And so... here we are. Standing in front of the bridge of intensity. A month-long crossing is in store.

Scorpio is a sign of extremes and its season is one of intensity. But this time around the word "intensity" doesn't even begin to explain the tension that we are about to get caught in.

The season kicks off on October 23rd when the Sun moves into 0 degrees of the sign together with Venus, the planet of money and partnerships. Sun and Venus have been moving together since early October and for pretty much all of Libra Season but it is at 0 of Scorpio that they become exactly conjunct. Venus is in its detriment in Scorpio because it rules the opposite sign of Taurus. The co-presence of polarities (Venus in Scorpio) is a sure indicator of tension but like I said this is just the beginning. The two planetary bodies - Sun and Venus - will be in lockstep almost until the end. This indicates that finance, prices, expenses will continue to be uppermost on our agenda and finance (Venus) will be connected to deeply held values (for Scorpios everything is personal, even business or should I say, especially business). While Venus in Libra is about diplomacy, Venus in Scorpio is about money as power and commitment; investments as an indicator of where our true loyalties lie.

With big finance so much in focus it is worth mentioning that as soon as the Sun/Venus conjunction becomes exact at 0 of Scorpio, Jupiter (the Great Benefit; the planet named after the god of all gods) will be on the world axis at 0 of Aries. The suggestion being that directing big money to causes you take personally, investing not so much on the basis of mathematical calculations but on the basis of personal loyalties will have an impact on the course of history.

A week later, Mercury, the planet of communication and information, will enter Scorpio as well and with that all three personal planets - Sun, Mercury, Venus - will begin to play into the ongoing Saturn-Uranus square. Throughout Scorpio Season, the tension between long-standing structures (Saturn) and rebellious, new concepts (Uranus) will continue to be operational. And as the Sun, Venus and Mercury move through Scorpio, they will all form a T-square with Uranus and Saturn. Each of them will go over that sensitive 18th degree that pokes both Saturn and Uranus.

What will make matters even more intense is that fact that Saturn will station direct on the day Scorpio Season starts and will be stationary for most of the Season as it begins to gather speed. Saturnian energy will be strong this November so expect to feel like you are being fenced in in some area of your life. The feeling that you are imprisoned and put in a situation where your hands are tied will be especially overwhelming. Your desire to break out of an old pattern that feels like a rut to you will be met with a strong opposition from partical and material concerns.

The culmination will without a doubt be on November 8th when we will see an eclipse on the Taurus-Scorpio axis. Eclipses are powerful celestial events during which the luminary (the life-giving and life-affirming source of light) is wiped out. They indicate a catalyst event that will lead to a significant change in the next 6 months. This intense event is happening in what is an already intense set-up with Uranus squaring (mostly stationary) Saturn and a retrograde Mars (the ruler of Scorpio!) squaring Neptune.

A week before the eclipse, on October 30th, Mars (God of War, masculine principles such as courage, bravery, aggression, separation, anti-social behavior;) will station Rx in a loose square with Neptune (dreams, illusions, altruistic ideals) and Jupiter (philosophy, the Great Benefic) in Pisces. The square to Neptune will become exact on November 18th. So Scorpio Season will proceed under that energy of action (Mars) going up against altruistic ideas/illusions (Neptune).

So this month, we have an eclipse which in itself is a very powerful event. It is taking place in the most intense sign of the zodiac. It will activate the already crushing final square of Uranus to Saturn. And somewhere in the background decisive, action will run into beautiful illusions and dreamy hangovers.

On a personal level, this eclipse brings together ALL planets in one single event. The Sun, Venus (money and values) and Mercury (news and information) will oppose the Moon (the people, raw emotions) and Uranus (rebellion) while also squaring Saturn (authority and tradition). Meanwhile, Mars, the ruler of the sign where the Sun is, is butting heads with Neptune (altruism, beautiful fogs, dreams that slip away) and to some extent Jupiter (philosophy, religion, grand visions).

On an individual level, all different story lines in your life will become intertwined on that one single night in November. One single astrological event will draw on all of our lives. The eclipse knits all the parts together in a sign famous for intensity, stubbornness, deep psychology and secrets. Only mighty Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio, will not be directly involved in the event. As usual, the God of the Underworld stands above the plane of the action, only in the end giving his final verdict.