TRANSCRIPT Ep. 247 | Scorpio First Quarter Moon: Say “No” to Intoxicated Chickens! (8.12.24)
« Listen and read show notes here
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is August 12, 2024. Welcome to Episode 247 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week, the Scorpio First Quarter Moon; Mars makes a conjunction with Jupiter and squares Saturn, Mercury retrograde re-enters Leo and squares Uranus; Venus squares Jupiter; and, I answer a couple of listener questions about fixed stars.
Scorpio First Quarter Moon (Aug. 12, 2024, 8:19 am PDT)
The week begins with the Moon Report and the Scorpio First Quarter Moon on August 12th at 8:19 am Pacific Time. It’s at 20º24’ Scorpio and Leo. The Scorpio First Quarter phase is charged with taking the big dreams and ambitions from the Leo New Moon and taking action on them in a stripped down, focused way.
The Moon is on the Sabian symbol 21 Scorpio, A soldier derelict in his duty, which is also written as, Obeying his conscience, a soldier refuses orders. The soldier in the Sabian symbol says we won’t even take orders from the Leo Sun and Leo New Moon at this First Quarter, especially because the Sun is on Sabian symbol 21 Leo, Chickens intoxicated, our aims at the Leo New Moon might have been just a tad unrealistic, and the Scorpio First Quarter focuses on finding a more realistic way to achieve them.
In the chart for the First Quarter Moon, the Moon is opposed and the Sun is square Uranus. So we may find ourselves taking unpredictable or unexpected actions at this First Quarter, kind of not unlike those intoxicated chickens. Generally, the First Quarter is the phase where we take some kind of action to further our New Moon aims. And in this case, at the New Moon, we might have had a very conventional idea of the kinds of things we might want to do, or the way we wanted to do them. But given the Moon and Sun in this chart are aspecting Uranus, it won’t necessarily go that way. But it can also mean that we come up with inspired solutions to get where we wanted to go at that Leo New Moon.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the First Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began on November 13, 2023, at the New Moon at 20º43’ Scorpio. That’s a time when we would have imagined or initiated some kind of New Moon idea related to Scorpio. That could have been something about perhaps downscaling in your life or bringing your lifestyle in more congruence with your values and what you think is very important.
Scorpio really likes to get down to brass tacks and doesn’t like a lot of excess or nonsense. So that was a pretty intense New Moon. And as we now find ourselves at the First Quarter in this three-year lunar phase family cycle, it would be time to initiate some kind of action that we conceived at that New Moon.
The Full Moon in this Lunar Phase Family Cycle comes on May 12th, 2025, and then the Last Quarter is on February 9th, 2026. And that takes us into a final nine-month last quarter phase to finish up what began at that November 2023 Scorpio New Moon.
Void-of-Course Moon Periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.
On August 13th, the Moon in Scorpio trines Neptune at 2:01 a m Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for one hour and enters Sagittarius at 3:01 am. A Void-of-Course Moon period that begins with the Moon trine another planet suggests a gift or reward coming our way. And in this case, the qualities of the Moon in Scorpio, that focus, determination, and a kind of x-ray vision, can keep us from getting deceived, can keep us from falling into the negative qualities of Neptune.
Void-of-Course Moon periods are generally about changing habits or reviewing the way we’re doing things. So, if you’re doing a good job recognizing deception or trouble as it comes your way, that is a reward in and of itself.
On August 15th, the Moon in Sagittarius trines Mercury in Leo at 9:52 am Pacific Time, it’s Void-of-Course for about an hour, and then enters Capricorn at 10:51 am. This is another trine beginning Void-of-Course Moon period. And the lesson that we can take is that Moon in Sagittarius represents qualities of being good at storytelling, helping us see the big picture. Storytelling is the way that humans make sense of our world, and this works so beautifully with Mercury in Leo, which has a lot of theatrical talent and that ability to really engage people with the things that it says and the way that it says them. So this combination can help us get our point across to others by being imaginative and clever and presenting things in a very engaging way.
On August 17th, the Moon in Capricorn sextiles Neptune at 1:43 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just about an hour and then enters Aquarius at 2:44 pm. The Void-of-Course Moon that begins on a sextile from the Moon to another planet gives us an opportunity or an invitation. And during this time, it’s reviewing habits and perhaps instigating new habits related to creating practical structures that can guide the Neptune qualities of intuition, creativity, and vision.
Mars conjunct Jupiter (Aug. 14, 2024, 8:21 am PDT)
On August 14th at 8:21 am Pacific Time, Mars makes a conjunction with Jupiter at 16º40’ Gemini. The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 17 Gemini, The head of a robust youth changes into that of a mature thinker, and it just generally speaks of maturing, especially intellectually. So although Gemini is a little bit of a restless sign, Mars tends to move quickly, Jupiter tends to amplify, hopefully we won’t give in to scattered thinking and actions during this conjunction.
