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TRANSCRIPT Ep. 124 | Venus and Mars are Sleepless in Seattle!

TRANSCRIPT Episode 124 | Venus and Mars are Sleepless in Seattle! (May 23, 2022)

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Welcome to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast, with your host, Astrologer and Author, April Elliott Kent.

April: Hello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is May 23rd, 2022. Welcome to Episode 124 of The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, Mars enters Aries and makes a conjunction with high flying Jupiter, Venus enters its own sign Taurus, and Mercury and Venus are making some nice aspects to some grouchy planets.

Moon Alert (May 24)

We’re going to begin with the Moon Report for the week of May 23rd. Now, this is a week with no major Lunation. The Gemini New Moon won’t happen until Monday, May 30th, and so we’re going to cover that in next week’s episode. This week, the Moon’s hot spot is on May 24th, that’s when it’ll make a conjunction with Mars, enter Aries, and then make a conjunction to Jupiter. And what that’s going to do is emphasize and bring an emotional component to Mars entering Aries on May 24th, and making the conjunction to Jupiter on May 29th. So, keep an eye out on that day.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s take a look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On May 24th, the Moon in Pisces will make a final conjunction to Mars at 02:33 PM Pacific Time. It’s only going to be Void-of-Course for six minutes, so it’s not going to cause us too many problems. Then it enters Aries at 02:33 PM Pacific Time.

On May 26th, the Moon in Aries makes a square aspect to Pluto at 08:20 PM Pacific Time. It’ll be Void-of-Course for about three hours before it enters Taurus at 11:22 PM Pacific Time. And we’ve talked before about the Moon’s final aspects being to Pluto, as Pluto has been sitting at its very latest degrees over the last couple of months. So it often is the last planet that the moon will aspect in its sign. That Void-of-Course Moon period could be a little darker, and Pluto brings us down a little bit.

The Moon in Aries is so wonderfully energetic and upbeat, especially as we were saying before this week, when it’s making aspects to that Jupiter in Aries, so it’s kind of sad for it to get to the end of its sign and run into Pluto because Pluto’s such a naysayer. Says, “Oh, you can’t do whatever it is that you want to do. You won’t succeed”. And this is an evening, at least here on the west coast, 08:20 PM to 11:22 PM, of kind of sitting with that Pluto negativity. And we have to be a little cautious about that. Be a little careful what we feed our brains that evening before we go to bed, make sure we’re not dwelling on something that’s depressing or that will bring us down.

On May 29th, the Moon in Taurus ends on a trine aspect to Pluto at 07:10 AM Pacific Time, and its Void-of-Course for three hours before it enters Gemini at 10:22 AM Pacific Time.

The last aspect being a trine to Pluto is quite a different Kettle of fish than the square. And especially because the Moon in Taurus tends to be emotionally centered. But also, the nature of the aspect being a trine, says that we tend to experience the better qualities of Pluto when it’s a good aspect. So the Moon trine Pluto says in some way we feel as if there’s some kind of breakthrough or that we have glimpsed a way to change habits or rituals that might not have been working real well for us. The Moon is the planet that refers to habits, so these Void-of-Course Moon times could be good times for breaking habits that are not really helpful and creating new ones. And I think that is really a great possibility for this Void-of-Course Moon period.

The Sun sextile Jupiter (May 23)

Next up, let’s talk about a few aspects that are happening this week that are involving the Sun, Mars and Jupiter. First up, the Sun makes a sextile aspect to Jupiter on May 23rd at 04:05 AM Pacific Time. These two met up in a conjunction aspect on March 5th in Pisces, and this is the first major aspect that they’ve made in this cycle since.

The Sun and Jupiter coming together in just about any kind of aspect is inspiring and uplifting. We have a sense that our dreams are possible and that we personally have a unique contribution to make to the world. It’s a pretty fast aspect, it only lasts about one day. But while it’s happening, it’s really uplifting. The Sun is in Gemini and Jupiter of course is in Aries, and it’s a rich combination of ideas and knowledge along with that sense of adventure and new beginnings.

Mars enters Aries (May 24)

Then on May 24th, Mars enters Aries at 04:17 PM Pacific Time. It’ll be in Aries through July 4th. Now, Mars was last in Aries beginning late June 2020, and it was in Aries a phenomenally long time, through January of 2021. Mars will usually only spend a couple of months in a sign, but it experienced a retrograde period while it was in Aries that year and that tripled its usual time in the sign. And oh, I just remember, it seemed to go on forever.

So, Mars is at its strongest in Aries. And this time around it’s meeting up with Jupiter, so it’s doubly energized and it’s a really good time to put some energy behind our goals to actually initiate things. That hasn’t been so much the case with Mars being in Pisces and coming towards its conjunction with Neptune, which we talked about last week. It’s a nice Mars for some things, but it isn’t necessarily super high energy, like this Mars in Aries will be, so enjoy it.

