TRANSCRIPT Ep. 264 | Taurus Full Moon: Nama’stay in Bed!

TRANSCRIPT Ep. 264 (Nov. 11, 2024)
Taurus New Moon: Nama’stay in Bed!

Hello, Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is November 11th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 264 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, a Taurus Full Moon connecting with Uranus could bring unexpected revelations; Venus enters pragmatic Capricorn, and lends motivation to North Node goals; Mercury squares off with Saturn; the Sun sizzles with Uranus, and I answer a listener question about the ongoing influence of transiting Pluto throughout the birth chart.

Venus enters Capricorn (Nov. 11, 2024, 10:26 am PST)

Venus enters Capricorn on November 11th at 10:26 am Pacific Time. It’ll be in this sign through December 6th. Venus, of course, is a symbol of relationship and of finances, and things that give us pleasure. While Venus is in Capricorn, we tend to want to be a little more practical with our money. We want to put our money to work rather than spending it on frivolous things with little to no lasting power. While Venus is in Capricorn, you might want to give special consideration to your investments in stocks, businesses, properties, and antiques, which is something Venus in Capricorn tends to like a lot.

Our aesthetic, while Venus is in Capricorn, is for things that are of the very highest quality and that will last nearly in perpetuity. For example, buying a particularly well-made pair of shoes that will last you for years to come. Now, Venus also symbolizes relationships, and while it’s in Capricorn, a few things are possible. First of all, you might look at your relationships with a little more of a practical eye, and begin to evaluate whether the relationships that you’re in are really in sync with your values and something that you want to stick with over the long haul.

Relationships can become more serious when Venus is in Capricorn, but only the ones that deserve to last. Venus in Capricorn can also represent relationships where there’s a significant age difference or difference in life experience, because it does indicate the possibility of mentoring or teaching or learning as part of the relationship. So, if we’re with older people, or with the very young people in our lives, this can be really enjoyable and rewarding while Venus is in Capricorn.

Mercury square Saturn (Nov. 12, 2024, 5:22 am PST)

Mercury squares Saturn on November 12th at 5:22 am Pacific Time at 12º 42’ Sagittarius and Pisces. Both these signs are ruled by Jupiter – Jupiter’s the traditional ruler of Pisces. Both of these signs like to take a big picture view of things. The difference is that with Pisces, it tends to be a more ethereal view. We are thinking a lot more about what happens in the world after this one, or in the psychic realm.

Sagittarius is considered one of the most optimistic and upbeat signs of the zodiac. So getting into serious or sad conversations of the nature of Saturn aren’t necessarily our first choice while Mercury is in Sagittarius. But life isn’t always fun, there’s always work to be done, and there are difficult topics that sometimes have to be handled, but once you get past the pain, wisdom is gained.

Mercury, along with Saturn, can also give us a better perspective on our ambitions, maturity, our reputation, and offer insights and ideas about how to better take responsibility for our actions and our feelings.

Saturn stations Retrograde (Nov. 15, 2024, 6:21 am PST)

It seems to be very much Saturn’s week, and on November 15th at 6:21 am Pacific Time, Saturn stations direct at 12º 41’ Pisces. It’s been retrograde since June 29th. Anytime one of these slow-moving planets like Saturn turns retrograde or direct, we feel their symbolism much more strongly, normally, in the world around us and within ourselves.

Saturn within ourselves can show up as a greater sense of gravity, of heaviness. Sometimes this can show up as melancholy or even depression. Saturn’s been retrograde for about five months and often brings a period of deep introspection about our status in the world, about how we are doing with achieving our goals and ambitions and looking within for a roadmap or an itinerary for how we’re going to get from here to where we want to be, looking within for authority and direction rather than outside of us.

Saturn is about maturity, but it can also be about fear, and I find that with Saturn fears, they are very often based in reality. If something difficult has happened in your past, a death or an illness in your family when you were very young, a difficult move from one place to another, a great loss of financial security – no matter how often somebody tries to tell you that something you fear that’s happened in the past will not happen, cannot happen, you know that it can happen because you’ve seen it happen.

