Mars, Esoteric ruler of Scorpio

The Esoteric ruler of Scorpio

In the zodiacal wheel, Scorpio is the energy that, through mental and emotional intensity, tests the consciousness. A conflict that has to be resolved through experience on the physical plane, the place where tests are overcome through struggle. Let us remember that the exoteric and esoteric ruler of Scorpio is Mars, “the warrior”.

The “scorpion” is the bearer of poison, symbol of deception and death, but also source of regeneration, transformation and detachment, key concepts to understand the esoteric purposes of this sign.

In a worldly or unspiritual consciousness, poison is a symptom of self-interested and even ill-intentioned (self-) control. It is a consciousness that, in order to subjugate the desired object, feeds itself with feelings and ideas capable of generating attachment and disturbance that derive in what we call a toxic relationship; whether it is a relationship with itself or with its surroundings or environment.

With this attitude the illusion or illusion is served, the problem is that the destruction of such deception involves the renunciation, or if not a profound adjustment, of the desire that generates it. It is “the fish that bites its own tail”.

On the other hand, in an evolved Scorpio, the poison is a symptom of the great capacity of this sign to “kill” the selfish desire through the experience, (in the mental, emotional and physical plane), of the regenerating power of the Soul. The conscious emergence of a new energy, the Soul, precipitates the reality of a new path.

Scorpio teaches us the Truth through the experience of the lie. Very often that which we consider a “real desire” becomes a conflict which in turn, through the same sign, proves to be a lie or a delusion. In truth Scorpio is both “the scorpion” and “the eagle”, the darkness of attachment and the freedom of detachment.

This sign, and to a lesser extent the power of Pluto and the meanings of the 8th house, are the place where material, sentimental and intellectual values lose their power, and where conflicts must be passed into the intangible world of the subjective and from there, directed by spiritual values, be resolved by the light of intuition and the ever more present reality, (the presence), of the Soul.

In the quality of Scorpio appears the meaning of the prodigal son: the humble return of the son who, full of “scars” (disappointments and struggles), longs to recover the kindness of the father, a kindness that is fully recovered in the esoteric meanings of Capricorn.

Types of conflicts

The source of difficulties is threefold (mental-emotional-material) and is always evident in the physical plane of experience, the place where they must be faced. In order to give more details about these conflicts, we enclose a scheme, by Alice Bailey, which is very orienting:

Physical conflicts, animal nature related to appetite

1. Sex—the relation of the pairs of opposites. These can be selfishly utilised or divinely blended.

2. Physical comfort—life conditions, selfishly appropriated.

3. Money—selfishly cornered (if I may use such a phrase).

Emotional conflicts, these ara subtler in nature connected whith to desire or emotion (astral plan):

1. Pride—which is intellectual satisfaction, making the mind the barrier to soul control.

2. Separativeness—which is the isolated attitude and which makes the mind the barrier to right group relations.

3. Cruelty—which is satisfaction with personality methods and which makes the mind the instrument of the sense of power

Mental conflicts, related to the lower mind, more critical and offensive.

1. Pride—which is intellectual satisfaction, making the mind the barrier to soul control.

2. Separativeness—which is the isolated attitude and which makes the mind the barrier to right group relations.

3. Cruelty—which is satisfaction with personality methods and which makes the mind the instrument of the sense of power.

When these faults are realised and are overcome, the result is twofold: the establishing of right relations with the soul and also with the environment. These two results are the goal of all tests in Scorpio.

MARS

The exoteric and esoteric ruler of Scorpio is Mars, the red colored planet, passion, where the warrior makes the blood flow and sex vitalizes it.

Mars is the positive physical activity, the tangible and objective experience through the five senses. Mars is the active and often aggressive devotion to what is desired.

Exoterically a Mars (ruled by an egoic consciousness) expresses itself with a great capacity for separative self-concentration, so that it can direct its attention solely to the realization of the desired.

In Aries, where Mars also rules, the egoistic desire is fulfilled through the mental initiative conditioned by that desire and expressed martially (actively) as “I want”.

In Scorpio, being a water sign, the selfish activity of Mars is more psychic than mental. In this case there is a “vampiric” attitude capable of manipulating the substance (emotion/desire) of self and others to feed back an active counter-force that will magnetize the desired through a false feeling.

Esoterically a Mars conditioned by the demands of the Soul still has the same capacities (active application, psychic involvement, power of realization) as an egoistic Mars, but, in this case, they are capacities driven and experienced by the conscious attitude of the observer (the soul), in contradiction with the force of the experiencer (the personality).

This attitude allows the dis-identification with the personal experience involved in the tests and therefore the consequent growth of the more subjective and imaginative world (Neptune) of the subject. This attitude also increases the conscious honesty of his struggle, without abandoning the powerful clinging to the physical reality of experience.

The contrast of this duality (observer - experiencer) allows the energy of the Soul to be recognized against the force of the personality and thus the triumph is patent and the deception ceases to exert its power.

The conscious and altruistic aspect of the Soul emerges and also its capacity to govern or manage the personal powers that were hitherto too egoistic.

Phrase for the Soul:

"I am a warrior and I emerge triumphant from the battle"

In the clarity of this phrase we can see that a superior Scorpio knows that there is a conflict against which he must fight. The warrior, who is the spiritual consciousness actively applied, recognizing the deception or false illusion decides to fight, to have experience of it, in order to demonstrate its falseness and achieve detachment or freedom.

Scorpio and its esoteric meaning can be summarized with these three words: Test - Experience - Triumph

Rays present through Scorpio

In Scorpio is very present the energy of the 4ºR of Harmony and Beauty through the Conflict, making clear reference to the conflicts, fights and capacity to solve them this sign carries. Behind every “problem” related to Scorpio, (as well as with Taurus too), a great resolving tension looms, a tension with a great creative power closely related to the fantastic sense of Beauty that its complementary sign, Taurus, brings. This is why these two signs are so present in the horoscopes of the great geniuses of Art.

The characteristic fighting power of Mars is very much conditioned by the 6thR qualities of Ideal and Devotion. “The warrior” fights motivated by his ideal, by his devotion, that which the consciousness desires to attain, that which creates the ultimate experience and triumph.

In the final stages of the path through Scorpio, where the consciousness is more evolved, the primary impulse of Mars is softened by Neptune, also ruled by the 6thR. In Neptune the more subjective aspects such as imagination or psychic sensitivity replace, or if not condition, the more objective and forceful pro-active desire ruled by Mars.

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Rulerships according to the book Esoteric Astrology by Alice Bailey our main reference book.

Constellation Orthodox Esoteric Hierarchical

- ARIES  Mars  Mercury  Uranus

- TAURUS  Venus  Vulcan  Vulcan

- GEMINIS  Mercury  Venus  Earth

- CANCER Moon Neptune Neptune

- LEO   Sun  Sun   Sun

- VIRGO  Mercury  The Moon  Jupiter

- LIBRA Venus  Uranus  Saturn

- SCORPION  Mars  Mars Mercury

- SAGITTARIUS Jupiter  Earth  Mars

- CAPRICORN Saturn  Saturn  Venus

- AQUARIUS Uranus  Jupiter  The Moon

- PISCES  Jupiter  Pluto  Pluto

- In esoteric Leo the Sun veiled the qualities of Neptune and in hierarchical Leo those of Uranus

- The Moon in Virgo veiled over the qualities of Vulcan and in Aquarius those of Uranus.

- The Hierarchical rulerships are the highest, when the Soul (Esoteric) and the Personality (orthodox) have been integrated the creative power of the Spirit emerges. Expressing them implies a high degree of evolution but it is not superfluos to know them.