Taurus - Scorpio
In previous articles, we introduced what Zodiac Signs are; we meditated upon the Principle of Polarity operating in reality and the paradigm of Polarization conditioning our consciousness; and we talked about how astrology correlates with this. We invite you to visit these articles in order to understand what will be discussed next.
In this new article, we are going to explore the images, metaphors, and concepts that the Taurus-Scorpio Polar Axis represent, in order to observe how all of this can be experienced in our lives.
TAURUS- SCORPIO POLAR AXIS
In the Zodiac wheel, Taurus and Scorpio are located directly across from each other: together, they form an axis.
This means that, although they may appear to be opposites based on their placement, the design in fact reveals that they are actually the extreme points of one same substance; they form a polarity.
In correspondence with this, we will observe how, at first glance, the content of these symbols may seem contradictory, but upon delving into their meaning, it becomes evident that one contains and includes the other.
What do Taurus and Scorpio symbolize?
Let’s begin by evoking some of the images and qualities that each sign represents, in order to later reflect on the inseparable link that exists between these apparent contradictions.
IMPORTANT
Remember, we are not talking about “people who are a Taurus or a Scorpio”, but about Taurus and Scorpio as what they truly are: symbols representing certain aspects of our existence.
Taurus
Element: Earth
Modality: Fixed
Ruler: Venus
What does Taurus symbolize?
LIFE
Conservation of energy/matter
Possession / Attachment
Generation / Fertility
Pleasure / Enjoyment
Matter
Sensuality
Scorpio
Element: Water
Modality: Fixed
Ruler: Pluto
What does Scorpio symbolize?
DEATH
Release of energy/matter
Detachment
Decomposition
Pain / Tension / Intensity
The Immaterial (what is beyond matter)
Sexuality
TAURUS - SCORPIO: POLARITY AND POLARIZATION
To perceive the Poles of this Axis as Polarity, to be able to see Life and Death, not as stages of a journey, but simultaneously, represents a significant challenge, especially for Western culture. But the truth is that everything that is alive is also dying. Surely this statement has already caused some discomfort just by reading it. This discomfort is related to a polarized perception of what the Taurus-Scorpio axis represents.
Culturally, we understand death as an ending: the end of life. It’s the need for attachment, the need for conservation, that conflicts with this notion. However, this axis reminds us that death is not the absence of life, for Life and Death are a yin-yang. Death is not an end, but rather liberation, transformation, and regeneration. This applies to both material and symbolic death.
From a Polarized perception of Taurus, I reject death, cling to matter, want to retain it, control it, fix it. This entails a great effort and it proves to be futile; it only produces suffering. The Polarity with Scorpio reminds us that life is constant transformation. The attempt to retain life is to restrain life, to halt it… and perhaps this is even more akin to ending it.
From a Polarized perception of Scorpio, I may believe that if ‘everything that’s alive is dying’, there is only death. This is a distortion of this polarity. I lose sight of the fact that, in the same way, ‘within everything dying there is life’. Just by seeing a decomposing fruit at the foot of a tree, one can perceive that the death of the fruit is the life of the fungus that decomposes it, is the fertilization of the soil that nourishes the tree. It becomes evident that life and death are not points organized linearly in time, but are two conditions present and simultaneous. Life and Death mutually constitute each other.
Aerial Yoga Teacher Traininig
…in Bali, Indonesia
TRANSFORMATION AND NEED FOR CONTROL
The fact that Taurus and Scorpio are a Polarity reveals that pleasure and pain are not mutually exclusive. Taurus is the contact with that which brings me pleasure, enjoyment, fulfillment, well-being. The Polarity with Scorpio reminds us that to engage deeply with this, is to understand that this love will transform me; I will no longer be the same, and that implies some form of pain. This axis reveals Love to be a Transmuting Power.
This enjoyment is what makes me want to remain in contact with what I was drawn to –Taurus– (be it Astrology, Yoga, Music, Art, a Relationship, etc.); and that persistence is what leads the experience to eventually acquire a level of depth –Scorpio– that will inevitably transform me. To surrender to profound contact, is to let die what one was before that encounter, and to allow new vitality to emerge from the ashes.
However, allowing for this to happen, is not the most frequent choice since the polarized perception of this axis causes resistance to death/transformation, and attachment to known forms and to comfort (rejection of pain). The shadow projected by this polarization is fear and the need for control, which results in constant tension. While trying to avoid suffering, we end up inflicting it upon ourselves.
Yoga
This can be translated into moments of liberation in the practice of yoga towards the unknown. When we allow ourselves to take a risk, to step out of our comfort zone on the path to transformation. Whether practicing a meditation that’s difficult to sustain or practicing that asana we don’t like because it’s challenging. The word ‘risk’ is more associated with the emotional aspect than the physical in this case. Embracing the risk, regardless of the consequence, opens doors and creates space for transformation.
This axis reminds us that life comes with pain, that loss is liberation, that transformation is regeneration, that decomposition is fertility. It reminds us that when we resist transformation because it hurts, because it’s uncomfortable, we are also resisting life.
CONCLUSION
This article aims to be an invitation to rethink our perception. It in no way seeks to morally judge, nor does it set any guidelines to follow or objectives to be achieved.
What’s interesting is to be able to perceive that often our suffering arises from a polarized perception of reality. To be able to observe, for example, how, along with the illusion of control, the attempt to completely dominate a situation or a relationship, the resistance to change, always comes tension and suffering. To be able to perceive the offer of new vitality, of fertility, that arises when surrendering to transformation, when liberating oneself from what is now obsolete, letting it die, whilst recognizing the inherent toxicity present in preserving it.
Article written in collaboration with Steph S · Astrologer
Bali, Indonesia