Mars conjunction with Jupiter (May 29)

Mars will make a conjunction with Jupiter on May 29th at 03:31 AM, at 3° and 19 minutes of Aries. This is the beginning of a two year cycle for Mars and Jupiter. And generally speaking, we consider anything coming together with Jupiter to be pretty advantageous. But I have my reservations about Mars with Jupiter. I’m not loving Mars these days, let’s put it that way. And Mars is a little bit of an aggressive and difficult planet. When it comes together with Jupiter, those qualities can be accentuated.

On the other hand, the Sabian symbol for this conjunction, 4° Aries is “Two Lovers Strolling Through A Secluded Park”. So, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? We’ll look at Mars and Jupiter as being the two lovers and strolling along through a park and significantly it’s secluded. So, this talks a little bit maybe about work that we do, actions that we take that are very fortunate, but are not necessarily evident to the outside world. So although Mars and Jupiter together in Aries would be considered normally very extroverted and very hard to miss, in fact, this could be a time for working a little more in solitude or maybe with one other person.

The next aspect between the two will be a sextile on September 1st, and by that time, Mars will have entered Gemini. So this is really the only aspect that we get between them in Aries and that has this particular flare and energy. As always, I refer you to the house in your chart that contains 3°19’ Aries. And if that’s confusing for you, I will link in the show notes to the blog post and video that I created, it’s been some years ago now, to help you figure that out. And hopefully, that will be helpful.

Venus sextile Saturn (May 24), square Pluto (May 26)

This week, Venus is making a sextile aspect to Saturn on May 24th at 04:06 AM Pacific Time and then it makes a square aspect to Pluto on May 26th at 11:29 PM Pacific Time. And when I take these two aspects together, what it tells me is, we can get what we want – Venus – if we make a plan, and that’s Saturn’s job. The sextile says there’s an opportunity. If we’re willing to do a little work and be kind of proactive, then we can get what we want. Venus doesn’t necessarily love being proactive. Venus is more inclined to sort of sit back and let things come to her. But this sextile with Saturn says, “Well, you know, get a little bit motivated, put on your pinstripe suit and get out there and we’ll make a plan”. But once we’ve gotten what we wanted, Venus square Pluto says, hmm, at that point we won’t necessarily be completely certain that it’s what we wanted.

Venus and Pluto coming together is almost obsessed with getting what it wants. And it gets tunnel vision, it will say, “I want that person. I want that job. I want that opportunity”. And, it has its blinders on. It’s a little hard for Venus to see either side and figure out what might be out there that would be even a little bit better for her. So Venus square Pluto is not our usual easygoing Venus. And I would just say, be a little cautious, especially with Mercury still retrograde, about signing on the dotted line and really committing to something that you think you want very badly. Because soon enough, around the time of that square to Pluto, you might find not all it was cracked up to be.

Venus enters Taurus (May 28)

Then on May 28th, Venus enters Taurus, one of her own signs, at 7:46 AM Pacific Time. Venus will be in Taurus through June 22nd. And this places both Venus and Mars in signs that they rule, because Venus rules Taurus and Mars rules Aries. So, these two planets, which are the traditional symbols of lovers, of romance, and just generally of getting what we want, are both very strong during this time up into June, early July – but they don’t make an aspect to each other. Thet may be a little bit like characters in a romantic comedy and each character, you see them in their separate plot line and they’re so charismatic and they’re attractive and you’re thinking, “Wow, why are they single when they’re obviously looking to be with somebody?” And it’s not until the very end of the movie that they finally connect with each other. In fact, it’s almost exactly like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle, where they’re both totally adorable in two separate storylines, and they only come together for about 10 minutes of the entire picture!

So, I suppose what I’m saying there is, if you’re wanting to start a romance in particular, or I suppose even a business partnership, both of you are in a very strong position, you both have all the things that a partner would want, but it’s a little hard for you to really connect with each other. So, it’s a little bit of a funny week for Venus. On one hand, she can get what she wants and she’s in a strong position to have things that bring her pleasure or to get them. But, the square to Pluto suggests maybe she won’t want them when she gets them. And because she’s not connecting with Mars in that strong way, it’s not probably as advantageous for relationship as we might otherwise think with Venus and Mars both being strong in their own signs.

Mercury sextile Mars (May 23)

Next up – Mercury, still retrograde, makes a sextile to Mars on May 23rd at 8:27 PM at the very last degrees of Taurus and Pisces, and then trines Pluto on May 25th at 2:49 PM Pacific Time. Mercury made the sextile to Mars previously on April 24th, and then it will make the last of three sextiles on July 4th. And Mercury made a previous trine to Pluto on April 28th and will make one more on June 11th.

So Mercury is recovering old ground. I think Mercury’s sextile to Mars is especially interesting and helpful with regard to our work, because Mars is a work planet. Mercury retrograde and making a second sextile to Mars suggests maybe that a connection that was made or an offer that was proffered at the first sextile around April 24th is now revisited. And maybe at the time we thought, “No, I don’t need that. You know, that person isn’t that interesting to me. That opportunity doesn’t sound like the best”, but now on May 23rd with the second sextile, “Hmm.” We’re looking at it a second time. “I’m wondering if maybe there is something there that’s a little more interesting.”

