Welcome back to our ongoing Decan Walk! Today, our journey takes a dramatic turn. We are diving into the deep, murky, and transformative depths of the Sign of Scorpio. This is the 8th Zodiac Sign, and I think it deserves all the drama. Why? Because Scorpio is drama, and all the cards associated with the Scorpio decans are all about the drama, too.

The Sign of Scorpio invites us to look at the murky depths of all that is hidden, taboo, and profound. In our murky deep dive of the waters of Scorpio, we are called to confront these aspects from deep within our psyche. 

Scorpio Decans: Mars in Scorpio + Sun in Scorpio + Venus in Scorpio

We are going to dive in and explore the intense, complex energies of the Scorpio Decans, understand the essence of the Zodiac Sign of Scorpio, and then look at each of its three Decans, decoding the planetary influences and Tarot symbolism along the way. We’ll be examining the three Scorpio Decans and their corresponding Tarot cards: the 5 of Cups (Mars in Scorpio), the 6 of Cups (Sun in Scorpio), and the 7 of Cups (Venus in Scorpio).  

Signs ↔︎ Houses

Over the time, I’ve started to see that the energies of the Signs correspond to the Houses. The energy of Aries, for instance, corresponds a fair bit with the energy of the First House of the Astrology Chart. Aries, is all about going out there and exploring what you want to do. Through that process, you discover your identity. And the First House is all about discovering your identity.

In the same way, the 8th Sign of Scorpio corresponds with the 8 House of the Astrology Chart. The 8th House is about hidden aspects of our personality, the Shadowy aspects of our psyche. The 8th House is therefore also about Sex, and Death, and the Occult Mysteries. Interestingly, it is also about other people’s money, inheritances, and taxes. You will soon see that these are the qualities that resonate with the Sign of Scorpio.

Astrology: Scorpio ♏︎

The Sun typically transits the Zodiac Sign of Scorpio between the 23rd of October and the 22nd of November. When you say “Scorpio,” people often react with fear, whispering about “vengeful” people with “hidden agendas.” And, according to the qualities of the Sign, it’s kind of true. The glyph of the Sign itself is the Scorpion, a creature everyone is afraid of because it will sting.

Planetary Rulers: The Paradox of Fiery Water

Scorpio’s story is one of paradox. It is a Fixed Water sign, but it’s not a gentle, flowing river. It’s ruled by two intensely fiery planets: its traditional ruler, Mars (the God of War), and its modern ruler, Pluto (the God of the Underworld).

This combination of a Water sign ruled by fiery (Mars) and transformative (Pluto) planets creates a volatile, high-pressure, “swampy” energy. It’s not the flowing water of Cancer or the mystical ocean of Pisces; it is the still, deep, and pressurized water of a swamp, where life and death are locked in a constant, intense cycle of decay and regeneration.

Scorpio has two primary symbols, representing a profound evolutionary path:

• The Scorpion: The scorpion burrows under the rocks, symbolic of the psyche or culture. It is instinctive, hidden, and reacts with its sting.
• The Eagle: This represents the soaring heights of perspective. It can see even the smallest things from those heights.

From the beginning as the Scorpion to the destination as the Eagle — it is only by going as deep as the scorpion, by facing the hidden, the taboo, and the shadow, can one earn the perspective to become the eagle and soar to the heights.

You can see this eagle in the (top right) Scorpio corner of the Wheel of Fortune and The World cards. The lesson is simple and profound: until you go deep, you cannot go high.

Key Scorpio Traits: The Good, The Bad, and The Profound

Naturally, Scorpio has good and not so good qualities. Let’s take a look:

The Positive and Neutral Traits (The Hero’s Toolkit):

• Passionate, Driven, and Perceptive: They have an intuitive, incisive understanding of who you are and will see your dark side real quick.
• Emotional and Sacrificing: If they truly care about you, they will do whatever it takes.
• Determined and Dominating: They will go to extremes to achieve their aims.
• Investigative Explorers: They love exploring the hidden, secret, and taboo, making them brilliant detectives.
• Deep, Profound, and Analytical: They possess immense spiritual power.
• Healers and Helpers: They have a positive side, but they are very selective about who they use it for.
• Uncompromising, Tough, and Tenacious: They have sharp wit and strong sexuality.

