Scorpio & the 8th house

Mahavidya Dhumavati rules Ketu & the 8th house

The 8th house is where we store the things that we do not want to face and that keep accumulating until they have to come out in a sudden and uncomfortable way. Whatever is stored in this house is kept in the dark, we don’t want to show anyone what’s in there and sometimes we are not even aware of these ourselves. It is said to be the most evil house because it is dark, it is difficult to see there and the planet / sign sitting there lacks clear direction. This is why Ketu rules Scorpio and the 8 th house – Ketu is headless so he isn’t bothered by the darkness; Ketu is guided solely by intuition and as a ruler of the dark house, he teaches us how to navigate those dark aspects of our lives. Mars is the other ruler of Scorpio as he is the giver of courage necessary to face what’s stored in the 8th house, while Ketu burns away attachments, leading us closer to liberation. Mars and Ketu are both hot fiery planets because we have to burn what is stored in this house that we don't want to let go out of fear and attachment. Therefore our 8th house shows what we have stored in this and previous lives that kept us from attaining moksha and forced us to reincarte through the 3rd house portal. 

Scorpio is known for its tendency to hold grudges and exhibit obsessive behaviour because of this storing tendency, difficulty navigating the darkness and ending up being comsumed by it if the energy is not mastered properly. However if we can master the Scorpion energy, instead of holding on to those attachments, we learn how to burn them and elevate ourselves toward moksh. As Ramakrishna says “A person can’t attain spiritual awakening and realise God without getting rid of worldliness”. The 8th house is the end of worldliness - after the life force has been consumed by the indulgence of the pleasures of this world which culminate in the 7th house, there is nothing left to enjoy and the body has to be given up for a new life to start in the next realm. The 8th house is therefore the end of our body and the start of our new lives in the astral realm, it is death itself and the process of death which is a transmutation of energy. 

So if you do not master the 8th house energy you have to come back to this world through the 3 rd house which is the gate of rebirth; but if you can master it then you move up to the 12th house of moksha. See people don’t like the 8th house or Scorpio because it’s both your attachments and what to need to let go. For example if you have Cancer or Moon in the 8th house you are attached to comfort but won’t get any comfort or mental peace; or if Leo is there you are attached to power but you will have to give up your power and authority and at the end everyone will stop respecting you - but if you can give up this attachment then you can advance on the spiritual path.

Scorpio and the 8th house are karaka of death; if you can master their energy you can succeed at anything but people are too afraid to approach and deal with them. Aghora sadhana which belongs to 8th house / Scorpio, is the most intense sadhana because it demands maximum courage from the sadhak who has to befriend death and burn all his attachments. This is exactly why Mars, the planet of courage, has to rule Scorpio. In Aghora, you master the 8th house energy by overcoming the fear of death and once you overcome this fear, nothing can throw you off from the path to liberation. Even when doing the fiercest sadhana like shava sadhana, if a spirit possesses the corpse you are meditation on, making it stand up and growl, you can simply continue your sadhana. Try to meditate on the 8 th house yourself and you will see how it manifest around you. Flickering lights, lights going off, this is because the energy is active and teaching you now how to see in the dark (not with your eyes, remember Ketu is headless). Even as I am writing this, I’ve had to stop for the arati and the light on the altar went off.