And so, it’s not unrealistic to be fearful of the things you fear symbolized by Saturn in your birth chart, and we’ll see that in the house that Saturn is in, the sign that it’s in, the aspects to other planets. During the parts of the year when Saturn is retrograde, we look within to fortify our strength, to deal with the things that we naturally and realistically fear. The more we work at those, the more we work to overcome those fears, the stronger we are, the more mature we are.

Taurus Full Moon (Nov. 15, 2024, 1:28 pm PST)

And now for the Moon Report, and it begins with the Taurus Full Moon on November 15th at 1:28 pm Pacific Time, at exactly 24º Taurus, with the Sun at 24 Scorpio. This is a really interesting Sabian symbol. It’s at 24 Taurus, A mounted Indian with scalp locks. It’s very grisly, a very gory image. 24 Scorpio, opposite that is, Crowds coming down the mountain to listen to one man.

I remember Lynda Hill saying to me – she’s an Australian expert on the Sabian symbols – she said, when you have a Sabian symbol, look at the symbols that square it and oppose it. Because they’ll often give a similar message. With the Sabian symbol for the Moon, the Mounted Indian with scalp locks, we see a man who has acted violently. In the Sun’s Sabian symbol, crowds are coming down a mountain to listen to one man. He has earned their respect to the extent that they want to listen to what he has to say.

And 24 Leo, An untidy, unkempt man, emphasizes the importance of appearances in whether or not people will respect and listen to us. And 24 Aquarius, the man turning his back on passion, teaching from experience. And it’s almost the opposite of that 24 Taurus, because that symbol is all about passion, and this one says instead, the man turns his back on passion, and he is going to teach and talk to the crowds that have come down the mountain – through, not passion, but reason, based on experience and what he has learned.

So what we have here is a Moon in Taurus, which typically loves being in this sign. It’s a stable, methodical, calm Earth sign, but it’s also at this Full Moon in a conjunction with Uranus. And usually this brings a little more agitation, a tendency to act, if not from passion, then in unusual or unexpected ways.

And let’s not forget that Saturn has stationed direct earlier in the day. So, there is this tension in this Full Moon between the energy of Saturn, which is moving towards stability, and Uranus, which is moving towards the unexpected and change.

Regardless of how things turn out on the day of this Full Moon, the Full Moons are always beautiful. And it’s nice to go outside on the night of a Full Moon and look at the Moon for a while. I know there’s some people who will take water outside on the night of a Full Moon so it can be imbued with this energy of the Full Moon. Not a terrible idea, if that’s something you would like to do.

Lunar Phase Family cycle

This is the Full Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that began with a New Moon on May 19th, 2023, at 28 degrees, 25 minutes Taurus. And if you have a journal, notes, a calendar from that time, you might want to look back and remind yourself what was consuming your time and your energy and your thoughts during that period. If you keep a record of the New Moons and any kind of intentions that you put forth at that time, now is when you should begin to really see what is manifesting as a result of what you planted at that New Moon.

There was action or movement taken towards those goals at the First Quarter Moon in this lunar phase family cycle on February 16th, 2024. Now we’re at the Full Moon, and in nine months, at the Last Quarter in this cycle, on August 15th, 2025, we see what needs to be done to bring this cycle to a satisfying conclusion.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. Pluto is the planet of latest degree this week. It’s only four minutes of arc from moving into Aquarius, which it will do on the 19th. So all the Void-of-Course Moon periods are very short this week because it just doesn’t take the Moon long to move four minutes of arc from its final aspect to its new sign.

These, I think, can still be very intentional moments that remind us of habits that we could benefit from changing, but we have a lot less time to do it in. So, this might be a better week for making notes about what we’re feeling at these times, what we’re thinking about, and how we can take that forward to change habits in the future.

On November 11th, the Moon sextiles Pluto at 10:13pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 13 minutes, and then enters Aries at 10:26 pm. The Moon in Pisces, making a sextile to Pluto says there is an opportunity, and here it’s an opportunity, I think, among other things, to let go of sadness, grieving, emotional baggage, regret, and move ahead toward constructive activities, which are symbolized by Pluto in Capricorn.