The Shadow Side (The Villain’s Power):

• Tyrannical and Destructive: Their obsession with personal power can lead them to be destructive, and they don’t spare themselves—they can be self-destructive, too.
• Big-headed, Stubborn, and Fixated: They can become dogmatic and obsessive.
• Emotional Energy Vampires: They can be paranoid, possessive, jealous, vindictive, and clingy.
• Controlling: They can use their powers of perception to make others dependent on them or to destroy them.

Scorpio in Our Chart

While we look at Scorpio with fear and disdain, we need to understand that we all have this energy somewhere in our chart, governing a specific area of our lives. Look at your birth chart, and see where Scorpio shows up. As we know, each of the 12 Houses in our Astrological Chart corresponds with an Area of our Life. Then look at the Life Area corresponding to the House in your Birth Chart where Scorpio shows up. Does the energy of that life area resonate with the energy of Scorpio?

For example, the 5th House of the Chart corresponds with Creativity, Early Education, and Children. If you have Scorpio in that House, you are likely interested in deeply mysterious topics, possibly like reading (and writing or creating) stories that are dark and mysterious. You may be very much into detective novels or series, or investigations into mysteries that tend to have a dark slant.

Essentially, all of us have a bit of Scorpio energy in our life. Looking at that can help us see the darker, hidden undercurrents that rule the energies of that aspect of our life. Isn’t that something!

Scorpio + Tarot: The Death Card

As if its reputation wasn’t dramatic enough, the Tarot card for Scorpio is Death. Seriously, it’s not helping.

But let’s tell the true story of this card. In nearly every deck—Rider-Waite-Smith, Tarot de Marseille, Thoth, and Telos—we see a skeleton. We are down to the bare bones. This is what Scorpio does: it strips away all the layers to get to the truth.

In the Rider-Waite deck, the story is vivid. The skeleton of Death rides a horse, wearing an armor. The Emperor (structure) is dead. The Hierophant (belief) is pleading. The maiden (strength) is giving up. Only the child, with no preconceived notions, welcomes this “new shiny thing.” We even see the boatman on the River Styx, a direct link to Scorpio’s underworld.

In the Tarot de Marseille deck, the skeleton is cleaning a battlefield, reaping the leftover heads, hands, and legs. It’s a gruesome, practical story: the war is over, and the leftover “bits and bobs” in your psyche must be cleansed.

In the Thoth deck imagery as well as the Telos deck imagery, we see a skeleton reaping souls. This is the image of the cycle of death and rebirth, the cosmic recycling process in action.

Essentially, the Death card is a card of cleansing. It is a card of Endings. Death is the End.

Read my Blog Post: Death is the End where I totally get into it.  You can also watch the video about it if you like.

I often see Tarot Card Readers online who do readings where they pull the Death card, and say, “Oh, you are going to experience a new beginning!”  and I am like: “No! The Death card means you are going to experience an ending.  {Kinda like that song by The Doors: “This is the end, my friend.“}

The Death card is NOT a new beginning. The Death card is endings, closure, cleansing, and purging.

Here’s a story I tell a lot: You want to buy a new sofa. That’s great! But you already have an old sofa. You can’t just put the new one in the same spot. You have to get rid of the old one to make space. We humans are bad at this. We “park” our old, broken-down sofas in the basement of our psyche, out of sight. Neither do we want to get rid of it, nor do we throw it out into the trash. It just stays in that basement of our psyche, along with other such stuff that we’ve dumped in there. Soon enough, these piles grow and it just clutters things up. This emotional and psychic baggage then begins to rot and stink, creating toxins that slowly infect the waters of our inner world. The Death card is the necessary, and often heartbreaking, process of finally cleaning out that room and healing the toxic waters. It’s not happy or rosy. But it is necessary. If you don’t take care of this mess, you end up with various negative effects like addictions, anger issues, and behavior patterns that cause hurt and pain to ourselves and to those around us.

