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TRANSCRIPT Ep. 165 | Sun in Pisces, Venus and Neptune, and the Beautiful Cloud!

TRANSCRIPT: EP. 165 | Sun in Pisces, Venus with Neptune: The Beautiful Cloud! (2.13.23)

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April: Hello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is February 13th, 2023. Welcome to Episode 165 of The Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, Valentine’s Day is flavored by Venus’ rapturous conjunction to romantic Neptune, but also by the Sun’s conjunction with realistic Saturn, and the aftermath of an emotionally intense Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio. The Sun enters its Pisces season, and Venus enters the sign of Aries. Plus, I answer a Listener Question about the best time to move into a new home.

Scorpio Last Quarter Moon (Feb. 13, 2023, 8:01 am PST)

We begin this week with the Moon Report, and a Last Quarter Moon at 24°40’ Scorpio on February 13th at 8:01 AM Pacific Time. This Last Quarter Moon is in an opposition with Uranus, and it’s square the Sun and Saturn. So, we know that there’s a lot of energy behind this Last Quarter Moon. We’ve been having a lot of lunations recently that are in aspect to Uranus, and it generally brings some fairly disruptive experiences and sometimes some really unexpected surprises. Not all of them are that welcome.

The Last Quarter Moon Phase is always the moment in the Lunar Cycle for looking back and assessing our progress. The last New Moon was on January 21st at 1°32’ Aquarius, and this is the Last Quarter in this particular New Moon Phase. So, how are we doing with the things that we hoped for or initiated at that New Moon? By now we have a pretty good sense of how far we’ve come and what we need to do, realistically, to fine tune and possibly change direction so that we can reach our goal.

But of course, it’s also the Last Quarter in a Lunar Phase Family, and this one began with the New Moon on November 14th, 2020. That was a New Moon that was sextile the conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in Capricorn. In many ways, this is the last critical moment in that cycle that began then that had so many opportunities for us. Now, with those opportunities came a lot of hard work with the Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto altogether in Capricorn, but there was an opening, and now we’re writing the last critical chapter in that story.

I think this Last Quarter Moon in particular is about breaking old patterns. Anytime we see something connecting with Uranus, that is the hope. And in this case, it’s the Sun together with Saturn square Uranus, the Moon oppose Uranus, square the Sun and Saturn. It’s that same old Saturn Uranus story that we have been telling since 2021 when they came together in a series of exact squares. So, we are trying to break old patterns and trying to confront our fears and our self-limitations, and that is the combination of the Sun with Saturn, which I’ll talk about a little bit later in this episode.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s take a look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. The first is on February 13th when the Moon in Scorpio makes a sextile aspect to Pluto at 3:52 PM Pacific Time. It’s then void-of-course for just about an hour and a half before it enters Sagittarius at 5:31 PM. Here is an opportunity to clear the emotional air, to release some grudges and negativity and lack of trust. You know, each month as the Moon is in Scorpio, at some point it connects with the South Node of the Moon, and that is a point that’s been telling us for nearly a year and a half that the path forward in our personal growth begins with letting go of this kind of negative emotional energy. So, this is a Void-of-Course Moon for really doing a good dump of that, as this Moon is sextile Pluto.

Then on February 15th, the Moon in Sagittarius sextiles Saturn at 5:06 PM Pacific Time. It’s void-of-course for just about four hours and enters Capricorn at 9:00 PM. This is a Void-of-Course Moon for tempering that Sagittarian exuberance with a little bit of Saturn’s discipline and organization. Now is a time, says Saturn, to take all of this wonderful Sagittarian enthusiasm and all of these ideas that we can have while the Moon is in Sagittarius, by giving them just a little bit more form, a little bit more structure.

