This season’s tarotscopes feature the Marigold Tarot and the Compendium of Constellations.

After seasons of careful observation and intentional balancing, Scorpio is here to help us transition. This time of fixed water brings depth, intensity, and thoughtful but pointed awareness, as we take the lessons from previous seasons and apply them to our most secret selves. In seeing the world for how it is with Libra’s perceptive clarity and ability to lift every voice, Scorpio helps us to separate the things that matter from the things that don’t, to discard the waste, to acknowledge and release decay so that we can instead invest our energy in the things that we want to grow. We all carry things that we don’t need, things that we’re afraid to let go of, things that are unnecessarily draining our energy. With Scorpio, we’re called to honor natural endings, clearing space and making room for the new life that future seasons will bring.

Our birth card for this season is Death, an archetype that people tend to have a rather visceral reaction to. While this card in readings rarely heralds a tangible, physical death, it does symbolize an inevitable conclusion: something departing, a permanent loss. This card isn’t just the loss itself, but also the things that follow. Rot, compost, decay, corrosion, decomposition — these words might not inspire you immediately, might not fill you with joy or possibility or optimism. But these are intensely powerful forces, natural cycles that cleanse and revitalize, making way for new life. Seeds that are only activated by forest fires, mushrooms that bloom in ash, dandelions that grow in toxic soil to purify the area for future life: these are not accidents, but rather essential energies, rhythms that keep the world turning. We need death in order to function, in order to thrive.

The power of death is in its contrast to life. “Flowers bloom until they rot and fall apart,” Eurydice sings in Hadestown, grieving the mortality she surrendered even as she struggles to remember the fleeting beauty of life. We enjoy the bloom of a flower on its own: its scent and its softness, the way that the petals curve, the velvety textures that soothe our fingers and tickle our noses. But knowing that this blossom is temporary, that it can’t and won’t last forever, makes it even more special, more sweet. Life has more depth, more magic, because it’s not everlasting. And in recognizing the power, the importance, the necessity of death, we can grant ourselves more sovereignty in the living. We can honor what we have while we have it, and say goodbye to it when the time comes. What have you been clinging to, refusing to let go of even though in truth, it’s already gone? Which patterns, dreams, relationships, ambitions, expectations, hopes, are you ready to set free? And in unbinding ourselves from these old beliefs or assumptions, how do we find new freedoms stretching out before us? In letting go of old versions of the self, which new ones can we welcome with open arms?

Many of our cards for this new season ask us to grapple with our deepest wants and desires, to acknowledge hidden longings or explore our own sense of truth with clarity and purpose. In this season of Scorpio, remember the transformative freedom of Death, the ways that we give up the old things to clear space for the new, the opportunities that definitive endings can create. Experienced tarot readers or astrologers can plug the cards I’ve drawn for their sun, moon, and rising signs into the spread below to create a custom reading for this season. Scorpio is traditionally ruled by Mars, the planet of passion and ambition, and modern astrologers also recognize a second rulership with Pluto, the planet of transformation. If you know your placements for either or both of these planets, you can include them in your reading for a more complete picture of your Scorpio season.

I recently announced that I’ll be publishing a tarot book with Weiser in 2022! I’ve relaunched my Patreon as a study community, to help support my writing and other projects, and have an exciting ritual product collaboration with Sovereignty Herbs. And if you want to hear me chat about using tarot in romance and relationships, don’t miss my guest appearance on Autostraddle’s brilliant podcast Wait, Is This a Date? with Drew Gregory and Christina Tucker. Check out my daily work and card draws on Instagram, and you can get my latest tarot writings delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my Substack newsletter. I only have a few client readings left for purchase before I close readings for the year, but you can check out my website for larger spreads, writings, and original e-books for learning tarot.

As always with these tarot readings, take what you need and leave what you don’t. Happy Scorpio season!

Aries

Queen of wands

After last season’s quiet analysis and careful contemplation, Scorpio season may find your internal fires burning brightly again, as creative inspiration strikes and new projects take flight. The depths of this season may bring new intensity to your work and play, helping you balance all of your natural heat and ambition with purpose, power, and deep personal magic. What inspires you, delights you, captivates you? Where does your inspiration come from, and how often do you let it flow freely instead of trying to channel it into a specific ambition or objective? Take pride in your natural confidence, your joyful charisma, your exciting achievements — but give yourself space to dream too. Connections are important, and allowing space for collaborative vision instead of only focusing on individual success may be the key to unlocking your next big victory. How can self-awareness help you build something truly magical?