Interestingly, Scorpio is the very energy you need to perform this very important task—to be the investigator, to face the darkness, and to get rid of the crap. Scorpio will enable you and empower you to look at the darker, shadowy aspects of your emotions and experiences within your psyche — so you can cleanse it out thoroughly. In that sense, we can see how the energies of Scorpio and the Death card resonate with each other.

In our life, this can manifest as a job, a relationship, a habit, a pattern, a cycle of life, or anything at all that has run its course in your life. The energy of Scorpio and Death combine to help you identify what needs to be faced and cut out, and then thoroughly cleanse it and purge it from your life. The only reason why it needs to be thrown out is that that job, that relationship, that career, that phase of your life has run it’s course. It has given all that it could give to you and your life’s journey. It has served it’s purpose. And now, it has got to go. And this process can be transformational, emotional, and depressing. But it is absolutely necessary.

Unless you cleanse your life and your psyche of this energy, you will keep carrying it with you, creating all sorts of baggage, weighing you down, and not allowing the actual new beginning to manifest in your life.

The energy of Scorpio is intense and painful, but it performs a very difficult but very essential function.

Now that we’ve understood the energy of Scorpio, let’s look at the three Scorpio Decans.

Scorpio Decan I: Mars in Scorpio: ♂ in ♏︎: Dramatic Endings – Disappointed Passions

In this first Scorpio Decan, we encounter the energy of Mars in Scorpio, linked to the 5 of Cups in the Tarot.

The first Scorpio Decan spans 0° to 10° of Scorpio (approx. Oct 23 – Nov 2). The Picatrix sets a brutal scene for our story: “A man with a lance in his right hand and the head of a man in his left hand.”

The associated keywords are honor, glory, cunning, and triumph.

Astrology: Mars ♂ + Tarot: The Tower

Mars is the God of War, ruling Aries and Scorpio. It’s a fiery planet, and Mars is the God of War. Very masculine, very aggressive. Mars is all about physical energy, drive, and temperament. Mars is also about your animal attraction, your sexuality, your sexual playfulness, and virility. Mars rules your passions, courage, bravery, impulsiveness, your sense of drama, confidence, and dynamism. Mars can make you competitive, take risks, be ambitious, and complete your tasks.

On the negative side, Mars can become extreme, excessively aggressive, insensitive, hostile, quick-tempered, angry, and rash.

In the Tarot, Mars is The Tower. The Tower is the story of a structure—a belief, a habit, a government—that has become rotten and restrictive. When we won’t tear it down ourselves, the universe sends a bolt of lightning (a very Martian event) and crumbles it to dust.

As we build structures in our life, it envelops us in its darkness, and then we can’t see beyond that. This is a fallacy because all structures need to change. Everything evolves. Our perceptions change, our understanding evolves. If we don’t let that happen, well, the universe steps in and sends that bolt of lightning, and the tower collapses.

That is that energy of Mars. Sometimes you need to break this structure down and crumble it to dust because it has become rotten, too restrictive, or too constrictive, and there’s no other way. We need to then escape, or be thrown out, from that burning tower and free ourselves from that restriction.

There are always blessings. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck you see the Yods, and in the Tarot de Marseille you see these shown as cute little colorful balls, while in the Thoth and the Telos, we the rays of the sun coming through. These are a blessing in disguise in the destruction that the tower brings. It aligns with the very Martian energy—sudden events, collapses, destructions, shocks, breaking structures, upheaval, chaos, storms, quarrels, warfare.

Astrology: Mars in Scorpio: ♂ in ♏︎

So what happens when Mars, the God of War, is in his own sign of Scorpio? You get the sign ruler in the sign. The energy is overwhelmingly powerful.

The Oracle of the Radiant Sun tells this story with one word: ‘Revenge.’ This is a person with limitless energy to achieve their aim. They can use their powerful personality to “bulldoze and overpower” people. It’s an “all or nothing” energy with over-the-top reactions to perceived hurt.

People with this combination have an over-the-top temper. They take extreme positions, so no gray area. It’s all or nothing. They are strongly emotionally invested, have an aggressive drive, and they have the power to transform or change almost impossible situations. I would like to say this is a bit of a positive there because sometimes you need that approach.

