Depth of Power : The New Moon in Scorpio

It’s the journey that steels us.
The stumbling and
picking yourself back up,
the seeking, that staves off fear
and fills us with hope.

- Dr. Karen Tate -

The secret grin of the New Moon in Scorpio marks the end of the season of Samhain. Now we tumble headfirst into the dark. If Libra is about weighing our options, than Scorpio is about measuring our depths. A Scorpio Moon can bring heightened sensitivity to many of us and the New Moon is especially activating to our psychic centers. We find ourselves wanting to howl at the Moon, run our fingers through the starlight, and dissolve back into the earth from whence we came. The ecstatic, the erotic, the enchanted all become elevated during a Scorpio New Moon.

Even if folks don’t know much about western astrology they’ll know that Scorpio is supposed to be the sign of sex. I’m don't know the story of where Scorpio got that reputation from but it might be from the intense nature that this sign can bring out in folks. Perhaps it’s the intensity of exploration Scorpios tend to take and the resulting deaths (of ego, of expectation, of past selves) both big and little (and the subsequent rebirths). What I do know is that Scorpio is a sign of shadow work and transformation. At the New Moon in Libra we were asked to cut away the expectations of others and to choose to live our lives as we want to. Then the New Moon in Scorpio arrives and asks us, “Yes, that’s fine, but what lies beneath?”

Photo by Lyndsey Marie

Scorpio is a fixed water sign which means that it’s an ocean with no sea floor. In the mutable water sign of Pisces we are asked to feel while in the cardinal water sign of Cancer we are asked to shelter. In Scorpio we are asked to know. The depths that Scorpio takes us to aren’t always comfortable. They can feel be pressurized, yet endlessly vast, and what we thought was up is really down, what we thought was truth was really just assumption. But the mystery unfolds when it is sought and so it is the calling of Scorpio to seek. Who of us as healers has not met someone and marveled at the vastness of both their pain as well as their remarkable resilience? That is the power of Scorpio. 

Blessed Thistle (Cnicus bendictus)
The New Moon in Scorpio Plant Ally

Spiky and unexpectedly useful, Blessed Thistle is already distinguished as a Scorpio herb by the doctrine of signatures. Blessed Thistle has recorded use since ancient Greece and is a powerful bitter herb that awakens a damp and weak digestion (listen for sounds of gurgling, poor digestion of fats, as well as feelings of distention and flatulence). 

As an alterative, Blessed Thistle’s eliminatory powers are applied to the blood and acting as a purifier. In combination with its skin-opening diaphoretic properties, Blessed Thistle helps to re-establish balance or homeostasis in the body. The herb is also a nervine and can be used to relieve spastic pain and headaches, especially when brought on by nervous tension. Blessed Thistle relieves brain fog and has a markedly uplifting effect.

Blessed Thistle is a very protective herb and can be used in all sorts of charms and rituals for boundary-setting, warding, and making safe people and places. It’s an herb that helps keep us safe as we journey into our depths. Blessed Thistle also has a resonance with students, both for its medicinal use for clearing brain fog and its magickal properties in awakening the inner spark of inspiration.

Flower + Gems Essences for the New Moon in Scorpio: Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Tiger’s Eye.

Essential Oils of Scorpio: Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin), Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium).

Photo by Falco Negenman

Scrying the Depths

What better way to dive into the depths than through the ancient art of water scrying? The key to successful scrying is learning how to relax your gaze which means being able to look at a fixed point and allow your vision to grow soft and blurry around the edges. For our rite, you can focus on a specific issue that you want revelation around (such as a path of healing for a particular ailment) or simply ask to have it be revealed something that you need to know as part of your personal development as a healer.

You will need a bowl of water and candle. Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Place the bowl of water in front of you and the candle in a place where it illuminates the water, but you cannot sees its reflection. With you intention in mind, touch your third eye and say:

Vision beyond vision,
open to me.

Touch the right side of the bowl and say:

The depths are known…

Touch the left side of the bowl and say:

And revealed to me.

Repeat this ritual sequence twice more. Press your palms together and hold them over the bowl. Open them slowly, visualizing the veil between the known and unknown parting, and the bowl acting as a portal for you to gaze through. Relax your gaze and let the images arise. 

After a period has passed and your scrying is complete, hold your hands over the bowl and slowly bring them together, visualizing the veil between the known and unknown coming back together. Touch your third eye and say:

I have seen what has been shown.

