TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 110
Leo Full Moon: Many Little Birds
April: Hello invisible friends, this is April, and the date today is February 14th, 2022. Welcome to Episode 110 of The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. And, this is of course Valentine’s Day, which has always struck me as a little bit of a strange holiday, actually. If you’re single a and you don’t want to be, Valentine’s Day can kind of bum you out. And if you are not single, then it generally doesn’t seem all that important or else there can be expectations that might not be fulfilled and might therefore be the very opposite of a holiday that would encourage intimacy.
The origin of the holiday itself is a little bit vague. I found some information about it at, I think it’s historychannel.com, I’ll link to it in the show notes, and some of this is pretty much verbatim. It may celebrate one of several Catholic martyrs named Valentine, and some think that St Valentine’s feast day was placed in the middle of February in an effort to Christianize the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was celebrated at the ides of February, February 15th, and was a fertility festival dedicated to Cronus, the Roman god of agriculture.
And during the middle ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14th was the beginning of birds’ mating season. This added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. Well, this year there’s a conjunction of the lovers’ planets, Venus, and Mars, just two days after Valentine’s Day. And, I’ll talk more about that conjunction later in this episode. But the conjunction is in the sign of Capricorn, which is an earth sign, and so therefore it’s a lot sexier than it tends to get credit for. So, this should be an interesting Valentine’s Day indeed!
Mercury in Aquarius
Valentine’s Day begins with Mercury entering the sign of Aquarius on February 14th at 01:54 PM Pacific Time. Now, Mercury is the messenger planet, and when it moves into a new sign, there is often either a fresh message that emerges or a message that’s delivered in a new way. Mercury in Aquarius reminds me of the little Valentine cards that school kids give each other, or they used to when I was in school, I have no idea if they still do. But there was something about them that was very breezy and impersonal and friendly rather than romantic, which to me is a little bit in keeping with Aquarius, a sign that in and of itself doesn’t really encourage that kind of, “let’s share our innermost feelings” vibe that you might get with Mercury in a water sign or in a close aspect with Pluto, for instance.
Mercury will be an Aquarius through March 10th. And while it is, keep in mind the style of communication that people will be unconsciously more receptive to is of the nature of Aquarius. So, it is less emotional, less expressive, maybe, in the way that Mercury in a fire sign might be. And, it’s a time for reaching out, maybe reconnecting with friends that you’ve fallen out of touch with during the pandemic or to initiate communication with new people. Maybe you’ve been following somebody on social media and you really like their stuff, and this might be a time to shoot them a DM and just say, “Hey, just wanted to let you know that I’m enjoying what you’re doing”. So, it’s a lighter touch with Aquarius as it is with all of the air signs.
Now, Mercury in Aquarius can also manifest as people who are very, very opinionated, they believe what they believe and there is really no contradicting them. So, if you know that you have those tendencies yourself, keep an eye out for that over the next 26 days, and make sure that you’re not coming on a little too strong and that you’re leaving a little bit of an opening for other people to talk about what they believe as well.
Full Moon in Leo
Next up, the Full Moon in Leo. That’s on February 16th at 08:56 AM Pacific Time at 27° and 59 minutes of Leo. The Sabian symbols here are really interesting for the Sun and Moon at this Full Moon. The Sabian symbol for the Moon is on 28 Leo, “Many Little Birds On The Limb Of A large Tree”. And the Sabian symbol for 28 Aquarius is “A Tree felled And Sawed”. So, it’s not looking great for these little birds on the limb of the large tree! It’s a really interesting and somewhat contradictory message perhaps, but always at a Full Moon, it is what we call “A Revelation Point”, where we are seeing clearly what’s going on. Because on the night of a Full Moon, the sky is fully illuminated. It says, “Maybe you hadn’t noticed this up to now, but the limb of the large tree that you’re sitting on is about to get sawed down”.
So, this is the first glimpse that we get of what was planted at the February 1st New Moon in Aquarius. Are we starting to see shoots? Are we starting to see some signs of viability in the things that we conceived at that New Moon? The opposition of the Sun and Moon at this Full Moon is square the lunar nodes, which are now of course in late Taurus and Scorpio. And we call planets that are square the lunar nodes, we say they are at the “bendings” of the lunar nodes. And if the planet is at an opening square, it’s south bending, and it’s involved with internal experiences and release. In this Full Moon chart, the Moon is south bending, and it’s talking about releasing emotions that perhaps have been really difficult for us. And these have to do with the matters of Leo, so, it’s “Am I being seen? Am I acknowledged? Is my voice being valued and heard?” And to the extent that we don’t feel that that’s been the case and we’re carrying hurt about it. This is a good Full Moon for trying to release that, to let it go.