They can be loyal, passionate, and have over-the-top reactions to perceived hurt. All the good and bad of Mars and Scorpio come together in this weird little mishmash here.

The Number: 5

The number 5 is the number of challenges, discord, and strife. It’s the crisis that breaks the stability of the number 4.

Scorpio Decan 1 + Tarot: 5 of Cups: Mars in Scorpio: ♂ in ♏︎

Now let’s look at the story of the 5 of Cups with this new, dramatic lens.

Rider-Waite-Smith: Typically, we see the 5 of Cups as a story of sadness. A man in a dark cloak looks at three spilled cups, ignoring the two full ones behind him. But wait. This is Mars in Scorpio. Look closer. The liquid is red. Is it wine… or is it blood? These cups weren’t just knocked; they were kicked over. These are the 3 Cups of friends and connections. But now, they are gone. And that man, with his back to us—is he crying? Or is he seething, plotting his revenge? He’s not just sad; he’s dangerous. And he still has resources (the two cups) to execute his plan. 

It is so interesting that I’ve discovered a very different shade of this card while studying the imagery in light of the Decan energy! It is wild that even after 20+ years of playing with the images of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Card Deck, I can still find something new with each new learning process. ❤️‍🔥

Thoth: The 5 of Cups card from this deck tells a different story, summed up in one word: “Disappointment.” Here, the hero (Mars) has dived deep into the swamp (Scorpio) expecting to find gold. But what do you find in a swamp? The cups are empty, the source (the swamp) is toxic, the flowers are wilting. The inverse pentacle talks of matter over spirit. It’s a story of bitter, empty-handed disappointment.

Telos: The 5 of Cups story in this deck is called “Disenchantment.” It actually reminds me of that scene from Star Wars—Anakin and Obi-Wan on the lava planet. This is Obi-Wan, completely disappointed in Anakin, and Anakin equally disappointed in Obi-Wan. The scorpion-tailed boat floats on a river of lava (Mars), carrying poison. It’s the feeling of being let down and deceived by something you thought would be joyful.

I just wanted to take a quick segue here to talk about the companion book of the Telos Tarot Deck. If you’re interested in exploring the nuances of this awesome deck’s imagery along with a whole lot of inter-related stuff, you’re in luck. The companion book, Scions of 777, is now available, along with copies of the Deck as well. 😊

Tarot de Marseille: Here, the 5 of Cups card tells a surprising, positive story. Here, a fifth cup arrives and makes the other four bloom with flowers. This is the positive version of Mars in Scorpio: using that intense, active (Mars) emotional (Scorpio) energy to connect and manifest something wonderful. Within the stable structure of the four cups, a fifth one comes in and brings some positive energies. This talks about popularity. This is an influential and well-connected personality.

Putting all of this together, we can see that the Mars in Scorpio energy is all about fiercely and decisively dealing with the murky, swampy depths of one’s feelings and emotions. Sometimes the Mars energy evokes powerful hurt-induced-revenge, and at times a very acrid disappointment. And then, it may talk about actively seeking deep connections and cultivating influence. Mars actively, fiercely and passionately drives you to experience deep, dark emotions and motivates you to use your innate understanding of other peoples’ psyches to your benefit. Experiencing the energy of the Tower card within the energy of the Death card means you don’t get to experience the gradual transition towards an ending — you are forcefully pushed into it, and have to face all the darkness and despair all at once.

Now, let’s look at the second Decan of Scorpio, Sun in Scorpio, linked with the 6 of Cups.

Scorpio Decan 2: Sun in Scorpio: ☉ in ♏︎: Passionate Depth – Hidden Obsession

The second decan of Scorpio is ruled by the Sun and is connected to the 6 of Cups.

This second Scorpio Decan covers 10° to 20° of the Sign (approx. Nov 3 – Nov 12). The Picatrix continues the dark tales: “A man riding on a camel and holding a scorpion in his hand.” This reminds me of the fable of the scorpion who asks for a ride across the river, then stings the man, saying, “I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.” The keywords are disgrace, scandal, tragedy, and anger.

