The moon is new in Scorpio on November 9, 2026, at 2:02 am est. + a friendly reminder: you can set your intentions Sunday night, Monday, or anytime in the couple of days after. No need to set an alarm for 2am unless you're feeling extra witchy.
Big themes for this one: depth, truth, release, intimacy, trust, transformation, + letting something die so something more honest can be born. Light stuff, obv.
History + Context of the Scorpio New Moon
Every new moon is the start of a fresh lunar cycle, but a Scorpio blank page doesn't feel like a cute fresh notebook… more like a cave. Quiet, dark, private, + VERY honest. BUT NOT IN A SCARY WAY! In an introspective, healing way.
Scorpio is a fixed water sign, traditionally ruled by Mars + in modern astrology by Pluto, the planet of death, rebirth, + power. It's connected to the 8th house of the zodiac, which covers the things we don't usually talk about at brunch: death, grief, sex, intimacy, shared money, trust, + the parts of ourselves we keep hidden. Scorpio is symbolized by the scorpion, but many traditions also give it the eagle + the phoenix, which tells you everything. Scorpio can sting, it can rise above, + it can burn down to ash + come back new (my fave one).
The timing of this one is also SO fitting: it marks the astronomical midpoint between the fall equinox + the winter solstice, the cross-quarter point that many traditions connect to Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival where the veil between the living + the dead was believed to be thinnest. This new moon lands just past that point. It also arrives right after All Saints' Day + All Souls' Day, when Christians have honored the dead for centuries, + Día de los Muertos. Across cultures, this exact stretch of the year has always been about remembering, honoring endings, + sitting with the mystery of death + life. Scorpio didn't invent that energy, it just naturally lives there.
The Energy of This New Moon
Here's what makes this particular Scorpio new moon different: it's happening during TWO retrogrades. Mercury turned retrograde on October 24 + is sitting in Scorpio right alongside the sun + moon, + Venus has been retrograde since early October, now backing through Libra. Both Mercury + Venus station direct on November 13 which is an uncommon double turn on the same day.
So rather than a "start something brand new" moon, this is a "finish the inner work" moon. With Mercury still retrograde, it's better suited to deciding something you've already been weighing than to launching something new. Think: re-thinking, re-committing, + releasing what you've been circling for weeks.
If Venus retrograde had you asking "why am I attached to this?" this new moon asks the follow up: "Okay, so what am I actually going to do about it?"
What You May Feel Energetically
Scorpio new moons can feel heavy in a sacred way. You might want to cancel plans, stay in, journal, take a long bath, or have one deep conversation instead of five surface level ones. Small talk may feel physically painful. Old memories, old exes, old wounds, + old versions of yourself might float up out of nowhere (thankssss, Mercury rx).
You may notice more intense emotions than usual, a strong gut feeling about someone or something, a craving for privacy, or a sudden urge to purge your closet, your camera roll, or your group chats. How I YEARN to clean up my pone, but good-ness is it daunting!
You might feel suspicious, protective, magnetic, or extra intuitive. You might also find yourself SO done with pretending. Done pretending you're fine, a relationship is working, or that you don't want what you want.
+ if you feel a little raw or tender, that's okay. Scorpio energy cracks things open so they can heal properly, not so they can stay broken.
The Shadow Side of Scorpio Energy
Scorpio's depth is a gift, but every sign has a shadow, + this one can show up as:
✨control, because if “I control everything, nobody can hurt me.”
✨jealousy + possessiveness when trust feels scary.
✨secrecy that slowly turns into isolation.
✨holding grudges because letting go feels like letting someone off the hook.
✨all or nothing thinking, where it's either total transformation or not even trying.
✨testing people instead of telling them what you need.
The work isn't to shame any of that. It's to get curious about what it's protecting, face it, integrate it, + repair any situations or relationships that have been hurt by any of these shadow actions.
The Spiritual Lesson of This New Moon
You can't be reborn into something new while you're still clinging to who you used to be.
Scorpio teaches us that endings aren't failures. A snake doesn't apologize for shedding its skin, it just outgrew it! Sometimes a friendship, a habit, a belief, a version of your identity, or a story you've told about yourself has simply run its course, + the most loving thing you can do is let it go.
