Scorpio: The Struggle is Real… Good.

The month of Scorpio is an invitation to shift our consciousness, to make light out of the dark, to see goodness when everything seems bleak, to turn bitter struggle into immense growth. In Hebrew, the month of Scorpio is called Mar Cheshvan; the Mar meaning “bitter.” However, the reverse of Mar is Ram, meaning “exalted.” Our task is to turn Mar into Ram, bitter to exalted, lemons into lemonade.

Seeing the bad is exponentially more comfortable than seeing the good. In fact, our brains are wired to quickly identify wrongness. We don’t have to seek out the bad; we see it automatically. Seeing what’s working, what’s right, and good requires our brains to take several more steps. Negativity is not only easy to identify, but it is also often an illusion created by limiting belief systems, habitual thought patterns, and deeply ingrained fears. To parse an illusion from reality, get curious. Don’t accept your judgments of people, places, conversations, relationships, or health challenges as entirely negative. Ask questions of yourself and others. Delve deeply into the why of your negative opinion.

Think back to a time in your life that felt heavy, challenging, even painful. What was going on? What were the thoughts and the feelings you were having? Looking back, can you see the gift that arrived as a result of that struggle? What if we choose to frame our struggles as good and necessary and the source of great blessings? It’s so hard to do when everything feels like an absolute mess, or it’s falling apart, evaporating, slipping through your fingers. But even these descriptors are judgments, and while they feel so real at the time, they are your reality only if you choose to let them be.

If there is something you are currently struggling with, what are your judgments about the situation or about yourself? Maybe you feel like you just can’t get things together, nothing is working out, everything is just so hard. Now, how can you see this thing differently? Even just slightly? Maybe feeling like ‘you can’t get on top of anything’ is a sign that you need to take a break, reprioritize, and reframe your narrative. If nothing feels like it’s working out, maybe it’s an invitation to pause and look for another way. Too often, we fall into the trap of believing there is only one way forward when there are myriad paths available if only we look for them. If everything feels hard, maybe it’s time to examine the “why” behind what you’re doing and why you are doing it.

As you let go of judgment and get curious, can you feel a softening? Do you feel your shoulders relax or your jaw unclench? Does it feel easier now to see how your challenges and struggles can be good things—here to help you learn something deeper about yourself and your life?

Whatever feels negative is really an opportunity for something good to happen, either a transformation in your consciousness or a blessing entering your life, like a new job or a new friend. After any challenge I have faced, I have almost always said that, while it may have been difficult, I’m so glad that it happened. Difficulties bring about the most beautiful gifts when we work with them, and this month arrives to help us learn to do that.

Kabbalists explain that where we place our consciousness is what stays with us. When we look at anything and see darkness, we awaken that darkness within ourselves. Our struggle can reveal something that we are unwilling or perhaps unable to see, but dropping judgment and looking for the positive—the inherent light that is always there—we start something new. Recognize the good and grow from that.

Scorpio is the only month that is devoid of any kabbalistic holidays, giving it a bad rap for being dark and gloomy. But I see it differently. We can learn a lot from our struggles and our failings. In fact, it is only by bringing our negativity into the light that we can shift it. If we deny the negative aspects of ourselves, we risk becoming judgmental toward others, cynical, and even stagnant. What we resist in ourselves will persist around us until we acknowledge it and make a decision to change it. This month beware of seeing everything in black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. There are few things in life, if any, that are 100% anything.

RETHINK MOMENT

Where can you turn Mar into Ram this month? What judgments need to be examined? What fears need to be faced? Share how your struggle is real good in the comments below.