If a planet is at the closing square to the nodes, it is north bending, and it will be expressed more outwardly rather than inwardly. In this chart, the Sun is north bending. And so, while at the same time, the Moon is carrying this woundedness about not being noticed, not being seen because it’s in Leo. This Sun in Aquarius, which rules Leo says, “Perhaps the road forward at this time is to enjoy being one of many”. That’s not Leo’s preferred way to go through the world. But, you look at the Sabian symbol, “Many Little Birds On The Limb Of A Large Tree”. It talks about perhaps finding your individual place within a community. And the Sun in Aquarius, perhaps suggests that the way to find your real identity, to be loved, to be acknowledged, is to give as much as you can to the collective.
This Full Moon represents the midpoint between eclipse seasons. This Full Moon is square the lunar eclipse point that we had on November 19th at 27° of Taurus, and then we’ll have a lunar eclipse at 25° of Scorpio on May 15th. On April 30th, we’ll have a solar eclipse that is at 10° of Taurus, I believe, where Uranus has been dancing around. But this is the midpoint between eclipse seasons. And it says that we are standing between these moments where an eclipse is either sitting on the North or the South Node, and either encouraging us just to get out of the South Node, the old experiences – to release – or it’s on the North Node, where it is actively trying to move us into the direction of growth. That’s what eclipses do, they motivate us, hopefully, from the South Node and towards the North. So, at this midpoint, eclipse points are being activated. If there’s anything in your chart between about 6 and 14° of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius, right now, that will be activated. And likewise, if you have anything in your chart between about 23° of those same signs and about zero or 1° of Gemini, Virgo, Pisces, or Sagittarius, we know that those planets are also feeling a little bit charged up.
This Week’s Void-of-Course Moon Periods
This week, the Moon will be void-of-course a few times, and I thought I’d mention those to you. The Moon is considered void-of-course in modern astrology. It’s a little bit different in the traditional systems, but in modern astrology, we consider the Moon to be void-of-course, meaning “without a course”, from the time that it makes its last Ptolemaic aspect, it’s last major aspect to a planet in its sign, and until it moves into the next sign.
Our first void-of-course time is on February 14th at 02:27 AM when the Moon in Cancer makes its last aspect – an opposition to Venus – until 03:17 AM, when it enters Leo. So, it’s a very short void-of-course period. February 16th, the Moon goes void-of-course right after the Full Moon at 08:57 AM, and then it moves into Virgo at 12:42 PM. On February 18th, the Moon makes its the last aspect to trine to Pluto at 03:19 PM and then it’s void-of-course until it enters Libra at 17:51 PM. Finally, on February 20th, the Moon makes a square to Pluto at 09:01 PM in Libra, that’s its last aspect and its void-of-course, until it enters Scorpio on February 21st at 01:19 AM.
Our usual advice about void-of-course times is that, because it represents a time when things don’t necessarily go according to plan, the void-of-course Moon times can actually be really good for some things. I mean the classic example that my teacher used to tell us, and I’ve heard from other astrologers is, “File your income tax when the Moon is void-of-course”. Because, the void-of-course Moon times are described as times when nothing will come of the matter – so theoretically, you won’t be audited! Now, I haven’t found that to be technically true, but it’s a fun thing to play around with. The other thing it’s really good for, I find, is changing habits. Because, if you start a new habit on a void-of-course Moon, nothing will come along to interrupt that process because the Moon’s not going to make any more aspects before changing signs.
My upcoming class in Transits and Progressions
Hello friends, April here. You know, I’ve been practicing astrology since 1990. And what I’ve learned from over three decades of doing readings is that it’s an astrologer’s job to make life simpler and clearer, not more complicated. And that begins with a system that uses simple tools like planetary transits and secondary progressions to build forecasts that are empowering, helpful and rich without being overwhelming.
My new six-week online course, ‘Practical Astrology And Forecasting’, is designed to help you do the same for yourself or for others. The six weekly live classes will be recorded so you can watch them and ever it’s convenient for you. Classes begin on February 26th, but registration is open now and the window closes on February 21st, so, don’t delay. Find out all the details and sign up for a free preview by following the link at bigskyastrology.com/learning. That’s bigskyastrology.com/learning.
See you in class!
The Sun enters Pisces
April: This week the Sun enters Pisces on February 18th at 08:43 AM Pacific Time. A lovely time of year, the very end of winter just coming onto spring, and it is a gentle time of year here where I live in Southern California. We see very faint stirrings of seasonal change. You have to really look for them here. It’s considered a good time of year for rest and healing because the Aries Equinox is just ahead of us in a month. And this means it’s the time for gathering our strength, for are getting rid of what is no longer necessary, what we’ve been dragging around as baggage and to clear the decks and regain a lot of our energy for that Equinox time ahead.
