The Sun enters Scorpio at 12:21 pm EDT on October 23, 2023. Austin Coppock called this decan The Jawbone, and T. Susan Chang called it Storm of Tears, while the Golden Dawn named it The Lord of Disappointment and associated it with the Five of Cups in the Tarot. The Hellenistic 36 Aires of the Zodiac assigned it to the Nymphai, the ‘feminine’ land-spirits who were the tutelary deities of grove and spring, hillside and glade, mead and meadow, oasis and glen.

In Greek myth, the nymphs were the students of Hephaestus, taught to weave and spin and to perform the useful and decorative arts — and then to provide these arts to us mortals. It pleases me to think that every mortal skill, whether knitting or crochet, embroidery or weaving, was taught to humanity not through the direct intervention of the mightiest gods, but through spirits-of-place — that we learned to make clothes and shelter through encounters with the divine in the natural world, rather than through devotion to cosmic powers. That matches indigenous wisdom from all the world over: that it is through observation of nature that we humans learned to move and operate in the world. King James I of England (VI of Scotland) is credited with saying, “he was a valiant man that durst first eat oysters” — but maybe it was a woman, and maybe learned it from watching what the seagull mother fed her young?

Mars rules all of Scorpio, but has unusual power here both at night, and in the first seven to ten degrees of the sign — which currently are found between the stars of Spica and Zubenelgenubi. Spica, at 23° Libra 50′ (tropical) has long been associated with love of the arts and sciences, but also has a malicious character – delivering injustice to the innocent and employing trickery to attain victory. Zubenelgenubi at 15° Scorpio 05′ has an almost wholly malefic reputation, indicating outrages, disgraceful behaviors, unforgivable acts and criminal violence. With Mars, Mercury and the Sun in this range between these two stars, and military actions ongoing in Ukraine, Israel, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere — we can expect to see shocking violations of international law even as we hear justifications of unpardonable acts. The acts themselves will occur — the question is how we ourselves respond to them. The fog of war, we must remember, too often is a poison gas cloud. The violence of the next ten days is likely to be shocking and yet discussed as “militarily needful” — but a century of future grudges may be created in the next 240 hours with Mars in the driver’s seat.

Planetary Placements

As with Aries, the first decan of Scorpio is administered by Mars — and Mars is present here, sovereign by sign and decan, and only lately departed his term. By night he’ll be even more powerful — and rocket launches in wartime are ever so more dramatic and terrifying at night. Mars is indeed the final dispositor of all the planets — Pluto and the Moon both answer to Saturn; Saturn and Neptune both answer to Jupiter; Jupiter and Uranus both answer to Venus; Venus answers to Mercury; and Mercury and the Sun both answer to Mars. Even the Lot of Fortune and the Nodal Axis acknowledge Mars’ sovereignty in this chart — and with war no longer over the horizon but in truth arrived.

The chart of the rulerships reveals that Venus has an unusual secondary role to play in the next ten days. Although she only rules Jupiter in the chart, and is herself in a sign of detriment and fall, she rules four planets by triplicity, three by term, and one by face — holding a plurality of the ‘seats’ in the parliament of lesser dignities. Mars may hold the executive of the next ten days, and stoke the fires of conflict, but Venus the Diplomat and Ambassador still holds the cards of peace. She also holds all her own leadership spots — people may look down on women this week; there may be a great many stories about misogyny in coming days… but women are surprisingly in charge of what actually happens.

