The Scorpios roaming contemporary life find themselves in a strange bind, possessing a sting in their tail that can bring anyone of any size to their demise, but having very few actual enemies deserving of such harsh treatment. We don’t live in some barren desert with threats lurking behind every blade of Spinifex and yet Scorpios are coiled so tight, ready to unleash hell at a moment’s notice should the slightest threat emerge. It’s the hand they were dealt through no fault of their own and it’s not an easy place to peacefully survive, not for the Scorpios themselves inside their prickly shells, and certainly not for the people around them.
The Scorpios in my life are some of the most loving, generous, intelligent, wonderful people I’ve ever known. They see bullshit and aren’t afraid call it, they laugh in the face of seemingly impossible odds, are not won over by glossy veneers and material, superficial nonsense but drawn to harsh, illuminating truths and wish only that more people were too, or at least cared about facts with any degree of passion remotely in the ballpark as a Scorpio does. They are insanely focused, once drawn to a challenge not stopping until they’ve achieved what they set out to do. And when it comes to loyalty and bravery, if you have a Scorpio on your side you can know wholeheartedly that they would rather die for you than let you down.
These are good qualities to have, great people to have around. So, why then, why are Scorpios so universally hated and despised, or at least looked upon with a very apprehensive eye? And they are, and smart people are very right to do so too, no doubt about it!
So many of the Scorpios that I know to be the most loving, generous, intelligent and wonderful people that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and calling my mates, they often seem also to be somehow doomed to loneliness and despair, unable to hold onto their most meaningful relationships with the people they love the most. And, knowing how this has affected me, I think I’ve finally found the answer as to why this occurs and can hopefully wash off the last 38 years filled with various bouts of often self-inflicted misery, and look forward to a future where that fucked up sting in my tail, the force that should be reserved for fucked up people, doesn’t instead lash out at the people I love most.
If you’re a Scorpio reading this, hopefully you’ll be able to relate. And if you’re someone in love with a Scorpio reading this, hopefully this will all make sense and let you live a more peaceful life in co-existence with your Scorpio nearest and dearest.
The truth lies in your perception. A Scorpio is born to perceive a threat and immediately lash out, without thinking, and with deadly results. That’s the nature of the beast, and it is a beast of fury. And this surely works wonders in barren wastelands or fields of battle, but a walking, breathing Scorpio is most likely not currently crawling a barren wasteland or waging war, they are forced to play nice in the modern world, a world where many of the objects of desire for the masses mean precious little to a Scorpio, a world where most people lie as a means of survival in this fake news purgatory that is pure hell to most Scorpios. But dealing with that is usually fine and dandy, what crushes a Scorpio, or at least always leads to the unleashing of the tail sting, is an insult or a questioning of a Scorpio’s honour by the people closest to them.
This is the Scorpio Dilemma; devoid of true enemies, it is only the people they love the most who really have the ability to hurt them, to threaten them, and most devastatingly, it is these people who are most likely to ultimately be on the receiving end of a Scorpio’s sting. This is a problem, a massive problem, and must be addressed by every Scorpio the world over if they are to have any hope of living in peace.
It is no easy undertaking to rise above your nature, but you have to try. Self-love is important, yeah, I suppose, but self-awareness can make your life a million times easier and your capacity to function on this Earth so much more effective. So, how then to assess a perceived threat like a normal non-Scorpio and thus avoid all the heartache that arises in the aftermath?
Firstly, know to your core and never forget that, as Seneca wrote, “There is no enjoying the possession of anything valuable unless one has someone to share it with.” And there is nothing in this life more valuable than love. When you feel you’ve been insulted or slandered by someone you love, and that undeniable well of resentment and fury that all Scorpios hold in abundance is rising from every cell of your being and simmering to the tail, ready to go berserk, just breathe, close your eyes, is it worth abandoning love, the most valuable possession on Earth, for a brief, blind moment of unleashing your natural born sting? No. Never.
Secondly, know that perception is everything and it can be illusory. Clarify with the person who you believe has insulted you what they truly mean before you do the whole Scorpio slaying and have to deal with what comes after. Did that person actually mean what they said? Do they understand the words leaving their mouth? Because an apology to a Scorpio is like holy water, the blood of Christ, it washes everything clear, able to start again from scratch, no harm no foul. But if they do understand what they’ve said, how hurtful it is and how dubious their basis for saying it may be then yeah, smile and unleash hell, fuck ‘em! They deserve it. Do what you were born to do! At least you gave them an opportunity to get their story straight and you can live in peace with that forever, no sweat, one less menacing bastard to worry about who has no right to call you a friend.
And lastly, Scorpios are extremely secretive, unwilling to trust most people and even those they do trust, they’re unlikely to be completely open with the inner workings of their mind. This is dangerous. If you’re not open and honest with the people you love most, letting them know the things you hold dearest in this universe, how are they possibly supposed to know what may or may not offend you beyond all belief? You owe them that courtesy. No one can read minds (but if anyone can it’s a Scorpio) so don’t expect the people around you to have any idea what you’re truly thinking. Don’t waste a sting on that poor person, they 100% don’t deserve it. Make your feelings clear and I’m sure the people you love the most will be honoured and grateful, you’ll be able to hug it out and again, be able to live your life in peace, all that really matters in the end.
Rightoh, that’ll do for my take on the Scorpio Dilemma. I hope that helps Scorpios and non-Scorpios alike, and thinking through this all deeply will certainly help me deal with the worst parts of my inner nature. And, to finish with my new favourite author, here’s another Seneca gem, “As long as you live, keep learning how to live, become a friend to yourself and you will be a friend to all mankind.”
*Liam Carroll is the author of Slippery, a story about capitalism on steroids in the hedonistic cesspit wonderland of oil trading in Southeast Asia. It makes the world of Gordon Gecko look positively gentlemanly. His second novel, Sweet Dreams of Fanta, is a nostalgic romp in time back to the Sydney of 1988, seen through the eyes of a freckly, moon-faced, 7year old chubber, Fanta addict and devoted Balmain Tigers lover. And his third book, Hooroo Love, will be released soon, the story of a terminally ill 80year old man in rural Australia who sets off on his mobility scooter to journey 200kms to he and his wife's special place by the sea and fulfil her dying wish while he can.