Mini-Lesson: Planetary Cycles
In this week’s mini lesson, I wanted to talk to you about the cycles of the planets. This is the basis of almost any kind of predictive or forecasting work that we do in astrology. If you tune in to the podcast every week and you hear me talk about the various planetary highlights for that week, you may not actually have a lot of context for understanding which of these things is profoundly important, and which of them are a little more transitory, so you can get a better sense of that from understanding the cycles of the planets. And the rule of thumb is, the faster a planet moves, the less apt it is to represent profound transformation or change in your life.
We begin with the Moon. And, the Moon takes about 28 days to make a complete lap around the Zodiac. It moves 12 to 13° of the Zodiac every day. And so, the aspects that the Moon make are only really in effect for maybe six hours. For this reason, the Moon represents in astrology, the things that are kind of transitory. So, your daily routine and habits, the fluctuating state of our emotions are all ruled by the Moon.
The Sun takes about one year to go all the way through the Zodiac, and, it is in a sign of the Zodiac for about one month. Each aspect that the Sun makes is in effect, I would say. roughly for about three days. One day before it’s exact, then the day it’s exact, and then one day after. Cycles of the Sun talk about how we experience different ways of being vital and confident.
Mercury, takes about 88 days to go through the Zodiac. Mercury, takes about 88 days to orbit the Sun, but because its speed is so different from ours here on earth and it has a number of retrograde periods, Mercury, takes about one year to make a complete tour of your birth chart. Aspects of Mercury, I would really say are mostly in effect for the day that they are exact. Cycles of Mercury are about learning, communication, siblings, neighbors, basically how we perceive process, and then express ideas.
Venus, takes about 225 days to make a cycle of the Zodiac. It’s just a little bit faster than the Sun. And so, Venus’ aspects are probably two to three days in terms of their influence. Their cycles are relationship, finances, equality, values and things that we enjoy.
Mars, takes about 22 months to make a complete cycle of the Zodiac. It’s in the sign of the Zodiac, normally for just a little under two months, and aspects from Mars to other planets really have an influence of about a week. These are cycles of work, conflict, war, sexuality.
Jupiter has a cycle of 12 years to go all the way around the Zodiac. It’s in a sign of the zodiac for about one year, so it’s pretty consequential. Each aspect transiting Jupiter makes to another planet has an influence I’d say of roughly two to three weeks. Jupiter cycles concern education, travel, adventure, and hope.
Saturn takes a little over 29 years to go all the way through the Zodiac. So, these are very consequential transits. It’s in a sign of the Zodiac about two and a half years, and about every seven years, we get an important aspect from Saturn to any given spot in our birth chart. And of course, every 29 years we have what’s called the Saturn Return, where Saturn returns to the position that it occupied at our birth. Cycles of Saturn are about career, responsibility, maturity, boundaries. And there are a lot of variables, but I would say Saturn is probably going to be making an important aspect to a planet for about six weeks at a time.
Uranus has a cycle of about 84 years to go all the way around the Zodiac. And, it is in each sign of zodiac for about seven years. Important Uranian ages for all of us are around the age of 21, 42, 63 and 84. Cycles of Uranus are about change and disruption and rebellion. Mostly I think of them as being cycles of individuation. In our early twenties, we’re striving to figure out who we are as separate from our family of origin. At 42, we are in rebellion against what society expects of us and the constraints of that. At the age of 63, it’s almost like being in our early twenties again, and it’s often a time, at least traditionally when people would retire, when they would break away from the confines of a career life. And then, at 84, we are coming into a whole new cycle of maturity as an elder in the community. If Uranus is making an aspect to something in your birth chart, it’s probably going to take several months at least to complete that work and that process
Neptune has a cycle of 165 years. It spends about 14 years in each sign of the Zodiac. And, if it’s making an aspect is something in your birth chart, it will take about two years to complete that work. Important Neptune ages for everyone, or at about the age of 27, 42, 55 and 82, and these are all ages, when we do the Neptune work of figuring what is our spiritual purpose. What is it that we believe in? What is it that’s true and what is just an illusion about our relationship to things like art and religion and spiritual practice?
And finally, Pluto, which has a cycle of 248 years. It’s spends 14 to 30 years in a sign depending on the sign. Through some, it spent a very long time, for instance, in Taurus and Gemini and Cancer, and it has been very, very quick through signs like Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. It doesn’t feel like it’s been fast enough, frankly. Important Pluto ages tend to be around the age of 25, and then, we have Pluto square to your natal Pluto in about your mid-thirties or mid-forties. There’s a trine from Pluto to Pluto in your birth chart in your early fifties and so on. So, Pluto cycles are about transformation, endings, power and control, and about our relationship, frankly, with mortality, with the sense that “Yes, someday I won’t be here, and what am I going to do with that information? How will it affect the way that I’m living now?”
