MOTTO: Investigate Life! Question Self! Hide Self! Contain Self!
With Scorpio rising, the identity you present to others is very different from the inner you. You are not one to breezily reveal your innermost, intense feelings to others. Instead, you prefer to veil your feelings behind a mask of control and self-possession, even when you are feeling supported. If I were to choose a role model for you with Scorpio rising, or for those of you with sun or moon in Scorpio, it might very well be Spock, the half Vulcan, half human character from Star Trek. Like him, you can outwardly maintain an air of calm assurance while inwardly experiencing a quagmire of feelings. It is not easy for you to acknowledge these feelings, much less to reveal them to others. When you are not feeling supported, you are apt to protect yourself by being more secretive. When feeling especially threatened, this protective behavior can become controlling, deceptive, and obsessive. When you feel emotionally supported, you are courageous, resourceful, and are a powerful influence in your day-to-day interactions with others.
Pluto rules this sign, and Mars, its ancient ruling planet, has some energetic influence on it as well. Pluto gives you the urge to dig deep and find the underlying cause of things when you have Scorpio rising. Pluto imparts power, both constructive and destructive, and Mars conveys energy and desire. Together, these two planets bring powerful desires to the feeling nature of Scorpio. With Scorpio as your rising sign, this concentrated focus of power, energy, and desire applies to much of what you do on an everyday basis. You are not one to have a devil-may-care attitude as you interact with others for the first time or as you embark on a new day. Others sense this intensity about you and may be mystified by it when they are first getting to know you.
Scorpio is perhaps one of the most maligned and misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Scorpio is a sign made up of fixed, water, and yin energies. The water nature of this sign is meant to flow and be in continuous movement while the fixed nature of this sign is meant to stabilize and secure its environment. Because of this fixed quality, the water energy is not able to spread and diffuse the emotional nature of Scorpio individuals. Instead, their emotional and desire nature is deepened and intensified. The yin energy focuses this intensity inward. In addition, the yin energy adds an intuitive, introspective focus to the behavior of Scorpio individuals, which compounds the confusion others feel when trying to understand the actions and motivations of their Scorpio friends and family members.
People who are strongly influenced by Scorpio’s energy (sun, moon, ascendant or any combination of these) experience the most intense emotions. At the same time, they can hide what emotions they are experiencing from others. It is the fixed energy of this sign which enables them to project the picture of being self-sufficient and in control.
With this combo of energies making up your Authentic Self’s personality expression, the image you present to others is that of an intensely private, self-reliant individual. Figuratively speaking, the energetic cloak you choose to put on to interact with and meet the demands of the day is reminiscent of a suit of armor, giving away nothing that lies underneath it and yet powerful enough to protect you from “the slings and arrows” of emotional battles that fate or circumstances may fling at you. The doorway to your Authentic Self is kept under lock and key with the sign “Private” hung on the outside of it. You prefer to confront your feelings by yourself for yourself. When you are experiencing strong emotions, especially sad and angry ones, you want to be alone as you wrestle with them and get them under control. Much like Spock of the Star Trek series, you view your feelings as self-limiting rather than empowering. However, keeping too tight a lid on your emotions can have you feeling overwhelmed by their intensity, leaving you feeling powerless and at their mercy. Because you keep a lid on your emotions, you appear to others as someone of quiet strength.
Due to the water and yin qualities of the Scorpio energetic signature on your ascendant, your energetic needs are emotional in nature. You require space to yourself and time alone to be able to tune in to your feelings and come to grips with whatever may be negatively affecting them. The fixed quality of the Scorpio sign adds the traits of determination and persistence to your energetic signature. They require stability in your day-to-day routine to be fully energized.
Feng Shui Techniques to Boost Support for your Scorpio Energetic Signature:
To help you carve out space in your day for the time and privacy needed to quiet your mind and regroup your emotional nature, designate an area in your home that is yours and yours alone. The Knowledge/Self Cultivation area of your home is a good candidate to create such a space because it represents the pursuit of not only factual knowledge, but also the pursuit of inner strength and wisdom. It is located in the front left (Western) or northeast (Classical) area of your home. The IChing trigram for it is a solid line above two broken lines, symbolizing “a cave inside the mountain”. (Journey to Mastery, Feng Shui for Life, p117) This is the area to go to “get away from it all”; to quiet your mind and “get in touch with the authentic part of yourself.” (feng shui your life, pp.142 &143) Here is where you can tap in to your inner guidance through meditation and quiet contemplation to help you confront and lay to rest any self-limiting emotions.
Energize this area with earth colors and deep blue items. The more tranquil you can make this space, the more conducive it will be for you settle your emotions. Healthy plants and a water fountain will help to create a feeling of tranquility in this space. Clear out any physical clutter because clutter confuses the mind, creating a sense of anxiety instead of tranquility. Although the goal here is tranquility, you do not want to tip the balance with so much yin energy that you become lethargic when spending time in this space. This space is for rejuvenating and inspiring you. It is not intended to lower your energy levels. Too many rugs, too many large pieces of furniture, and too little light in the room are examples of too much yin energy.
