Big Sky Astrology Podcast
TRANSCRIPT Ep 008 | Saturn and Pluto Need a Party (January 13, 2020)
[00:00:00] Jen: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Big Sky Astrology podcast – with April Elliott Kent and me, producer and cohost Jen Braun.
Hey friends, Jen here. And of course, with me is my podpal – astrologer April Elliott Kent.
Hello, April!
April: [00:00:24] I love that I’m a podpal! I just love how you can put “pod” onto anything and have a portmanteau… is that what those are called? Where you take two words and put
them together?
Jen: [00:00:34] You’ve got me there. I’m not sure.
April: [00:00:36] We’ve talked about podpets… which I must confess, I stole from another podcast. But yeah… podpets, podpals. Well hello, Jen!
Jen: [00:00:44] You’re my podpal!
April: [00:00:45] And you’re mine!
Jen: [00:00:47] Yay!
April: [00:00:48] You are mine.
Well, we are recording this at the beginning of the week that will live in infamy. So we can only hope that we’re still standing in the smoldering, charred remains by the time everybody
is listening to this… because we’re[00:01:00] recording a week in advance, so…
Jen: [00:01:01] …that’s right. The state of the world is a little fraught right now.
April: [00:01:05] We will just have to see what we come back to. But we just wanted to remind everybody too, that we’re putting out new episodes on Monday. Cause when we started the podcast, we promised people a new episode every Tuesday. And we just wanted to let people know that these are coming out on Monday, so be sure you get them then. And to remind everybody to rate and review the podcast.
Jen: [00:01:26] Yeah, it helps spread the word…
April: [00:01:28] …this is what they tell me. This is what they say.
Jen: [00:01:30] It helps other people find the podcast because the more ratings it has, the more it shows up in the search engine when you’re looking for other podcasts. So… it’s free, takes about a second… and if you’re enjoying the show, it would really help us out if you go ahead and review it or rate it.
April: [00:01:44] Those are the pod-facts.
Jen: [00:01:46] That’s the housekeeping. The pod housekeeping… (laughs)
April: [00:01:49] The pod-keeping! (laughs)
Jen: [00:01:50] …here on the Big Sky Astrology podcast.
April: [00:01:53] Thank you very much.
So we don’t have quite the spectacular week this week – that we had last week – astrologically [00:02:00] speaking, but there’s plenty to talk about.
And of course, last week we talked about the big eclipse, the Lunar Eclipse, and the epic conjunction of Saturn with Pluto. It was so big that we talked about it on two episodes. So
we’re not going to go into it in great detail here, but we will say that on January 13th the Sun will join up with Saturn and Pluto.
Jen: [00:02:21] Okay, so the Sun’s joining the party.
April: [00:02:23] That’s not a party I want to go to (Jen laughs), but if that’s your idea of a
party, Jen… it’s joining the party. And the Sun is the ruler of lots of things, but I was
particularly thinking of its rulership of leaders and heads of state and even monarchs and
this kind of thing. So this is when the official story of the Saturn/Pluto connection gets
unveiled. Or this is when we see leaders and heads of state and titular heads of things collide
with the hard realities of Saturn and Pluto.
Jen: [00:02:59] So on [00:03:00] Episodes 6 and 7 we talked about Saturn/Pluto, and on
Episode 7 we talked about the Lunar Eclipse… and you described it as “the sound and the
fury,” I remember.
April: [00:03:09] Oh, did I?
Jen: [00:03:10] Yeah, the Lunar Eclipse is the sound. The fury is Saturn/Pluto… but you’re
saying that we’re going to hear more of the story on the 13th – the very next day. Is that
right?
April: [00:03:19] Yeah, and it’s the official story. So it’s not necessarily the true story. Last
week we had Mercury – which we didn’t really talk about on the podcast – but we had
Mercury come together with Saturn and Pluto. And that, to me, was the vision of the
embedded reporter that is there on the ground, seeing what’s actually going on and wants
to get the word out. But Mercury had to get through Saturn and Pluto first. And then it
wasn’t making any other aspects before it changed signs.
So we’ll talk this week about Mercury changing signs, going into Aquarius. But what that said
to me was: Before Mercury could make any more aspects – which symbolically [00:04:00] is
Mercury getting out there and spreading the word – then the Sun is connecting with Saturn
and Pluto. So instead of an unbiased, unfiltered view of what’s going on – you get the official
story, because it’s the Sun.
