Scorpio is the 8th of the signs in the wheel of the zodiac, which begins with Aries and ends with Pisces. Its "old" ruler is Mars, but its "new" ruling planet is Pluto - the furthest and most mysterious member of our solar system. There is no metal associated with this sign, but of all the precious stones on *our* planet, the rarest and most precious, the hue-shifting alexandrite, is assigned to Scorpio.

This is not coincidental. This most misunderstood of zodiacal energies deals with matters of such intensity and directness that many prefer to malign it rather than honor the fact that the ONLY, and I do mean the ONLY constant in our universe is Scorpio´s greatest expertise: Change.

Every single great transformation, be it birth or death, and every single inevitable, such as sex (yup, if you´re human, you are going to have to deal with it in *some* way at *some* point) and taxes, fall under the aegis of the eighth sign.

There is a vast mystery wrapped up in the many symbols and constellations connected to Scorpio: the scorpion, the eagle, the dragon, the lizard, the snake. The mystery is that of power, its uses and misuses, and of how we swim in the deep waters of self-realization in the face of our limited, chaotic and ecstatic existence as spirits within bodies.

So yes, Scorpio is a deeply misunderstood zodiacal energy, but then, isn´t the direct experience of the mystery which is wrapped in life´s inevitables beyond the realm of "gentle" understanding?

Ask yourself that question, and then look at the background of this set closely - its made of the stars that course through our veins, we who are trivial creatures and yet touch the cosmic through love, transcendence of frailties and in our power to co-create change and evolution with the Divine Within.