Many people are involved in projects involving personal transformation. They are working to give
birth to their own ideal self. The pauper dreams of being rich. The 90 pound weakling wants to
become strong. The social outcast wants a happy social life. The sick man wants to be healthy. If
we meditate on what this means, we find that this word “transformation” means dying to the old
and being born again as a new creature. Transformation is about being “born again” – born into a
new circumstances and conditions. In short, these activities are the province of the 8th House and
its natural ruler, Scorpio.

In Scorpio we find these mysteries elucidated clearly. Nature is constantly transforming herself.
Death, rebirth, resurrection – the 8th House activities – are constantly going on in the natural world.
The caterpillar becomes the butterfly. The seed buried in the ground becomes a luscious rose
bush. Birth and Death are twins. There is no birth without a death and no death without a birth. If
the caterpillar refused to die to itself, it would never become the butterfly. If the seed refused to
die, it would remain a seed forever and never become what it was supposed to become. Learning
to die means learning to be born. It is an art. One lets go (death) of the old and effete and enters
the consciousness of the new (birth). The pauper must die to the state and identity of pauperhood
in order to be born again as the rich person he or she craves to be. Even the memory of
pauperhood is no more.

A Need of Spiritual Transformation

Everyone has areas in their lives in need of spiritual transformation. It can be a relationship, a
business, a physical or mental problem. The key to all these transformations – the religious word for
this is “resurrection” is learning to die to the old condition and embrace the new. Pluto and
Scorpio are our teachers.

How does one “die to the old”? How does one get “born again”? Through the focus. Through the
attention. Scorpio is known for this one pointed focus. This is why they generally get what they go
after. This ability to focus – to focus on your ideal state – in spite of all evidence to the contrary – will
lead to the new birth – the transformation.