Jen: [00:04:15] I see.
April: [00:04:15] So that’s just in the macro sense. What about on the ground in people’s
lives?
Jen: [00:04:20] That was my question: How does it affect us personally?
April: [00:04:23] See how I anticipate you? Because I am your pod pal! Although it did seem
to be the obvious question… (laughs)
Jen: [00:04:30] Well, yeah… (laughs)
April: [00:04:31] In particular – and this is something I know we’re going to do a mini-episode
on at some point, the rulership between the planets and the signs – but when we talk about
rulership we’re basically just saying: Some planets seem to have a kinship and dominion over
particular signs.
Jen: [00:04:48] They do well in those signs.
April: [00:04:49] Yes. So the Sun is considered the ruler of Leo. So if you’re a person who has
planets in your chart that are in the sign of [00:05:00] Leo, then when the Sun comes
together with other planets, you feel that influence a little more keenly, we would say.
Jen: [00:05:07] Okay.
April: [00:05:07] So for someone like me, born with the Sun in Leo, I watch the transits of
the Sun pretty closely because that’s my ruling planet.
I know it’s not a planet, Jen…
Jen: [00:05:17] I wasn’t going to go there this week! You brought it up! (laughs)
April: [00:05:21] (laughs) I’m all defensive now!
So the Sun will make this conjunction with Saturn and Pluto. So leaders, heads of state, and
other royalty will feel this. But Leos like myself definitely will be feeling that conjunction
between the Sun with Saturn and Pluto – on January 13th.
Jen: [00:05:39] If people know their chart and they’re Leo rising, they will feel it also?
April: [00:05:42] Yes, absolutely. So that’s just something special to keep an eye on. The Sun
is the general life force, the animating influence of the world. We might say, as the Sun
comes together with Saturn and Pluto, that people might have a tendency to get sick a
[00:06:00] little more easily – it is cold and flu season. And it’s very possible that people’s
resistance is down a little bit… so a little more susceptible to things, we might say. And the
general sense when the Sun comes together with such difficult planets, that it’s a little bit
hard to feel… I don’t want to say “optimistic” about things… that’s not a Sun word so much.
It’s hard to feel you have the energy to tackle what needs to be tackled.
Jen: [00:06:27] Because it’s so heavy.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 4
April: [00:06:29] It’s a little bit of a bump in the road this week. I’d say January 13th is a little
bit difficult from that point of view. But on the same day, Venus will enter Pisces…
Jen: [00:06:38] Okay.
April: [00:06:39] …and that’s a much nicer state of affairs.
Jen: [00:06:42] Let me back up for one second, because you mentioned Saturn and Pluto and
health aspects. Is it specific health aspects that those two planets rule? Or, is that a whole
discussion that we should go into sometime?
April: [00:06:52] They would rule particular parts of the body. And particular tendencies
toward illness. [00:07:00] But I think I was just thinking of the Sun as a general symbol of
vitality.
Jen: [00:07:04] I see.
April: [00:07:05] So if you’re looking at an individual’s birth chart and they’re curious about
health issues, you’re going to look at the Sun. You know, a person can get very sick with
something and bounce right back, and another person might get sick with the same thing
and just languish. And a lot of times it has to do with the spirit of the individual and the life
force in them – and that’s what the Sun would represent.
Jen: [00:07:25] Okay.
April: [00:07:25] So the Sun coming together with Saturn and Pluto – which are kind of dark,
limiting, undermining influences – it just speaks generally of more possibility of ill health.
Jen: [00:07:36] Hmm. Okay.
April: [00:07:37] But it’s a very short transit. Again, we’ll feel that for a couple of days. But if
you’ve generally… like if you’ve been fighting off a flu for three weeks and then we get this,
you might be a little more apt to come down with something.
Jen: [00:07:49] Okay. Thank you for that.
April: [00:07:50] You’re welcome
Jen: [00:07:51] Back to Venus in Pisces.
April: [00:07:52] Yes. Let’s go to Venus. So Venus is the ruling planet of Taurus and Libra.
Jen: [00:07:56] Right!
April: [00:07:57] So if you’re a person with many planets [00:08:00] in those signs, then
you’ll watch Venus changing signs or making aspects very closely. And I know you have many
planets that are ruled by Venus, dear Jen.
