Whether you think of it as a delightfully spooky, ethereal time for pulling out all the stops on a memorable Halloween costume or a chilly, dark, and increasingly sleepy time of year, Scorpio season makes it clear that autumn is in full swing. But the sun's moment in Scorpio isn't only about binge-watching your favourite haunting flicks and slurping up autumn-spiced drinks. It's also a moment meant to take the temperature of your most intimate bonds, embrace transformation (even when it scares you), and float in the deep end of your most complex and intense emotions.
Here's what you need to know about Scorpio season, in general — and particularly for 2022.
The sun's time in the sign of the Scorpion happens annually from approximately 22-23 Oct. to 21-22 Nov.
For an idea of how Scorpio functions in astrology and colours mid-October to mid-November, you might pull some clues from the sign's two rulers: go-getter Mars, the planet of action, energy, and sex; and Pluto, the planet of power, transformation, and the underworld. In turn, Scorpio isn't satisfied with surface-level anything, preferring to get to the heart of the matter and connect with others spiritually and emotionally. Innately comfortable with the shadow side of life and sexuality, Scorpio is also incredibly magnetic and intense. Those born with Scorpio placements (meaning their sun or one of their big three or even big six is in the sign) can easily command a room but surely won't open up to just anyone, keeping their cards close to the vest.
It also bears noting that, as the fixed water sign, Scorpios can be resolute and obstinate. Once they've committed to a path, it can be truly challenging for them to switch it up. And associated with the eighth house of emotional bonds, joint resources, and sex, Scorpios are comfortable grappling with topics that other signs shy away from or find taboo.
All of that said, while the sun moves through Scorpio, we're all encouraged to reflect on — and, ideally, deepen — our most intimate relationships. Your ability to get closer to someone you love, be vulnerable, build trust, and venture into intimidatingly uncharted waters — perhaps related to investing or going into business with one another — is supported through this emotionally charged, often spiritually satisfying time of year.
Fuelled by competitive Mars and commanding Pluto, Scorpio season also asks us to consider the power we hold in our own lives and what we're willing to do to maintain it — or seek even more.
Although the sun moves through Scorpio every year, the moon and other planets each have their own unique patterns through the sky, making for a unique astrological picture that differs from one year to the next. Here's what's going on astrologically during Scorpio season 2022.
Scorpio season was already made for self-exploration and transformation, but this year, it's like the astrological equivalent of a caffeine-packed redeye (a regular coffee with a big shot of espresso thrown on top for an extra jolt). Just two days after the sun moves into Scorpio, we'll experience the third game-changing eclipse of the year: a solar eclipse in Scorpio on 25 Oct.. And two weeks later, on 8 Nov., the fourth and final one of 2022 occurs: a lunar eclipse that falls in Taurus.
These two Scorpio season eclipses are part of a series that began on 19 Nov., 2021, and end on 28 Oct., 2023. To get a read on the best way to manage these upcoming eclipses, it can be helpful to think back to the spring and what changes might've been impossible to deny.
If you thought that last Mercury retrograde felt like it was going on and on and on, just wait until Scorpio's own coruler, go-getter Mars, dips into its latest backspin. The planet of energy, sex, and aggression will be retrograde from 30 Oct. to 12 Jan., 2023, in the mutable air sign Gemini.
Because Mars fuels the way we take action and move the ball forward on our ambitions, its retrogrades can make it tougher to reach the finish line in the most traditional way. At the same time, every planetary retrograde is about going inward. So you'll be encouraged to think (particularly because Gemini is so cerebral) about how you've been pushing forward and potentially reassess your game plan so that you can be even more successful in the new year.
With not only the sun but also messenger Mercury and relationship-oriented Venus in Scorpio and Neptune hanging out in fellow water sign Pisces, the planets are bringing plenty of harmony when it comes to wearing rose-colored glasses, using your imagination, and tapping into your spiritual side. Look forward to dreamier thoughts from 10-14 Nov.
And for an extra dose of romance, Venus, the planet of love, will form a sweet trine to Jupiter, the planet of luck and abundance, in Pisces on 15 Nov. These two fortune-bringing planets are bound to set the stage for fantasies to come true.
While we tend to think of each sun-sign season as the moment in which those born during the season get to soak up the spotlight — and that is certainly the case! — people born with their sun in Scorpio aren't the only ones who will be affected by the transformative vibes and bond-deepening moments of this time of year. Anyone born with their sun or major planetary placements in any of the fixed signs — Taurus (fixed earth), Leo (fixed fire), and Aquarius (fixed air) — could come away from Scorpio season feeling like their life has got a total makeover — potentially, ideally, for the better.