Then Mercury will go direct, and by the time it makes the last sextile to Mars, both planets will actually be in different signs on July 4th. Mercury will be at 0° of Cancer and Mars will be at 0° of Taurus. There’s still the possibility then of wrapping all this up and doing something with this opportunity, but things will have changed by that time. So it won’t be exactly the offer that came your way the first and second times.

Mercury trine Pluto (May 25)

Then, Mercury making a trine to Pluto is terrific for a lot of things, it’s great for mental focus, it’s great for trying to rewire our brains and change our thought processes for the better. So, Mercury being retrograde and trine Pluto, says, go back to the last week in April and look through your calendar, look through your text. What was it that was important? What were you working on? What sort of communication breakthrough maybe were you trying to make with another person? And here’s another opportunity to make good on that.

There will be one last Mercury trine to Pluto, and that will be on June 11th. Each of these aspects, when we look at Mercury retrograde and say, “Where did it make these aspects when it was direct the first time?” Then it makes the same aspects a second time while retrograde, and then one final time went direct. So although Mercury moves so quickly, and its transits are not normally something we get really excited about or spend a lot of time thinking about, when it makes these trio of aspects it becomes a lot more consequential and a lot more interesting. Because it says we’re working through something and we’re getting several tries, we’re getting several opportunities to take advantage of something that might be worthwhile. And also, most importantly I think, to change the way we look at things and the way we’re thinking about things, thinking in new ways about your job, about the work that you do. It’s the sextile to Mars from retrograde Mercury, and rethinking the power that you possess to make your life the way you want it to be. And that’s the potential of Mercury with Pluto.

Listen Question: “How long do eclipses influence us?”

I have a question from a listener who shall remain nameless because I didn’t think to get permission to share this on the podcast with their name, but it’s a good question and one that I get really often, and especially in light of the fact that we just had a couple of Eclipses. This seems like a pertinent question. They asked, “How long do Eclipses influence us?”

I have heard all kinds of opinions on this. I have heard that you experience the eclipses until you have the next ones six months later. I’ve heard that you experience a Solar Eclipse one year for each minute that the Eclipse is exact. So, if you have a Solar Eclipse is three minutes long, you would experience it for three years. I can tell you what I have observed and the way I work with it. I think that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to go past the next eclipses, because then you’re getting a whole new set of Eclipse energies and messages and it doesn’t make sense really to commingle them.

The way I work with them is to take a look at the fast-moving planets, actually all the planets, but you usually see it first in the Moon or Mercury, maybe Venus or Mars. The first transiting planet that crosses over the eclipse point, in the case for instance, of this recent Lunar Eclipse at 25°18’ Scorpio, I believe, we would have to look at Mercury as being really the first planet that is getting there and crossing over that point, and that would take place on May 24th, which is otherwise a pretty happening day this week with Mars entering Aries, and so on. We could expect to some extent maybe on that day to have a little extra trigger of that Lunar eclipse, because the Mercury in Taurus opposes the eclipse point. As far as the 10° Taurus Solar Eclipse that we had on April 30th, probably be Venus getting to 10° of Taurus on June 6th.

I think generally watching the Moon in the month after the eclipses and watching as the Moon is going through the fixed signs, so Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. And the reason I’m saying that of course, is both of the eclipses were in fixed signs. One was at 10° Taurus, the Solar Eclipse on April 30th and the Lunar Eclipse on May 16th was at 25° Scorpio. So, as the Moon is going through the fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, it’s either making a conjunction, an opposition or square to one of those eclipse points, so we’ll be seeing a little bit of triggering around that as well.

The other big point to look for is the point between eclipse season, so, about three months after the Solar and Lunar Eclipses, especially around the time of the Leo New Moon on July 28th, because that is a time that is triggering that Solar Eclipse. That New Moon is at 8° Leo, so it squares the Solar Eclipse on April 30th, so it’s kind of at the midpoint. So that is always a time that I look to between the eclipse seasons as being a time when that stuff really gets stirred up.

I hope that answers that question. I do get it a lot and I always feel a little bit bad for not knowing exactly how to answer it. Because honestly, it’s just really hard to parse out what is an after effect from an eclipse and what might be another kind of influence. Now, obviously, if these eclipses we’re really close to something in your birth chart, it’s more likely that you’ll be a little more sensitive to the timing around whatever is triggering those points after the fact. But I don’t think I’d be looking two or three years into the future. I’d be looking at the most into the next six months or so.

If you have a question that you would like me to answer on an upcoming episode of the podcast, please send it to me. You can leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. Or you can just send me an email, April(at)bigskyastrology(dot)com, and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Thanks to my donors

Well, that is everything I have on the show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you so much for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your podcast app of choice. I’d love it if you would leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll spread the word by telling a friend about the show. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at bigskyastropod.com.

I want thank everyone who showed support during our September Podathon. Each week I’m thanking some of you by name. This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to Chris Hendrickson, Dena Moskowitz, and Phyllis Lamken!

April: Chris, Dena, and Phyllis, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations. It really means a lot. Now, if you are enjoying the show and would like to make a donation, just go to bigskyastropod.com and it will be abundantly clear how you can do so. Thank you so much.

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.

© 2022 by April Elliott Kent

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