Jen: [00:08:10] I do. I do indeed, yes.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 5
April: [00:08:12] So we will watch this one with some interest. So, Venus is moving from
Aquarius, which we talked about on some episode that I’m sure you have recall of (laughs) –
thank God for Jen! – and it will enter Pisces. Now it does exceptionally well in Pisces. It is
what we say is exalted in Pisces.
Jen: [00:08:33] So is… (sighs) Okay. I understand rulerships because I’ve memorized what
planet rules what sign. I understand when a planet is in its detriment that it’s in the opposite
sign. So a chart is a circle – it’s exactly 180 degrees away from it. And if Venus rules Libra,
then it’s in its detriment in Aries. Right?
April: [00:08:54] Right!
Jen: [00:08:54] But this whole exalted business? I don’t understand [00:09:00] how you can
know what planets are exalted in what signs. Is there an easy way to know that, or do I just
need to memorize that?
April: [00:09:06] As far as I know, you memorize them. So Venus exalted in Pisces makes
sense. You’d think almost anything should be exalted in Pisces or Sagittarius because that’s
ruled by Jupiter, which is supposed to be very fortunate. But Venus in Pisces… we say that
Venus does some of her best work there. So a planet in the sign that it rules is almost too
much power. It’s almost too concentrated of an energy. It’s like if you get laundry detergent,
and you put it straight into the laundry, with certain kinds of fabrics? You’re going to want to
water that down a little bit first cause it’s just too much.
So the idea of the sign of exaltation is: It actually is freed from some of the pressure that
comes with being in the sign that it rules in a way, and it’s [00:10:00] free to just express
itself in a really, really beneficial way. So we say with Venus in Pisces, she’s just free to really
do her best work there. And she’s very strong and Taurus and Libra as well, but especially
happy in Pisces.
Jen: [00:10:17] So then is Venus in her detriment when she is in Virgo, because it’s the
opposite sign? Or are they all different?
April: [00:10:23] She’s in her fall in Virgo.
Jen: [00:10:25] Okay. In her fall. So, if I knew that Venus was exalted in Pisces, then I would
know – because it’s the opposite sign – that she would be in her fall in Virgo.
April: [00:10:35] So really exaltation is the one you have to learn.
Jen: [00:10:37] Yeah. Okay. I’ll get my Mercury in Virgo on that! (laughs)
April: [00:10:40] You do that. (laughs) Or Mercury in Aquarius, which we’ll talk about later.
So Venus is exalted in Pisces. And I told you about a story that I wrote a long time ago about
my mother – who was born with Venus in Pisces. And the lovely thing about her was, she
never met a stranger. She could talk to anybody. She [00:11:00] was very loving, very open,
and very empathetic. And I told the story once on my website of: My mom was so generous
with people and we never knew who was going to be sleeping on our couch when we’d get
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 6
up in the morning. We had this tiny little tract house and it was already pretty full with all of
us in it. And then we would wake up and there’d be some rando stranger sleeping on our
sofa. (laughs)
Jen: [00:11:23] Awww.
April: [00:11:23] But that is a little bit of how Venus in Pisces works. It doesn’t really have a
strong sense of boundaries between self and others. The lovely part of that, of course, is you
get a very loving, empathetic, sensitive soul – but also very vulnerable, very vulnerable to
being exploited. Or deceived.
Jen: [00:11:43] Yeah. Here’s something interesting: This story actually makes me think of
Fred Rogers.
April: [00:11:47] Oh, yes.
Jen: [00:11:48] Joanie and I went on a weekend trip and we’ve talked about how we listen to
podcasts in the car. Well, we started listening to the podcast Finding Fred.
April: [00:11:56] Ah, yes.
Jen: [00:11:57] Have you listened to this podcast?
April: [00:11:58] I haven’t listened to it yet. I’ve [00:12:00] been saving it.
Jen: [00:12:00] It’s really interesting. It’s from iHeartRadio, so I’m just going to give them a
little shout out because I’m really enjoying this podcast.
But I looked up the chart for Fred Rogers – his birth chart – and he has Venus in Pisces!
April: [00:12:12] Of course!
Jen: [00:12:12] “Of course!” She says, “Of course.” The astrologer says, “Of course!”
(laughs)
April: [00:12:16] Because he is the acme of unconditional love, and that’s the promise of
Venus in Pisces, is that, “I love you just the way you are.” You know?
