By Amanda Painter

What’s the difference between merely falling down a proverbial rabbit hole and following your instincts to uncover a mystery, or to get beneath the surface of something in a way that changes you? The activities can look the same at the outset. Is the defining factor one of practicality — that is, what you do with what you discover, or how it changes you?

Installation in the 2011 Sacred & Profane Festival, Peaks Island, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Over the next couple of days, the prominent astrology seems to relate to these ideas, thanks to some very strong connections to the sign Scorpio.

First up is today’s conjunction between the Sun and Jupiter in very early Scorpio (exact at 2:09 pm EDT / 18:09 UTC). Jupiter magnifies what it touches, and the Sun represents your conscious awareness. So if you happen to be in a bad mood, feel wronged by someone or tend toward the darker side of life, this could be a reminder to watch out for overdoing the sharper side of Scorpio’s emotional palette.

Yet solar Scorpio is also the time of year when the veil between our world and the unseen realms is said to get thin and permeable; and Jupiter also represents things such as learning about topics remote to your usual experience, philosophical understanding and the ‘superconscious’. You might take a moment to notice what you’re being invited to dive into and explore, or to feel and sense more deeply.

With Scorpio relating to such things as sex, death, secrets and transformation — and the Sun relating to outward expression — are you feeling inclined to share a sexual secret? Or maybe a sense of sexual or emotional confidence and curiosity is running in the background of your psyche. If you’ve ever had an interest in facilitating sexual education (something sorely needed in the U.S.), for yourself or for others, the current astrology would seem to support that.

Sex is under assault in our culture, and has been for centuries. The toxic results of its corruption at the hands of patriarchal religion — from being a natural biological, emotional and spiritual phenomenon to being a source of shame, guilt, pain and abuse — cannot be overstated. We see it in everything from the backlash to high-profile sexual predators, to assumptions about how ‘good girls’ are supposed to behave and that ‘boys will be boys’. A planet making contact with the Sun-Jupiter conjunction adds another layer to this week’s themes.

Centaur planet Nessus in Pisces is trine the Sun and Jupiter. Nessus is the one with the key phrase, “the buck stops here.” Like all the centaur planets, it relates to healing; in this case, the process of bringing old transgressions to awareness so that you have an opportunity to recognize and end a pattern of behavior. Often it speaks to intergenerational patterns.

A trine is a supportive aspect. My sense is that while Nessus in this configuration does not offer any quick fixes (is there such a thing?), it’s there to facilitate deeper awareness. Maybe it’s an emotional ‘ah ha’ moment in the course of your overall journey of self-understanding. Jupiter in the trine brings in an element of protection — perhaps from the ‘scariness’ of certain deep emotions — or a higher level of understanding to help you to work with what you learn.

It’s also worth noting that your explorations are not happening in a vacuum. Whether or not you consider yourself ‘coupled’, you likely have relationships: with friends and family, with coworkers and, ideally, with yourself. Venus (the relationship planet) is currently making a square to Pluto (the lord of change) in Capricorn (exact Friday at 11:21 pm EDT / 3:21 UTC Saturday). And while neither planet is in Scorpio, Pluto is considered the modern ruler of that sign (Mars is the traditional ruler).

While Venus square Pluto can indicate deepening emotions and love experiences, this is also an aspect about choosing what to do. If changes are occurring in a relationship (and again, this can include the relationship you have with yourself), you’ll want to acknowledge and actively accommodate them. Ignoring them is not a constructive option; it will only bring stress.

I know that even just mentioning the word ‘change’ — especially regarding relationships — can send people into a panic. If that’s you, remember that things like growth, healing and flexibility are all forms of ‘change’, and are incredibly positive in the long run — even if they feel stressful with uncertainty in the short run. If you can take a deep breath and allow yourself or a partner a little wiggle room, you might actually find that you discover a new form of balance; Venus is in Libra, after all. Urges to cling, control or manipulate, however, should be immediate red flags.

Luckily, Mercury in Scorpio is offering some help, in the form of making a sextile to Pluto. This is another aspect of harmony, but one you’ll need to activate to benefit from it. Mercury sextile Pluto is the love of mysteries and puzzle solving. With Scorpio involved, you can get as deep and juicy as you like.

Get below the surface — of your own awareness; of your sexual hang-ups, blocks, fantasies and fetishes; of the veil between this world and the next; of unhealthy familial patterns; of your moods; of your evolving relationship to yourself, and of the corresponding shifts in your relationships to others.

This is what Scorpio is for, after all: the deep dive, and allowing what you learn to transform you, to fill your well, to get waters that had been dammed up flowing again. It’s only a rabbit hole if you don’t use what you discover.

By any standards, 2018 will be a distinctive year astrologically. Get your essential guide to riding the waves of the next 12 months and beyond. Pre-order The Art of Becoming, the 2018 Planet Waves Annual by Eric Francis.