The Power of the Dark: Working with the Dark Moon, Pluto and Scorpio

There is great power in the dark, but only those who have the courage to face it will gain access to it.  We are currently moving into the period of what is called the "dark moon" or "balsamic moon", which is the three day period before the new moon when the waning moon is at its darkest.  The dark moon is that time each month when, if we are moving with the lunar cycle, we turn inward, focusing on nurturing and self-care, and ultimately face the darkness within ourselves so that we may release a layer of what is no longer needed, coming to a greater understanding of an old wound, tearing down a wall or releasing a fear, so that we may start a new cycle at the new moon in which we are lighter and freer to pursue our soul's true desires.  

This new moon is in the industrious, practical, building sign of Capricorn, so its a wonderful time to revisit those intentions that were set at Solstice when the sun arrived at zero degrees Capricorn, and we celebrated not only the return of the light, but the longest night of the year, honoring the dark.  As the sun and moon join in Capricorn, we can use this new moon to activate those intentions and begin to build towards realizing them. 

So now, in the days leading up to this new moon, as the moon wanes, we move into the darkest dark of the lunar cycle.  The moon is the representation of the feminine, the yin, the subconscious, and the emotions.  We only see the moon when the rays of the sun (the light of consciousness) are able to cast upon it, just like what lies beneath the surface of our consciousness only is brought to our awareness when we turn our attention to it. Another planet associated with the depths of the psyche and the darker side of existence is Pluto, which just made a conjunction to the sun in Capricorn yesterday, and will still be in a six degree orb of the sun (and therefore moon) at the time of the new moon. Pluto rules Scorpio and Mars (the ancient ruler of Scorpio) has just started his transit of Scorpio.  This brings a lot of activation to the energies represented by Scorpio at this dark moon and new moon.  

There is great power in the dark, but you must have the courage to face it. The sign of Scorpio is all about what lies beneath the surface.  Its element is water, deep water.  Scorpio is ultimately about transformation - death and rebirth - and at the highest level of soul transformation is represented by the Phoenix.  Remember that transformation cannot take place without awareness.  You must have the courage to face what is unknown inside you, to face what you might not want to see, to become aware and to take responsibility for the dark that is inside of you in order to harness it and use it. Once you have done this, it no longer haunts you.  The dark that once subconsciously drove you is now a powerful tool you may use for your empowerment, because you have accepted your whole true self and value your whole true self.  

The dark is just as important as the light, and just as powerful.  Maybe even more powerful.  That which we fear holds the most power over us.  There is no light without dark.  There is no birth without death.  There is no creation without destruction.  Think of Kali, the Hindu goddess who creates and destroys.  This is the axis all life sits on.  Only out of the ashes can the Phoenix arise.  The ancient Egyptian lion-headed goddess Sekhmet's myth speaks of her righteous rage that was so feared that she was drugged.  Shall we continue to repress the anger of our deepest wounds and injustices?  The Sumerian goddess Inanna made her descent into the underworld to confront her sister Ereshkigal (her dark side) and symbolically died for three days and was brought back to life, whole unto herself, having confronted her shadow side. Lilith, in Babylonian times, was an aspect of the Great Goddess, who encompassed, as many ancient goddesses did, ALL of the energies of the feminine.  Not just the nice ones, not just the good ones, not just the pretty ones.  All of the energies are contained within each of us and we must have the courage to come face to face with their power so that we might integrate them.  We ignore them to our detriment, allowing them power over us when we are overcome with fear or anger or sadness instead of us harnessing their energies and directing them consciously.  

Mars newly in Scorpio for the past few days may have found you on edge.  You may have noticed old fears or wounds or old patterns of reacting being closer to the surface.  Now is the time to use this energy.  Have the courage to face what it is that is causing you discomfort and truly look at it and examine it and see what it really is.  Then you have the power of awareness and the power of the dark that lies within you.  Then you have nothing to fear.  And when you have nothing to fear you are truly powerful.

The dark pushes us, stretches us, molds us and shapes us.  The dark transforms us into more than we thought we could ever be.  Without the dark, we would not have some of our greatest art work, literary work, or music.   How many people have benefited from the art that came from Frida Kahlo's pain? There is beauty in the dark.  It is only in the dark that we are challenged to the place where we might access some of our greatest wisdom.  Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man's Search for Meaning, said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."  It is only in the dark when we are able to realize how strong and courageous we really are at the core of our being.  It is only in the dark when we realize the totality of ourselves.

There is great power in the dark, and the universe is giving you the opportunity over the next few days to access it, to take the quiet of the dark moon and see what might lie below the still surface of your Scorpionic waters.  This is how you access your strength and power, to transform and become the Phoenix rising from the ashes.  There is great power in the dark.