Jen: [00:12:26] Yeah. His is conjunct Mercury.
April: [00:12:27] Nice.
Jen: [00:12:28] Like right on it.
April: [00:12:28] He walked it like he talked it.
Jen: [00:12:30] Yeah.
April: [00:12:31] Yeah, very, very sweet. And you know, I have lots of planets in Virgo and
nothing in Pisces… unless you count Chiron, which I don’t tend to.
Jen: [00:12:40] We’ll do an episode on Chiron sometime! (laughs)
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 7
April: [00:12:42] We’ll do an episode on April’s complicated relationship with Chiron!
Jen: [00:12:45] I’ll study up. I’ll do the episode! (laughs)
April: [00:12:47] And I’ll sit in the background and throw peanuts at you! (laughs)
So I had a lot to learn from my very loving mother with this unconditional regard for others,
and [00:13:00] helpfulness and empathy and sweetness. Because Virgo’s job is very
different. Virgo’s job is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and be very discerning, and to
have standards and to want to enforce those.
Now, mom had the Moon in Virgo, so she did a certain amount of that as well. And I think
that kind of kept the Venus in Pisces in line a little bit. But between January 13th when
Venus goes into Pisces, through February 8th when it will move into its next sign, I think the
cosmic dictate would be: Be gentler. Be more empathetic. Be more loving and sensitive. Be
more like Mister Rogers.
Jen: [00:13:37] Yeah. And we could sure use that. This week is… it’s January 6th that we’re
recording.
April: [00:13:41] Yeah. Because we’ve all been through a lot in the last couple of months,
and with the eclipse and with the Saturn/Pluto and all of that. So being a little bit gentler
with each other, and with ourselves I think is something good to keep in mind as Venus is
going through Pisces, [00:14:00]. But I like little Venus in Pisces.
Jen: [00:14:02] That’s lovely. And I love that story of your mom. And I have to say, it really
reminds me: My dad has told stories of his mom and how people would be staying over at
their house. And I wonder where her Venus was.
April: [00:14:12] I don’t know, that’s so sweet. It’s such a nice quality, isn’t it?
Jen: [00:14:15] Yeah.
April: [00:14:15] But it also left my sister and I scarred for life. (laughs) I mean, we have a lot
of boundaries around having people come to stay because of that – it’s really interesting.
Jen: [00:14:28] For the fear that they’ll move in! (laughs)
April: [00:14:30] Exactly! Well, I think I told in that same story too, about some of the less
desirable qualities of Venus in Pisces as I interpret them: Where mom didn’t have a real
strong grasp of financial matters, because Pisces is a little diffuse. It doesn’t really work on a
practical level, per se.
Jen: [00:14:51] Yeah. And the opposite sign, Virgo, is very mathematical, right? I mean, I
think of it that way…
April: [00:14:56] It would have its paperwork up to date and all ready for the tax person.
Jen: [00:14:59] Yeah, [00:15:00] exactly.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 8
April: [00:15:00] And some Venus-in-Pisces people I’m sure are that way. But mom was not
one of them. And she didn’t quantify the world in that way, and so we picked up some lax
financial habits early on from watching mom. Eventually, my Virgo planets triumphed. But
yeah, that was a bit tough. And the eating habits – I told the story of how she used to take us
to get Hostess cupcakes and Pepsi for breakfast! (laughs) Thank you mom, my dentist thanks
you for that!
Jen: [00:15:32] (laughs) That’s a great story. I mean, you know, you gotta love her!
April: [00:15:37] Yeah, you gotta love her, because the overall package was so delightful and
so warm… just like Mister Rogers, you know? It’s such a beautiful legacy of love that such
people leave. So let’s all work on leaving something of that kind of imprint on the world.
Jen: [00:15:53] Yeah, this is a good time to do it too. We could use that.
April: [00:15:57] Absolutely.
Jen: [00:15:58] Nice. Well, [00:16:00] Mercury is also making a change this week.
April: [00:16:02] He is also moving into a sign that he’s very strong in. So Mercury is the
ruling planet of Gemini and Virgo. So we know he struggles a little bit in Sagittarius and
Pisces.
Jen: [00:16:14] Right. I’m with you!
