TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 153 | Leo Last Quarter Moon: X-Ray Vision! (Nov. 14, 2022)
April: Hello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is Nov. 14, 2022. Welcome to Episode 153 of The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, we’ll take a look at a volatile Last Quarter Moon in Leo, Mercury and Venus make trines to Jupiter, the Sun trines and Mars squares Neptune, the Sun and Mercury sextile Pluto, and Mercury and Venus enter Sagittarius playing advanced guard for the Sun’s entry into Sagittarius season next week.
Last Quarter Moon in Leo (Nov. 16, 2022, 5:27 am PST)
Let’s begin with the Moon Report for the week of Nov. 14th. It begins on Nov. 16 with the Last Quarter Moon at 24°9’ Leo, at 5:27 AM Pacific Time. The chart for this particular Last Quarter Moon is pretty fractious. It features that Last Quarter Moon in a Grand Cross Configuration, where it is square the Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, it’s opposed Saturn in Aquarius, and it’s square Uranus in Taurus. So, everything is opposed or square everything else in this configuration, and that can feel stressful. At the same time, there is a lot of potential for motivation in a chart like this. The difficult part is, all of the planets involved in this configuration are in Fixed signs, and Fixed signs don’t like to be hurried. They don’t like to be pushed, they want to do things in their own way, in their own time, and they really are stubborn if you push them.
So, if you’re finding that this week, among the people around you, that people seem a little more entrenched in their position than usual, you can chalk it up probably to this Last Quarter Moon and this really high-energy configuration.
On the plus side, the Moon at 24° Leo is sextile Mars in Gemini, which is still retrograde. And what this suggests to me is that friends and associates and contacts, especially from the past (because it’s retrograde) will appear or make themselves available when things get stressful and you need some help; or, will show up to try to help loosen you from your entrenched position, because Gemini is a lot more flexible. The Sabian symbols for this Last Quarter Moon are 25 Leo, A large camel crossing the desert, for the Moon, and then the Sun is on 25 Scorpio, An X-ray, which I think think is one of the best possible Sabian symbols to be in Scorpio. Scorpio really does see through people in situations that are in any way false or inauthentic. So, that’s a little bit of the tension I think around this Last Quarter Moon: we are seeing things the way they are instead of the way we would like them to be.
And often, we have a vested interest in continuing to see people or situations as we wish they were because we are emotionally reliant on that being true. And if we look at this Sabian symbol of the “large camel crossing the desert,” what we’re seeing is an animal that’s incredibly self-sufficient in a very inhospitable environment. The myth is that camels carry water in their humps, and they actually don’t. They carry fat in their humps and they can draw on these reserves if they find themselves in a situation where they have to go a long time without nourishment. And the way they use water is, they can just drink gallons and gallons and gallons of it before they take off on a journey and then they store that water in their bloodstream. So, in any event, this is a very tough, very self-reliant animal.
And if we picture the Moon associated with this degree, it speaks of emotional self-reliance and self-sufficiency. When we don’t need something particular from a person or from a situation, we’re in a much better position to see things clearly and to make decisions based on the reality of what’s going on. So, it’s a really tough Last Quarter Moon Chart, but I think that we can be like that large camel crossing the desert and also very tough and self-reliant if we need to be.
This is the last critical moment in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began back in August of 2020 at the New Moon in Leo. Here is an opportunity to make one final push towards something that we initiated at that time and especially intentions around New Moons in Leo, have to do with creative opportunities, anything that really comes from the heart. So now, we have achieved the readiness and the toughness and the self-reliance to make a breakthrough at this.
Void-of-Course Moon Periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On Nov. 14, the Moon in Cancer trines Jupiter at 2:41 AM Pacific Time. It’s void-of-course for about five hours before it enters Leo at 7:43 AM. Here, we have the Moon in her strongest sign, in a trine aspect to our most fortunate planet, Jupiter. And so, this is a really lovely void-of-course Moon for planning family adventures, drafting plans to expand or improve your home, or even to move someplace new. Jupiter is still retrograde, so it’s not the time for final decisions about these things, but during this five-hour period, your intuition is probably unusually strong. So, if you’re on the West Coast of the U.S. where I am, when this will happen, when most of us sleep, maybe set a little intention for yourself before bedtime to invite these Jupiterian visions and then try to capture them when you wake up.