Astrology: The Sun ☉ + Tarot: The Sun Card

The Sun’s energy is a lot like Mars’s, but where Mars is raw anger, the Sun is ego, identity, and personality. It’s pride and self-worth. In the Tarot, it’s The Sun card—a story of joy, playfulness, and optimism. The energy of the Sun is also bright and radiant, and represents life force and vitality. Sun is also will power and stamina, rulership, consciousness, conscious wisdom, and self-expression. On a darker side, the Sun can also represent arrogance, vanity, and attention seeking.

When we look at the tarot cards, we see this big, bright sun, which kind of dominates the imagery in the Rider-Waite-Smith, the Tarot de Marseille, the Thoth, and the Telos Tarot Decks. The last three Decks show two little children playing in the sunlight. In the Rider-Waite, we have a child riding a horse, and the horse could be the second kid. We see the rays of the sun bringing joy, light, and playfulness.

Mostly, this card is a very happy, positive card. It does talk about joy, enthusiasm, happiness, playfulness, and creativity. The Sun brings that life force, that expression, that confidence, that optimism. Because it’s a Major Arcana card, it’s more on a deeper, soul level. It’s about aligning with your identity, finding your core truth, and being joyful about it.

Astrology: Sun in Scorpio: ☉ in ♏︎

What happens when the bright, clarifying light of the Sun shines into the murky, hidden depths of Scorpio? The Oracle of the Radiant Sun calls this story ‘Endurance.’ Here we see an image of a Herculean figure wrestling to overcome a lion. We also see a big sun, very prominently featured on the card image.

This combination talks of a person who has a conscious awareness of their own extreme qualities. 

People with this combination are ruled by passion and devoted to what they care about. They have a lot of energy to accomplish their goals. While they may appear secretive (very Scorpio), they remain silent rather than talking too much, which again goes against the grain for the Sun. But in Scorpio, I guess the Sun is like, “Let’s wait and watch.”  Scorpio energy ensures that they are very sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of other people, and with the clarity of the Sun in Scorpio, you can clearly see what’s going on.

This combination generates an intense drive to investigate and understand the nature of things around one. This combination creates the desire to take a new path. There is a compulsive curiosity for deeper mysteries, self-improvement, and the strength of will. Great challenges are met with equal tenacity. The Sun’s clarity can be used to investigate the nature of things, studying psychology, mysticism, and philosophy. 

People with this combination can be leaders or business owners (the Sun energy). The combined qualities of Sun and Scorpio make them power-seeking individuals, often manifesting drastic life changes, and deep obsessions.

Interestingly, this combination can also talk about dealings with taxes, legal issues, or finances of other people (very Scorpio and Eighth house energies).

If you lay it out side-by-side, you’ll see a big similarity. Sun in Scorpio and Mars in Scorpio—there are many energetic parallels.

The Number: 6

The number 6 is a story of harmony, balance, community, and home. It’s a far more stable, creative energy than the chaotic 5.

Perhaps, the energy of the number is the only reason that we see the Tarot card imagery of the 6 of Cups is completely different from that of the 5 of Cups.

Scorpio Decan II + Tarot: 6 of Cups: Sun in Scorpio: ☉ in ♏︎

After the drama of the 5, and despite the similar energies of Mars and the Sun, the 6 of Cups is a different story. 

Rider-Waite-Smith: This is the classic story of Nostalgia. The sepia-toned image of the 6 of Cups shows a boy giving a girl flowers, reminiscing about the “good old days.” But this is Sun in Scorpio. The Scorpionic trap here is that we gloss over the bad parts of the past. We remember the ex and think, “Oh, we had the best relationship.” In that nostalgic haze, we forget why we broke up in the first place! We must use the Sun’s clarity to see the whole story, not just the happy parts.

Thoth: The story of the 6 of Cups is called “Pleasure.” After the disappointment of the 5, the swamp has revived. The Sun has brought life and vitality to that murky water. The cups are now full of liquid creativity. The lotus flowers are blooming. This is a story of emotional recovery, creative revival, and sensual fulfillment.