April: [00:16:15] He has to work a little harder in those signs. And he’s considered very
strong in Aquarius, where he’s very scientific, but with sudden deductive leaps, and very
adept at projects with a technical focus or that are designed to reach a mass audience. Very
inspired, very good ideas, very innovative. Makes interesting connections between
seemingly unrelated things. Mercury in Aquarius is really good. It’s considered strong
because Mercury’s functions are supposed to be very uncomplicated by subjectivity or by
emotion, so it excels in Aquarius. It struggles then in Leo, because Leo is nothing [00:17:00] if
not subjective.
Jen: [00:17:01] Right!
April: [00:17:01] So. With Mercury in Leo, we have… you know, in the King’s court, there was
always supposed to be a fool who was the one person that could tell the King when he was
being a jerk or when he was wrong. And if you have Mercury in Leo or too close to the Sun,
what you have is the sense of a “yes man.” A fool that won’t tell the leader when there’s
something wrong.
Jen: [00:17:24] Oh, that’s really interesting – because Mercury is close to the Sun physically.
April: [00:17:27] Yes. So it’s job generally is to interpret for the King and to get messages
back and forth and to be a good press agent. But once he starts to believe the official line…
Jen: [00:17:41] Yeah, I hear what you’re saying, but I have to say, I would think – as someone
that doesn’t know as much astrology – that since Mercury is physically close to the Sun
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 9
anyway, that he would be more comfortable there than in a sign like Aquarius. But I hear
what you’re saying about the fact that distance perhaps is what makes him stronger.
April: [00:17:59] It’s the [00:18:00] objectivity. And what I’m saying is, comfort may not be
the best thing for Mercury. He may be more comfortable close to the Sun… and Mercury
kind of is. Mercury is like the little brother that in many ways is more comfortable hanging
around the popular big brother because… think how much less pressure and responsibility
there is when you’re not the person everyone’s watching and paying attention to and
listening to. You get to just recede into the background and then make some funny
statement here and there. That’s what you see Gemini people do a lot – Mercurial people
and Mercury in Leo.
I have Mercury in Leo and I love my Mercury: It’s very artistic, very creative. It’s very
expressive. I certainly have done a lot with it, and I’m very happy with my Mercury. But I do
know it gives me a lot of blind spots where I just can’t see past my own story of how things
are. Does that make sense?
Jen: [00:18:55] Yeah. I like that image of the Sun all big and shiny and that [00:19:00]
Mercury can’t see past that because the Sun is so big. I really like examples where I can
physically look out into the cosmos and picture it. When Mercury even went across the face
of the Sun a month or two ago… it’s just this little speck! And it makes no difference on the
darkness during the day. It shuts out nothing of that light.
April: [00:19:20] Right. The Sun is huge!
Jen: [00:19:22] Yeah.
April: [00:19:22] There’s a reason Sun sign astrology works as well as it does to the degree it
does… because we’re all about our Sun. We’re all about our solar selves and how the whole
world rotates around us. Mercury’s job is to keep us honest about that and to say, “Well, the
whole world actually does not revolve around you.” And to let conflicting views enter in and
to help us get objective and rationally examine things. So that’s why we say it does very well
in Aquarius.
Jen: [00:19:54] So how come Mercury is not exalted in Aquarius then?
April: [00:19:58] It is.
Jen: [00:19:59] Oh, it is?
[00:20:00] April: [00:19:59] Yeah. It’s exalted in Aquarius and in its fall in Leo.
Jen: [00:20:03] Got it.
April: [00:20:04] Yeah.
Jen: [00:20:04] I don’t know if I heard that word.
April: [00:20:06] Oh, I probably lapsed out of the lingo.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 10
Jen: [00:20:10] (laughs) I thought you were saying…
April: [00:20:11] …that it’s strong, but not necessarily exalted.
Jen: [00:20:13] Yeah.
April: [00:20:13] No, it’s exalted. It’s considered very strong there.
Jen: [00:20:17] All right. Mercury is exalted in Aquarius. Got it.
April: [00:20:19] So we praise him. We come to praise him. So from January 16th through
February 4th while Mercury is in Aquarius, it’s a good time to tackle technical projects. For
instance, I’ve been trying to find the time to do a companion website for our podcast. I will
probably tackle that while Mercury’s in Aquarius.