Touch the left side of the bowl and say:

The depths have revealed…

Touch the right side of the bowl and say:

What is to be known.

Ground and center, ending the right by blowing out the candle and pouring out the water (preferably outside) and saying, “Blessed be!”

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

When I gaze into my depths what is gazing back at me?

Additional queries to consider:

What emotions have I repressed that need to be honored and expressed?
How does resentment or jealously prevent me from living my dreams?

Tarot Cards of Scorpio

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Libra magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Scorpio).

• The Sign of Scorpio: Death
• The Water Signs of Cancer, Scorpio, + Pisces: Ace of Cups
• Mars in Scorpio: Five of Cups
• Sun in Scorpio: Six of Cups
• Venus in Scorpio: Seven of Cups

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Scorpio by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

Stank Face and the Power of Emotional Bitters

You know stank face.

The look you pull when you don’t like something or someone. The face you make when you’re feeling irritated and aggravated. Or your expression when someone is dancing on your last nerve.

We've all been there and maybe you've already made a stank face or two today. That's why I'm sharing with you my recipe for emotional bitters to detox the stank and reconnect with compassion for yourself and others.

Stank Face is an excellent elixir for those who work in cubicles, those who work with angsty teenagers or are angsty teenagers, people who purposely read blogs or consume media that they know will irritate the heck out of them, community organizers, those folks who have ever found themselves snarling, and anyone with a face.

So what clears up a bad case of stank?

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis): Lavender says chill out, everything will be ok. Here have an emotional massage and a love cookie.

Rose (Rosa damascena): Rose reminds you that you are a prism of love. An irritated, tired, but ultimately awesome and able to shift your mood for the better prism of bad-ass love.

Vine Flower Essence: Vine says bend and sway. Learning the skill of emotional flexibility and connectivity is the gift of Vine.

Holly Flower Essence: Holly tells us to let it go. Really, emotions like jealousy, rage, envy, and hatred don't serve us in the long run. Holly reminds us to love.

Rhodochrosite Gem Essence: Rhodochrosite tells us to gaze within. Our irritation and frustration with the "other" and those things that we perceive to be happening around us or to us can act as a mirror to underlying emotional wounds and unmet needs that we carry. Rhodochrosite helps us to use challenging emotions as a mirror to gain greater clarity into previous experiences that still affect us today and how we might move that energy in more useful and beneficial ways. Then again, sometimes we just need a hug. Rhodochrosite can give us a good supportive squeeze.

Stank Face has a taste that is sweet with an edge of bitter to detox tension, irritation, and eye-rolling. Stank Face requires a tincture and glycerite be made which you can learn about on our Plant Ally Project: 30 Day Challenge page. Alternatively, you can always purchase the following extract and glycerite from your local herb resource and simply mix them together.

Begin by making your own Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) alcohol extract (if you are alcohol-free you can make a Lavender glycerite instead).  You will also need to create a Rose (Rosa damascena) glycerite. Find directions on how to create a simple folk extraction on our  Plant Ally Project: 30 Day Challenge page.

Once your extracts have brewed, combine them as such:

• 3 parts Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) alcohol extract
• 1/2 part Rose (Rosa damascena) glycerite

Then add the following essences:

• 5 drops Rhodochrosite Gem Essence
  • Alternatively, you can use the easier to find Rose Quartz essence OR Rose Flower Essence if you cannot find or make your own Rhodochrosite Gem Essence.
• 1 drop Vine Flower Essence
• 1 drop Holly Flower Essence

Stank Face is already naturally sweet with the Rose glycerite, but you can add some local raw honey or maple syrup to your blend if you want it a little sweeter. I typically add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sweetness to every 1 ounce of brew.

Keep in a cool, dark place - it'll probably be to the left of where you keep your snarky thoughts. Your elixir will last the longest if stored in the refrigerator. The remedy is best enjoyed within 2 years, but will last for many more years if stored properly.

Recommended Uses

• Take 1 - 3 drops as needed, either directly under the tongue or in a glass of water, juice, tea, or other liquid beverage.
• Add drops to your water bottle.
• Use before bed, meditation, working out, or anytime to release tension.
• Rub into pulse points.
• Add a few drops to a bath.
• Add to a spray bottle and use as a room spray. Do not spray others with it out of irritation. Spray yourself first, friend.
• Add a few drops to spell bundles and ritual amulets to charge them with extra potency!

Enjoy the stank-free days ahead and let me know your experiences with the recipe, including ways you adapted it to your unique needs, in the comments below!