By Cathy Eck

SCORPIO: What if you had the power to enchant and even bewitch people with your charisma? Would you wield your allure without mercy? Would you feel wicked delight in their attraction to you,even if you didn’t plan to give them what they want? I suspect these questions aren’t entirely rhetorical right now. You may have more mojo at your disposal than you realize. Speaking for your conscience, I will ask you not to desecrate your privilege. If you must manipulate people, do it for their benefit as well as yours. Use your raw magic responsibly. Halloween costume suggestion: a mesmerizing guru; an irresistible diva; a stage magician.  (Rob Brezsny’s Free Will Astrology:  http://FreeWillAstrology.com)

Astrology

Each year, in celebration of my Scorpio birthday, I save a copy of Rob Brezsny’s Free Will Astrology column.  I’m not fond of traditional astrology.  What spews from the mouth of most astrologers is a great description of our prison cell within the illusion disguised as the truth.  Many astrologers use their masculine position to keep people in their cells fearing retrograde planets and scary transits if they escape.

Our natural desire to be good provides incentive to will our way to the positive side of each sign, planet, and house while avoiding, and therefore projecting, the shadow side on to the world.  Rob presents both sides of the illusion and cracks open the gate to allow us to see our way out.  He’s an initiate at heart; it comes through in his unusual view of astrology.

My birthday horoscope brought me back to a time when I was faced with a difficult life choice.  During my business years, I had quite the reputation.  I was an expert — a valued authority.  People treated me with respect and admiration.  It was actually hard not to think highly of myself.  Nearly everyday, I received glowing compliments from people in high places.  I could pick up the phone and make things happen.

One day, while sitting in my office, I looked at a sign pasted on my computer.  “Be anything; just don’t be ordinary.”  It was one of those quotes you pick up from inspirational speakers and hear when you attend pump-you-up business conventions.  I’d read that quote a million times, but this time I had a moment of sanity.  I thought “What’s wrong with being ordinary?  Why do I fear it so?”  I realized that ordinary was like a demon that stood behind me constantly trying to pull me down.  Saying my magic affirmation was what kept that demon behind me.

The Choice

During my time in business, I came to know the ins and outs of the illusion.  I knew that with force of will, I could reign like a king over others.  I could win at the illusion game.  But I realized that little demon would always be there looking for an opening.

What if this strange pull to ordinary wasn’t really a demon?  Forcing my will never brought me the peace or freedom I truly desired.  Oh, I’d leave trails of losers along the way — the Scorpio in me thought that was a divine idea.  But I didn’t want to live from win-lose anymore.

I decided that I would choose ordinary and strip the power from this seeming demon. I’d no longer avoid ordinary; I’d dive in.  At first, I changed my business approach to win-win.  Eventually, I sold my business and dropped all my prestigious labels.  It was then that I came to realize why ordinary isn’t a happy state.

Ordinary (in the illusion) means assuming a feminine role to win-lose powermongers who need losers to win.  Ordinary means suppressing our God-given value and talents so that others can live an inflated life where their talents or knowledge are perceived as extraordinary.  In the illusion, ordinary people are valued for their ability to obediently worship the elite and to suffer with a smile.

Truth

In truth, being ordinary means being our True Self — as we’re designed.  The illusory extraordinary is actually a charismatic mask of power that keeps unconscious people spellbound in false beliefs.  While that mask appears to be more powerful than our True Self, it isn’t.

The notions of better or worse, superior or inferior, or extraordinary and ordinary aren’t real.  Only in the illusion are some talents valued more than others, are experts with knowledge considered greater than non-experts with wisdom, and are those with pedigrees naturally extraordinary.

After I made the tough decision to no longer use my ability to play an OSCAR-worthy guru, wizard, or magician, I felt a great loss.  I missed the accolades and the money.  I missed having people listen to me and trust me.

When I wielded my allure, bewitched people with my charm, and gave them knowledge which served the illusion, they adored me.  Now that I dropped the facade, spoke the truth, and wanted only win-win experiences, those same people found me odd, wrong, and even evil at times.

The illusion also made me outer directed.  The art of being ordinary demanded inner direction.  I had to let go of all the rewards of the illusion, including my false power and value.  That’s why Jesus said the rich won’t get to heaven.  Heaven is freedom, our True Self; but when we’re winning in the illusion, it’s hard to leave.

As Rob suggests, if I must manipulate, I should do it for the other’s benefit.  I do use what looks like Scorpio power to convince people to let go, to be themselves, and to choose love over judgment or hate.  I use it to push the seeming extraordinary off their pedestals and to provide some wings for the seeming ordinary until they can fly on their own.  I could still dip into the illusion and produce some raw magic, mojo, or charisma at will; but why would I when being ordinary means being my True nature, and being my True Self means being free.