord of Scorpio, the Field Marshal of the fifth firmament, forms a whole-sign conjunction to the Sun and Moon. Mars, though a malefic planet, is quite strong here and quite benefic and helpful in his own home.
Whatever comes up for you, channel the power of Mars to confront and face it. Mars will give you bravery and courage to face your shadows, and you will be better off for it. Indeed, Scorpio is a sign of bravery, of plumbing the depths of fear and staying with sensation no matter how painful. Be patient with yourself and whatever arises. You are always safe, and you can use what comes up to become more integrated and even more magically powerful.
Speaking of which, this new moon is an excellent time to unlock buried-away magical fuel and power. Traumas and triggers lock our magical power reserves away from us. By facing them head on, you can relieve yourself of physical, emotional, and mental tension and allow that power to flow freely.
New Moons are excellent times for meditation, but this new Moon in Scorpio will be an excellent time to engage in any spiritual practices that cultivate magical power and awareness. I focus a lot on this in my course GNOSIS on astrology, astral magic, and magical development. I am very happy that this week’s practice session in GNOSIS coincides with the New Moon.
However, cultivating magical power and using said power to create grounded, long-lasting change are two very different things. Your spell-casting will be limited to work that is more immediate and short-term. Don’t focus as much for this New Moon on any long-term, materially-focussed spells. Save that for one of the New Moons in earth signs.
If you are doing some more immediate, short-term spellwork, I recommend working with your ancestors. Both Libra and Scorpio have classical connections to working with the ancestors and the dead in general, and the veil is still very thin from Samhain / All-hallow’s Eve.
You can’t just get your ancestors to do whatever you want by waving a wand around, nor should you try. Instead, go for some divination to try and get in touch with their guidance for your life. See what they suggest, with their ever-vaster perspective than our own. Based off their input, work with them to manifest what is in truest alignment with your purpose.
The gemstone peridot (aka chrysolite) is an excellent ally for this period. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it tonifies the liver and nourishes the blood, helping you connect to your inner fire and courage to do your inner work. It is also a specific for facing unhealed trauma. You can tape it to your heart, or wear it as a necklace or amulet. You can also meditate with it under your tongue (just don’t swallow it!)
This is your moment - this is your time to shine in the the dark for everyone else. Take all the tools that you have gathered up until now to awaken the light of your starry spirit and release the shackles of fear, guilt, and past traumas that keep you from using your gifts in the world. I’m rooting for you.
Own your power.
-Merlin