Scorpio also teaches the difference between privacy + secrecy. Privacy is choosing what you share + with whom. Secrecy is hiding because you're ashamed. One protects you while the other slowly eats away at you. Where are you hiding instead of healing? Where are you holding on because letting go feels like losing control? What would you finally admit if no one could judge you for it?
Scorpio isn't just the sign of death, it's the sign of resurrection. The phoenix only rises because it was willing to burn. That's a VERY old spiritual truth, + you'll find versions of it in almost every faith tradition.
How to Work With This New Moon Energy
1. Set a Bowl of Salt Water Under Your Bed
On the night of the new moon, fill a bowl with water, stir in a little salt, + slide it under your bed. Scorpio is a water sign that rules what's hidden, so let it soak up whatever has been lurking overnight. In the morning, pour it down the drain + say, "You're done here." Then go about your day like the main character you are.
Bonus: stir the saltwater three times COUNTERCLOCKWISE, stating out loud something specific that you’re ready to release.
2. Delete the Text Thread You Reread at 2am
You know the one. With Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, old conversations + old people are going to come back around, + it's SO tempting to scroll back through every message looking for clues. Archive or delete it instead. It's an energetic cord cut you can do in 4 seconds, + your nervous system will thank you.
3. Clean Under Your Bed + Out Your Junk Drawer
These are the "underworld" of your home, the places where we stash the stuff we're avoiding + hide it from ourselves. Scorpio asks you to look at what you've been avoiding, so start literal. Pull everything out, toss what you don't need, + notice what you've been holding onto + why.
4. Plant Your Intentions on the New Moon, But Don't Launch Until the 13th
Mercury + Venus both station direct on November 13, + two retrogrades ending on the same day is rare!!!! So think of it this way: the new moon is for deciding, + the 13th is for doing. Write your intentions on the 9th, sit with them for a few days, then take your first real step once both planets turn direct.
5. Write a Breakup Letter to an Old Version of Yourself
Address it to the you who got you here. Thank her for surviving, for trying, for doing the best she could with what she knew. Then tell her you're ready to move on without her. When you're done, burn it safely in a fireproof dish. Scorpio is all about death + rebirth, so let the old you have a proper send off (BECAUSE WE DO LOVE HER!!!).
Bonus Scorpio Practice: Take a Shadow Work Bath
Water is Scorpio's element, so let it do some of the heavy lifting. Draw a bath (or take a long, slow shower), add a handful of Epsom salt, dim the lights, + ask yourself: "What part of me have I been hiding, + what is it actually trying to protect?" Let whatever comes up come up. When you drain the tub, picture everything you're releasing going with it..
Scorpio New Moon Journal Prompts
Don't do all of these. Pick the one that makes your stomach drop a little. That's the one that will end up giving you the most space + clarity.
✨What am I ready to let die so something new can be born?
✨What am I holding onto because letting go feels like losing control?
✨Where am I keeping secrets instead of keeping boundaries?
✨Who do I need to forgive, including myself?
✨What would trust look like if I stopped testing people + started telling them what I need?
✨What version of me is waiting on the other side of this ending?
Your Scorpio New Moon Diffuser Blend
Shed + Rise
3 drops Release : letting go of old emotional weight, resentment, + the things we've been carrying far too long.
2 drops Frankincense : holding sacred space while you do deep inner work.
2 drops Patchouli : coming back into your body after intense emotions.
1 drop Vetiver : supports a calm, grounded, + steady feeling when big feelings come up.
The Big Takeaway
The new moon in Scorpio isn't asking you to have it all figured out, just to be honest: about what's ending, what you want, + what you've been afraid to look at.
With Mercury + Venus both retrograde as this moon begins, this cycle is less about a brand new start + more about finally finishing something. Releasing it, grieving it, forgiving it, + letting it transform. Then, when both planets turn direct on November 13, you get to walk forward lighter.
Mantra for the Scorpio new moon:
“I release what I've outgrown. I trust what I can't see yet. I am allowed to rise from what tried to bury me.”
Happy new moon!
Muah muah muah,
Suzy
