Keywords & Scorpio in a Nutshell (including a bit of technical stuff)
Scorpio is all about digging deep into the murkiest depths of the psyche and perhaps of the cosmos itself. Scorpio is yet another water sign, this one ruled by Mars in traditional astrology and by Pluto (associated with the mythic underworld) in contemporary astrology. It is a fixed sign so think of a swamp vs. a flowing river. Because of this fixed quality, Scorpios can be quite obsessive which can lead to depression or anxiety, sometimes of the severe variety, as they often struggle to let go of their emotions. They are extremely intense but also tend to be emotionally guarded like Cancers, since they are another sign that is depicted as a creature with an exoskeleton as armor (a scorpion and a crab respectively).
Being ruled by Mars/Pluto these folks are driven and calculating and often have a rather pronounced dark side. This is NOT to say that they are evil. On the contrary, they acknowledge that the human condition is complex and nuanced and that binary concepts of good and evil are quite flawed, failing to capture the gray area in between. Scorpios would be the first to acknowledge that darkness is at the root of the mysterious origins of our universe. Just think about dark matter and dark energy! We don’t know much at all about them except that they constitute about 95% of the universe and the remaining 5% has barely even begun to be explored (consider our quest for extraterrestrial life and exoplanets within just this tiny fraction of the known universe).
Check out the following two books about or at least named after this mysterious phenomenon:
Finally, Scorpios would make excellent spies or secret agents given how secretive and guarded they are, hence my GIF referencing the late Michelle Trachtenberg as Harriet the Spy. Many of them are also drawn to the occult, witchcraft, and all kinds of fascinating (and often taboo) phenomena and spiritual practices that fall outside of the mainstream and which dig very deep into the collective human psyche. Even if you’re a Scorpio and you have zero interest in witchcraft and/or the occult, which is 100% valid, this sign is linked with these phenomena, and with spooky season more generally. Scorpio season coincides with Halloween, Samhain (the witches’ New Year according to Wicca), and All Saints/All Souls’ Day and numerous other cultures’ feasts of the dead, beloved and otherwise. These have been popularized by Disney Pixar’s 2016 film Coco, all about Mexico’s El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Were you born during Scorpio season (October 22nd – November 21st)? If not, do you have other prominent Scorpio placements, besides the Sun, in your chart? Take a look at your Moon, Ascendant/Rising Sign, and Ascendant Ruler (the planet ruling your rising sign). For instance, if you were born with Aries rising, ruled by Mars in Scorpio. Perhaps Mars is closely conjunct (a fancy astrological term for in the same sign as/right next to) Pluto in Scorpio, an extremely intense placement that defines an entire generation, namely millennials (myself included) from 1983 to 1995. See if this archetype really speaks to you!
Don’t know which planets rule which signs? Check out this chart (also captured below) which enumerates planetary rulerships, both ancient and modern:
Positive attributes:
- Devoted
- Mysterious (to my mind this can be quite positive…) 🙂
- Sensitive
Negative attributes (the shadow side of Scorpio…emotionally manipulative and controlling, in a darker and more intense way than Cancer):
- Controlling
- Possessive
- Suspicious
For more keywords, see here.
6 Renowned Scorpio Writers (Fiction)
- Chinua Achebe (born November 16, 1930, died in 2013)
- Margaret Atwood (born November 18, 1939)
- Liane Moriarty (born November 15, 1966)
- Zadie Smith (born October 25, 1975)
- Bram Stoker (born November 8, 1847, died in 1912)
- Kurt Vonnegut (born November 11, 1922, died in 2007)
For more Scorpio writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list.
6 Fiction Recommendations
| TITLE | Why is this a Scorpio read? |
| Alias Grace (2017, © 1996)
(a Scorpio writer, born November 18, 1939) |
A true crime literary historical novel based on the life of Grace Marks, a nineteenth-century Irish-Canadian maid who murdered her employer and his housekeeper in 1843. The narrator is unreliable, which is very Scorpio, a sign known for secrecy and deception, even self-deception. If you love the book you may enjoy the Netflix original mini-series adaptation of it starring Canadian actress Sarah Gadon in the title role. |
| The Bell Jar (2006 ed., © 1961)
(another Scorpio writer, born October 27, 1927, died in 1963) |
Dive into the semi-autobiographical novel penned by Scorpio, Sylvia Plath, just two years before she tragically committed suicide. Note the numerous trigger warnings for this book about chronic depression and an ongoing mental health crisis, as well as for suicide. This book has been adapted for the screen. See the 1979 film starring Marilyn Hassett as Esther Greenwood, the protagonist inspired by Plath herself.
