Messenger planet Mercury enters the dark heart of Scorpio on Friday, Nov. 5, where it will stay before moving into Sagittarius on Nov. 24.
Mercury rules communication of all kinds, from sonnets to sexting, trolling to extolling. Mercury makes its rounds through all 12 zodiac signs, but under the influence of intense and intensely suspicious Scorpio, our conveyances take the form of investigation. Mercury in Scorpio loves to be challenged and denude the psychological mechanics of others.
Fittingly, during this transit, we are called to observe and question, dig for difficult information and uncover hidden truths. We want to find our way to the bottom and, hopefully, back to the top — better than when we first lifted the metaphorical shovel.
In mythology, Mercury is the messenger god whose route included regular trips to the underworld and, because Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, death daddy overlord of the underworld. This transit is pushing us out at that particular subterranean bus stop.
When it comes to communication with others, things are bound to get intense but, like Scorpio itself, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Among the more beautiful aspects of this transit is that it calls us to go deep. Mercury in Scorpio would rather eat literal dirt than suffer through a topical conversation about the weather, so this month provides the opportunity for real, intimate truth-telling and brave soul-baring. Mercury in Scorpio has no fear of the dark and can thus teach us to better see — and integrate — the parts of ourselves we keep hidden out of fear or shame. Lest we forget, and Mercury in Scorpio won’t let us, we’re all going to die and the time is nigh to speak clean and true while you still have an open mouth and beating heart to move you.
The danger of this transit is that it can activate the jealous, possessive and downright paranoid parts of our human nature. Mercury in Scorpio operates from a place of doubt, expecting the worst of others and ever bracing for betrayal. For those of us in or actively recovering from relationships, it can make us especially tender and — because Scorpio is a fixed sign — prone to hold onto each hurt.
Honesty and transparency in relationships should always be the aim, but with this transit it becomes a matter of survival. Mercury in this sign can spur us to seek or invent narratives and evidence that are harmful to our higher selves. The first step back from that brink is awareness. Make sure the information you’re after is information that will help move you forward, rather than hold you back.
During this transit, we are invited to compassionately direct the lens of observation and the theater of critical conversation inward. How are we speaking to and about ourselves? Because Scorpio energy is ultimately about transformation, how can we adjust these conversations to facilitate a new phase of growth and a platform for our own personal evolution?
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.