On February 17th, the Moon in Capricorn makes a conjunction with Pluto at 8:18 PM. It’s void-of-course for about an hour and 15 minutes, then enters Aquarius at 9:35 PM. So, this goes back a little bit to the Moon’s sextile Pluto on February 13th where we were being invited by Pluto to let some things go, but now as the Moon is in a conjunction with Pluto, anything that we didn’t release willingly at the Moon Pluto sextile, is now being pushed out the hard way and we are forced to confront difficult emotions. Now, this is a very fast Void-of-Course Moon, then the Moon will enter Aquarius, which tends to be more forward thinking rather than being stuck in the past. But nevertheless, this is a critical Void-of-Course Moon period this week for taking a look at what we’ve still got lying around emotionally that isn’t doing a lot for us and see what we can do to release that.

Finally, on February 19th, the Moon in Aquarius makes a conjunction with Saturn at 6:00 PM Pacific Time, is void-of-course for about three hours, before entering Pisces at 8:56 PM. So, this goes back to February 15th and the Moon in Sagittarius sextile to Saturn, and that opportunity to rein things in, and now it’s become a little bit more of an imperative. The Moon in Aquarius is a lot less exuberant than Sagittarius. Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn and tends to be quite focused and looking toward the future. But the fact remains that the Moon and Saturn are odd bedfellows, and when the Moon is connecting with Saturn, it’s easy to kind of lose track of what it is that we are feeling and wanting and so focused on the future and future goals and what we’re imagining for ourselves down the line, that we’re not necessarily finding it easy to be emotionally present. This is a good Void-of-Course Moon period to think about that a little bit, to meditate on it in whatever way you do that.

Venus conjoins Neptune (Feb. 15, 2023, 4:25 am PST)

On February 15th at 4:25 AM Pacific Time, Venus makes a conjunction with Neptune at 24°04’ Pisces, on the Sabian symbol, 25 Pisces, The purging of the priesthood. Now, this does affect Valentine’s Day. We’re probably feeling a transit of Venus at least one day in advance of it being exact. This happens pretty early on the morning of the 15th. So really, Valentine’s Day has this cloud of Venus conjunct Neptune around it. Now, that’s a beautiful cloud. We have a tendency when Venus is together with Neptune to see everything as the best possible version of itself. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with that – unless of course you’re putting your faith in the wrong people or the wrong ideas.

Valentine’s Day is very much a fantasy, and a lot of the time we get wrapped up in the romance of it and perhaps feeling a little sorry for ourselves if we don’t have the kind of romantic relationship that we wish we had or perhaps if our partner doesn’t make the kinds of romantic gestures that we wish that they would.

But think about that Sabian symbol, The purging of the priesthood. The idea here is to get rid of what is false, that false element of Neptune, the false priest, the false guru, the false bringer of Neptune faith, but also illusion. So, I look at this Venus conjunction with Neptune and think, it’s easy to get lost in the ideal of what we would like things to be, but we can also see this as an opportunity to fall in love with the reality of the life we’re building on our own or the person that we’re with, will love a partner because every day they are there with you and helping you build a life that may not be super romantic, and that in a lot of ways it’s the antithesis of romance, but it’s very beautiful nevertheless.

Sun conjoins Saturn (Feb. 16, 2023, 8:48 am PST)

The very next day on February 16th at 8:48 AM Pacific Time, the Sun makes its conjunction with Saturn at 27°44’ Aquarius. And very much like the Venus conjunction with Neptune, this Sun conjunction with Saturn is very much present on Valentine’s Day and brings that sobering realization that Venus with Neptune sometimes lacks. Things are not always beautiful and romantic day to day, not just with a partner, but anything that we idealize, the perfect job, the perfect vacation, the perfect home, and the Sun coming together with Saturn says there is no such thing. There is only the reality of the moment. It is a pragmatic point of view. The Sabian symbol for 28 Aquarius is A tree felled and sawed. And I’ve probably said before when I’ve spoken about this symbol, I never like to see trees brought down, I love them so much, but there are times either when the tree is not well or necessity requires that we use wood from a tree and saw it up to create a shelter. This symbol, and this aspect, speak of that kind of pragmatism.