	Sign	Triplicity	Term	Face	Detriment	Fall
Sun	♂︎	♀︎	♂︎	♂︎	♀︎	☾
Moon	♄	☿	♂︎	☾	☉	–
Mercury	♂︎	♀︎	♂︎	♂︎	♀︎	☾
Venus	☿	♀︎	♀︎	♀︎	♃	♀︎
Mars	♂︎	♀︎	♀︎	♂︎	♀︎	☾
Jupiter	♀︎	☾	☿	☾	♂︎	–
Saturn	♃	♂︎	♀︎	♄	☿	☿

That becomes all the more clear when the Moon steps into the game. At 20° Aquarius, she’s conjunct the star Castra in the constellation of Capricorn, in the Twenty-Fifth Mansion The Hidden Star of Lucky Things, and in her own decan The Knot — a strong position that favors defenders, that brings peace, and that unravels knotty real-world problems. It’s unlikely that she signals successful peace talks in this position, either between Ukraine and Russia or between Israelis and Palestinians — but she does indicate favorable conditions for those on the defensive, and those who choose life and preservation of life rather than conflict. Mars may execute, explode, and destroy… but the starry women, Venus and the Moon, hold a narrow if despised majority in the celestial council.

Both Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, and Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, anchor the North Node, the Imum Coeli, and the Lot of Fortune in Aries between them. The combination of one of the slow aristocrats with one of the slower upstarts points to the role of visionaries and mystics aligning themselves with the natural world and with the slow tidal changes that are overtaking the planet, while the swift march of technologists and human socio-economic frameworks tries to build a world that only benefits the wealth and power of the existing order.

In between them is your own hearth fire — the spark of life in your home and with your chosen kindred. Be there, sit with that, break bread together, and seek freedom and potential for those you call family. In challenging times, that’s where true contentment can be found.

Horoscopes by rising sign

Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.

Capricorn: Work sucks, so keep your relationships with current co-workers (and potential future co-workers, mentors and proteges at new employers?) light, friendly and positive. Your interactions now will be remembered fondly, possibly with job offers attached, later. At the same time, untangle any dangling financial matters and resolve outstanding debts where you can; don’t go overboard on slimming down your possessions, but traveling light is wise. Neighborhood and personal projects will be both fruitful and a source of disruption in the coming weeks —but drop almost anything to make your family (blood or chosen, your choice) come first.

Aquarius: Some large financial concern or material resource may be tying you down. You likely have concerns about this, but a real solution requires untangling the problem yourself: you can call for help from close friends and neighbors, but that’s likely to be emotionally wrenching, and bring up issues about whose lawnmower is that, really, anyway?. Getting help from family is the best bet, but you may find an unexpected delight in treating it like your won personal entertainment. It’s tempting to keep your new job plans a secret, but there are some friends whom you should let in on your overall strategy and tactical decisions.

Pisces: Family issues leave you feeling constrained and limited because there’s such controversy sloshing around. You feel like you’d prefer to set a bunch of family heirlooms on fire to solve the current contentions — but you’ll get farther by being honest about what you want — and being clear about what you need. Dividing desires from essentials allows for surprising negotiations and sheds light on how your journey can proceed. You won’t get everything you want, but you can at least take responsibility for getting the necessities taken care of. Let your partner handle some of the less-tactful parts of the conversation… but tell them that’s what you’re doing.

Aries: You know that game: what would your house and family look like if you could anything and money were no object? Yeah — give yourself a little leeway toward achieving that now. Just be aware of the responsibilities that come from establishing that sort of house — and the challenges to your (theoretical or real) partner’s stability. Be detail-oriented even if it’s frustrating: small creative changes will help you feel is yielding results more than big shifts; daily analysis for 15 minutes will deliver more than a single-weekend big push! Just know you’ll face tears if you try to do it alone, and revolt if you focus only on material goods: work on showing what it should feel like, and the work will get done.

Taurus: Your agency is important to you and brings great rewards — but you will also have to grin and bear some things that are difficult. Practice your methods for self-management and personal austerity at the start of the next ten days, and you’ll find you have greater power at the end. If you have a partner, be aware that all eyes are on them for the next bit — they’ll be expected to speak with both threat and sooth to both friends and foes, and value your support. In a roundabout way you will also have to speak truth to people who have forgotten reality — and carve out some time for yourself as well. Your job may take a big effort to untangle a mess of possessions, but you’re likely to expand your leadership and learning options for the future.

