Linda Goodman's Sun Signs (43 page)

As for the nocturnal scorpions, you may have been stung by a few yourself. Ancient astrology refers to them as serpents. It's not hard to guess which category the ones you meet belong to. A few Pluto people fall somewhere between the eagle and the stinging scorpion, victims of their own black magic. These are the gray lizards. With them, supreme self sacrifice becomes neurotic concern about the self, and psychic abilities become fearful apprehensions of the lurking evils which may strike at any moment. Forceful courage twists itself around, and instead of seeking the ruthless revenge of the stinger scorpions—or rising above such bitterness like the eagles—they bitterly withdraw in tangled hatreds at each minor injury, hoping fate will punish their enemies, almost unconsciously willing destruction without direct action.

The gray lizards fail to draw on the power of Pluto in their natures—power that could lift them high above all the unfortunate circumstances that surround them. In the very teeth of tragedy, this awesome inner strength could give them a new life in the sunlight. But they seek the dark shadows and lie dormant, a pathetic waste of the brilliant potential of their birthright. Still, Scorpio can never slide deep enough into the slime of bitter depression to completely lose the power of Pluto. It's never too late for the gray lizard to transform himself into an eagle. That kind of deep magic belongs exclusively to every person born under the Sun sign of Scorpio. All they need do is to call on it.

Typical eagles have no fear. In battle they'll lead their men into the very face of death without a tremor. Even the average Pluto man or woman bravely faces anything from physical pain and poverty to ridicule and failure with a proud contempt and complete confidence in an inner ability to overcome any blow.

Scorpio is intensely loyal to friends. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Some of them do this literally, for friends, relatives or loved ones—in battle or in a civilian crisis. The Scorpio soldier leaps instantly, instinctively, to brave the bullets and drag his buddy to safety. The Scorpio fireman gives his life to rescue the child in the burning building. Sometimes it seems Pluto people unconsciously seek violence deliberately, as a challenge to their strength.

Scorpio never forgets a gift or a kindness, and it's richly rewarded. Conversely, he also remembers an injury or an injustice, but there are different ways of reacting. The eagle will crush the enemy, so the enemy learns never to hurt him again, wins the fight, and leaves the defeated to go his own way. The deadly nocturnal scorpion will first sting, then plan destruction, then sting again. He's not content with merely evening the score. He must totally destroy the enemy, or at least top him. The typical scorpion stinger will lie awake nights figuring how to get even. If a neighbor deliberately scrapes his fender, he'll scrape two fenders on the neighbor's car the next day, and maybe drive over his carefully pruned hedges for good measure. These scorpions are seldom content with forcing the shoe on the other foot to teach enemies how it feels. They glue the sandal on with cement. However, with the gray lizards, Pluto revenge takes the form of bitterness held inside for years, which inevitably causes deep melancholy or actual, lingering physical illness. Seething Scorpio resentment, turned inward and never expressed, poisons with deadly certainty. Turned outward, it can create guilt, because the stinger scorpion is ashamed to harm the defenseless, when all is said and done. Therefore, it should be turned neither way—inward nor outward. It should be conquered by looking up and forgetting, like the eagle—never by looking back in anger and retaliation.

The Scorpio health picture is typical of his nature. He can destroy his body with excesses, melancholy or hard work. But he can also build it back at will from a critical illness. Pluto's power is that strong. Scorpios are seldom sick, but when they are, it's usually serious. A long rest and a change of attitude, with peaceful acceptance replacing burning resentment, are the best cures. They can't let well enough alone, and of course they know more than the doctor and all the nurses. The chief areas of attack for germs and accidents are the reproductive organs, the nose, the throat, the heart, spine, back, circulatory system, legs and ankles. Varicose veins and accidents in sports are common. They should avoid fire, explosives, noxious fumes and radiation. Yet, you'll find lots of them seek occupations that flirt with danger along these very lines. Sometimes they have chronic nose bleeds, or surgery is performed on the nose for some reason.

Scorpio is deeply interested in religion, intensely curious about all phases of life and death, passionately concerned with sex and violently drawn by a desire to reform. Yet he's also heroic, dedicated to ties of family and love, and gently protective of children and weaker souls. He can be a saint or a sinner. He can experiment with the darkest mysteries this side of Hades, or he can scathingly revile sin and decadence. Whether he emotes from a pulpit, at a business meeting, or from a stage, his hypnotic appeal pierces through his audience, literally transfixing or transfiguring them. It's really rather frightening. Even if the Scorpio has temporarily allowed bitterness, drink or melancholy to drag him into the Bowery, you can bet your old copy of Dante's
Inferno
that the other bums will clear a path when they see him coming.

He's fiercely possessive of what he believes to be his, including success, but his ambition is never obvious. He quietly waits for the chance to move ahead all the while he serves, knowing he is qualified for the position above him. He takes control slowly, but very surely. Scorpio can do just about anything he wants to do. If he
really
wants it, it's most definitely no longer a dream. The dark, magical and mysterious power of Pluto turns desire into reality with cool, careful, fixed intent.

Although a morbid desire to know the worst of sick and depraved humanity can create a gray lizard, who dabbles in drugs and cruelty, he can reverse the path to a life of medicine, where drastic treatments with the same symbols have a deep fascination for him. Although many of the rumored sadistic surgeons are Scorpios, it's equally true that many of the finest medical men in the entire world are inspired by Pluto to heal both the mind and the body, diagnosing and treating with strange, inscrutable knowledge. Scorpio was born knowing the secrets of life and death, and with the ability to conquer both if he chooses. But astrology constantly advises him that “he must know that he knows.” The ancient mysteries fascinate his brilliant mind. Out of his powerful empathy with human nature grows the outstanding detective, the composer of great musical works, literature of depth and permanence, or the actor who projects with unusual dramatic intensity. Sometimes he lives alone, near the sea, as strong and as silent as the tides. Sometimes he faces the public, wearing a mask of calm reserve and control, to hide his intense desire to win. He can be a politician or a television star, an undertaker or a bartender, but he'll manage to top all his competitors. And he'll do it so effortlessly, it will seem like an act of fate rather than his own powerful will.