On Nov. 16th, the Moon in Leo makes a square to Mercury at 3:55 PM Pacific Time, it’s void-of-course for just over one hour before it enters Virgo at 5:03 PM. This is a brief little void-of-course Moon period in which the Moon in Leo, which is pretty certain about what it wants and needs, gets information from Mercury that might challenge that certainty. Mercury is still in Scorpio at this point seeing everything with that x-ray vision. So, you might run across some tough truths or negative feedback maybe about a creative project. But it’s okay – with the Moon in Virgo over the next couple of days, you can address whatever it is that needs fixing. But you couldn’t have done that unless you had gotten this information from Mercury.
On Nov. 19th, the Moon in Virgo opposes Jupiter at 12:47 AM Pacific Time. It’s void-of-course for just over two hours and enters Libra at 2:57 AM. When the Moon is in Virgo, we tend to be a little more cautious and like to proceed through all things incrementally. As the Moon opposes Jupiter, a more expansive and exciting view opens up about a recent project or something that you’re in the middle of right now. Now, many of us again will sleep through this void period, but if you’re a night owl or you are across the Atlantic from where I am here, sit with this aspect for a couple of hours and don’t let the Moon in Virgo shut down the call to adventure. But let it instead, temper our excesses, because Jupiter is very exuberant and can sometimes get us in over our heads.
Since the Sun and Mercury and Venus are all traveling closely together at the moment, they are making aspects to the same planets this week, so that’s how I am grouping things together by the main planets that are being aspected rather than strictly chronologically day to day. So, I hope it’s not too confusing? But it kind of made sense to do it this way.
The Sun trine Neptune (Nov. 14, 2022, 7:43 pm PST)
The Sun and Mars both aspect Neptune this week while Neptune is on the Sabian symbol for 23 Pisces, A materializing medium, which is also sometimes written as Spiritist Phenomena. It’s an ethereal degree for an ethereal planet, and, it’s a time when the curtain between this world and the next seems especially thin.
The Sun trines Neptune on Nov. 14 at 7:43 PM Pacific Time, at 22°44’ Scorpio, on the Sabian symbo, 23 Scorpio, A bunny metamorphosed into a fairy. So, the Sun in its annual Scorpio season helps to see what’s really going on within ourselves and with others. And, if given half a chance, it is a time of year when we can all metamorphose. The “bunny” in this symbol makes me think of the one in a magician’s act, so we can imagine ourselves being put in the hat and then reemerging in another magical form.
The trines to Neptune are always indicative of giving in to this process of ease and illusion and letting ourselves be seduced and enticed and lured into this feeling of comfortable unconsciousness. It’s really quite different than a lot of the other Scorpio imagery that we’ve been seeing in recent weeks.
Mars square Neptune (Nov. 19, 2022, 7:43 am PST)
On Nov. 19th, Mars squares Neptune at 7:43 AM Pacific Time, and this is the second of three squares that will form between them while Mars is in this extended transit through Gemini. The first square was on October 11 before Mars turned retrograde, and the last will be on March 14th, 2023. So, now is the time when trying to manifest Neptune’s magic on an earthly Mars plane is going to take some effort and possibly a little bit of the suspension of disbelief. Mars square Neptune is always a time too when I think we’re called upon to defend what it is we believe in, what we have faith in. So, that will be a little bit of a feature of this week as well.
Mercury sextile Pluto (Nov. 14, 2022, 6:27 pm PST)
This week, Mercury and the Sun will make sextile aspects to Pluto. Mercury sextiles Pluto on Nov. 14 at 6:27 PM Pacific Time at 26°27’ Scorpio and Capricorn. The Sabian symbols for this combination are 27 Scorpio, A military band on the march, and 27 Capricorn, A mountain pilgrimage. And after this very long period of Pluto at this degree, I don’t think any of us will ever forget this symbol!
