My astrology observations: Scorpio
As a Scorpio sun Gemini moon Leo rising
*I am not an expert AT ALLLLL!!!
So in my experience, a key element of Scorpios is intensity. What they are intense about varies, but with Scorpio energy, the volume is pretty much always cranked to 11/10. Some scorpios are intense about school. Some about their sport, their friends, their partner. Often they're plain intense about everything. Sun, moon, rising, they got that intense stare.
Another thing about Scorpios is that they're often more low-key than say, a Leo. You might say we like to play 3D chess. Never let em know your next move type stuff. For real when I was in school I was so secretive about my feelings, especially with boys I liked, that I would write in a specific journal in hard to read ink. Later I moved on to using the elvish alphabet. (I am quite nerdy.) Often this secrecy is just purely self protection. We're sensitive!!! We're sensitive and we notice power dynamics. In my opinion, that's something that separates us from the other water signs, especially Pisces. We're not going to be as open with our feelings, because we know that feelings can get used against you.
My personal experience as a scorpio (with a lot of air placements) is that I care too much. I have to get the perfect grade, I have to do the perfect thing, I have to be the perfect person. Or if not that, I have to be the ideal person I want to be. It's also that I sometimes don't know how to give up control. Scorpios are known to be pretty obsessive, and I literally have obsessive compulsive disorder, so there ya go!! One of my life lessons has been learning to open up to my friends. Cause when you share something with someone, the shell is gone and you're just that wriggling naked arthropod, and it's up to the other person what happens next. But ... that's okay!! It's good to trust people!!
I've also often felt very intense about music, symbols, art. Things it's hard to put into words.
A scorpio stereotype is vengefulness. I think for me personally all my air placements tone this down a lot, but I do feel sometimes that if someone has done me wrong they are now not to be trusted and, an op, if you will. I feel more vengeful when people hurt my loved ones. I'm a Christian though, and I don't like to hurt people. That being said, sometimes it's hard for me to let things go.
Then there's the whole thing of scorpio ruling sexuality... Here's my hot take on that. You know how I said we're aware of power dynamics? I think we're also aware of sexuality. Like U2 put it, "the mysterious distance between a man and a woman." (or what have you gender) Obviously when I was a kid I was not sexually into my peers, but I felt the gravity of love and attraction even then. I wouldn't even be friends with boys because I could tell they were always making it romantic, or I was. Sometimes I wished to be blissfully unaware of crushes and things like that, but instead it was a heavy nervousness because I took it so seriously.
Everyone is different, but in my (not huge) experience, Scorpios are less likely to be very free with who they sleep with than you might expect, based on their reputation. I think that's because we understand the gravity of sex. Sex isn't just a physical act, it's two people coming together in an extremely intimate way, a way that leaves a permanent impact on both people. I was raised to think sex also involves two souls coming together, but I think that resonates with a scorpio "stare into your soul" sort of mindset. And perhaps that's part of why Scorpios are known to be smexy. If you're gettin it on with a scorpio they're gonna see all the way through you and maybe even you them.
Scorpios all kind of have a certain gravity about them. I'm starting to think though, that part of the scorpio journey is to let it go. We start off (secretly) strong and proud and fierce. Maybe it's partly a wall anyway. Then shit happens. And we power through it until we can't anymore. Scorpios can be very powerful people. But even the strong have to accept their weakness, even the tough need help. Becoming a full person means breaking open, accepting softness, getting hurt and continuing on, and letting God (or life if you prefer) turn you into something better.
Scorpios have a lot of soul. I mean everyone has soul, but scorpios feel their souls intensely. They hide it sometimes, with the intense pressures they put themselves under, their shields, their intelligence, the 3D chess. But at the end of the day we are sensitive and feel a lot, we just need to be let lose to play, to generate and create, and to care for and protect/nuture others.
Scorpio is associated with sex and with rebirth(I think), and so I think a takeaway is we could have lot of "babies" to give to this world, so to speak. RuPaul has a good video talking about scorpio creativity. Passion needs to go somewhere constructive, instead of destructive. The pain has to heal and we have to let ourselves become something new.
As I've heard a couple places, scorpios often have a lot of reasons not to trust. They often get hurt and have to learn to heal or find healing (or let themselves be healed). This pain is useful, it can fuel greater empathy and understanding. I think a lot of Scorpios, if they can get past their egos, are the kind of people who have seen the shadowy sides of life, and so they don't judge when you're dealing with that.
To wrap, healthy Scorpio energy is about using your intensity and passion for good, about getting back up when you fall, about expressing the mysteries of life, about letting yourself be that intelligent pro, about making peace with yourself, being okay with vulnerability. Unhealthy scorpio energy would be obsessions, jealousy, rage, and being overly controlling. You gotta be humble and responsible with your power, and you have to know that in life, there's a lot you simply don't have any power over, and that's okay, good even.
Georgia O'Keefe is my favorite famous Scorpio. Yeah girl, paint those flowers!