Hello fellow stargazers! It’s been a while! October nearly leveled me between inflammation, coming to terms with some heath stuff, and balancing it all with a new part-time job (first time working outside of the house since I first got sick—it’s amazing, 
intense, HARD, and I love it). I went into a deep cave of the mysteries of myself, as we are prone to do during Scorpio season. The gift is in the transformation that comes from the light Scorpio shines on the shadows we often actively avoid. If we don’t shy away from the darkness, we can uncover truths about ourselves that allow us to heal and move forward. It’s uncomfortable at first. Sometimes facing these parts of ourselves hurts at first.
Mercury went retrograde in Scorpio on Halloween, and once again it’s time to slow down and review. In her book, Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape, Erin Sullivan says, “Mercury turning retrograde in Water signs is an opportunity to rethink old habit patterns and emotional responses to life challenges.” With Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, we are not only examining the quality of aspects of our lives (especially aspects related to the house in your chart ruled by Scorpio), we are digging deeper to see what needs to change so that we can grow. This is a wonderful time to let go of whatever weeds in our garden that are suffocating our growth.
It’s phoenix time, loves, so let’s dive into your tarotscopes! Please be sure to read your Rising sign, too, as this will give you a broader picture. If you don’t know your rising sign, you can get a nice free chart from Astrodienst (click here). To figure out what house in your chart is ruled by Scorpio, check out my earlier post Astrology Learning Moment…
(Deck Used: Starman Tarot by Davide De Angelis & Esther De Angelis)
Scorpio & Scorpio Rising (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21): This mercury retrograde can have you taking a deep look at yourself, your image, how you feel about yourself and how you come across to others. Try not to get too tripped up over how others perceive you—this is more about your own journey towards self confidence. I pulled the Queen of Swords for you—while you have been through a lot, this gives you deeper insight, and an ability to see things that others often miss. Over the next few weeks, while there might be some rough patches as you uncover things about yourself, there is opportunity to come out of it with clarity, a fresh perspective, and solutions towards anything holding you back. When you find yourself spinning, spiraling, or just overwhelmed with spoonie life, tap into the calm logic of the Queen of Swords. Challenge fear and shame with reality, and bring yourself back to the present moment. Happy birthday Scorpio!
Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21): Mercury retrograde is always a good time for us to slow down and reflect, but you are really deep diving over the next few weeks into the 12th house realm of the unconscious, what lies beneath the surface. Pay attention to your dreams during this cycle, and give yourself plenty of time and space to just be with yourself. I pulled the Hierophant reversed for you, so this retrograde could have you thinking about ways in which you feel restricted by convention, tradition, societal norms. There’s an urge to break free from the norm, swim against the current, or even just try something completely new. If you’ve been feeling constricted lately, this is a good opportunity to explore healthy ways to break out of that shell. Let this retrograde help you discover ways to free yourself and get a little weird with it.
Capricorn & Capricorn Rising (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19): This mercury retrograde cycle could have you reviewing your goals, how you’re feeling within the groups you belong to, and even reevaluating friendships and acquaintances. Miscommunications and hearsay can run a bit rampant in the next few weeks, so remember the slow down aspect of retrogrades, and take time before jumping to any conclusions about people. I pulled the 5 of Cups for you—you might be coping with some sadness over a lost friendship or falling out with a group. I think many of us spoonies have been reevaluating what and who we spend our precious energy on, and are coming out of it realizing we need to let some people go. 5 of Cups can also speak to feeling left out of the group, left out of activities, left out of love—especially for those Caps coping with chronic illness or pain that limits your ability participate. The message of the 5 of Cups is to let yourself feel those sad feelings, and then look up and see what is still there—what CAN you still do? What cups are still standing and full?
