Progressed Moon in Scorpio or 8th House

The Progressed Moon represents your evolving needs, relationships, and general emotional state. When your PR Moon sign or house changes, your current needs change, and therefore so does your life. During the shift from Libra to Scorpio (or natal 7th house to 8th), survival becomes your greatest priority. You are entering a pyschology-oriented phase, which lasts about 2.5 years for the Scorpio progression and anywhere from 1-4 years for the 8th house progression, depending on house size. Both of these transits are notoriously difficult for anyone who does not have a natal Scorpio or 8th house moon. The reason for that is because the Moon is exalted in Scorpio’s opposite sign, Taurus, and therefore uncomfortable or in its Fall in Scorpio.

When your PR Moon was in Libra or your 7th house, you were focused on partnerships and social graces. The most uncomfortable things for you at that time were loneliness, ugliness and anything undignified. You sacrificed much (including personal power) to find balance and make sure all your relationships ran smoothly. Libra can wildly swing back and forth trying to find a happy medium, so you may have been a bit argumentative or contrary, and had trouble making decisions! But once PR Moon enters Scorpio/H8, get ready for some significant changes. This may be the most difficult next few years of your life. If you’ve weathered a few, then you know what you’re in for!

Are you comfortable with the emotional intensity this Pluto-ruled sign will bring? If so, you may be able to handle what’s ahead. If not, be prepared for some trying times. Scorpio is an extremist, and everything that happens will be all or nothing during this progression. The change from Libra to Scorpio is a bit shocking, because Libra is an Air sign, and is all about appearances and looking good. Scorpio is a deep-feeling Water sign that cares for none of that! It wants the naked, often ugly truth, right down to the bare bones. In addition, where Libra oscillates between two choices, Fixed Scorpio makes one and sticks with it. There is no going back with this sign…it burns bridges as it walks, and the match was lit deliberately.

So…what’s going to happen when you transition to PR Scorpio Moon? If you are in a committed relationship (Libra) that you’ve been ignoring some serious red flags about, say goodbye. If you have friends that are fickle or flighty, or a lot of superficial acquaintances, watch their backs as they leave. Scorpio wants the most loyal and true of connections, those who are most intimate (on an emotional level, not just physical). The rest will be ripped away from you, whether you’re ready or not. You’ll find out who your true friends are soon enough, because Scorpio is also about the darkness. Who will hold your hand when you’re in it?

Especially with the 8th house progression, you may find out if you can take an existing partnership (7th house) to the next level of intimacy and trust. Because the 8th house is about that which we can’t control, and at a deeper level of closeness, you relinquish your power. That’s what’s so interesting about the Scorpio/H8 Moon progressions: although this is a very control-focused sign, it’s really a consequence of not having power and trying to gain some back! Both Virgo and Scorpio are an awkward 150º away from Aries, the start of the Zodiac, and they must compromise. Virgo regains control via focusing on details. Scorpio is another animal; it’s entire modus operandi is self-protection, and covert actions that involve deeper psychological understanding.

The sooner you can accept that you ultimately have no control during this progression, the faster you will be able to move on from whatever situation you find yourself “stuck” in. Being a Fixed sign, often events that happen during Scorpio or H8 moon progressions are long-term. And don’t listen to the hype about Scorpio being sex-crazed; this sign is actually very hesitant to enter into physically intimate relationships, again, because it really dislikes giving up its power. So if you aren’t in a partnership when this progression begins, don’t be surprised if you want to remain single the entire time! If you do enter a sexual relationship, it will only be with someone you have built trust with…or in dark Scorpio times, are strategically using. If you are already with someone you trust, this can be a great time to explore deeper, more authentic intimacy.

The other issue present during PR Moon in Scorpio and especially the 8th house is debt and shared resources. This means that your debt may become a serious issue, or you may inherit from a loved one, or your partner’s finances may be a wreck, or you may have to deal with a tax situation. Any money that is not solely yours (Taurus/2nd house stuff) is up for scrutiny. Again, because you don’t have complete control over these resources…you share them with a bank, the government, your spouse, etc. Or, they came to you through someone’s passing.

Death is another subject you may have to face. Not necessarily your own, but a loved one may pass in order to give you the opportunity to deal with your inner hangups/feelings about the transformation of death. If you’re already comfortable with it, you can act like a pillar of strength and comfort to others because you are good with uncomfortable topics and situations during this progression. You are fascinated by human emotion and their reactions. And you are very observant of others right now!

Your emotional state during this progression will be rather fixedly calm (which is nice), especially in the face of a crisis as mentioned above. But you may also be in a low-level depressive state for the whole of this progression as well. Do not be afraid to get counseling, as this is a great time for psychoanalysis. You have the strength and quite honestly, fascination, to deal with your demons right now. It’s actually stagnation that will make you despair. When the PR Moon is in a Fixed sign, you tend to reject change, even if it will be good for you! There’s something very dogged and stubborn about Scorpio…it wants to go down with the ship.

This is also a great progression for learning about darker, more taboo subjects, or studying astrology/tarot/psychology on an intense level. This progression will put you in some situation that strips away all superficialities in your life, and forces you to realize you can survive without the things you thought you needed. This is also a progression about regaining your own power, but it order to regain it, you must have it taken away. Maybe your significant other will leave you, or friends reject you, or you’ll go bankrupt, or someone you love will die, but whatever it is, the lesson you’ll learn is that you can survive (and even thrive) in the face of literal or figurative death. You are transforming, and the first part of that transformation is an ending, but the second part is a new beginning. My favorite depiction of Scorpio is the mythical phoenix, who rises from its own ashes.

In general, this Lunar progression is hard for everyone, but easiest for people with natal Moon in Scorpio and less difficult for other Water signs (Cancer, Pisces). This progression will be the most challenging for people with a different natal Fixed Moon (Taurus, Leo, Aquarius). Remember for both the Scorpio and 8th house progression that right now, your light burns brightest the darker it gets in the room.