Taurus

Five of rings

This season may bring whiffs of doubt or worry, even melancholy, as you struggle with a sense of lack. Whether something physical slows you down or you find yourself concerned with money, job opportunities, or housing issues, you may get caught up in stress, worrying about what to do and how to create lasting stability. Particularly if you’ve recently started down a new path, you may find yourself discouraged, sensitive to limited resources and frustrated that you aren’t finding immediate success on this latest venture. However — and this is important — these feelings may not actually reflect reality, and you likely have access to both help from others as well as actual, tangible resources that you can use to get yourself into a more comfortable place. Show yourself grace, compassion, and remember that the best things often take time and patience to achieve and sustain. Who is offering you assistance, and why are you reluctant to take it? What beliefs or mindsets are limiting your ability to lean on others for support?

Gemini

Queen of rings

It may feel that you have a new sense of stability, confidence, and power this season, as resources are abundant and you’re able to take charge of the different aspects of your life in beautiful and necessary ways. If last season was all crackling fire and curious winds, this one brings patient earth and soothing water, providing grounding, sensuality, purpose, and awareness. You may love the rush of new things and intersecting projects, but how might slowing down and enjoying your present help you feel more secure about your future? Where could a more long-term plan give you the comfort you’ve been craving? Take a closer look at the assets you have available, beyond finances: how do you have access to energy, community, space, time, inspiration, movement, joy? How do you cultivate spaces of safety and protection, and where can you invest in your own happiness? What are some ways that you can build simple pleasures into your daily routines?

Cancer

Knight of cups

There may be opportunities for movement and adventure this season, as your heart opens wide and a desire for connection and community manifests. Emotions may run high, and you might find yourself swept up in romance and idealism, looking at the world with rose-tinted glasses. Be on the lookout for new chances to build relationships, particularly ways that you can take initiative or invite someone else in.

There can be deep magic and incredible joy that comes from intimacy, but your natural desire for privacy may create friction with this new eagerness to see and be seen. Maintaining control over your emotions and setting boundaries for your heart may not feel like a difficult thing for you to do — but rather than fighting to limit the access that you grant to others, consider the balance that you allow between sharing and secrecy, the ways that you give your emotions the freedom to flow. Who do you let in? How much do you let others see, hear, touch? When feelings are overwhelming you, or your intuition feels hard to grasp, where do you turn?

Leo

The High Priestess

After all of the inspiration and new adventures that last season may have brought, Scorpio season is a time for contemplation, awareness, and intuition. Even if you’re eager to keep moving forward, to build and create and connect, give yourself some intentional time for stillness and observation, tapping into your own personal wisdom and deep natural insights. What are you longing for? What are you doing that’s feeding your spirit, and what is dragging you down?

As you consider the paths that stretch out before you, the opportunities and possibilities that you have access to, trust that your heart can guide you in the right direction. There may be different directions that you can grow in, but in giving yourself space to actually consider your options, you may find yourself craving something specific, something you hadn’t recognized before. How can you make choices that resonate with you, no matter what anyone else may say? Where do you feel called, and how will you answer that call?

Virgo

Seven of cups

Your natural flexibility and talent for spotting important details can be a real asset when making decisions and considering opportunities — but you may find that this season, you’re caught up in the fantasies of different futures, letting your imagination run wild and spin into dozens of different directions. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t daydream, that there’s no room for hope or wishing or speculation. Rather, it’s a reminder that at the end of the day, you won’t be able to follow every single path, won’t be able to pursue every single idea or longing or desire.

You have one wild and precious life, and it’s worth letting your biggest dreams take up space and guide your actions. Give yourself the room you need to explore your truest self, to listen to your intuition and honor the paths that make your breath catch, your heart skip a beat. When you think about the life you want, the community your crave, the fulfillment you long for, what does it look like? What’s there, and what isn’t? And in allowing yourself the chance to say no to certain paths forward, how can your yeses feel more certain?