Water energy is yin energy and because of this, you may have too much yin energy in your home, making it difficult for you to leave its irresistible pull to go out to “participate with the rest of the world.” The area to energize when you feel you lack the emotional energy to participate with the rest of the world is the Family/Foundation area in your home. It is located in the middle left (Western) or east (Classical) area of your home. Its element is wood. The wood element is yang energy. Incorporate the yang energy of wood by adding tall bookcases and furniture made from wood. Also, adding any item that is more vertical than horizontal “will help lift the energy and energize” this area. (Decorating with the Five Elements of FENG SHUI, pp. 186 & 187)
The fixed nature of Scorpio influences how you use energy. With Scorpio as your rising sign, you instinctively set about to stabilize and secure your surroundings in any new situation in which you find yourself. It is only when you feel safe that you will allow yourself to open up to others and reveal the more deep, intense feelings you have. In Feng Shui and in astrology, the earth element represents grounding and stabilizing energy. Therefore, introducing the earth element into your home décor will support and strengthen the fixed nature of your Scorpio rising sign. The best area to focus on for this is the Health/Unity area located in the center (Western and Classical) area of your home.
Represent and energize the earth energy here with baskets, pottery, containers, brick, terra cotta, flower pots and items that have square or circular shapes. Adding these elements of earth’s grounding nature to your environment will serve to bring a sense of stability and continuity to it. Just be mindful not to go overboard when adding earth elements to your surroundings. The earth element is also yin in nature and too much of it will produce energetic stagnation.
Incorporating these Feng Shui modifications in your home environment will help you to feel energetically supported and in control emotionally as you walk out your door to meet whatever the day has in store for you.
The key word for Scorpio is fortitude. The positive traits that are a part of your Scorpio personality include an “analytical mind, strong intuition, reasoning powers, perception, long planning ability, magnetism, and energy”. (A Spiritual Approach to Astrology, p.101) You instinctively go about your day with an inner sense of strength and determination and with an intensity of purpose. When you are feeling energetically supported by others and by your environment, this inner resilience and your ability to totally engross yourself in what you do ensures your success in accomplishing whatever task you have set out to do.
What can and does at times work against you are your negative traits. The negative traits that are a part of your Scorpio personality include being sarcastic, resentful, stubborn, possessive, obsessive, and/or vindictive. (A Spiritual Approach to Astrology, p. 100) These traits are triggered when you feel powerless, when you are being criticized, or you are just generally feeling unsupported by those around you.
With your perceptive ability and emotional intensity, you are very aware of how others are judging you. You are also aware of your own limitations. These two combined can have you delving deeply into what you feel are personal lacks. This kind of inward-focused negativity can lead to self-limiting feelings of powerlessness, which in turn tests your inner sense of strength and resilience, and a perfect scenario is created for these negative behaviors to be expressed.
Feng Shui tips to empower yourself to confront self-limiting feelings of powerlessness:
The first step to getting yourself unstuck from this emotional place of feeling powerless is to embrace the reality that life has obstacles and these obstacles are just as valuable in your life’s journey as are its opportunities. The second step is to recognize that obstacles that have been put in your path are things you can go around or over just as water in a stream flows around or over rocks that are in its path. Water isn’t limited or prevented from following its path by these obstacles. It simply finds a way around it. You can do the same by creating an energetically supportive environment for the paths you take as you journey through life. (Journey to Mastery, Feng Shui for Life, pp 2&3)
The area of your home to focus on to create this energetically supportive environment is the Career/ Life’s Journey area. It is located in the front center (Western) or north (Classical) side of your home. This area represents not only your career, it also represents your life’s journey. Its element is water, same as the Scorpio sign. Its colors are black and dark blue. Metal is the supportive element for this area. Concentrate your feng shui enhancements on this area to empower you to flow around or over obstacles you meet in your life’s journey.
Clear out any clutter in this area. Clutter is synonymous to obstacles. Add images of gentle, flowing water and/or an indoor water fountain to this area to enhance the flow of energy in your day and to energize your intention to not let obstacles get in the way of your life’s purpose.
Any images representing the future, aspects of your life’s purpose, and/or what you aspire to (ex. creativity; transformation; adaptability; having intense, meaningful experiences, etc.) are appropriate for this area. Adding metal items, healthy plants, glass décor items, and items that are of importance and interest to you are all ways to enhance this area. The colors to introduce to this area are dark blue and black.
By making these Feng Shui improvements, you are setting the intention to empower and affirm your authentic self’s personality identity as you walk out your front door and join in the activities of the day. You are also setting the intention to move away from and around situations that obstruct you as you move forward with purpose on your life’s journey.
You are learning about yourself through the reactions of and responses from others to your behavior as you go about your daily life. Their feedback to you regarding your actions will be either positive or negative. You will enjoy positive feedback from others when you operate from a resourceful, self-reliant and empowered approach. Whereas, negative feedback can occur when you fall prey to perceived personal lacks powerlessness with deceptive, demanding, easily offended and angry behavior. Regardless of the type of feedback, you will continue to grow, and your authentic self will continue to learn something new about itself. (Introduction to Evolutionary Astrology, discussion on the archetype of the 1st house/ascendant/rising sign.)
Feng Shui for your Rising Sign 