If we’re not careful, there can be the feeling of moving in too many directions at once, not focusing enough on any single project. But, if we’re engaged in some kind of work, or hobbies, or other projects, that are of the nature of Gemini – maybe they have to do with writing. Maybe they are about learning something new, especially something like a new language, for example – then Mars coming together with that Jupiter gives a lot of energy and focus to those projects. I will say that with Gemini, it often is a little helpful to work on more than one thing at a time. It keeps Gemini from getting quite so bored and restless.
Mars square Saturn (Aug. 15, 2024, 10:30 pm PDT)
On the next day, August 15th, at 10:30 pm Pacific Time, Mars squares Saturn at 17º42’ Gemini and Pisces. Mars square Saturn is often an aspect that says things are not going to run smoothly. Saturn has a tendency to want to test our sincerity. So if there is something we’re trying to get done, when Mars comes together in a square with Saturn, it says, well, not so fast.
Maybe there are things about this project you really haven’t looked at thoroughly. It’s, in many ways, almost an opposite to Mars’ conjunction with Jupiter the previous day. Jupiter is a planet that wants to expand things and increase our ambition, whereas Saturn is very constricting. And it is trying to show us discipline and restraint.
So in a way, it’s good having them so close together. It does benefit that Mars quite a lot, when it’s perhaps gotten a little over its head the previous day, in that conjunction with Jupiter, and then it comes right up on this square with Saturn.
The Sabian symbol for Mars at the square is 18 Gemini, Two Chinese men converse in their native tongue. And the symbol for Saturn is 18 Pisces, A gigantic tent. And we see the tension of the square in these two symbols as well, because one is the ease of talking with someone who speaks our language, whether it’s literally or metaphorically, versus the challenge of bringing together disparate elements under a big tent.
That is a phrase we often use to talk about a movement that tries to be inclusive and bring in as many different kinds of people and elements as possible. So there’s a little bit of a dichotomy here with these symbols, one emphasizing two men who are speaking the same language versus the inclusivity of the big tent.
Mercury enters Leo (Aug. 14, 2024, 5:15 pm PDT)
Mercury retrograde reenters Leo on August 14th at 5:15 pm Pacific Time, and during this time it will be recovering the territory that it covered July 17th through 25th. If there was some thread of an idea, or something you were trying to do or finish during that time, now is the time to pick up that thread, pick up those breadcrumbs, and try to bring that to completion.
And if you don’t get it completely finish at this time, never fear. On September 8th, Mercury will recover this same territory again, just before it goes back into Virgo.
Mercury square Uranus (Aug. 18, 2024, 2:47 am PDT)
Also this week, Mercury retrograde squares Uranus on August 18th at 2:47 am Pacific Time. Mercury coming together with Uranus can bring difficulties that feel a little bit like Mercury being retrograde. Communications and technology tend to be a little unstable under this influence. But it can also be incredibly inspiring, and we can do some of our best brainstorming and troubleshooting under the influence of this kind of aspect.
The square happens at 27º10’ Leo and Taurus. And Mercury is on, the Sabian symbol, Many little birds on a limb of a large tree. So it does suggest we have many things going on, many irons in the fire, if you will, and that sometimes our energies might be getting a little bit scattered. Mercury was last on this degree on July 21st. So, again, we might be going back to around that time frame for some kind of technical issue or communication issue that we were trying to get sorted out. And this time around, we might have a better chance of getting somewhere with it.
Mercury conjunct Sun (Aug. 18, 2024, 6:58 pm PDT)
The Sun and Mercury come together in a conjunction on August 18th at 6:58 pm Pacific Time. At 26º35’ Leo. On the Sabian symbol, 27 Leo, Daybreak. Now, when Mercury is coming together with the Sun, it can mean that communication and thought processes are getting a little too subjective. As Mercury is coming closer together with the Sun, there is some confusion. Mercury is not visible in the sky, it’s drowned out by the energy of the Sun. So, we have this little bit of a tendency to see things the way we want to see them, and to take in information only that supports our point of view.
Now, there is a point at which Mercury is close enough to the Sun that it’s in a condition we describe as cazimi, “in the heart of the Sun,” and it attains great power and great inspiration. This occurs when Mercury is about 17 minutes of arc within the conjunction to the Sun, and this will happen specifically during this conjunction between about 3:30 pm and 10:43 pm Pacific Time. So overall, that can bring great inspiration, and especially with that Sabian symbol, Daybreak, where we are awakening in a new way.