Libra

The Lovers

Last season may have brought up some tender things, as you worked to adjust your personal narratives and gave yourself permission to pursue the kind of life that you want. And as we move into this time of Scorpio, pay attention to the sparks that fly when you’re with certain people, whether they’re colleagues, friends, partners, or community members. What does it mean to see pieces of yourself reflected in another person? How do you recognize your soul mates? What happens when you find someone that just gets you, sees you, honors you?

Take time to thoughtfully and intimately invest in your people this season, being intentional about the ways that you connect and collaborate. How does sharing your heart with others help you see yourself with new clarity? What do you learn about yourself through your relationships? In pursuing deeper bonds with those you already care for, how do you show yourself kindness, and allow yourself to be more fully loved?

Scorpio

The Moon

Happy birthday, Scorpio!

As we slip into your season of intensity, connection, and release, pay attention to the fantasies, fears, and aspirations that come forward, either in dreams or in waking. What is your subconscious trying to tell you? What problems, desires, illusions are you trying to untangle and identify? Last season’s emphasis on truth, perception, and clarity may have helped you identify your own needs around boundaries and protection, but now is the time for you to grapple with your ideas and assumptions around safety. You may generally be comfortable digging through secrets and shadows, but new truths can be uncovered when you stop trying to control your own cravings and instead surrender to the wildness within. What are you feeling drawn to, and what is keeping you from exploring more thoroughly? How can you show yourself compassion in light of your most hidden worries and wishes?

Sagittarius

Two of rings

On the heels of a season bursting with curiosity, investigation, and intellectual exploration, you may feel on top of the world, like you’re managing all of your tasks and responsibilities with ease. And to your credit, you absolutely are! The new seeds that you’ve planted are beginning to take root, and you’re caring for them diligently while also maintaining your existing duties, balancing everything beautifully. As joyful and empowering as this sensation can be, though, be cautious — all of the work that you’re doing will eventually start to take its toll, and the number of things that you are juggling may eventually become overwhelming. Rather than letting yourself to get to a place of burnout or frustration, begin to consider adjustments that you can make, jobs you can delegate. Where do you actually want to invest your time, energy, resources? What can you surrender to someone else, creating opportunities to put more of yourself into the things that matter most?

Capricorn

The Emperor

You’re known for your practicality, ambition, and authority — and as we move into this season of deep, dark waters and intense emotions, your impulse may be to focus on creating new structures and boundaries for protection. Growth is happening all around you, and in being disciplined about your time, energy, resources, and long-term goals, those big objectives become easier to envision. What are you working on, that could use some planning and organization? What are you the master of, and where are you trying to find control, power, agency? Where is structure aiding you, helping you, giving you safety and control even as you keep dreaming — and where might it be holding you back, limiting your growth instead of inspiring it? There’s nothing wrong with discipline, with ambition, but don’t let your focus be so obsessive on achievement that you lose the joy of creation, inspiration, and collaboration along the way. What kind of control are you really craving?

Aquarius

Four of rings

You may feel a real sense of stability this season, as the work that you’ve been putting into long-term goals and ambitions continues to build in deeply satisfying and tangible ways. But after the intentional rest of last season, stepping back into movement may bring up some new concerns about resources, leading you to cling to what you already have with grasping, slightly desperate hands. If you find yourself getting caught up in fears of not having enough, take a step back and give yourself a chance to honestly look at all that you have. Assets, energy, or time may be a bit slim, but your supply of these things is likely not as limited as you think — and it may be that in letting fear drive your actions, in falling into patterns of hoarding or stinginess, you are actually limiting your ability to flourish. Where can you release control a bit, give yourself some space to breathe? What are you really worried about, and how many of those fears are actually grounded in reality? How can you balance taking necessary risks with protecting what you have already cultivated?

Pisces

Strength

For you, Libra season was all about awareness, stillness, and contemplation — and as we move into Scorpio’s fixed water, you may find yourself eager to stay in an place of observation and thoughtful reflection, moving with gentle intention rather than rushing into any sudden changes or major decisions. Patience is a powerful skill, and it will likely serve you well to take care before making any big movements, thinking through different possibilities and allowing yourself to be open to multiple perspectives.

How do you balance your own emotions, your wildness and compassion, with a willingness to wait for the right moment to act? What bubbles up within you that you quiet or suppress, and when do you let that intensity run free? You may have even more internal strength than you realize, so celebrate those victories, and give yourself credit for how far you have come. What bolsters your strength, and how do you encourage yourself when things feel challenging?

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