Telos: The 6 of Cups card in this deck talks of “Enjoyment.” We see the camel, the scorpion, and the eagle wings. This is the “eagle perspective”—having dived deep, you now come back up to find harmony and true freedom. There’s also sexual strength and fertility.

Tarot de Marseille: As with the previous card from the Tarot de Marseille, the 6 of Cups card shows us a totally different point of view. Here, this card tells a story of Repetition and Monotony. We see two groups of three cups oriented around a stalk of a seed, a full-blooming flower and a half-blooming flower. It’s about continuity, generation to generation. This card shows a stable partnership, but one where nothing new happens. You fall into the same emotional traps, a repetition reinforced by the Sun’s stable, central “Sun-ness.”

All together, the combination of Sun in Scorpio brings a brightness and clarity to the deep and dark depths of Scorpio. We may reminisce and get nostalgic. Or we may experience all sorts of pleasure as we wash away the murkiness of the previous card. Sun in Scorpio even ensures continuity, which becomes monotonous over time. Despite that, the combination of bringing the energy of the Sun card into the energy of the Death card is quite positive: even though the energy of Death is of endings — the joy of the Sun ensures that those endings become positive experiences.

With that, let’s step into the third Decan of Scorpio, Venus in Scorpio, which is linked with the 7 of Cups.

Scorpio Decan III: Venus in Scorpio: ♀ in ♏︎: Fertility in Decay – Birth in Death

Finally, we have the third Decan, the 7 of Cups, associated with Venus in Scorpio.

This Decan spans 20° to 30° of Scorpio (approx. Nov 13 – Nov 22). The Picatrix tells its darkest story yet: “a horse and a snake,” with keywords of “sinfulness, impudence, disdainful, forced marital sex achieved by subduing and anger.” When I read this, I had to take a second. This is a wild, toxic energy.

Astrology: Venus ♀ + Tarot: The Empress

And here’s the shock: the ruler is Venus, the planet of love, art, beauty, and harmony. Venus is feminine, beauty, affection, attraction, charm, and style. She represents values and self-worth. Venus is about creativity, luxury, and pleasure. On the negative side, Venus can embody vanity, manipulation, and superficiality. 

The Tarot card linked with Venus is The Empress, the story of the mother, the ‘Creatrix,’ the giver of abundance, nourishment, and growth. The Empress is about family heritage, motherhood, sensuous grace, and feminine energy. She represents harmony and love. She stands for maternal instinct, arts, and pleasure. 

The Empress really brings feminine energy to fruition. She’s like, “Here we go. This is the highest potential of what a woman can be.” And it’s not just motherhood, but so much more. Motherhood is part of it, but you don’t need to have babies to be a motherly or nourishing or caring person.

Astrology: Venus in Scorpio: ♀ in ♏︎

How do we get from this positive energy of The Empress to that Picatrix description? The answer is a crucial piece of our story: Astrologically, Venus is in “detriment” in Scorpio. She cannot be her true, beautiful, harmonious self in the dark swamp of Scorpio.

The Oracle of the Radiant Sun calls this story ‘Secrets.’

Here we see the Sphinx, a symbol of secretive behavior. Then you see these beautiful knots and butterflies, so creativity is still there, surrounding the Sphinx. Scorpio is very much the environment of dark secrets, and Venus here can’t completely express herself, and so she holds herself back.

This combination creates people who are passionate, loyal, and intensely sexual. They are emotionally reactive, with intense desires, very secretive, and unable to talk about their inner emotional life. They idealize friends and loved ones and sacrifice for them (a very Scorpio thing, which Venus adds to). When let down, they become vindictive and cold.

They can be artistic; the work they create can have strong dramatic contrasts. They may be interested in occult mysteries (this is in all three decans of Scorpio). They can have financial gain through marriage and partnership (the eighth-house vibe).

Another interesting way that this energy can manifest is through emotional withdrawal, periods of celibacy (the other side of being intensely sexual). 

This combination is the energy of deep secrets, secrets hidden by others, secret love affairs, secret liaisons, and an expression of extreme jealousy.

It is this Venus, who, while in her detriment in the murky depths of Scorpio, can be oppressed into sexual activity, that then builds a seething resentment in the heart and mind. So Venus, who cannot be her true flowering self, uses the Scorpio energy to turn her creation into toxic poison. 