If we go back to about July 22nd, when Mercury was previously at this degree, again, think about what might we have dropped, or forgotten, or set aside for another day. Because that day has come, and especially if it is something like paperwork or an agreement or something that you really have to have some sharp thinking to resolve, that cazimi period can be very powerful for doing that.
Venus square Jupiter (Aug. 18, 2024, 10:53 pm PDT)
Venus squares Jupiter on August 18th at 10:53 pm Pacific Time, at 17º21’ Virgo and Gemini. I always say that if you have to have square aspects, have them to Jupiter or involving Jupiter, because Jupiter is going to bring a good quality to anything it aspects in any way.
Now, with Venus squared Jupiter, there is a little bit of the danger of getting carried away and getting in over our heads, or perhaps spending more than we can afford to spend since it’s Venus. I don’t worry about that as much in this case, because Venus is in Virgo, and that tends to be a little more restrained in financial areas.
The basic astrological tension between Venus in Virgo and Jupiter in Gemini is that Virgo prefers to go in depth on fewer things, whereas, Jupiter wants to just keep expanding the landscape. This can be a situation where Jupiter in Gemini is out amassing a lot of things, or getting to know a lot of people, and then Venus in Virgo needs to contend with that. Venus in Virgo is a little choosier about the things and the people that it brings into our lives. So, while Venus is square Jupiter, we just need to not write checks that then the Venus in Virgo has to cash.
Listener Questions: Fixed Stars
In this week’s listener question segment, a recorded message from Listener Julie about whether a fixed star in her chart is going to cause her violent death. And, a question from listener Twirl, about what fixed stars are, which ones I use if any, and in particular the fixed star Algol, with a very nasty reputation.
Julie: Hi April, Julie here, looking up at the summer night sky, and thinking about my fixed star Alphecca I can see with my Constellation app. And I recently found out that Alphecca is conjoined to my Uranus at 12 Scorpio, and I learned that the Alphecca-Uranus conjunction at 12 Scorpio is interpreted as people who are vulnerable to violent death.
I’ve had a couple close shaves in my life already, and I have to admit, I try to take astrologer’s advice on not letting hard aspects or planets in detriment really buffalo me, but when I saw that fixed star Alphecca conjunction with Uranus at 12ºof Scorpio and read that that could mean a violent death, it freaked me out. And I just wanted a little pep talk about sometimes when we come across these interpretations of things that are a little scary, and I just thought maybe you could shed some light on it a little bit. Even though I know you don’t talk about fixed stars much. Okay. Thanks.:
April: And this message from listener Twirl. “Hi April, thanks for making such a great podcast. It is a delight.” Thank you, Twirl! “I’d like to please ask a question about fixed stars. I’ve been hearing about fixed stars off and on since getting into astrology.
And several astrologers I know work with them, but I’m not geographically or symbolically clear on exactly what they are or what their significance is. How can a star be fixed if the Earth is always moving? Who are some of the fixed star heavy hitters for beginners? And what effect do they have? I finally asked this question because there was some rumbling about Algol, apparently a super cool bad guy fixed star (says this Plutonian). Algol is parked in the same degree as that firecracker Mars-Uranus conjunction in Taurus in mid-July. What is your take on fixed stars? Do you ever use them, and why or why not?”
I’ll begin by admitting that I’m no expert in fixed stars. I’m familiar with a few of the more commonly used ones – Regulus, which was forever at 29 Leo but is now at 0 Virgo; and Spica at 23.50 Libra, both of which are considered beneficial; and of course Algol at 26.30 Taurus – and I’ve been known to try to avoid Algol in electional astrology, because it has an especially terrible reputation, so why not avoid it?
Julie, I’m with you. I’m always suspicious of any source that decrees that awful things are your destiny, based on anything in your birth chart. It seems designed to terrify people and to rob them of any sense of agency. How in the world is it helpful to tell someone that something in their chart points to a violent death?
So my immediate reaction to such negative, fatalistic claptrap is to slam the book or whatever it is and throw it across the room.
Okay. A quick overview of the star Alphecca. It’s part of the Corona Borealis, or Northern Crown, and Ptolemy associated it with Venus and Mercury. In particular, it’s connected with being given a crown, especially in association with marriage. Bernadette Brady gives interesting examples related to Princess Diana, Princess Grace, and Joan of Arc, in the context of the star rising or culminating with other planets.
If we combine Mercury and Venus with Uranus, Reinhold Ebertin’s Combination of Stellar Influences suggests, “Inventive ability, the gift of getting ideas, an appreciation of the necessity of reform, rhythms, periods, numbers, symbols. A mathematician, a public speaker full of ideas and quick repartee.” More emphasis on the clever insights of Uranus, in other words.