So, these simply speak of proceeding with precision along our own particular strenuous path, “the mountain pilgrimage.” So, on the same day that the Sun is having its spa day with Neptune on the 14th, our Mercury minds will be shaking hands with Pluto, trying to get focused on what’s important and what’s real; and deploying our minds, our thoughts, our words with force and with power like that “military band,” that well practiced “band on the march.”
The Sun sextile Pluto (Nov. 18, 2022)
Then, on Nov. 18th, the Sun sextiles Pluto. Now normally, the Sun is focused on becoming ever more strongly itself and distinctive, while Pluto is insistent that we need to become something else, something more. So, in this sextile aspect between the Sun and Pluto, they can find a compromise. What if we make the kinds of Pluto changes that actually make us more fully ourselves, like getting rid of anything that’s false or that no longer really suits us? This kind of streamlining is empowering and that’s what Pluto wants.
Venus trine Jupiter (Nov. 15, 2022, 1:36 am PST)
Mercury trine Jupiter (Nov. 16, 2022, 7:43 am PST)
The Sun trine Jupiter (Nov. 20, 2022, 8:07 pm PST)
The Sun, Mercury, and Venus all make trine aspects to Jupiter this week, attracting connections, ideas, and resources to take our game to the next level. Venus leads the way on Nov. 15 at 1:36 AM Pacific Time with possibly a nice financial windfall or help from a friend. If you’ve been wanting to expand your business or go for a new job or promotion or take an ambitious vacation maybe, Venus and Jupiter coming together should bring you some luck. And Jupiter luck is of the nature of thinking positively and being willing to take chances.
Mercury then follows with its own trine to Jupiter on Nov. 16 at 7:43 AM. Giving the rational, logistical, analytical skills that we need to make the most of this lucky break, that’s what’s nice when Mercury comes together with Jupiter. Jupiter has these great ideas of things we might want to do, and Mercury says, “Okay, well what do we need to do to make this a reality?” And breaks things down into actionable steps.
And, as the Sun trines Jupiter on Nov. 20 at 08:07 PM Pacific Time, it gathers some healing and strength and optimism that have been in short supply during this Scorpio season. It is a tough season for the Sun, and this is just as the Sun is getting ready to slip into its Sagittarius season on the 22nd.
Venus enters Sagittarius (Nov. 15, 2022, 10:08 pm PST)
Mercury enters Sagittarius (Nov. 17, 2022, 12:42 am PST)
Finally, Mercury and Venus both enter Sagittarius this week. Venus enters the sign of the Archer first on Nov. 15 at 10:08 PM Pacific Time, followed by Mercury, on Nov. 17 at 12:42 AM. Now, Venus always by transit is telling us what will bring us pleasure in the weeks ahead until she enters Capricorn on December 9th. And what Sagittarius takes enormous pleasure in, is, new experiences, different cultures, new people. It loves novelty and it loves the great outdoors, be it taking a hike or ice skating if that’s happening where you are. And most of all, Sagittarius loves to laugh, so give yourself many opportunities for laughter, maybe a new book that really makes you belly laugh or watching some comedies or just hanging out with friends who always know how to break you up.
Mercury enters Sagittarius on Nov. 17 at 12:42 AM and stays there until it enters Capricorn on December 6th. Mercury can run into some problems in Sagittarius because it’s the sign of its detriment, it’s the sign opposite the one that Mercury rules, which is Gemini. Mercury loves collecting ideas, transient notions, playing with language, it loves to learn and it’s curious about everything. But Sagittarius wants us to sew all these little bits and pieces together to make one big thing, something meaningful. I think I’ve written of a similar combination before as being a little bit like making a quilt. Mercury pulls together all the little scraps and bits and pieces and odds and ends, and then Sagittarius designs a pattern for the quilt so that everything can get sewn in together, that’s something more than the sum of its parts.
For a really good discussion of this idea of planets that are in the signs of their detriment or fall, the signs in which they have a little bit of a difficult time getting their work done, I’d encourage you to go back to Episode 139, which was day one of the Podathon, and I had a great discussion with Astrologer Mel LaFara about planetary strengths. So, go back and listen to that one. She had some really interesting things to say.
