Do you feel the slow and steady approach of the cold and dark? As you turn your awareness towards the cycling of the seasons, do you notice the descent of the natural world into the hush of winter and the quotidian diminishment of the Sun’s warmth? Do you feel the gaze and presence of the ancestors and spirits of the land strengthening around you as we creep ever closer towards Samhain and the thinning of the veil?

Autumn is in full swing. The life and magic of the natural world fade away. The autumn fae have come to collect their harvests. Welcome to Scorpio Season, when autumn comes in full force and the remaining echoes of summertime totally evaporate, as the Sun makes passage from the airy, Venusian house of Libra into Mars’ deep, watery home of Scorpio. This passage will occur this year on October 23rd at 6:36am eastern time.

On an agricultural and communal level, the movement of the Sun from Libra into Scorpio indicates that the final harvest is over, the reckoning has come, and now we must brace for the cold and dark time of the year that we have been preparing for since late summer. The length of night far exceeds the length of the day and is only increasing - darkness dominates the light, and the darkness is ascendant. As it does, food becomes scarcer, warmth becomes weaker, and a pervading sense of death, loss, and the fading away of life hum steadily in the background of our perception. To put things in very embodied, visceral terms - as the ancients living hand-to-mouth would have understood them - there is no longer a threat of food becoming scarce, now food has begun to diminish.

Astrologically speaking, the transition from Libra into Scorpio indicates a transition from Venus to Mars. Venus is a benefic planet - the lady of life, good fortune, harmony, and peace. We see the community come together to celebrate the harvest moon during Libra season and attend to everyone’s needs within the network of relationships and community. Talking about things and engaging in meaningful dialogue to ensure that everyone is taken care of. This is all very Venusian.

But 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 they can to stave off the passing of time.

Because of this, Scorpio is astrologically associated with death, loss, endings, and the inevitable plummet of the world into the darkness of wintertime. Think of the characteristics of the Scorpionic natives you have in your life: they choose to dive headfirst into difficult topics and difficult emotional experiences because they are most comfortable and familiar with them. We see Mars’ bravery in the disposition of natives - a willingness to stand strong in the face of shadows, traumas, and uncomfortable experiences without backing down or shying away from them. Scorpio natives tend to gravitate toward them more than anything else.

We will all have the opportunity to do this kind of work during Scorpio season and embody this kind of bravery within ourselves. With all its depth, much of Scorpio season involves confronting triggers and shadows and examining those difficult emotional states and responses that we would rather not look at. While most of us no longer need to worry about losing food or going hungry, you will find other triggers arising for you to deal with related to scarcity, fear, and loss. Our brains have evolved to register the changing of the seasons, the darkening of the days, and the coming of cold as indicators that there will be less food - and that death is a live option (see what I did there?). This seems to be encoded into our DNA from millennia of having less food and warmth around this time. Your brain is triggered and fearful even if you are not consciously concerned. Because your brain is in some kind of fear response, other things are more likely to trigger that response and bring issues up to the surface.

What triggers you? What topics activate you and dislodge you from your center? What themes would you do anything to avoid talking about? What traumas from your past would you do anything to avoid thinking about? What scares you the most?

Of course, 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 that arise open doorways and opportunities for other kinds of emotions, traumas, and memories to enter your sphere. When they enter, you can integrate them and heal them. You can become a more whole person by confronting those challenging emotions and situations that you would rather not look at.

Whatever comes up for you, channel the power of Mars to confront and face it. Again, Scorpio is a sign of bravery, of plumbing the depths of fear and destabilizing inner processes and staying with them no matter how difficult. Be patient with yourself and whatever arises. You are always safe, and you can use whatever comes up to become more integrated and even more magically powerful.

The most surefire way to understand what will be most activated in your life during this season is to examine your chart - especially the house that the Sun is transiting. If you are Pisces rising, the Sun transits your 9th house of travel and higher study. It would be a good time to either begin or deepen spiritual practice. If you are Taurus rising, the Sun transits your 7th house of relationships. Be sure to give proper care and attention to your spouse, partner, or any close friends.

aspects for this year’s Scorpio season

This Scorpio season, the Sun’s ruler Mars is moving through Gemini. In this sign, Mars makes no aspect to the Sun, and so cannot do much to ensure that the emotional alchemy and inner work done is smooth during this time. Get ready for a bumpy ride. Mars also stations retrograde shortly after the Sun enters into Scorpio - except similar themes to come up repeatedly. You may find one persistent wound revealing itself again and again.

The Sun forms a square with Saturn this year again. Saturn brings obstacles, roadblocks, hindrances, and circumstances that obstruct your personal agenda and goals. Saturn delays success and brings more shadows and challenges to the surface for you to manage. Again, get ready for a bumpy ride! Check out the house that Saturn is currently transiting in your chart for a better sense of what to expect with this square.

It’s not all bad - Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, will be entering into Scorpio alongside the Sun. This conjunction ensures that you have more support from friends and peers to help you work through the challenges that show up. Venus is in detriment here - your friends and allies will be going through the thick of it as well, but you’ll all be able to support each other as you walk through the cold fire of Scorpio.

In addition to this, Jupiter retrogrades back into Pisces on October 28th and forms a trine - a very positive aspect. Jupiter is a benefic planet, and very strong in Pisces, so you can be sure that this time will bring you a lot of help and support to see you through this Scorpio season. Teachers and mentor figures will also come in to support you and guide your hand through the process. You won’t be alone.

magical practices for the Scorpio season

Unless you live in the southern hemisphere, you will need to continue adjusting yourself to the descent of the Sun, the darkening of days, and the increase of cold over heat. Many physical ailments and maladies can arise from the Libra-Scorpio shift which you can easily thwart through preparing for this seasonal change.

Your baseline magical practical is simply taking walks in nature. Taking walks is perhaps the simplest thing that you can do to acclimate your body and soul to the shifting of seasons and the passage of time. Spending more time outside is one of the best antidotes to fear and anxiety, which will arise more commonly during this month.

As you walk, feel your body sync up with the shifting of the season, with the changing of time. Focus as much as you can on your bodily and emotional sensations and responses to being in the natural world.

A good physical practice for the release of fear and anxiety is inversions. Shoulder-stand in yoga drains excess lymph that accumulates in the legs and recirculates it through the rest of the body, which can create a feeling of peace and euphoria and combat the ennui and dysthymia that can develop during Scorpio season.

Lepidolite and Rhodonite both release anxiety and stress hormone buildup by grounding you and opening up your heart. They can both be placed over your heart, but lepidolite can also be placed on the back of the neck to relieve an overstimulated nervous system.

When it comes to working with spirits, both Libra and Scorpio periods are strongly associated with the dead and ancestors. Scorpio seasons are excellent periods for using the power of the dead to manifest the kind of world you would like to see for yourself, or, perhaps more accurately, stave off and defend yourself from the outcomes and material circumstances that you fear.

However you wish to work, you will find spirits coming to you more quickly with which you have some kind of bloodline connection. The spirits of the land are also more present during this period, especially around Samhain, and are more inclined to answer your requests.

Don’t resist the transformation power of the dark. Don’t fear the reaper. The less you fight and fear the natural process of shadowy, scorpionic alchemy, the more enjoyable the transformation will be for you.