Aquarius & Aquarius Rising (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18): How are you feeling about the work you’re doing, and how you’re showing up in the world, Aquarius? Mercury retrograde is lighting up your 10th house of career, public life, how you cope with authority. This can be a difficult house to dive into if chronic illness or pain has slowed this area of life down. If you’re not conventionally working, please remember that managing pain, symptoms, doctor appointments, and all that comes with chronic illness IS WORK, and it is just as important as any other job. Speaking out about your journey, connecting with people on the internet and on social media ARE VALID ways of interacting with the public. If you are working, it’s not a bad time to plan a lil staycation if you can afford to. I pulled the Moon for you—look beyond the surface. The moon shines a light on parts of ourselves that hide in the shadows, and on situations and people in our lives. Tap into and trust your intuition, pay attention to the symbols in your dreams, let go a little, and let the Scorpio waves carry you through the next few weeks.
Pisces & Pisces Rising (Feb. 19 – Mar. 20): This mercury retrograde lights up your 9th house of philosophy, religion, and higher learning. Scorpio energy has you reviewing your beliefs, perhaps thinking about philosophies that no longer align with you—what ways of thinking are you letting go of so that you can transform and grow? I pulled the Prince (knight) of Pentacles for you…out of all of the knights/princes, this one is the slowest moving. The knight of Pentacles is all about that slow and steady progress, patience, and hard work. Take time over the next few weeks to look more closely at your beliefs, philosophies, and what you’d still like to learn. If you’ve been thinking about going back to school or taking a class, now is a good time to think about what you might study, or take something you’ve already studied further. As a fellow water sign, you are no stranger to the emotional depths that Scorpio can take us to. Enjoy this time to slow down a little, and go inward.
Aries & Aries Rising (Mar. 21 – Apr. 19): With mercury retrograde lighting up your 8th house of transformation, death, rebirth, sex, and shared resources, the house ruled by Scorpio, this could be an intense month for you. It’s time to review the balance of giving and receiving in your relationships, and a good time to settle any debts or outstanding bills you might owe (easier said than done, I know, but don’t just brush these things under the rug, or they will come back up to bite ya in the ass). You might also be reviewing how you feel about sex, sexuality, and physical intimacy. Most of all, this is a powerful time for getting rid of anything that’s not working, cleaning house, and turning your focus to transformative healing. I pulled the Empress, and with her fell the 3 of Cups reversed. If you’ve been having a particularly rough time with a health issue, or just not been taking good care of yourself lately, the Empress comes in with the message that it’s time to nurture yourself. The 3 of Cups reversed can speak to all sorts of ways in which we can neglect ourselves, our physical and emotional health. Time to tap into that self-care energy of the Empress as you get ready to rise like the Phoenix that you are.
Taurus & Taurus Rising (Apr. 20 – May 20): This mercury retrograde lights up your 7th house of marriage and partnerships, and your relationships with other people. With this transit your focus shifts to reviewing your relationships—are they balanced both in emotional and physical efforts? What patterns within your relationships need to change? Mercury in Scorpio asks us to look deeper into how we communicate and interact with our romantic partners, business partners, ALL of your relationships. What needs to give so that your relationships can transform for the better? I pulled the High Priestess for you bulls—the answers are within. The High Priestess holds answers, sheds light on mysteries, and often things that have been hidden will be revealed when she shows up. The feeling I get here is that as you navigate this retrograde, remember that your intuition is strong—take a deep listen to it. This cycle provides the opportunity to resolve conflicts in relationships, and to learn a lot about yourself in your interactions with others.
Gemini & Gemini Rising (May 21 – Jun. 20): As mercury retrograde in Scorpio travels through your 6th house of sickness and health, daily life and routines, you could find yourself in deep review of how and where you are spending your energy. If you are dealing with chronic illness or pain, this can be a particularly intense few weeks, as you take a look at who you are spending your spoons on, the daily activities you’re giving your time and limited energy to. I pulled the 2 of Swords for you, which makes sense as you make some decisions about how to bring things into better balance and harmony. Changing up little things about our daily routines and little ways in which we give our energy away can add up to big transformations. This retrograde brings you the opportunity to reprioritize and free up some energy towards things that are most meaningful to you.
