Ascendant and Identity (9) Scorpio Rising

Element - WATER: self image is nourished through awareness and management of one's inner feelings and emotions.
Mode - Fixed: self image is strengthened through being reliable and consistent with regard to one's work and relationships.

The need for Scorpio Ascendant is to be in control, and to be considered as deep, reliable, and right. If Ascendant points out the way for us to strengthen our core self image, Scorpio rising suggests that the key to power lies in the gathering and harnessing of scattered emotional energies, so that there will be a focused, intense ego awareness - in a word, soulfulness.

The power for those with this Ascendant comes from being able to be in touch with their deepest emotions - fear, hatred, despair, or faith, love, ecstasy and bliss. Fully feeling, rather than repressing, the difficult emotions will lead to the development of a very strong psychic energy.

The challenge is not to be controlled by one's deep emotions - here it is easy to get lost in the current of negative emotions, and totally identify oneself with one's destructive fears, anger or despair. Peace and stability must be found, one way or the other - but how?

Peace and Purpose - Ways for Scorpio to Find Stability

1) Power: Accumulation of external power - be it wealth, physical strength, social status or political influence. Outer control can translate to a sense of inner control. On the other hand, there are other kinds of power, such as intellectual, psychic or even occult power that also serves the purpose of inner control (see the famous astrologers listed below.)

2) Security: Not many people can deny the calming effect that money in the bank brings. Same goes with job security or relationship stability. External security can contribute to inner security. Scorpio rising has Taurus on the Descendant, suggesting a great need for a stable partner and relationships.

3) Pursuit of ecstasy: through music, art, spirituality, or any other calling in life that fills you with a sense of purpose. Here the aim is not so much for peace, but to touch the highest emotions that we can experience in life. Because Scorpio can touch the lowest human emotions known to man, it can also touch the highest passion and joy as well ("to plumb depth and reach heights" is Noel Tyl's phrase.)

Conclusion and some examples:
For many, Scorpio Ascendant represents an adventure into the realms of deep emotions - the end result of the journey is a "soulful" ego that can be courageous and compassionate in the face of life's toughest moments. The luckiest ones step into the mansion of gods through their pursuit of vocational, spiritual or artistic passion.

Some examples:

• Astrologers Jeff Green and Liz Greene.
• Napoleon Bonaparte I
  
• Stock market guru Peter Lynch
  
• Musical wonder Bobby McFerrin
  
• Actor Clint Eastwood