"in the potency of Scorpio ... the death of forms must eventuate leaving the disciple free; the dissolution of old group structures of thought, embodying worn-out ideas and ideals must necessarily supervene; crystallised old forms must dissolve and disappear, but in their place the undying spirit—impressed by revelation and sensitive to the emerging new concepts of truth—will create the needed new forms of appropriate expression."
- The Tibetan, Esoteric Astrology
As we continue our Soul's journey through the twelve zodiac signs, the sentient 'spark' of light ignited in Aries, became a conscious beam of light in Taurus, multiple rays of intelligent light in Gemini, incarnated into form in Cancer, developed a sense of self in Leo, felt the urge to serve in Virgo, and faced choice in Libra.
Now our embodied Soul of conscious, intelligent, light, must battle to triumph over the powerful forces of worldly desire and attachment that could keep us imprisoned in the material realm ...
In earlier newsletters we explored how, according to the Tibetan tradition, everything manifests from source, through the light realm into the physical realm.
On our Soul's journey out through the stages of Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, our Soul was in the light realm. In Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Libra the Soul was in the physical form. Now the Soul is aligning with light on the return journey, yet we must fight the temptation to remain attached to our worldly experiences...
So what does this mean for us personally? Let's explore!
The Fight Begins
After choice is made in Libra, what happens next? The fight begins. Even though we might have identified our Soul's path and set our intention to follow it, our ego-personality isn't going to give up without a fight!
Why do we have to battle in Scorpio, and what is the battle about?
The battle in Scorpio is a battle for dominance between personality and Soul. After eons of being driven by the desires of the personality, we have to turnaround what feels like a runaway train, to fully align with the path of Soul... it isn't easy!
"desire, anger, and ignorance of the mind’s true nature
cause unhappiness and suffering"
- Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche
from Flight of the Bön Monks: War, Persecution,
and the Salvation of Tibet's Oldest Religion
by Harvey Rice and Jackie Cole.
Because Scorpio is the fixed water sign it is very powerful. Scorpio's power comes from the ability to create mandalas, fields of energy, through the generation of emotional energy. However, until we are quite advanced on the path of spiritual awakening mostly this process is unconscious and happens unbeknownst to us.
One of the biggest dangers for those with Scorpio prominent in their horoscope is becoming trapped in an energy field that we ourselves have created, sometimes over many lifetimes, but we don't realize it. This is why some Scorpios can be prone to depression. Depression, or any emotional state, can become a cloud of energy that surrounds us and we feel unable to break free.
It becomes the reality of our experience that can even carry over from one life to the next and breaking out of it can be a bigger struggle than a chick pecking it's way out of it's egg. ...and that's once the battle begins!
Until we wake up to the fact that we are living in a dream-like state, we don't even realize that we are in a self-created energy mandala. We believe that our experience is how reality is and always will be, and that things can never change.
If that sounds depressing, now you're beginning to understand why the sign of Scorpio has such a depth and intensity about it. At a Soul level the urgency of this battle is felt, yet the personality might have trouble letting go of the very habits that are keeping the energy field in place.
This is why Scorpio - whether you have personal planet's in Scorpio or Scorpio Rising - at some level has a sense of inner conflict that can almost feel like a constant need to struggle or fight. The real conflict is within: between your own personality and Soul.
Here's The Good News!
Yes, it's not all doom and gloom! The struggle happens because we are believing an illusion, but we don't know it. Our 'personality' is actually an elaborate idea created in our mind, that we believe is us. In reality, our personality has no more substance than the tooth fairy. Once we arrive at this realization ,and recognize the essence of our true nature (which is awareness or consciousness itself) we are free. The illusion holds no more power over us, and the conflict ends just like waking up from a dream.
The Real Meaning of Renunciation
Waking up from the dream isn't as easy as it sounds. The habits that hold our illusory self in place are very strong. Anyone who has ever tried to change an ingrained habit can testify to that. Whether we're trying to give up alcohol, sex, heroin or chocolate cake, the process is the same. The issue is not in the substance that we are craving, but in how our brain wiring changes to keep those cravings, habits, and attachments in place.
So far in this series our discussions have been quite esoteric and rather impersonal and detached, but as we enter the domain of Scorpio things get personal and very real.
When monks and nuns start out on the spiritual path, they take vows of 'renunciation'. This means giving up past habits that would keep generating mandalas that would entrap them in worldly existence. The purpose is to set themselves free from the habits of mind that distract them from the spiritual path.
Suffering Is Real
When he became enlightened, the first teaching that the Buddha gave was the Four Noble truths:
There is a temptation to skip over the first noble truth to get to the solution, however it is very important to understand the truth of suffering. This is connected to the spiritual path of Scorpio. In order to really understand how suffering can end, we need to understand how it begins. We can't be in denial. To understand the roots of compassion Scorpio has to go deep and uncover the roots of suffering
The Biology of Desire
"Just introspect a bit and you’ll discover that your brain is busily extending and revising a landscape of flitting thoughts, shocking associations, and childish impulses. It’s not just an organ of rationality, as you’ve no doubt been taught; it’s also the biological engine of our striking irrationality—it has a dark side."
why addiction is not a disease (The Addicted Brain)
Waking from the sleep of lifetimes of unconscious habits, is not merely a matter of knowing about it at the level of intellect. Our brain is hot-wired to keep our habits in place: including the habit of believing the ego itself, which is why it’s so difficult to turn the ship around.
The Death of Forms - The Final Victory
Lasting change takes patience, practice, and persistence. Even the willingness to fail, over and over, and yet keep on going. This is why Scorpio is the sign of the spiritual warrior. In the end we will prevail. We will emerge victorious, because no matter how solid it may seem, any illusion is no match for the truth of our being. It is only a matter of time, but eventually our Soul will triumph over the desires of the personality.
Suffering ends when our brain loses the 'wiring' to keep attachments in place. Then we live free in each moment. We experience enjoyment, without habit. Then the old energy fields, the 'forms' that were held in place by those old habits, dissolve. They simply fall away, and we experience the Buddha's third noble truth: suffering can end.
Once we realize the truth of our Soul's constant presence, beyond doubt, then we are on our way to understanding even more deeply the Tibetan's keynote for Scorpio:
Warrior I am, and from the battle I emerge triumphant.
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