Scorpio: Water in the Desert?

Thirteen

This has probably been asked, but...

Why is Scorpio a water sign? Scorpions are land creatures--in fact, they're most often desert creatures. Does this relate to Isis (Egyptian goddess of the Nile) who was protected by scorpions?
 

ravenest

I don't have an answer and I'm waiting for one too, but I often think the same thoughts.

WHY? Its not very watery is it?

Someone here... (Tink?) said once that Scorpions evolved from water . But so did a lot of other things.

I'll just put it down to another wierdness in Astrology (which is why I have my own southern local based astrology) I also use Austrailan Aboriginal star lore as well.

Chuck out the Scorpion and replace him with a sting ray. He can fly through the water and a bit through the air (over wave troughs) like the eagle, a 'higher' totemic aspect of Scorpio. He lives in the water. he has a sting on his tail. He lives down in the mud and slime but can raise himself to the heights.

problem is its a bit hard to say ; " I am a Sting-rayio."

As far as the Isis question goes ... I'll have to go and recheck the Dendra Zodiac.
[I vaguley remember something about it not being a scorpion but a water beetle]
 

Alectra

Wow, That is a very good point. I mean I have had the same thought but never really found an answer. I dont really know where a scorpion would fit though. To me it wouldn't really make sense as an Earth. Atleast the crab and the fishes make sense as a water sign. I lived in the desert for awhile and dealt with scorpions and see no correlation between scorpions and water. Now I am curious as well since I am a scorpio rising. : )

A~
 

ravenest

Sting-rayio rising you mean? ;)
 

tabi

Quick Wiki search brought this up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion

It seems they have have formed out of an oceanic life form. Given how many years that has past between naming the zodiac signs and now could be...I'll drag out my astrology books when I get home in the morning to see what else I can found for ya.

tabi
 

sweet_intuition

The water element connotes emotion and intuition. The fixed quality denotes intense concentration and magnetism. The fixed-water compound particularly to Scorpio is likened to ice or other such crystals as salt or precious or semiprecious stones. Scorpio wants to crystallize aspects of experience that remain mysterious or concealed into a solid understanding.

Many a times I have come across people wondering why Scorpio is a water sign? Considering it's ruled by two very fiery planets (Mars and Pluto), and considering it's very volatile and incredibly sexual (fiery qualities).

Well, you see Scorpio is one of the most mysterious signs of the zodiac, hell, it even rules "Mystery". However, before some of the Scorpio's here in AT begin to sharpen their stinger and aim it at me, let me just say that I love you all (majority of the men I have crushes on are Scorpios), and please don't sting me. But the reason Scorpio puts on this entire front of being uber powerful and uber sexual and all things fiery, it's only because it's a deeply emotionally insecure paranoid delinquent that's even suspiscious of it's own mother when she says to it and it's sibling, "I love you both equally".

Sure, Jealousy is fiery, and Scorpio infamous for it, as is his Martian cousin Aries. The thing is, Aries' jealousy is like old faithful (the geyser), once erupted, it blows off a lot of steam, but then, everything is back to being all hunky dory. Scorpio jealousy is emotionally stemmed again out of insecurity (and you thought Cancerians were insecure...puh-leaze). To such an extreme that if their spouses say something like, "Oh don't worry about me, I'll find ways to keep myself busy while you've gone for the conference", They actually can skip the conference and go undercover in the bushes of the house, spying through the windows, watching their spouse 24/7, only to realize that the only thing she's cheated on him with was a vibrator.. and a box of Ferrero Rocher.

And don't get me started on the moral double standards. It's like the cliche mafia situation. The Scorpio is like the powerful mafioso, who has a wife and 2 and a half kids in the suburbs, a classy exotic dancer, a waitress, and a waif like school teacher in different parts of the city, and the moment the wife even smiles innocently at the UPS guy who's legs look yum in those shorts, he puts a hit on them.

I know I've over exaggerated some parts, but it was done solely in effect to show why it's watery and not fiery in nature. To the Scorpio's reading this, please remember, I think you people are really sexy and I do love you guys! Honest! ;)

Love and Blessings

:)
 

StellarMyst

My 2 Cents...*peeks around corner shyly*

Thirteen said:
This has probably been asked, but...

Why is Scorpio a water sign? Scorpions are land creatures--in fact, they're most often desert creatures. Does this relate to Isis (Egyptian goddess of the Nile) who was protected by scorpions?

