Sex Death & Taxes Scorpio’s big `No’
Sex, death and taxes….beginners to astrology learn that these three disparate themes are grouped under the umbrella of Scorpio.
Maybe because I’m working on taxes this weekend, maybe because we’re two days post Valentines Day and maybe because my best friend died two weeks ago that I am inspired to share.
Or maybe my urge to explore these issues have emerged because this of this last quarter moon phase; 26th degrees of Scorpio, ` A military band marches noisily in the streets.’
Whatever the motivation, here are some thoughts on the Scorpio themes of `death, taxes and sex.’
The most difficult of human challenges is to not have control over one’s agency; to lack freedom. What’s worse than facing an obstacle, decision, circumstance which runs contrary to ones’ wishes? In other words, when we face a `no’.
`No’ you didn’t get the job, `no’ I do not love you, `no’ your friend isn’t going to live.
In the fairy land world of belief, spiritual seekers within the past forty years of `New Ageism’ thought practiced what’s loosely defined as `create your own reality.’ It’s an attitude that’s deeply instilled within the culture. But of course, this `New Thought’ philosophy isn’t new at all. It’s modern origins date to the Pluto Neptune conjunction of 1891 in the sign of the mind, Gemini.
Merging the `Glinda Good Witch’ archetype of Neptune with the `Dr. Death’ energy of Pluto way back in the late 19th century commenced a long cycle which affects the collective consciousness today. Neptune is the great escape artist which sugar coats whatever it touches.
Pollyanna was a Neptunian, as is every celebrated glamorous `actor’ or `actress’. Neptune visualizes the pot of the gold `out there’ which is never really within reach. Neptune creates a swirl of fantasy which is reflected in music, art, drugs and alcohol.
With Neptune blending with the death planet, Pluto, what do we get? Perhaps a softening of death. There is no accident that the religion of spiritualism, the belief that we never die, took root during the Pluto Neptune conjunction of 1892. Death is defied by the belief that we can continue to talk to our deceased loved ones. Although the `hospice’ movement is slowly emerging, we generally shun the idea of our mortality. Death doulas are few and far between, although the business of birthing is firmly established.
Everyone alive today, and since 1892, are affected by this great unsung conjunction of 1892 when the concept of death (Pluto) was prettied up by ethereal Neptune. We don’t really believe we have limits.
Taxes? Well that’s another Neptune/Pluto affect. Politicians and the public love to live in the fairy tale land that the `economy’ can be fueled by the sweat equity of unlimited taxes. Deficits used to be thought of as a clear and present danger. No longer! Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could live without any financial constraints? A thousand dollar a month chicken in every pot? It’s no coincidence that the United States plunged into a great depression following the 1892 conjunction of Neptune Pluto.
“The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy and produced political upheaval that led to the realigning election of 1896 and the presidency of William McKinley.”
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1893)
If you live in a community, a society, a nation with shared services there simply isn’t any denying it. Taxes are inevitable. Taxes, like, death need to be acknowledged as a real, and necessary limit.
And now onto `sex.’ Scorpio sisters and brothers unite! We all are incredibly `sexy’ aren’t we?
During a recent class one of the Scorpio female students, new to astrology, remarked that she is tired of all the `negative’ connotations associated with her sun sign. I agree! Common descriptors include “moody, broody, intense willful and passionate.’’ In fact the two word descriptor of Scorpio is `I desire.’ What the common descriptor doesn’t say is whether the desire is ever fulfilled.
Sexuality is way beyond the scope of this short reflection. Suffice to say that it is wired into the human experience. It is `beyond our individual control’ thanks to the intricacies of intimacy. Astrology, of course, can provide archetypal clues as to why we desire who we do. However, despite the collective musings of the ages can we ever truly understand sex above the animal instinct to procreate?
The desire to merge with another is laden with infinite secondary meanings; love, creativity, physical release, sensual enjoyment, entertainment, power control…etc. The point is it’s a mystery. Like the sign, Scorpio, the multilayers of sexuality have depth beyond any other experience, except for `death.’ Is it no wonder that the French have an expression for the sexual orgasm; “The little death is translation from the French “la petite mort”, a popular reference for a sexual orgasm. The term has been broadly expanded to include specific instances of blacking out after orgasm and other supposed spiritual releases that come with orgasm.”
(https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=la%20petite%20mort)
We need to know that death, sex, and taxes are inevitable Acknowledging the `no’ in our lives, the limits, the roadblocks, and the mysteries assist us in embracing the entirety of human experience. 
The Scorpio season is the time when the vegetation dies, when we honor the dead during the ancient festival of Samhain, when we wear masks of mystery at Halloween. The next time you wonder what sex, taxes and death have in common you will know that these three themes constitute the three mysterious `no’s’ in our lives. Sometimes the Scorpio `desire’ just can not be fulfilled.