The nice thing about the Sun coming together with Saturn is, we’re finally almost over the hump of the exhaustion and struggle that we can feel as the Sun is approaching the conjunction to Saturn. And I think we begin to feel that from the moment the Sun enters the sign of Saturn, which it did in this case, on January 20th. So now, we’re turning a little bit of a corner and beginning to see the way forward.

Sun enters Pisces (Feb. 18, 2023, 2:34 pm PST)

On February 18th at 2:34 PM Pacific Time, the Sun enters Pisces. It’ll be in this gentle, beautiful sign until March 20th. The nature of Pisces is mutable, and by that we mean, it’s changeable, it’s flexible, it goes with the flow. And it is a water sign; water represents the inner life. When the Sun enters a sign each month, the question is, what is it that lights us up on the inside? And when the Sun is in Pisces, it’s imagination, romance, music, painting and photography and film. It might seem ironic that I’m suggesting giving over to those feelings of imagination and romance when I was just talking about the downside of that with Venus conjunct Neptune. I think part of the difference for me is that Venus coming together with Neptune in a lot of ways describes what we’re looking for to complete us. I think Venus has that quality about it, and that’s why we associate it with relationship where in the back of our minds we’re looking for the person who brings to the table what it is that we feel we lack.

The Sun in Pisces, although Pisces is associated with Neptune, is quite a lot different because we’re talking about the energy of self. What is it that we are evolving to become and what is it that will charge our battery and any particular time? So, as the Sun is in Pisces, the same things that can undermine a relationship that is based in maybe not seeing people exactly as they are or having expectations even though they’re a little bit unrealistic, those same things when it’s the Sun with Pisces are giving us energy and creative spark. This year, this is also the season when Saturn will move into Pisces, which is an entirely different story that is coming up on March 7th and beginning next week leading up to that transit, I am going to be talking about the influence of Saturn in Pisces through the houses of the Chart in aspect to planets.

Venus enters Aries (Feb. 19, 2023, 11:56 pm PST)

Venus enters Aries on February 19th at 11:56 PM Pacific Time. It will be in this sign through March 16th. Transits of Venus ask, what is it that we enjoy? What brings us pleasure? What do we want to have? And as I said a few minutes ago, what makes us feel complete? Venus in the sign of Aries enjoys moving fast and challenging itself. So, this might be a season of getting a new car, doing something to our old one, a new bicycle, a new motorcycle, a new horse, something that we can get on and ride and ride fast. Aries also enjoys being physically active. This might be a time of picking up a new sport or rediscovering one that you used to enjoy or just getting out and getting some physical exercise as we’re coming into the more temperate seasons of the year. Venus rules relationships and relationships tend to move fast while Venus is in Aries. And, we might be a little less prudent in our spending habits as well. We might tend to be a little bit impulsive in our spending choices.

Above all, when Venus is in Aries, I think this is a several week period when we do well to start something new and give it some love. Any new interest or hobby or practice that just brings us pleasure is probably the best way we can acknowledge Venus going into Aries.

Listener Question

In this week’s Listener Question, listener David asks, “I’m planning to move soon. Are there special times that are especially favorable for moving to another place? Any special Lunation Phases or transits? Are there days on which moving would not be advised?”

April: Well, David, thank you very much for that question and congratulations on your upcoming move. As some of you will recall, on my last episode, I answered a question about Horary Astrology and I said that it shared some rules with what is called Electional Astrology, which is choosing the best time to take action. And David, I believe your question falls under this umbrella. In Electional Astrology, the Moon is the most important thing to look at, and I think that’s especially true in this case because the Moon is closely connected with home and with living spaces. The Moon’s sign and its aspect to other planets while it’s in that sign are a good place to start. Now, all things being equal, I would like to choose a day when the Moon is in one of its strongest signs, Taurus or Cancer, or at least avoid its difficult signs, Capricorn and Scorpio.

These days this means waiting until the Moon in Taurus is past its conjunction with Uranus, which will tend to make a situation a little bit unstable. And the Moon in Cancer is kind of difficult altogether because it’s last aspect these days is usually but not always an opposition to Pluto. And Pluto is by no means the planet you want to have at your housewarming party.