Listener Question
This week’s listener question comes from listener Milton who writes, “What are Planetary Mours, Lunar Days and Lunar Mansions? And if they are astrological distinctions, how do the astrologically astute make use of them?”
Well, Milton, of the three systems that you mentioned, planetary hours are really the only ones I have that much familiarity with. In planetary hours, each hour of the day is ruled by one of the seven classical planets – so, the Sun through Saturn. It’s a very old system, possibly dating all the way back to Babylonian astrology and was really developed in the Hellenistic system. This system assigns the hours of each day to the planets in order from slowest to fastest moving. So, beginning with Saturn, then Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon, and they rule the hours of the day in this sequence.
Each day of the week is ruled by one of these planets. So, the Sun rules Sunday, the Moon rules Monday, Tuesday is ruled by Mars, Wednesday by Mercury, Thursday by Jupiter, Friday by Venus, and Saturday by Saturn. So, the first hour of each day beginning at Sunrise, is ruled by that day’s planetary ruler. So, on Monday, the first hour of the day is ruled by the Moon, and that’s the fastest moving planet. So then, in the next hour, the planetary order then begins again with the slowest moving planet, Saturn, which rules the second hour of Monday after sunrise. The hours are then ruled successively by Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, and Mercury and again the Moon in order.
So, that’s what they are. How are they used? I have seen them used in astrological magic, for electional astrology, which is when you choose or elect a particular moment to take an action. And I’ve also seen them used for performing rituals or observances that are related to a particular planet. For example, Kelly Surtees, a wonderful astrologer, shared an article about a Saturn ritual that she used that was initiated during the Saturn hour of Saturn’s day and then repeated during Saturn’s hour on each successive day. The idea of an observance like this is to attract the very most positive qualities of the planet, in this case, Saturn’s attributes like perseverance, self-discipline, constancy. It was a really inspiring post, and I did this ritual myself for a while with really interesting results. I will link to Kelly’s article in the show notes. I think you’d enjoy reading it.
Another friend, Dana Gerhart, writes about a Santeria ritual that she performs periodically for Venus related matters like love and money. She chooses a Friday, which is a Venus day during the season that the Sun is also in Taurus, and that’s the day that she performs the ritual. And I imagine that you could boost the symbolism even more by performing the ritual during Venus’ hour. So, I will link to that in the show notes as well. I have done that ritual myself before a couple of times with pretty amazing results I have to say.
Now, as for the Lunar Mansions, there are 28 Lunar Mansions, and these are commonly used really in Vedic Astrology. Lunar Mansions divide the 360 degree wheel by the Moon’s average motion, which is 12°, 51 minutes and 26 seconds per day. And this gives us 28 distinct positions that the Moon can occupy in the sky on any given night, one for each night of the lunar month. Each of these Mansions is associated with a particular star and has particular characteristics that make it well suited to particular electional or ritual purposes and attuned to particular talismanic properties. In the show notes, I’ll link to Ryan Butler’s Medieval Astrology guide website and a specific entry on the Lunar Mansions that I found really helpful.
And then, finally, Lunar Days are counted from the moment of the New Moon when the Sun and the Moon of course come together at the same degree of the same sign. Each lunar day following that until the next New Moon begins at moon rise in the given location where you are. So, Lunar Days are location specific. And the first Lunar Day can be really short. If you have a New Moon just before the Moon comes up, then your first Lunar Day is going to be really short.
Now, each lunar day is favored for particular activities and each of these days is associated with particular symbols, parts of the body, even precious stones. I found a particularly interesting article about that. I really knew nothing about the Lunar days, frankly, Milton, before you mention them so I found them interesting to read about. I’ll leave a link to that in the show notes.
And by the way, you can find the show notes in your app of choice. They should show up in the entry for this episode. But you can always go to the website bigskyastropod.com, and we have the full show notes with all the links, a full transcript and everything. Anyway, thank you for the question, Milton, and I hope that helps!
If you have a particular question about astrology that you would like to have me answer on a future episode, you can leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or just email me April(at)bigskyastrology(dot)com. And do be sure to put “Podcast question” in the subject line.
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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