Cancer & Cancer Rising (Jun. 21 – Jul. 22): This mercury retrograde in Scorpio lights up your 5th house of self-expression, creativity, romance, and affection. Sometimes with mercury retrograde in this house we can feel creatively stagnant for a time, and can have us reviewing how we feel about how we let our inner selves out. If you’ve been having a hard time expressing yourself, or even been romantically dormant for a while, this is the time to let the transformative energy of Scorpio seep in. It’s a brilliant time to rediscover your self-confidence, and to explore ways to have fun…let your inner tween out to play over the next few weeks. Listen to music that inspires you, read books that spark your imagination, and don’t get caught up in productivity or action—creativity and romance go through the ebb and flow just as all other parts of life do. I pulled the 4 of Swords for us crabs, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. Many of us have been through very intense, I might even say energetically brutal times. The 4 of Swords shows up to let us know it’s time to recalibrate—rest, recuperate, and bring our minds and bodies back into balance. The shift into this Scorpio season was uncomfortable, but we got through it, and we are no strangers to this watery energy of diving into our emotions. Time to relax a little and find ways to let loose a little.
Leo & Leo Rising (Jul. 23 – Aug. 22): As mercury transits your 4th house of home environment and family life, it’s a fine time to take a look around your living space. Does it feel good, and does the space serve you well? Think about ways you can transform your space, so that it reflects how you want to feel in your home. It’s also a great time to purge—get rid of thing you don’t need, and spend time thinking about how you want things to look, even if you don’t have the spoons to make it happen all at once. Mercury retrograde in the 4th house can also bring up family stuff going back to childhood, even if it’s just revisiting thoughts and feelings you had as a child. This can pull up painful family memories, but gives us a unique opportunity to come to terms with them, and to let go of some of the pain from the past. I pulled the Chariot for you lions, which is often about overcoming difficult obstacles, and moving forward. It could be you’ve been holding in pain from your childhood, or been wanting to make changes to your living space for quite some time, and this transit allows you to overcome whatever was holding it in or holding you back. Onwards and upwards, fierce Leos!
Virgo & Virgo Rising (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22): This mercury retrograde in Scorpio lights up your 3rd house of communication, thought patterns, siblings, writing, and short trips. This is a good time to schedule in extra self-care and quiet time, as this transit can have your mind very active, and anxiety can come up. It’s time to use your attention to detail superpowers, as miscommunication and missed messages can be…extra over the next few weeks. Writing your thoughts and ideas down could be really helpful, and help you sort through and mind racing. I pulled the Ace of Wands for you—a new beginning, a new creative venture, a fire lit. This retrograde cycle is an opportunity for a whole new outlook, for a creative burst, a fresh project, or just a reset that you’ve been needing. If you’ve been down, or even just feeling creatively stagnant, the Ace of Wands is letting you know your fire is about to get stoked. Just remember to take care of yourself, get plenty of rest (I’m lookin’ at you, workaholic ovah theyah), and give yourself time for mental relaxation.
Libra & Libra Rising (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22): Mercury retrograde in Scorpio transits your 2nd house of physical resources, money, possessions, desires, and values. With this retrograde, you might be reviewing what it is you really want and consider important. Much of this can root back to feelings of self-worth…how does your financial situation make you feel? Do you feel like you’re on the path towards getting what you want in life, or do you need to examine further what it is you need? I think it’s important, especially as a spoonie astrologer navigating a screwed up health and financial system, that we look at this house realistically. Financial stuff might be off due to medical costs, and there might not be a lot you can do about that right now. What’s more important is to examine how your self-worth might be attached to your material situation, and mercury retrograde in Scorpio provides a wonderful opportunity to transform how we feel about ourselves. Perhaps you are unable to work and bring in the money that you could before you got sick, but this does not change your worth and importance. I pulled the Starman (Magician), and with it fell the Ace of Cups. The Magician is the alchemist of the deck—they have all the tools they need to create something…once you get clear on what you truly value and want, look around to see what you actually have at your disposal. You might be surprised to find that you already have the ability to make something happen. The Ace of Cups brings the energy of an emotional new beginning, and opportunities for happiness.
I hope you enjoyed these! I am hoping to put these out more frequently again. Please leave a comment if the message resonates with you; I would love to hear your feedback.
Spoonie Solidarity,
Leah Chatterjee
Stars 'N Spoons 