Jen: [00:20:40] Yay! (laughs)
April: [00:20:41] Yay! (laughs) It’s perfect for that kind of thing. If you’ve been wanting to up
your social media game, Mercury in Aquarius is a great time to do that. Starting to get stuff
together for your taxes – perfect time to do that. So use this clear, rational, systematic
… cause remember Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn. So it’s like combining the
energies of Mercury with Saturn. So think in terms of, again, list-making and schedules and
long-term planning, as we were talking about before the podcast.
Jen: [00:21:16] Yeah. Now, since Mercury is entering Aquarius, that means shortly thereafter
it will square Uranus, right?
April: [00:21:22] It will, indeed.
Jen: [00:21:23] Because Uranus is at two or three degrees of Taurus. And Mercury is moving
pretty quickly right now. So he will enter Aquarius on the 16th – and I believe it was the 18th
that you said he’d square Uranus. What can you tell us about that?
April: [00:21:37] There is some kinship between Aquarius and Uranus. We would say Uranus
is considered the modern ruler of Aquarius. The ancients, of course, before they knew about
the existence of Uranus – they would use Saturn to rule Aquarius… which, of all the sign
relationships to those outer planets, those fairly modern planets, [00:22:00] I really see the
dual rulership of Saturn and Uranus over Aquarius. It’s a very contradictory sign.
So Mercury, in any event, making a square to Uranus, which has this affinity with Aquarius,
says, “This is the moment when the fool gets to say something really startling and really
shocking that sets the court on its ear.”
Jen: [00:22:22] Okay.
April: [00:22:23] So that’s when all the stories come out. So remember I was talking about
the Sun coming together with Saturn and Pluto and how that’s the “official” story, right?
That’s the story the King wants you to hear?
Jen: [00:22:33] “Official” in air quotes! (laughs)
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 11
April: [00:22:35] Yes, in air quotes. (laughs) That’s the story that the leadership wants us to
hear. Or the way it wants to be framed. And I’m not talking politically here, I’m just talking
generally at a macro-level. And Mercury is squaring Uranus… and Mercury’s kind of been
quiet. He hasn’t been saying a lot. And as he goes into Aquarius – and then especially when
he squares Uranus a couple of days later – it’s, “Oh, more [00:23:00] information is coming to
light.” It’s a little bit startling, a little bit unexpected. So for a lot of us – it depends on where
it’s happening in your life. And for that, you would look at the house that has Aquarius,
because that’s where Mercury will be. And the house that Uranus has been inching its way
through Taurus in, in your chart. It hasn’t gained much ground the year and a half that it’s
been in Taurus.
Jen: [00:23:23] No, it sure hasn’t.
April: [00:23:24] It’s still only at like two degrees or something. I’m like, come on, let’s move
it along! (laughs)
Jen: [00:23:29] Because from our perspective on Earth, Uranus moves forward and then it
moves backwards and then it moves forward again. And we talked about the station last
week in Episode 7.
I’ve heard that Uranus is the “higher octave” of Mercury.
April: [00:23:43] And I think that’s why we would consider it exalted in Aquarius. It’s the
same as Neptune is considered the higher octave of Venus, so it’s exalted in Pisces.
Jen: [00:23:54] And Mars is the lower octave of – don’t tell me – Pluto! Right?
April: [00:23:58] Yeah. So they share [00:24:00] the rulership of Scorpio.
Jen: [00:24:01] Okay. Right.
April: [00:24:02] Does that make sense to you that way?
Jen: [00:24:03] More so. Yes.
April: [00:24:04] Yeah. So, the Moon is doing things this week, as she is wont to do.
Jen: [00:24:07] What’s up with the Moon? She does something every week.
April: [00:24:12] She does, and this is why we have our Moonwatch segment here on the
podcast.
Jen: [00:24:17] We should have some music that goes with the Moonwatch segment!
April: [00:24:24] (musical voice) Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooo!
Breaking news! Last Quarter Moon! (laughs)
Jen: [00:24:26] (musical voice) Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo! (laughs)
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 12
April: [00:24:26] And this one’s in late Libra. It’s at almost 27 degrees of Libra, and has an
evocative Sabian symbol. We talked about Sabian symbols last week.
Jen: [00:24:36] Yes, we did.
April: [00:24:38] And it’s, “An airplane hovering overhead.” Which is the story of Jen’s life,
because she lives in a flight path. (laughs)
Jen: [00:24:44] Maybe I do. (laughs)
April: [00:24:47] Maybe you do!
