Call and Response Scorpio New Moon

by Dana Gerhardt

Whether we view time as a marching calendar, as cyclical waves, or dotted with portals to other dimensions, in all systems, the New Moon is a special doorway. The wishes you make now may indeed be super-powered, but if you don’t have a strong relationship with the archetypes, don’t expect special favors. If you rarely visit your Aunt Bernice, she’s got little motivation to fund cat’s surgery. You have to visit the invisible world. Bow and make a sincere offering. The invisible powers will renew their interest in you. When you call to the gods, they do respond.

Calling Scorpio

Scorpio draws us into the mystery of the underworld. Here Isis and Ishtar descend. Persephone savors her pomegranates. Ceridwen stirs her cauldron. The snake goddesses respect Scorpio’s powers of transformation and its gifts of wisdom. They understand that underworld empowerments usually come with a price. Initiates must be willing to enter the unknown no matter how fast their hearts are beating. They must be willing to lose what they thought they couldn’t give up. They must develop the kind of patience that travels with passion and strength.

Of course your New Moon offering needn’t be so dramatic. A simple ritual would be to play in the dark. You might learn it’s not so bad in there. It can be creative, mysterious, wondrous not to know what you think you know. When your eyes can’t see, what will your other senses uncover? One night soon enter a favorite room in your house, turn off all the lights, and stand in the center. Sense the room. Isn’t it amazing what you can know and feel without seeing? Now go to your least favorite room and do the same thing. A little different, right? Stay with it until any fear or resistance dissolves, and you start discovering.

The dark can take you to a place deep within yourself if you let it. But there are other doorways. We in the Northern Hemisphere can follow the example of trees, the infallible and natural gurus of the time. Why do trees turn crimson and gold in the fall? The short answer is, no one is entirely sure. Yet what scientists have discovered so far is instructive: An autumn leaf is busy with purposeful activity. The trees are dismantling the chlorophyll in their leaves, drawing its nutrients back into their centers, storing its energy for new growth in spring. Some believe fall’s brightly colored leaves are simply left-over pigments, a tree’s version of graying hair. Others believe the reds and yellows serve a protective purpose, as a natural sunscreen, or a warning to insect predators. Either way, the trees are looking ahead. And so, perhaps, should we.

By releasing something, we will draw new energy into our core. Have your Scorpio ceremony beside a trash can: throw away something you’ve been hanging onto. Pay slow attention to the process. Is there regret? A tightness? Sorrow? Or simply relief? Let the event teach you something about yourself.

Or just sit with a tree that is transforming. Be with the intelligence of this tree. As you stand as still as the tree, sense how busy it is. Connect and listen. As the cycle unfolds, maintain your relationship. When the bright leaves of your tree go brown and fall to the ground, observe how your own transformation is progressing.

Or simply light a candle and say thanks to Scorpio for all the gifts it has brought you through death, loss, and rebirth. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do it sincerely, and in the spirit of Scorpio

Scorpio’s Response

This is the fun part. No way can I predict it for you. But in the next few days or even weeks, keep your eye out for Scorpio visits. You may in a dream get a gift of power, an important message, or a sign. Scorpio’s surrogates may appear in your outer world. A pack of young Goths, dressed in black and chains, might cross your path. Or a raven will land outside your window and begin cawing. You’ll see an unusual poster with a snake or a smiling skull. You’ll feel an electric charge as a deeper part of you recognizes who sent them. Link this appearance to whatever you were thinking about at that moment. There will be a message. And it will be a gift.

If you’d like to explore the archetypes in even greater depth, if you like to journal and/or muse on the positions of the sun and moon, you may enjoy my enrolling in my Twelve Moon workshop (by snail-mail or email). It’s designed to deepen your relationship with the guardians of natural time, the Sun, the Moon, and the zodiac. 

© Dana Gerhardt

Painting by Johanna Uribes. See more of Johanna’s work at her website.