Hello Thirteen,

Happy to meet you finally! Love the avatar. ;)

As for your question: I think it may very well relate to Isis, but there might just be a map-type logic to it. If you look at the order of the stellar population as the Moon passes through the Zodiac, you see there a logical set-up. Libra (The Scales) is next-door to Scorpius (Scorpio, Scorpion), who's next to the constellation Sagittarius (The Archer).

With the above in mind, The elements of the Zodiac have a similar order as well.

H I) Aries Cardinal Fire
H II) Taurus Fixed Earth
H III) Gemini Mutable Air
H IV) Cancer Cardinal Water
H V) Leo Fixed Fire
H VI) Virgo Mutable Earth
H VII) Libra Cardinal Air
H VIII) Scorpio Fixed Water
H IX) Sagittarius Mutable Fire
H X) Capricorn Cardinal Earth
H XI) Aquarius Fixed Air
H XII) Pisces Mutable Water

Id est: Cardinal Element First, Fixed Element Second, Mutable Element Third; Fire First, Earth Second, Air Third, Water Fourth.

I am sorry I don't know how to turn a copied link into an underlined word thingy, but here's the link to the Wikipedia Article on the Egyptian Calendar - The history of it to be a little more precise:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar

The Ancient Egyptian New Year's Day fell on (approx.) July 20th of the Julian Calendar in 139 CE. Memphis, Egypt was the center of it all...You'll find lots more at this article. - Would this mean the Astrological map was centered upon Memphis, Egypt...since Egypt was the Astrological Power-Center (to borrow a term from one of our fellow ATers - not sure if it's the proper term, but I think it's close...?)?

I hope this helps just a little. :D

Yours,

StellarMyst
 

Thirteen

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who has wondered about this...or who doesn't know the answer :)

tabi said:
It seems they have have formed out of an oceanic life form. Given how many years that has past between naming the zodiac signs and now could be...
Um...doubt it. When they say Scorpions formed out of an oceanic life form they mean formed over MILLIONS of years, not a few thousand. I'd venture to say that Scorpions were land-based, desert-based creatures by the time human beings appeared on Earth and, thus, have always been land-based/desert-based even when they were picked for a Zodiac sign.

Now, granted, most of the signs don't seem to relate to their element. Why is a Centaur a fire sign? Why is a Water Bearer, Scales or a Pair of Twins Air signs? Why would a Virgin or a Ram be an Earth sign? Capricorn sometimes is pictured with a fish tail...but it's an Earth sign. I think the reason Scorpio stands out to me, however, is because Cancer and Pisces are so evidently water signs. Also because Scorpio is said to have three forms: Serpent, Scorpion, Eagle...or pheonix. And um...none of them are water signs.

(Personally, by the way, if I was to switch Scorpio's element I'd make it a fire sign. That would go with the desert, with the sting and with the pheonix.)

Granted, the Scropion *looks* a lot like a water creature--another crustacean, and for the Zodiac, that's better than good enough given that so few signs even come close to looking like their element...still....I'm voting for the scorpion's relationship to Isis--she represents the Nile (water)--and Scorpions are her protectors...so their element is water.
 

Rosanne

The Zodiac signs are thought to come from Babylonia- and they were the path to the moon not Solar like they are now. I would think that the Scorpion was most likely the large bug called a Water Scorpion that lived in the river deltas. They look like the sand Scorpion- but they do not sting- they bite. They also have a hollow tube tail that they stick up out of the water to breath. The Arachnid that is the traditional Scorpion- also lives in moist places, by ponds, rivers and deltas, under rocks and in drains also- The sand scorpion is only one variety.~Rosanne
 

tabi

True, Thirteen, but most of them are kinda quirky to begin with. Most are based out of mythology of some type.

This is what one of my books says:

K.I.S.S. Guide to Astrology said:
The Greek giant Orion was a legendary hunter, who was pursued by Greek Goddesses. Eos, the dawn-goddess, was especially taken with Orion and in the heat of one of their meetings, he boasted that he was such a great hunter that he could wipe out wild herds. Apollo was so infuriated by this that he sent out a giant scorpion to string Orion to death.

Parphrased to keep it short, but doesn't really seem to do anything for anyone but tell a cute little story of the God/s and their oddities.