Weekend Entertainment Guide 10/25/24
Scorpio Season, Stanford Prison Experiment
The Sun’s ingress into Scorpio has inspired many writers this week. Scorpio doesn’t have to be a bad sign, but it does have a lot of energy that needs to be used thoughtfully. Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio, is prominent in my case study of psychology professor Philip Zimbardo — as his body of work suggests, the same drive can manifest in either valiant heroism or pointless brutality depending on how it is directed.
Hot on Substack
Posts about the Sun entering Scorpio on Nov. 22
, Key Dates for Sun in Scorpio 2024Richmond gives both an overview of general trends and an aspect-by-aspect breakdown.
via , The Sun Enters ScorpioDale continues her series linking the zodiac signs to the body parts and phases of life they represent. She connects Scorpio to one’s late forties and early fifties, a time when people often become aware of their own mortality and sometimes reinvent themselves.
Tamani Dada via
, Scorpio I: The cyclical nature of hungerDada points out that the first decan of Scorpio is ruled by Mars (Chaldean) and Pluto (triplicity). It’s also associated with the tarot card Death! He notes that both Hillary Clinton and Bill Gates were born with the Sun in this decan.
, scorpio season begins with a battle between mars and pluto...alchemilie weighs in on the little deaths that are part of life:
, Scorpio Energy: The Depths of Transformationthe elders, guides, and friends who can witness your transformation without trying to "fix" it are true allies. if they know how to hold space for the darkness without rushing in to turn on all the lights they are WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD (and should be loved on as such).
I’ve long said that the scary Scorpios are the scared Scorpios — the ones who haven’t dealt with whatever it is they’re afraid of. Touhey, a Scorpio Sun herself, provides a detailed breakdown of the three vibrational levels of Scorpio energy and acknowledges that fear is a big problem at the lowest vibrational level.
, Contemplating PupationSommer comments on the Scorpio quest for authenticity and provides a poem by Charles Bukowski on the subject of reinvention.
Posts regarding tarot
It looks weird to put tarot in lower case, but that’s what Merriam-Webster does, and Benebell Wen did it on her website too. The stuff I learn as an editor!
, Elect Your Tarot Cards!Boyer offers the option of intentionally choosing the tarot cards you want for the day instead of drawing cards randomly.
, 10.22.2024Giles reflects on the wars that ravaged Europe, especially France, around the time the Marseilles-type tarot was created. The Smith-Waite deck then came out in a relatively peaceful time shortly before World War I, but Giles points out that the illustrations for the Wands and Swords are “inescapably violent.”
Posts regarding larger social trends
, Kidults: Modern Partners and Parents.NORSAN goes on an epic rant about the immaturity of adults these days. Although this is already a problem, she suggests it might get worse (or at least take on a new form) after Neptune enters Aries next year. I agree — in one of my older posts, I commented on the possibility of Neptune in Aries bringing out the archetype of the infant. It could wind up being a relief to have this energy expressed openly rather than buzzing along under the surface, though.
, The Madness of Crowds and Mass Formation Psychosis: What It Means and Why It MattersLindon points out that placements in the 8th house, the 11th house, and Aquarius can be associated with one’s tendencies toward group conformity or resistance. My case study of psychology professor Philip Zimbardo later in this post does not have a birth time, so his houses are unknown, but he had Saturn in Aquarius, which makes a lot of sense for him researching how the social environment can influence people’s behavior.
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Rod Chang will give a presentation through Kepler College on the slow movement of fixed stars. The Zoom meeting will take place at 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday, October 26. Register here.
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Psychology pioneer passes on
Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo died October 14 at age 91. Zimbardo was famous for the Stanford Prison Experiment, which transformed ordinary male college students into prisoners and prison guards. The prison simulation was supposed to run for up to two weeks, but it was cut short after six days due to the brutality getting out of hand.
Zimbardo’s birth time is unknown, and 9 a.m. is an unconfirmed estimate for the start of the experiment on August 15, 1971. The charts are therefore constructed without houses. Even so, it’s clear looking at the charts that the controversial experiment, which provoked new regulations for psychological research involving human subjects, was key to Zimbardo’s life purpose.
Zimbardo was born March 23, 1933, with the South Node in Virgo sandwiched between Mars and Neptune. He may also have the Moon conjunct the North Node in Pisces, though this is less certain with an unknown birth time. Mars conjunct the South Node especially speaks to an entrenched problem with aggression that needs to be resolved. Heightening the significance of Mars for Zimbardo, it rules his natal Sun, Mercury, and Uranus in Aries.
At the time of the Stanford Prison Experiment, transiting Mercury in Virgo had just passed over Zimbardo’s Mars, South Node, and Neptune all in Virgo. This may reflect his attempt to understand the problem of aggression through an intellectual lens.
Additionally, the transiting North Node and transiting Mars made a conjunction near Zimbardo’s natal Saturn in Aquarius at the time of the experiment. The point of the experiment was to show that people’s behavior can be negatively influenced by their environment. Your peer group really matters — what a Saturn in Aquarius lesson!
Later in his career, however, Zimbardo turned that insight around with his founding of the Heroic Imagination Project. As relayed by Stanford Report, he asked, “Is it also possible that heroic acts are something that anyone can perform, given the right mindset and conditions?”
The Heroic Imagination Project was incorporated in 2010. Zimbardo’s progressed chart for his birthday that year had a square between the Sun in Gemini and Mars in Virgo — there was a lot of vital, assertive energy needing to be expressed. Although it could be easy for such energy to manifest in pointless aggression, the conjunction of Zimbardo’s progressed Mars to his natal Jupiter perhaps encouraged him to look for a more positive and meaningful outlet. His progressed Chiron had also moved from Taurus into Gemini and formed a T-square with his progressed nodes, still on the Pisces/Virgo axis, adding urgency to a quest for healing. Additionally, Mercury and Venus had both recently progressed into Cancer, potentially giving him room to express a more sensitive and caring side.
Congratulations to Dr. Zimbardo on the completion of his heroic journey!
The perfect gift for someone else’s child
Fuego at Valley River Center (Eugene, OR) may still have a couple of copies on the clearance rack.
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Excellent article Eva. There is no doubting its Scorpio season 😄
Thank you for the mention again, I greatly appreciate. I am embarrassed to say, I never heard of Zimbardo or the Stanford prison experiment. Very interesting read- thank you for sharing.