The Number: 7

The number 7 is the number of spirituality, but also of limits. It’s the “testing boundaries” number. This is number that serves as a bridge to the spiritual world. Interestingly, 7 is also about fantasy, and secretive attachments.

Scorpio Decan 3 + Tarot: 7 of Cups: Venus in Scorpio: ♀ in ♏︎

After the clarity and joy of the 6 of Cups, the 7 of Cups plunges us back into the depths of Scorpio’s dark waters.

Rider-Waite-Smith: The 7 of Cups card tells the story of Fantasy. A figure is silhouetted before clouds (illusion) holding seven cups, each a different desire: wealth, victory, a dragon (the taboo desire), a castle. This is Venus’s desire for all the luxuries, but seen through the foggy, secretive, fantasy-prone lens of the 7 of Cups. Here, the energy is of doubt and desire. You crave the forbidden and the taboo. But you are also questioning your truth — whether you have what it takes to pursue these scary but exhilarating desires. 

Thoth: The 7 of Cups card from the Thoth deck tells a much darker, blunter story. The keyword is “Debauch.” This means to corrupt, to destroy moral purity, to pervert, and to lead astray. The swamp certainly looks very toxic. The cups are full of poisonous nectar of the flowers that have grown in that swamp. This image talks of running from reality into depravity and addiction. This is beauty that has been nurtured with poison and toxic waste — you certainly cannot expect anything good to manifest from this kind of energy. This card talks of addictions, dependancies, disasters, and bad business negotiations.

Telos: This 7 of Cups card image shows a similar story. The horse and wolf from the Picatrix stand in toxic sludge. The keywords are “fertility in decay” and “bewitchment by intoxication.” The inspiration is real, but it’s coming from a very toxic place. The chemical reactions taking place in the beakers may not necessarily generate anything good or positive. Here we see: “external splendor but internal corruption.” All is not what it seems. 

Tarot de Marseille: Here too, like the earlier two Decans, the image of the 7 of Cups has a comparatively positive connotation. Here we have two groups of three cups, and then a seventh cup arrives. Even as the leaves and stalks connect to the cups above and below it, this cup stays separate from the group of six. It’s an individual (Venus) trying to maintain its identity (beauty, harmony) while surrounded by the watery depths of Scorpio. They connect with everyone in the group, but they retain their identity and individuality. They use the energy of the 7 to build bridges and connections. And yet, occasionally, they may experience isolation, estrangement, and loneliness.

This decan describes the story of what happens when The Empress (Venus) arrives in the land of the Death (Scorpio) card. She is the Mother of Creation, while Death is endings and cleansing. No wonder Venus is in detriment! This is the story of a beautiful flower (Venus) growing in a toxic swamp (Scorpio). It looks beautiful on the outside, but it subsists on poison. This creates an energy that is intensely sexual but also vindictive, jealous, and secretive. It’s the person who “loves to hate and hates to love.” Venus’s desire for harmony is so twisted in the depths of Scorpio that she may “keep the peace” through forced situations, building a seething resentment.

Scorpio Decans + Tarot: The Supporting Cards

With the supporting cards, we are in the block of three signs centered around the Fixed Water Sign, Scorpio. The foundation for this entire block (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius) are the Ace of Cups and the Page of Cups. The Ace of Cups is the “Root of the Powers of Water,” the seed of all emotion, intuition, and spiritual joy. The Page of Cups (Earth of Water) is that energy manifested as a person: intuitive, devoted, sensitive, and dreamy.

Additionally, the Scorpio Decans are supported by two sets of Court Cards. First is the Knight of Cups (Air of Water), that supports the first two decans of Scorpio, the 5 and the 6 of Cups. This Knight is the romantic hero. He is slow and steady,  sincere and loving, and can help you find healing and poetry in your life. The Thoth and Telos card image show him in a Chariot that is pulled (or flown) by an Eagle. In the Telos image, the Chariot even has the tail of the Scorpion. Here, you can see the darker side of the Knight. This is someone who can be passive-aggressive and have a hidden desire for power, a perfect companion for the energies of the 5 and 6 of Cups.