On November 13th, the Moon in Aries squares Pluto at 10:50 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for only 9 minutes, and then enters Taurus at 10:59 pm. If you have been finding yourself feeling very angsty, and the angst tends to wind you up when you should be settling down for the night, start early on this day, get a little exercise. That is something that helps the Moon in Aries quite a lot to maintain its equilibrium. If you don’t have time to do that or you forget, you can consider rolling out your yoga mat for a calming evening yoga session. Better yet, go to YouTube and watch “Namastay in bed.” No mat is required. We’ll put a link to this in the show notes.

Remember, Void-of-Course Moon periods are for breaking habits, so if this has been a persistent problem for you, this not being able to wind down and rest, this is a good, if very short, Void-of-Course Moon to work on that.

And on November 15th, the Moon in Taurus trines Pluto at 11:03 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just six minutes, and then enters Gemini at 11:09 pm. The Moon trine another planet, as it goes Void-of-Course, brings a gift. And aspects to Pluto remind us that so much in life is out of our control. And we will be much happier if we can learn to just control our own thoughts and feelings.

This is the evening of the Full Moon. Taurus loves beautiful aromas and oils. Maybe bring in your Moon water that you’ve left out under the Full Moon. Rub it on your wrists and try those out. Get a sleep mask to block out the powerful light of the Full Moon. It is beautiful, but it can also make it difficult to get good rest.

Venus square North Node (Nov. 16, 2024, 3:03 am PST)

On November 16 at 3:03 am Pacific Time, Venus in Capricorn squares the Aries North Node. When a planet is square the nodal axis, as it is here, it is said to be at the bendings of the nodes. And Venus in Capricorn is North bending, which means it’s inclining toward the North Node in Aries. North Node bendings are said to be points where new energy is coming in.

So what is coming in with Venus in Capricorn? It is about tradition, respect for rules. And as it’s squaring the North Node in Aries, it’s a little bit of a reminder. The North Node in Aries says, go for what you want and need for yourself only, as an individual. But this Venus is a little bit of a reminder, that the things that impact us personally, and the things that we do personally, very much impact others.

And this is particularly related to our families, but just society in general as well. This aspect might point to ways in which we need to reinforce a stronger foundation for ourselves so that as we’re moving in the direction of the Aries North Node, of pursuing our own passionate interests. Without asking others for permission, which is all great, that’s what the North Node is encouraging.

But Venus in Capricorn is just that little reminder there, that says, take a look, for example, at your financial picture. Spend a little time with your spreadsheets, with your investments. Are you losing track of what you need to be doing for the future on a practical level in your desire to move impulsively in the direction of self-improvement? Also with relationships, taking a look at how much time and energy you’re giving to the relationships that are important to you, the people that you really care about, and this would probably especially be your family. So, examining those things are necessary, I think, at the Venus in Capricorn square to the North Node.

Sun opposes Uranus (Nov. 16, 2024, 6:45 pm PST)

And the Sun opposes Uranus on November 16th at 6:45 pm Pacific Time at 25º 14’ Scorpio and Taurus. Take this opportunity to appreciate the qualities that make you unique. I speak often when we have an aspect between the Sun and Uranus about how important it is during especially the challenging aspects from the Sun to Uranus to let yourself try something new, even something that you feel might be out of character for you. And when it’s an opposition aspect, we can more often see what might be available to us if we look at others. If we look at a close friend who tends to be diametrically opposed to us in many ways, but look at them and think, hmm, where do they have it right, in a way that I might have been getting it wrong, out of a desire to stay who I am and not change.

When the Sun opposes Uranus, look outside of yourself. And see how other people that are otherwise kind of similar to you might be approaching important matters that you might benefit from a change in. This could be especially revealing in financial matters, because the Sun in Scorpio and Uranus in Taurus are both in signs that are connected to money and finances, and also about emotional connections and intensity, that balance between Scorpio’s fervor in relationship and the Uranus need for a little bit of space.

Listener Question: Pluto’s Transiting Effects throughout the Chart

In this week’s listener question, an invisible friend who prefers to remain anonymous writes, “Hi April, can you please clarify a question I have about recognizing Pluto’s transiting effects in a house?