Gemini: You probably can’t see the way your secret conversations and daily routines are contributing to long-term success right now — but know that all those private conversations with allies and confederates are yielding results. Focus less on what you want, but be both honest and circumspect about your family’s needs. Tell the truth but not the whole truth. Be mission-driven when it comes to workplace professionalism, and treat new enthusiasms as suspect until backed up with data. You could stand to give yourself a little alone time as a retreat into self-care, but welcoming some friends into an inner circle will grant greater contentment in the long run.

Cancer: your focus will have to be on others this week, and particularly on your responsibilities toward your most significant other, whether romantic partner, or business, partner, or spouse. There is a tangle that needs unraveling in your shared financial situation but it’s not clear yet if it is an unsolvable knot or two individual lines that merely look tangled. Be diplomatic about a close friend’s travel plans, but keep gently hammering on problematic ignorance. You are most likely to injure yourself in the course of pursuing pasttimes, so take it easy at the gym or while preparing a lavish meal. Arguing can be fun, but you have more weaponly words than usual: is this a friendly match, or a duel to the death?

Leo: Ugh — responsibility. Seems such a tedious word, especially when applied to things like rent due, and the countless professional errands that tend to build up around our homes. It is your acknowledged skill at problem-solving from home that earns you accolades this week, but you may still have to go into the office to solve one last wobble. Something luxurious is damaged, and may require your attention to repair. As far as daily labor goes, pick up the work gently, and set it down again without attachment. You will learn more if you take the long way around; be open to trying a new route home from work, or the longer video about the best way to solve a maze.

Virgo: Put your tools to work in the next 10 days, and make something beautiful. It may cause you some financial hardship, and you may get frustrated by how people in your inner circle respond to your work. Putting your butt in the chair, and leading yourself into making something valuable to you, is the most useful thing that you can do in the next week or so. Your spouse or partner may wonder at your mental fitness, even as they wrestle with their own nightmares and dreams. You will have to take care not to let your responsibilities to them go completely, either. Indeed, that notion — deliver on responsibilities by creating beauty, may be an even more refined directive for this coming week.

Libra: you will have trouble keeping all of your ducks in a row this week, and keeping your balance, because the balance in your bank account may be upsetting. Focus your attention on your wealth and its management, but don’t let it overwhelm your emotional sense: pay attention to your friends, and recognize with gratitude how they support you even when you are finding their support insufficient. Double check the chairs in your house, and tighten any loose ends. Release expectations about your past time; if you are a knitter or crocheter… yes, you will have to undo those last five or six rows. Your wealth, opportunity and contentment comes from appropriate partnerships in the next 10 days: stoke those fires.

Scorpio: hotheaded words, may get you into trouble in the next 10 days, but diplomatic and gracious apologies, or even non-apologies, may get you out of that difficulty. Loneliness gets you into trouble, too; balance it out by working on secret projects with intimate friends. There is some deliberate unwinding you will have to do, possibly in the garden; don’t let the kudzu drag you down. To enjoy the pleasures you want, expect a roundabout investigation, and a shift in the emotional tide first; it is OK to throw yourself into your work, and produce something you are passionate about. A partner or former partner may show some gentility and mercy; try not to respond with monkish renunciation.

Sagittarius: you will find it easy this week to focus on your suffering, or your loneliness; but choose instead to recognize the value of solitude. People care about what you have to say, and you can bring laser focus to your words, and clarity of thought — but be aware that this will make you more controversial, more contentious, than your usual self. Be informative, and persuasive, but not combative. It may be difficult to keep your professional life spinning this week, but the dry spell may be about over. Family dynamics will swirl, and eddy, and it will take a long time to get to the point. Still, there is contentment and freedom in nurturing your babies, and just keep doing a little bit every day to work toward sudden success.

Colophon

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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.

I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.

I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.