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| Klara and the Sun (2021)
(another Scorpio writer, born November 8, 1954) |
Book by an acclaimed, Nobel Prize-winning, Scorpio author. This book would make an interesting read for Aquarius season as well given its unorthodox tale of a robot named Klara, a paid romantic companion for lonely humans. Humorous sci-fi meets romance in this peculiar tale. Consider pairing this book with the 2013 movie Her starring Scarlett Johansson (assuming her birth time is accurate, this Sagittarius Sun and Rising actress has her Moon in Scorpio – see her chart) as the voice of the AI companion of Joaquin Phoenix’s (unknown birth time but a Scorpio Sun, Venus, and Mars actor) troubled main character. Phoenix plays a lonely writer who falls in love with “Her”, an artificial intelligence designed especially for him as his non-human soul mate.
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| Our Wives Under the Sea (2022)
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Dive deep into the mysterious abyssal zone of the ocean and the horrors of the traumatized human psyche in this disturbing queer horror novel. In this book a marine biologist comes back severely damaged and broken from a deep sea research mission gone terribly awry and her wife grapples with the crisis that ensues upon her return. This book was the highly acclaimed debut of a fantastic queer author who could be a Scorpio. Sadly her birthdate is unknown, so it shall remain a mystery… How very Scorpio. 🙂 If you are curious to learn more about the mysteries of the deep ocean (of which we know less than we know about outer space) check out Canadian journalist Susan Casey‘s latest (2023) book, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. (Another writer with an unknown birthday…My bet is that she is a water sign, perhaps even a Scorpio).
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| Starling House (2023)
(another Scorpio writer, born November 9, 1989) |
What’s more Scorpio than family secrets, decrepit haunted houses, Southern Gothic, curses, and missing people? For another haunted house read (this one full of dark humor), check out Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House (2023). (Another of his books, a more recent one, is my sixth Scorpio fiction recommendation…see below!)
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| Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (2025)
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A historical gothic horror novel set in Florida (speaking of Southern Gothic) in the 1970s in a home for unwed teen mothers. A mysterious occult book falls into the hands of the protagonist through an equally mysterious traveling librarian and paranormal violence ensues. This dark and disturbing novel explores the question of women’s sexuality and agency over their own bodies through the lens of witchcraft, a timely issue 50+ years later. |
6 Renowned Scorpio Writers (Nonfiction & Poetry)
- John Keats (born October 31, 1795, died in 1821)
- Fran Liebowitz (born October 27, 1950)
- Sylvia Plath (born October 27, 1932, died in 1963) (known for her poetry and her autobiographical novel listed above under 6 Fiction Recommendations)
- Ezra Pound (born October 30, 1885, died in 1972)
- Carl Sagan (born November 9, 1934, died in 1996)
- Anne Sexton (born November 9, 1928, died in 1974)
For more Scorpio writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list.