With Pluto moving soon from Capricorn, where it’s been since 2008, to Aquarius, there’s a lot of talk about reflecting on Pluto’s effect on topics ruled by the house Capricorn is in, in your chart. But in 16 years, hasn’t a lot changed in so many aspects of our personal and collective lives? I feel like I can see Pluto’s transformative influence in all 12 houses of my chart, not just Capricorn.

Can you help bring some focus and clarity to recognizing Pluto’s effects? Thank you.”

Well, thank you for that question, my friend. Yes, in its long march through Capricorn, or in any sign, Pluto leaves his mark on every planet and every house. It works like this.

Primarily, of course, the Capricorn house is the main territory where Pluto has been focusing his work. Probably, the areas of life described by this house in your chart look quite different than they did in 2008. It is a long, slow journey to Pluto’s transformation, and I’ve often compared it to having a person move into your basement and stay there for a decade or two. In that time, you can almost forget the person is there, but then maybe they have a loud party, or decide to remove a wall, or take up cooking an intensely smelly kind of food, and then it becomes impossible to ignore them, so it is with Pluto.

Way back on Episode 113, I gave a mini lesson on ordering the planets in your chart by degree, to give you a sense of how matters tend to flow for you as transits and progressions move through your chart. So, let’s say Pluto and Capricorn has been moving through the 7th and then the 8th houses of your chart, bringing an understanding of interpersonal relationships and how they affect your relationship with power. That’s the long view.

But then let’s say the planet of earliest degree in your chart is Mercury at 1 Scorpio in the 5th house, giving an intense interest – Mercury – in subjects like self-expression, creativity, children. Pluto in Capricorn’s first aspect in your birth chart activated Mercury with intense curiosity, learning everything you can about a subject, conversations that are very compelling. The aspect was a sextile, which usually opens the door to a new idea, subject, or possibility that taught you something more about control and power, such as how to control your mind and the way you work with language.

Then, look to the houses of the chart with signs ruled by Mercury on the cusps, in this case the first and fourth houses, with Gemini and Virgo, both ruled by Mercury, on the cusps. These houses are highlighted while Pluto is sextile Mercury, which rules those signs. And that can often take a full year. So with just one Pluto aspect to the birth chart, we have the 7th house, 5th, 1st, and 4th houses being influenced. And that’s just Pluto’s aspect to a single planet in the birth chart.

If we count the Ascendant, Midheaven, and North Node, there will be 13 in total. And they will affect the houses that have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn in the house, or as its planetary ruler. And as I said, depending on the sign Pluto is in, because it does move a bit more quickly in some signs than in others, each of these aspects can last a year or more.

You can follow Pluto’s path by just looking at the order your planets and angles fall in, from 0 to 29, to get a sense of the kinds of aspects that it has made along the way and what you have learned on that journey. That fills up Pluto and Capricorn’s years very nicely.

So, if you’re looking back over these years and contemplating how much you and your life have changed, it’s no wonder, is it? And it’s not just in that house that Pluto has been moving through, but all of the other outreach of Pluto to the other planets, connecting with the other houses, ultimately, brings that lesson of transformation back to the house Pluto has been in and that is where the greatest transformation is happening.

My anonymous friend, I hope that that has given you some food for thought and that you are savoring all that you’ve learned and how much you’ve grown during these Pluto in Capricorn years. And that you’re looking forward to what Pluto in Aquarius will teach you.

And if you, Invisible Friend, have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, leave a message of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. I hope some of you will do that. I haven’t had a voicemail in a little while. It’s fun to have other voices on the show! Or, of course, you can email me at april (at) BigSkyAstrology (dot) com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

That is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m 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.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to show support for the podcast, and especially during my September Podathon. On each episode, I’m thanking some of my financial donors by name.

This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to Alice Francis and Natori Moore, who’s been a monthly contributor since our very first Podathon in 2020!

Natori and Alice, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.

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I think I’m going to be having one of those YouTube episodes for the Sagittarius New Moon at the very end of November as a celebration of the beginning of the podcast, which happened at the Sagittarius New Moon in 2019.

That’s 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!