You asked, David, about lunations. Generally speaking, the Waxing Moon is favored for new enterprises like moving into a new place because the Moon is gathering light, there’s a lot of energy expanding during the Waxing Moon, so, between the New Moon and the Full Moon. I would tend to probably give a little more emphasis to the aspects that the Moon is making while it’s in its sign, and in particular the last aspect that it will make in that sign as it’s going Void-of-Course. We’re looking at this every week during the Moon Report as we look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods and how they are flavored by the Moon’s last aspect in its sign before it changes over to the next.

If you see a lot of squares and oppositions or conjunctions with Saturn through Pluto for the Moon while it’s in a sign, this could end up being a home that either has structural problems or problems with the landlord or the neighbors or an area that has serious problems. It just talks about a lack of flow. I would tend to avoid days when there are other challenging aspects happening, such as this week’s Sun conjunction with Saturn, for example. I think if you get past the conjunction by a couple of days, that’s probably okay. I would certainly avoid buying a place while Mercury or Venus are retrograde. I might avoid moving in with Mercury retrograde as well, although I would have to look at everything else involved to make that determination. It’s not fatal, it’s not a non-starter. I would certainly avoid moving on an Eclipse if possible. That becomes pertinent this spring. I think we have eclipses in April and maybe one in May or maybe just both of them are in April.

I once moved on the weekend of an Eclipse that was exactly conjunct my 4th House Cusp, and that is the house of home where you live. I moved in and found that my downstairs neighbor played his stereo with the bass turned up 24/7 and that rhythmic “boom, boom, boom” just drove me nuts. I ended up only staying there about five weeks!

So, once you’ve narrowed down a day that looks good, you can fine tune the time and the time can be based on when you sign a lease or maybe when you move in the first piece of furniture. But at that time, I would try to get a fixed sign on the ascendant, so Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius rising on the Eastern horizon, because that describes stability and staying there for a while. Of course, if you have the experience I did with a guy with the booming base, you might not want to stay there for a long time! – so there’s a downside as well, sometimes, to a fixed descendant. Avoid Mars and the outer planets being close to the angles of the chart, the Cusp of the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses.

Now, you might ask about your birth chart and how that is involved in all of this. When it comes to Electional Astrology, I really give primary attention to the chart for the event itself. Now that said, if I’m looking at your chart, I’m seeing transiting Mars coming into your 4th House or in hard aspect to your Moon, I might advise waiting – because Mars normally moves pretty quickly, so you could probably hold off for a month or so. Mars can be a symbol of conflict or disruption. But, if you are having a transit of Saturn through Pluto making the same kinds of aspects, well you usually don’t have the luxury of waiting them out, they are just there for too long.

But if we know that there is a planet that’s making that kind of aspect, we can come up with measures to maybe remediate the negative expression of the transit. So, if it’s Neptune moving through your 4th, maybe I would advise moving near water or near a place of worship or incorporating a fountain or some religious iconography. Something like Saturn going through the 4th or aspecting the Moon might favor living on a hill or in the mountains, so that kind of thing.

David, I hope that helps and I thank you for the question. Again, good luck with your move.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email me at april@bigskyastrology.com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

Well, that is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. Consider leaving a rating or a review, and most of all, I hope that you’ll spread the word about the show by telling an astrology loving 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’s shown support for the podcast over the past year. On each episode, I’m thanking some donors by name. This week, I’m giving a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to Debra Alexander and Kristen Jennings.

April: Debra and Kristen, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.

If you missed the Podathon and would like to support the show, please go to bigskyastropod.com

Because we’re getting quite a ways into the Capricorn Solstice Season, if you donate $7 or more, I will send you a link to access the bonus episode that was released just after the Solstice, and you’ll also get the upcoming bonus episodes for the Aries Equinox and the Cancer Solstice.

That is it for this episode. Join me again, brighten early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!

© 2023 by April Elliott Kent

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