“The Rhizome Remains”

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“Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. The part that appears above the ground lasts only a single summer. Then it withers away – an ephemeral apparition. When we think of unending growth and decay of life and civilization, we cannot escape the impression of absolute nullity. Yet, I have never lost a sense of something that lies and endures underneath the eternal flux. What we see is the blossom, which passes. The rhizome remains.” *

There is a season, a time, for everything in life and when the Sun enters Scorpio, as it did October 23, it is the season, the time, for decay. In the northern hemisphere daylight is decreasing, evenings are darkening with a chilled breathe, and leaves saturated with the last vestiges of life fall to earth in a blanket of vibrancy reminding us of the  life that has been and promising us the life that will be.  Decay is an essential process of every living cycle insuring that breaking down what has grown will create nourishment for what will be born. This is the archetypal essence of  Scorpio promising each of us on Earth the gift of renewed life born of death and regeneration.

During our life time we will experience a myriad of deaths most of which are psychological in nature in that they foster our internal growing in self-awareness. One of our most profound experiences of death and regeneration takes place every day of our life, and yet because of the shear ordinariness of our experience  we often fail to perceive it as a dying and rebirth. I am of course referring to fall-ing asleep, loosing consciousness, and entering the subterranean underworld of dreams.  How often have you gone to sleep worried  about something that happened during the day and awaken the next morning with a fresh perspective your worries of the previous day transformed?

Scorpio, being the fixed water sign of the zodiac, is that aspect in each of us seeking emotional security and stability through control, even manipulation, of our environment. Survival is the raison d’etre of Scorpio infusing life with the stamina to survive even the harshness of conditions. Scorpio is that aspect in our psyche delving deep into human motives in our quest to uncover the naked truth about ourself and others regardless of how dark or unsavory that truth may be. One of the greatest gifts of Scorpio is our iron will and fearlessness to look at the worst of human behavior without turning away  in disgust or losing our belief in the ultimate grace of Life.

This season of decay is particularly challenging for all of us as personal and social situations in our life are being broken down and discarded leaving an empty hull of what was. We are living in a time of enormous uncertainty causing most of us stress and anxiety but this month we have the opportunity to discover a deeper trusting in Life, which ultimately translates into a deeper trusting in ourself, in others, and in the eternal cycle of Life.

When the Sun entered Scorpio on October 23 the Moon and Pluto were conjoined in Capricorn hinting that something from our past will be revealed this month allowing us to kill old structures that we are clinging to out of  a false sense of security. The Sun and Mars square October 27,28,29 warns against acting with aggression because our actions have been frustrated. Mars in Leo can be  impulsive and insensitive to others and if we are to weather the difficult changes ahead we need to take considerate and patient action. The Sun and Mars are in mutual exchange in Leo and Scorpio suggesting our need for penetrating insight into a situation followed with dignified action. It is wise council this month for each of us to observe the behavior of others and be aware of our personal motives before deciding on a plan of action. This month we can all benefit from being alert to our environment and controlling our impulse to take premature action.

* C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections