Essence of Scorpio

The sun has now moved into the sign of Scorpio.  I do try to tell people that this is the most maligned sign of the twelve. I try to convince them that Scorpios are in fact the cuddly kittens and fluffy bunnies of the zodiac. My partner just rolls his eyes. Guess what Sun sign I am?

Anyway, Scorpio is the sign of transformation, of birth, death, and rebirth.  The deep emotional extremes of life are the domain of this sign. It corresponds to the 8^th house of a chart. This is the area of emotional crisis, of other people’s finances, inherited money and the occult and if you believe in it, fate.

It is fitting then, that Hallowe’en falls in the time of Scorpio. It does seem to be the essence of Scorpio.   Halloween goes by several names. It can be referred to as All Hallows, All Saints Eve, All Souls, Samhain – and… if you’ve seen ‘The Crow’ – Devil’s Night is on October 30^th.

Samhain

Samhain is probably the oldest celebration of this time of year – historically known to have been celebrated by Irish, Scottish and the Manx. Some Neolithic tombs in Ireland are aligned with sunrise at Samhain. (Neolithic time can reach as far back as 12,000 years ago!!)

Samhain is a liminal time -meaning the veil between worlds is thin so the souls of the dead and supernatural beings can cross over. To be sure the supernatural, fae (aos si) etc. are not offended offerings could be made. At the same time it’s a great opportunity to welcome the spirits of friends and family by setting places for them at the table for example.  On this night I choose to have a candle in the window to light the way for my family and friends rather than a pumpkin lantern.

Turnips, Pumpkins and Potatoes

I remember as a child carving a lantern out of a turnip (flippin’ hard work it was too!).  Either a turnip or a potato would have been used originally. The use of pumpkins came when Irish immigrants in America found it a much better food to carve into a ‘Jack-o’-lantern’.  Nowadays there are fantastic carvings and many templates available for cutting amazing designs.  The image I’ve used here is by Richard McConochie. Check out his website here https://www.richard-mcconochie.com/pumpkin-carving  I have to say I don’t like the shop bought battery powered light up pumpkins. They are far more damaging to the planet and don’t have that authentic burned pumpkin smell!

Souling

For Christians, All Saints Eve is also dedicated to remembering the dead – more especially saints and martyrs, but also newly departed souls. It was moved from the May festival to its present date in 835.  One reason may have been for it to better fit in with nature’s season of dying. The Christian tradition of ‘souling’ on this date may have given rise to trick or treating. Soulers would pray for the souls of recently departed friends and family in exchange for a ‘soul cake’. There are quite a few recipes for soul cakes online.

Trick or Treat

Treat yourself or someone you love to one of my charts – The Mystic might be appropriate for Hallowe’en. Remember you can interchange lots of elements of my designs to make it truly your own. As for tricks – I leave that to your own imagination!