Now, I think the online sources associating this star with violent death, are probably quoting Vivian Robson’s book The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology. This is one of the few books still widely available on fixed stars, and when one source is quoted online, it often repeats exponentially. Anyway, Robson’s book quotes Ptolemy’s association of this star with Venus and Mercury, but also refers to an author referred to as Alvidas, probably from their book “The Science and Key of Life,” Vol. IV. Mars with Uranus is a very different proposition than Venus with Uranus. Again, I’m not an expert on the fixed stars and have not read everything on the subject or this particular star, but I kept seeing the exact quote from Robson’s book repeated again and again online. And I don’t know Alvidas, and this is a pseudonym, so I don’t have anything like the confidence in this source that I would in Ptolemy.
And in any event, Uranus moves slowly enough that it would have been exactly at that degree of 12 Scorpio, with Alphecca, for about three months between 1977 and 1978, and it’s hard to imagine some 30Million people born over that period all dying violent deaths.
To be fair, Abraham Lincoln was born with Uranus near this degree, at 9 Scorpio, on a day when it was changing direction, which can give added emphasis. And we knew how things ended up for him. But what about Charles Darwin, born the exact same day as Lincoln, who died quietly at home surrounded by loved ones?
Basically, even if a fixed star has a fairly malefic reputation, I would expect for it to need to be very strongly situated in the chart to be considered a worry. And since you’ve had your Uranus opposition already from transiting Uranus in Taurus, and have lived to tell the story, I honestly would not fret if it were me.
And if you have a moment and want to spend $6 on a kindle version of Robson’s book, take a tour through it and note just how many stars are associated with violent death. I’m not blaming Robson for this; he was including ancient sources from a violent culture.
Now to take Twirl’s question. Fixed stars were distinguished from the planets because planets wander through the sky, and fixed stars are much closer to being stationary. The ecliptic, for example, is a band of fixed stars through which the transiting Sun travels throughout the year. Constellations are made up of fixed stars. And it’s not that they don’t move at all, but they move very, very slowly. The earth’s movement simply means that our perspective on the fixed stars change, not the position of the stars themselves.
Now, as for our friend Algol, at 26.30 Taurus in the tropical zodiac. Everything from decapitation to murder and all sorts of horrors have been attributed to the influence of this star. But while these sorts of things do happen here and there in the world, especially in some parts of the world, it’s by no means the first interpretation that would come to mind if I were to encounter this star prominent in a client’s chart. Maybe if the person lived in a particularly violent place AND the star were connected with the Ascendant or Midheaven of their birthchart or connected to other hot spots in the chart, it might make sense to note it and possibly issue some kind of warning.
But amongst the modern day, Western clients I tend to work with, here’s a somewhat more typical way this might play out. We might see this star prominent if a person has trouble speaking up or expressing themselves, or keeping their cool in stressful situation – “losing their head.” From my own life, many years ago, I woke up from a sound sleep choking on a night that Mercury was at this degree. Turned out it was a recurrence of childhood asthma.
Here’s an elegant example. Singer Jon Bon Jovi underwent vocal surgery when his progressed Mercury – planet of communication – was within 1 degree of Algol.
So I do note Algol, and in particular in the cases of people having throat related conditions, problems speaking up, or that kind of thing.
Having said all of that, I realize I might be an excessively optimistic astrologer, what with Sagittarius rising in my chart and lots of planets in the 9th house. But I’m always suspicious of any source that decrees that awful things are your destiny, based on anything in your birth chart.
For an in-depth look at the subject, I recommend Bernadette Brady’s book, Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars. But Brady’s book focuses on parans, marking which stars are rising or culminating with particular planets, and this is a concept that might be complicated for those who are only used to working with a natal chart. But I vastly prefer her more contemporary interpretations of the stars, a welcome update from some in the Robson book.
Julie and Twirl, many thanks for your thoughtful questions!
And if you, Invisible Friend, have a question you would like me to answer on a future episode, just leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe. com slash bigskyastrologypodcast or email me at april at bigskyastrology dot com and be sure to put podcast question in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
That’s everything I have on my show sheet, so I am going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to subscribe, or follow the show in your app of choice. Leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll spread the word by telling an astrology loving friend about the podcast. You can read show notes and full transcripts, and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod.com.
Thank you very much to everyone who’s shown support for the podcast over the past year and especially during last September’s Podathon. We have another Podathon coming up this year, our fifth annual Podathon that begins Labor Day week!
On each episode of the show, I’m thanking some of my financial donors by name. This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to monthly contributors Leslie Wade, Kayla Grant and Anastasia Molnar!
Anastasia, Kayla, and Leslie, I cannot thank you enough for listening to the podcast and for continuing to support the show with your monthly donations. If you would like to support the show, please go to BigSkyAstropod.com where you can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.
That is it for this episode. Join me again bright and early next Monday, and until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my weekly column!