I liked what I read about this because – I think it was Blain Bovee who we linked to last time…
Jen: [00:24:52] Yeah, the guy that looks like Jimmy Stewart.
April: [00:24:54] Oh, does he? He does a little bit, yeah! He’s a super cool guy. So the thing
he said about [00:25:00] this – again, I’m paraphrasing terribly, I just grab a little nuggets
from that and run – but he said: The thing about an airplane hovering overhead is how it
captures your attention. There’s something unusual in the sky and you’re wondering, “Wow.
What’s going to happen? Is it going to fall? What’s it doing?”
So the Last Quarter Moon, I think, has this element to it of something catching our attention.
And the Last Quarter Moon itself, of course, is square the Sun – cause that’s what a quarter
Moon is. But it’s also square Mercury, Saturn and Pluto. And it’s opposed Uranus! So it’s a
very busy Last Quarter Moon.
Jen: [00:25:33] Yeah. I don’t think I need anything else to capture my attention.
April: [00:25:36] I know, I’m feeling the same way! It’s nothing but attention all the time. So
with the Last Quarter Moon, it’s a very particular kind of attention.
Jen: [00:25:44] What’s that?
April: [00:25:45] Even though we’re at the beginning of the year and we’re thinking forward,
the Last Quarter Moon is always looking back and reviewing. And after the initial excitement
of the new year – you know, we’re already now two weeks into the new year – and after that
[00:26:00] initial, “Wow, I’m going to break out my new planner and I’m going to plot my
strategy for the year” and all of that… the Last Quarter says, “Okay, but take one more look
back and something will probably capture your attention that you hadn’t seen before.”
Something it’s a little bit startling. Something that makes you go, “Oh man, I thought I was
done with that, but I have to go back, and I skipped a step.”
Jen: [00:26:23] Okay.
April: [00:26:23] And that to me is all those squares to those Capricorn planets – the Sun and
Mercury and Saturn and Pluto going back and saying, “Okay, well, what did I miss?” And
correcting that before moving forward.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 13
Jen: [00:26:37] Which is appropriate during January. January is named after the Roman god,
Janus, with two heads – one looking forward and one looking backward.
April: [00:26:45] Exactly. So yeah, that’s what we’re called to do with this Last Quarter
Moon.
I just wanted to give a quick little plug for people that may not be subscribed to my mailing
list… you sign [00:27:00] up at www.bigskyastrology.com/subscribe or just go to
www.BigSkyAstrology.com and look anywhere – there’s a thousand places to sign up.
But the reason I mention it is I do this little workbook – it’s called “Working with the Moon.”
Have you ever downloaded it?
Jen: [00:27:13] Yes, I sure have! They’re great!
April: [00:27:14] Oh, awesome! It comes out at every New Moon. And it covers the major
lunations for the month – the New and Full Moons and the two Quarter Moons. And it shows
all the void-of-course Moon times, and the Moon going into sign, and all of that. So I think
it’s kind of a handy little reference.
Jen: [00:27:32] And I want to say – April doesn’t know I was going to say this – but it’s free.
April: [00:27:36] Yeah.
Jen: [00:27:37] This is something you would pay for somewhere else, that she’s offering for
free! So I really encourage people to sign up at www.bigskyastrology.com – it’s on the main
page there, you can find it really easily. So, go ahead and sign up. You won’t regret it.
April: [00:27:50] Thank you very much, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It is something I’m
very happy to be able to offer to people for free. And because it’s new each month, it gives
you a [00:28:00] reason to stick around on the mailing list. So check that out. You’ll learn
more about the Last Quarter Moon in Libra – I have some thoughts about that in there – and
see what you think. With Libra it’s always somewhat relationship-oriented as well, right?
Jen: [00:28:13] Yeah.
April: [00:28:14] Something in a relationship gets our attention. Sometimes it makes us look
back and say, “Oh, I guess I should have been a little more careful there,” or, “There was
some ground I needed to cover additionally.”
Jen: [00:28:25] And Venus is in Pisces… she’s relationships too!
April: [00:28:28] She is relationships.
Jen: [00:28:29] She’s saying, “Be compassionate…”
April: [00:28:31] “Be nice to each other…”
Jen: [00:28:35] “Be kind!”
