'Black Lotus in the Storm' by Gary Rosenberg
Courage in the Shadows
by
Sarah Varcas
Mars enters Scorpio on 26th July at 2:26 a.m. GMT. We’ll probably feel this shift more than we might other shifts of Mars. It’s not that others aren’t noticeable, but because Mars has been in Libra for a while now (since December 2013) it will probably have a minor celebration when it emerges from its sign of detriment into the one it used to rule before Pluto came along. Mars is a whole lot happier in Scorpio than it has been these past seven months or so, and this has significance for us.
It doesn’t however, mean everything will come up roses as a result. Mars in Scorpio is a powerful energy and not one to be messed with or disrespected in anyway. It takes no prisoners and no s**t (pardon my language) and will happily go directly for the jugular if necessary. This is a no holds barred Mars and whilst it may be less overt than in, for example, a fire sign, it acts in the shadows and beneath the surface, reminding us nothing and no one is without flaws, foibles and failings. However, the revelation of our own weaknesses, whilst painful and humbling, can also liberate us into fuller self-expression without needing to paper over ever increasing cracks and pretending faultless coherence where in fact there is none!
Mars will be in Scorpio until mid September so we have a few weeks to get to grips with its influence and do what it requires. It may be messy and we might have to dig around in the rubbish for a while to unearth that stinky, rotting mess that we’ve been trying to deny for so long. But if we can bring it out into daylight, own up and say ‘yes this is me, warts and all’ then Mars in Scorpio will bring us the resolve of heart and strength of spirit to change and grow.
The shadowlands of the human psyche are extremely powerful, influential places and yet all too often we refuse to visit them, preferring to pretend they don’t exist, or, at best, only in other people! Mars in Scorpio doesn’t buy any of that. It knows we’re all capable of succumbing to the less desirable traits of human nature, be they greed, jealousy, rage, self-pity, hatred, hubris or any others you want to add. No matter how uncomfortable it may be to face such facts, Mars in Scorpio actually offers us a chance to own up and move on as a result of doing so. If we choose, however, to maintain a ‘butter doesn’t melt’ attitude about ourselves, these coming weeks may serve to reveal our flaws in a rather more florid and public way than we would like! Nothing can push our buttons quite like Mars in Scorpio!
That said, whilst we need to look at ourselves without guile, we also need to do so with love, for this Mars can be very harsh and this year has been tough enough for many already! So we mustn’t let this become a chance to batter ourselves over the head with all our faults and failings. Ending up feeling like the biggest barnacle on the underside of the planet will do no one any good. So we must bring to our self-enquiry a compassionate heart and a gentle touch, knowing that these difficult aspects of ourselves are there because we are human and it is human nature to encounter them within ourselves and other people. It doesn’t mean we are bad or evil, worthless or damaged. It means that we are what we are and the path to peace and wholeness lies in recognising this fact and loving even that about ourselves – our humanness, our flaws, our contradictions – knowing they each form part of the mind-blowingly complex web of existence we call life.
Mars in Scorpio… it’s a powerful ally and a demanding one. But ultimately it seeks to instil in us the courage necessary to own up and be who we are, not in service of the ego but in honour of the truth. In doing so we bring yet more of the shadow into light and discover that doing so makes us stronger in all ways and more aligned with all that seeks to develop and grow, rather than all that feeds denial and festers in the wings.
Sarah Varcas