6 Nonfiction Recommendations (including Poetry)
| TITLE | Why is this a Scorpio read? |
| Cosmos (2013 ed, © 1980)
(a Scorpio writer, born November 9, 1934, died in 1996) |
Explore the mysteries of outer space with the renowned late scientist, Carl Sagan, yet another Scorpio writer. See his birth chart which shows that he had a stellium – many planets – in Scorpio, namely his Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. Speaking of Jupiter, his natal Moon (another very important astrological placement) was in Sagittarius, the Jupiter-ruled sign of the adventurer, the seeker, the philosopher, etc. In combination with his heavy Scorpio energies, Sagan was a fascinating, driven individual, in pursuit of profound truths about the mysteries of our vast cosmos. If you enjoy the book, or if you’d rather dive into outer space through film, check out the 1980 TV series inspired by it! Alternatively, dive into the more recent (2014) Cosmos docu-series by Neil deGrasse Tyson, a contemporary popular astrophysicist. Yet another individual, like Sagan, with prominent Scorpio AND Sagittarius energies. According to Tyson’s birth chart, his Rising Sign/Ascendant is in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter in Scorpio. What a perfect person to honor Sagan’s visionary legacy. Another space explorer who really goes deep into its innermost (or outermost) mysteries. 🙂
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| The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science (2024)
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Women in STEM and the brilliant Scorpio, Marie Curie! (Not only did she have her Sun in Scorpio, Curie had a stellium in this sign…) See her birth chart. To learn more about how she ultra-embodied Scorpio energy, read this blog post. SPOILER ALERT (in case you didn’t already know): Curie died of radiation poisoning, a tragic side effect of her groundbreaking research and lab work in chemistry. The way she lived and died all practically scream Scorpio. Putrefaction, decay, the nigredo stage of alchemy… |
| Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life (1989)
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Georgia O’Keeffe was a renowned modernist American painter…and an ULTRA Scorpio. Like Marie Curie, she had a Scorpio stellium, in her case in the 1st house (self, identity)! This Scorpio energy is especially potent in O’Keeffe’s birth chart. O’Keeffe’s floral artwork, to many, has been interpreted as an homage to the female or femme body. This is significant because in medieval medical astrology Scorpio was associated with the genital/sexual organs and Scorpio can be a hypersexual sign (or at least has been perceived this way). |
| I Quit Everything: How One Woman’s Addiction to Quitting Helped Her Confront Her Bad Habits and Embrace Midlife (2023)
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Addiction can be a classically Scorpio crisis. Not to say that if you have heavy Scorpio placements in your chart you are doomed to struggle with addiction. No need to be alarmed. Why is this sign often associated with addiction/addictive personalities? Scorpio digs DEEP and tends towards obsessive and compulsive behaviors (at times taking them to a self-destructive level). Hence, the association/correlation. Once again, correlation does not equal causation. So no need to panic, if you’re a Scorpio. 🙂 Much like Scorpio, Pisces folks tend to feel things extremely intensely and may turn to addictive substances (like drugs or alcohol) as an attempt to escape their suffering. Take for instance Pisces Kurt Cobain as a cautionary tale. (Cobain actually had a stellium in Pisces – Sun, Mercury – his chart ruler, Venus, Saturn, and Chiron – the archetypal wounded healer). In any case, this Scorpionic title may or may not be useful to you. And if it’s triggering, feel free to steer clear. |
| Source Code: My Beginnings (2025)
(another Scorpio writer, born October 28, 1955) |
Did you know that American billionaire and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is a Scorpio? (By which I mean, his Sun is in Scorpio. You may recall that in the ancient world when someone asked you what your sign was, in all likelihood you would respond with your rising sign: in his case – Cancer. Ruled by his Moon in Aries – a real trailblazer! All that said, this is a topic of discussion for another time). 🙂 Check out Gates’ birth chart! In any case, dive deep into his brainchild during Scorpio season by reading his brand new (2025) memoir. |
| The Witching Year: A Memoir of Earnest Fumbling Through Modern Witchcraft (2023)
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In honor of contemporary witchcraft (especially Wicca’s) emphasis on the number three (i.e.: the triple goddess and the three main lunar phases – New Moon, Full moon, and back to a New Moon) I’ve selected not one, not even two, but THREE titles to recommend here. 🧙 For a much darker tone look at Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials (2024) AND Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic (2024) – not all magical practitioners are/were witches! And dive into the self-proclaimed Oracle of L.A., Amanda Yates Garcia’s, (according to her Instagram account her birthday is November 14th making her a Scorpio) recent (2019) witchy memoir.
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Genre-specific
During Scorpio season dive deep into the following topics:
- Books about Death and Dying (including triggering phenomena like suicide. Note: The extraordinary poet and writer, Syvlia Plath, featured on this blog post, tragically suffered from chronic mental health issues and killed herself). *Trigger warnings abound!*
- Books about Insects and Creepy Crawling Creatures (think anything that burrows deep in the soil, in earth’s own Underworld of sorts)
- Ghost Stories/Tales about Haunted Houses, etc.
- Horror (bloody and gory or psychological…either suits Scorpio season, but for this time of year the more disturbing the better, if you can handle it. I, for one, cannot!)