April: [00:28:36] Well, have we talked yet on the podcast about my love of Bob Ross…
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 14
Jen: [00:28:41] (laughs super hard)
April: [00:28:41] …the painter? Oh my God, I love this man. I love this man! And I’ll bet you
right now…
Jen: [00:28:52] …that just cracked me up really bad… (still laughing)
April: [00:28:54] …at least half the people who are listening to this podcast are going, “Oh,
the guy with the fro, and he [00:29:00] has the happy little trees!” I’m falling asleep every
night listening to Bob Ross. I do not need to see him paint. Every painting is exactly the same
– they’re fascinating, but that’s not why I’m there. I’m there… I’m all about the voice, the
kindness and sweetness of the voice. And the interesting thing about him is he started life as
a drill sergeant in the military.
Jen: [00:29:21] Huh.
April: [00:29:21] And as I recall, the story was that he said, “No, I decided that’s not the
person I want to be. And I would never raise my voice again.”
Jen: [00:29:29] Interesting.
April: [00:29:29] So he has that beautiful gentle, very Venus-in-Pisces kind of vibe when he
talks about his happy little trees.
Jen: [00:29:38] Wow. And does he actually have Venus in Pisces? Do you know?
April: [00:29:41] I don’t know. I did look it up at one point, but I can’t remember.
Jen: [00:29:44] Curious.
April: [00:29:44] We’ll put it in the show notes. We haven’t said that yet on this episode!
(laughs)
Jen: [00:29:47] No, we haven’t done it yet. (laughs) We usually do it at least two or three
times each episode!
April: [00:29:52] And I don’t think we’ve talked about what we’re watching on television,
although we did talk about it before we started recording – and let’s just fold it in. Because I
[00:30:00] think it’s very in keeping, actually, with the symbolism of the Sun conjunct
Saturn/Pluto… which was, we watched that movie, The Two Popes, on Netflix.
Jen: [00:30:08] Right.
April: [00:30:08] Which is really fascinating – the story of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.
Jen: [00:30:12] How do you see that related to Saturn/Pluto?
April: [00:30:14] Because the Pope is a solar figure, right? He’s the leader. He’s the head of
the state. It’s the heart of the entire religion…
Jen: [00:30:24] Right.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 15
April: [00:30:25] …and coming together with Saturn and Pluto – to me, every time I’m seeing
that Saturn and Pluto, I’m looking for stories of two figures… of two people who come
together and have to resolve some kind of difficulty. And in their case, it was structural
difficulties with the Church. So that’s the Saturn issue.
Jen: [00:30:44] Okay.
April: [00:30:44] And the Pluto issue? Kinda speaks for itself. We all know about the scandals
that have been pervasive in the Catholic church.
Jen: [00:30:50] Right, yeah.
April: [00:30:51] So that was my Netflix astrological recommendation for the week. We
thank ongoing sponsor Netflix… (laughs)
Jen: [00:30:59] …we hope! (laughs) [00:31:00] Ongoing sponsor, we hope!
April: [00:31:02] Exactly!
Jen: [00:31:03] If you’re out there listening and you’re some bigwig at Netflix… hey! You
could be our sponsor! (laughs)
April: [00:31:06] Hey, why not us? Why not us? This is all we’re saying! (laughs)
Jen: [00:31:11] We don’t know who our listeners are! (laughs)
April: [00:31:13] They could be super famous, influential people! (laughs)
Jen: [00:31:16] That’s right! (laughs)
April: [00:31:16] So get on it, folks! (laughs)
All right, well, have we done it?
Jen: [00:31:19] We have done it! We’ve done it plus some, I think!
April: [00:31:21] I think, and then some. So, we want to thank you all for listening to the Big
Sky Astrology podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, we implore you again to please
subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.
Jen: [00:31:33] Please do.
April: [00:31:34] Yes. And we will see you again, bright and early next Monday. And until
then, keep your feet on the ground –
Jen: [00:31:39] – and your eyes on the stars!
Thank you for listening. To learn more about April Elliott Kent, please check out her website,
www.BigSkyAstrology.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, read her thoughtprovoking
weekly essays, purchase her books, sign up for a personal astrology reading, and
more.
Big Astrology Podcast | Ep. 8, Jan. 13, 2020 | Transcript pg. 16
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© 2020 Big Sky Astrology, April Elliott Kent, Jen Braun