One of the strangest patterns in astrology is the death of a relative in the family within either a year before or the year after the birth of a Scorpio. And when a Scorpio dies, there will be a birth in the family within the year before or the year after. It happens at least ninety-five percent of the time. Pluto's symbol is the triumphant phoenix, rising from its own smoldering ashes, and Scorpio personifies the resurrection from the grave. Both the gray lizards and the stinging scorpions can become proud eagles, without ever revealing the secret of their sorcery. No use to ask—Scorpio will never tell. But he knows the eternal truth of the circle contained in the symbolic zero.

November's thistle is dangerous, yet it grows entwined with the heavy, languid beauty of the Scorpio honeysuckle. Have you ever inhaled that sweet, overwhelming fragrance on a still midsummer's night? Then you will know why there are those who brave the thistles to seek the gentleness of Scorpio—exquisite gentleness. The explosive passion of Pluto has the rich, dark red wine color of the bloodstone. But Scorpio steel is tempered in a furnace of unbearable heat until it emerges cool, satiny smooth—and strong enough to control the nine spiritual fires of Scorpio's wisdom.

Famous Scorpio Personalities

If you're in love with a Scorpio male and the word passion frightens you, put on your track shoes and run as if King Kong were pursuing you. He is.

I'm not speaking of romantic passion alone, though that may be at the head of the list. I also refer to passionate intensity about politics, work, friendship, religion, food, relatives, children, clothing, life, death and any other categories you can think up. A Scorpio man is not exactly what your psyche needs if you're repelled by emotional excess. Don't look back. Just run.

You'll think I've taken leave of my senses, if you've just met that particular Pluto person. He's so calm and steady. How could anyone with such obvious self-control be passionate, let alone dangerously so? How indeed. Because he's only bluffing with the surface cool. Inside, his passions are as red hot as that stove you burned your hand on when you were three or four years old and getting into things out of your reach. This man may also be out of reach. He's sizzling underneath his deceptively controlled manner. Don't touch. You know perfectly well how long it takes for burns to heal. Remember? Your hand was stinging for weeks after that episode with the stove when you were in your Buster Browns. After this experience, your heart will burn for months, maybe years, and first aid kits will do little good. Grandma's favorite saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” applies to both stove burns and Scorpio singes, so play it safe. Make sure you know where you're going and with whom.

If your Sun sign gives you an asbestos, fireproof nature, go ahead and play with explosives. You may be able to keep the flames under control and have yourself a powerful fire to warm your heart for a lifetime. Perhaps you're passionate about things yourself. Fine. Then it's simply a matter of degree of heat. If your passion has an automatic thermostat, so it can be turned down to cool when his reads hot, you're safe. Let's pretend you are. The women who are in danger should be in the next state by now, if they ran fast enough. They'll thank me someday after they've married a nice, safe Libran or Cancerian.

As for you women who have analyzed yourselves as safe in a Pluto relationship, let's see if we can find what's hidden behind those hypnotic, piercing Scorpio eyes. It's pretty certain he hasn't made a neutral impression on you. He's either got you thinking he's boyish and sweet, or that he's wicked and passionate. (There goes that word again.) The trouble is, he's neither. Or maybe I should say he's both. Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. Let's start all over again.

In a word, this man is invincible. Just behind his frosty, reserve is a huge pot of boiling steam that bubbles and seethes continually. If you're lucky, he'll keep the lid on tight for a lifetime, but a deep injury can blow it right off with a brilliant explosion. It's kind of fascinating to watch, if you're not in its direct line of destruction. Step aside, if you feel it coming. And don't do anything to cause it yourself.

He'll bewilder you with his twin Scorpio traits of passion and reason. He's master of both: intellect and emotions rule him equally. Scorpio is more than intelligent. If he's a highly evolved specimen, he's also deeply philosophical, concerned with mysteries of existence, and he'll come close to knowing the answers.

There are Scorpios who can live a spartan existence in a bare room, denying themselves every comfort for some obscure, aesthetic reason, but the true nature of the sign is sensual. Normally, Scorpio will surround himself with luxury. He'll lean toward excesses in food, drugs, drink, and yes—in love. Most assuredly in love. He's geared for it, with confidence. Romance will never frighten him, puzzle him, or catch him unaware. It's been on his mind ever since he rode his first bicycle. Maybe even his first tricycle. Of course, you could conceivably know a Scorpio who is so absolutely innocent-looking, with such disarming, youthful charm and lack of obvious seductive mannerisms, he's convinced you that passion is over-rated in Pluto males. He may even have freckles, and a whole drawer full of Boy Scout merit badges. But ask his wife. Try something like, “Say, Ava—or Elizabeth—or Sarah—or whatever—is your husband, well, is he passionate?” She might summon enough dignity to tell you it's none of your business, but your answer will most likely be hysterical laughter. Between her peals of mirth, she'll be remembering many days of his intense, passionate declarations about air pollution, housebreaking the dog, narcotics, long hair, birth control, and many nights of … well, and many nights. This will be true even if her husband looks like Huckleberry Finn, and doesn't even remotely resemble King Kong.