- Mental Health Challenges & Trauma (especially surrounding issues with addiction, etc.)*
- Sex and Sexuality (diving into traditionally taboo topics like kink, polyamory, tantra, etc. which often, though not always, appeal to Scorpio folks)
- Spy Thrillers (espionage is where it’s at for Scorpios, including memoirs and/or biographies of real-life spies, especially this list all about women spies)
- Witchcraft & the Occult (fiction – this list is mostly of the cozy and whimsical variety and nonfiction)
*This category harkens back to Pisces season and the exploration of depth and transpersonal psychology, a topic that would likely also appeal to Scorpio folks. The difference is Scorpio folks would likely be more interested in reading about the darker aspects of our psyche rather than the transcendent and ethereal. Whatever floats your boat, though. 🙂
What is Courtney reading this Scorpio season?:
Right around election Tuesday and the Taurus Full Moon, I dove head first into the audiobook edition of a deliciously grotesque queer horror novel (relatively new), by the acclaimed author, Caitlin Starling: The Starving Saints (2025).
Trigger warnings (so far, at the time of writing this post, I am still in the first quarter of the book): violence against domestic animals (dogs), not for the sake of being cruel, but as an act of sheer desperation due to starvation. I was triggered by this as I am an animal lover, but it wasn’t described in horrifying detail and unfortunately it does make sense in context.
Librarian Pro Tip: Looking for trigger warnings for other books (and other media for that matter like TV shows and movies)? Check out Does the Dog Die? It’s crowdsourced and while not 100% comprehensive, it’s a fantastic resource to have on your radar.
Back to my Scorpio season read. You may enjoy it too if you are attracted to exquisitely lyrical and poetic writing (albeit about gruesome topics). So far my favorite turn of phrase from the first quarter of the book is “the pinnacle of putrescence.” Gross and oh so very gorgeous!
Other appeal factors include:
- Sapphic romance & queer horror meets dark fantasy (a delightful genre blend)
- Three female protagonists: a “witch” (a “heretical” alchemist), a knight (a la Brienne of Tarth of Game of Thrones fame), and the daughter of a traitorous and executed nobleman in disguise as a servant. Not to mention, bada** nuns! (Pardon my half-censored language).
- French medieval warfare (a castle under siege), hinting towards a fictionalized account of the brutal 13th-century crusade against the Cathar “heretics” by the Catholic Church in Southern France which established the Inquisition.
- Witchcraft and alchemy (in the novel appearing as the miraculous generation of clean water and food from unsanitary water and rotting animal carcasses). This is about as Scorpio as it gets!!!!
- A mysterious goddess-like (potentially Marian) figure known as the Constant Lady who emerges as savior for the besieged heroines (the king and all his people) trapped in the medieval fortress.
Thanks to NoveList (available via Digital Maine Library) here’s a fantastic summary of the book:
“Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite the barricaded gates, offering succor in return for adoration. Soon, the entire castle is under the sway of their saviors, partaking in intoxicating feasts of terrible origin. As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness—forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy—three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is.”
Not to worry, I am not far enough into the book to spoil much of anything at all. So far, I HIGHLY recommend it! 🙂
Finally, shameless plug for the ongoing Fall 2025 Readers’ Circle series. The theme chosen by the group for this season is “Ghost Voices and Haunting Tales,” how very Scorpio. 🙂
We’ve already read and discussed George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo (the Sept. read), but stay tuned for this month’s, November’s (rescheduled from October), December’s, and January ‘26’s titles:
- November 2025: Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (Thursday, November 20th at 7pm) *Rescheduled from Th. 10/30 due to power failure*
- December 2025: Julia Alvarez’s The Cemetery of Untold Stories (Th., December 11th at 7pm) *Also available in Spanish translation thanks to MML’s ever-expanding Global Languages Fiction Collection! *Rescheduled from Th. 11/20*
- January 2026: Isabella Hammad’s Enter Ghost (co-sponsored by the 2026 Camden Conference – Today’s Middle East: Power, Politics & Players) (Th. January 29th at 7pm)
Enjoy these and other haunting tales during Scorpio season and beyond. 🙂
For additional Spooky Season reading recommendations check out this recent post. It involves a one-question quiz, a quizlet, if you will, invoking the library spirits to determine your literary vibe of the season. For personalized recommendations, don’t hesitate to complete this online form and you can expect to hear back from me within 7-10 days.