So, that’s just a little introduction to the cycles of the main planets that we use in modern astrology, and there is a lot more to it. But I think just knowing those cycles is very powerful. If you know that you’re going to have a new beginning with Mars every two years, and that that has profound implications for your work life, that’s interesting to know. It’s good to know that every seven years or so, Saturn is calling to you to reset the boundaries of your life. It’s very powerful to know that at the ages I talked about, Uranus is inviting you to step out and really change and disrupt your life.
Anyway, I hope that is helpful to you. And if you want to know more about it, you can certainly sign up for my class. You can get more information about that at my website,
Venus/Mars Conjunction in Capricorn
Now, as I said, there is a conjunction between Venus and Mars this week. It’s on February 16th at 06:28 AM Pacific Time, at 16° and 53 minutes of Capricorn. The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is “A Girl Surreptitiously Bathing In The Nude”. Now, isn’t that lovely and innocent, but at the same time, very sensual and very much in keeping with the combination of Venus with Mars. You know, this is a very funny kind of conjunction. It’s the first of two conjunctions that we’ll see between Venus and Mars, the second one comes along on March 6th at 0° of Aquarius. And it’s kind of unusual to have two conjunctions like this at a time when neither of the planets is retrograde. But Venus is still moving slowly after she turned direct on January 29th. So Mars will actually pass her by and then she will have to catch up again for the second conjunction.
This conjunction is in the earth sign of Capricorn and it’s on such an evocative Sabian symbol. And honestly, it’s probably quite a bit sexier than the one coming up on March 6th, because that one will be in Aquarius, which is a much more cerebral sign and a little more detached. But that said, at this conjunction, Venus and Mars are also in a trine connection with Uranus, and that lends them a little bit of that excitement and interest and unpredictability that we’ll also see with the second conjunction in early March. So, Venus and Mars coming together symbolically says, “This is the beginning of a relationship”. So, for some of you, it may mean literally that, for some people it’s an opportunity maybe to reboot a relationship. And then again, to know that on March 6th, there’s a second opportunity as well to perhaps take that union to another level. So, it’s the beginning of this great Venus and Mars cyclical dance and a pretty important moment in the cycle for relationships and in particular romantic relationships, but not confined to them.
Jupiter sextile Uranus
Finally this week, Jupiter makes a sextile aspect to Uranus on February 17th at 04:13 PM Pacific Time, at 11° and 13 minutes of Pisces and Taurus respectively. Now, this aspect actually has its origin in a Jupiter Uranus cycle that began back in 2010 and early 2011 when Jupiter and Uranus came together in a series of conjunctions at 0° Aries, and then, very late Pisces. The last time we had an aspect between these two, a major aspect, goes back to the beginning of last year, January 17th, 2021 when Jupiter in Aquarius made a square to Uranus. And there was a lot going on then, but one thing that happened in the lead up to that aspect was of course a fairly radical Uranian uprising at the US capital, and then the inauguration of a new president a few days later.
So, this is a consequential sextile, and sextiles that follow squares as this one does, give us the opportunity to reconsider what happened at the square, what emerged as being conflicting principles and to figure out what it meant and how to integrate it into society moving forward. And I talk about integrating it into society because Jupiter is really a societal planet, it is the planet that rules laws and religion and dogma. So, it is where we take the things that we believe, and we codify them in constitutions of governments or founding documents of a corporation. So Jupiter coming together with any planet will tend to magnify its influence – now, this is for about three or four days, either side, so pretty much during this week. Jupiter is coming together and really of inflating Uranus. So, Jupiter again, ideology, what is it that we believe? And Uranus is about how we want to break things open and do them differently.
Now, the nature of the connection between them is the sextile. And as we’ve said many times, the sextile brings an opportunity to bring these two together, but it’s optional. So, there’s an opportunity around this time to talk about some of the struggles that came up in January of last year, whether in our society or whether in your own life. What was it that came up then, there is an opportunity, an invitation, an offer to come to a better understanding of whatever was happening then.
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Well, that is everything I have on my little show sheet, so I’m going to call this a wrap for Episode 110. Thank you very much for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to follow or subscribe depending on the platform you’re listening on, leave a rating or a review, maybe with even help us spread the word by telling a friend. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at bigskyastropod.com.
Thanks very much to everyone who showed support during our September Podathon. Each week I’m thanking some of you by name. This week I’m giving a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout-out to Elliott Mayer, Catherine Boyer, and Sara McNeil.
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Well, 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.
© 2022 April Elliott Kent, all rights reserved.