The King of Wands (Fire of Fire) supports the third decan (7 of Cups). This is a wild card to throw into the toxic swamp of the 7 of Cups! This King is passionate, creative, and a risk-taker. He adds a volatile, fiery, and impulsive energy to the story of “Debauch.” He is mature and energetic, and likes to get in on the action. He brings his fiery, passionate energy to the toxic swamp of the 7 of Cups.

Scorpio Decans: The Deep Dive into the Murky Swamp

The 3 Scorpio Decans, in order, tell a powerful and coherent story of the dark and murky emotional depths of our psyche. It begins with the 5 of Cups, the raw, active story of loss, disappointment, and the impulse for revenge (Mars). From there, we move to the 6 of Cups, a passive story where we retreat into the “safe” and “pure” memories of the past (Sun) and experience the pleasure of nostalgia. But that retreat is an illusion, which we must confront in the 7 of Cups, forcing us to acknowledge the intoxication of fantasies, addictions, and corruptions that we indulge (Venus) in order to avoid the truth. 

This is the work of Scorpio. It’s the story of facing the shadow, purging the “crap,” and doing the necessary (and often scary) work of cleansing so that we can finally make space for something new.

📸 The Infographic + ⬇️ The Download

Scorpio Decan I: Mars in Scorpio: ♂ in ♏︎: Dramatic Endings – Disappointed Passions

Scorpio Decan 2: Sun in Scorpio: ☉ in ♏︎: Passionate Depth – Hidden Obsession

Scorpio Decan III: Venus in Scorpio: ♀ in ♏︎: Fertility in Decay – Birth in Death

🎞️ The Video

Here’s my video about the 3 Scorpio Decans, where I explore the astrological connections of Mars in Scorpio in the 5 of Cups, Sun in Scorpio in the 6 of Cups, and Venus in Scorpio in the 7 of Cups through the images of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, Tarot de Marseille, Thoth, and the Telos Tarot Decks.

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📚 Homework

📓 Things to Think (or Journal) about the Scorpio Decans

After walking through these three intense and transformative energies, take some time for introspection. The Cups of Scorpio ask us to engage with our deepest, murkiest emotions. Use these prompts to explore what this means for you.

• 5 of Cups: Mars in Scorpio: The Story of Disappointment

• • Reflect on a recent disappointment. Tell the story. Are you the sad, cloaked figure? Or are you the angry, plotting figure?
  • Be honest: Is your sadness mixed with anger (Mars)? What’s the story you’re telling yourself about what you’ve lost?

• 6 of Cups: Sun in Scorpio: The Story of Nostalgia

• • What “good old day” story are you replaying in your mind for pleasure?
  • Use the “clarity” of the Sun: Now, tell the whole story. What are the not-so-good parts of that memory (of the ex, the job, the time) that you are “glossing over”?

• 7 of Cups: Venus in Scorpio: The Story of Fantasy

• • Look at your current “wish list” for your life. What’s the story you’re telling yourself about what will happen when you get those things (the money, the relationship, the status)?
  • Where might a story of “external splendor” be hiding a story of “internal corruption” in your life?

• Mars + Sun + Venus + Scorpio: The Flow of Transformation

• • Looking at the progression from the 5 to the 6 to the 7 of Cups, how do you see this three-act story of loss -> nostalgic retreat -> fantasy/illusion playing out in your own life? Where are you in this emotional plot right now?

Let’s Dive Deep…

I sincerely hope this in-depth exploration of the 3 Decans of Scorpio was helpful and illuminating for you. In the true collaborative spirit of our Decan Walk, let’s share! 

Please share your thoughts, insights, and personal connections to these cards in the comments below. What story does the 5 of Cups tell you? How do you feel about the tragic story of Venus in detriment in the 7 of Cups? I love reading your messages and learning from your perspectives.

Together, let’s explore how the deeply investigative and transformative perspectives of Scorpio within the 3 Scorpio Decans can lead to the realization that even the darkest, most painful, and illusory situations can offer profound insights that help us purge, cleanse, and reorient our souls towards truth. ♏︎✨