TRANSCRIPT Episode 199
« Listen and read show notesHello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is September 11th, 2023. Welcome to Episode 199 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week: The Virgo New Moon tastes a lot like Neptune. Mercury goes direct, the Sun makes a kindly aspect to Uranus, and Venus makes a final square to Jupiter. And I answer a listener question about what the signs want.
But before we get started with today’s episode, I hope you enjoyed last week’s daily Podathon episodes! Just a reminder that tonight at 11:59 pm Pacific time is your last chance to donate $25 or more and be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a reading with me, one of my courses, or one of my personal eclipse reports! Just go to bigskyastropod.com, where you can make a one-time donation in any amount or become a regular monthly contributor. And if you donate just $10 or more, you’ll get access to my special episodes for the equinoxes and solstices!
Virgo New Moon (Sep. 14, 2023, 6:40 pm PDT)
The week begins with the Moon report and the Virgo New Moon on September 14th at 6:40 PM Pacific Time. It’s at 21º 58’ Virgo on the Sabian symbol 22 Virgo, A royal coat of arms. James Burgess, whose take on the Sabian symbols I always really enjoy, said that this symbol really talks about leadership, authority and responsibility.
We don’t always think of Virgo as being a royal sign – We think of royalty when we think of coats of arms – and we don’t really think of it much as a leadership sign either. But consider Elizabeth I, one of England’s greatest monarchs. She was born with the Sun in Virgo, and opposed Neptune, sextile Saturn and Uranus, and trine Pluto.
Now this New Moon is also opposed Neptune and also in aspect to Uranus and Pluto. Virgo is a sign of caretaking in its way. It’s about how we help make the world run a little bit better for the people around us. It is a sign that is often associated with health and the things that we do to contribute to our good health. Seeing it in combination with Neptune in this New Moon chart says that we’re beginning a cycle that is about stepping into our own leadership and our sense of authority and responsibility, and especially for other people. This is taking into account the people around us who are weak or ill or just in need.
Because the New Moon is in aspect with Uranus, it’s in a nice trine, this is about leadership that is outside the box, coming up with new solutions for everyday problems. And because of the aspect of Pluto from the New Moon, I get a feeling that the things we do to try to help others could make a real meaningful transformation in their lives.
I know often at the New Moon, we like to set goals or intentions, kind of make promises to ourselves. And you can see by putting 21º 58’ Virgo into a house of your chart, we see that the matters related to that house are the ones that you have an opportunity to make some headway with at this New Moon.
Not only the 29-day New Moon cycle, but for the duration of the lunar phase family cycle that begins at each New Moon. So the intentions that you set at this New Moon can have far reaching consequences and you can have several years to make something of them. It’s kind of a nice New Moon. It has a lot of good flowing energy between the Sun and Moon with Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto. It’s a nice time to set into motion things that are practical in nature because the flowing aspects involve planets in Earth signs. Earth signs like to actually complete something, do something, have something to show for their efforts. If you’ve been thinking about taking a big leap of faith and starting some kind of new project, something that you’ve never done before, then this actually would be a really good New Moon for it.
The First Quarter phase in this Lunar Phase Family cycle is exact on June 13th, 2024, and that will be about the time that some kind of action can be taken on the thing that you’re conceiving of at this New Moon. The Full Moon in the cycle is on March 13th, 2025, which sounds so far away, but I know it’ll be here before we know it. That’s when you’ll begin to really see what is developing, what has come from the little seeds that you’re planting now. And then the Last Quarter in the cycle is December 11th, 2025, when we often make our final push to complete the thing that we began way back at this New Moon. Then that last quarter phase continues for about nine months, and then we begin another one.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. The first is on September 12th when the Moon in Leo squares Uranus at 8:06 AM Pacific Time at 22º 59’ Leo and Taurus. It’s Void-of-Course for just a little over two hours, and then enters Virgo at 10:18 PM. This is a combination that speaks to me of real willfulness. Leo is a very willful sign. It is reluctant to change. It is reluctant to give up its advantage. When the Moon is in Leo, it taps into that part of us that doesn’t want to be one of many. It wants to feel special. But the square Uranus is a good reminder that being special isn’t everything. It can also feel amazing to belong to a group.
On September 15th, the Moon in Virgo Trines Pluto at 6:49 AM Pacific Time is Void-of-Course for about four hours, and then enters Libra at 10:44 AM. Virgo is the sign of self-containment, of self-sufficiency. Think back again to Elizabeth I, she was called the Virgin Queen, and virgin in the sense of being complete unto herself, of not having to give away some of her sovereign power to a spouse. So Virgo’s self-sufficiency and the Moon in this sign as it trines Pluto is a moment to contemplate how being independent and self-contained actually contributes to our personal power.
On September 17th, the Moon in Libra Squares Pluto at 6:06 PM Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just a little under two hours before it enters Scorpio at 9:58 PM. So Libra, in contrast to Virgo, discovers itself most fully through interactions with others through important relationships. The Libran urge toward diplomacy and its aversion to conflict is put to the test under a square from Moon in Libra to Pluto.
Pluto’s very tough, and Pluto represents those moments where you have to take a stand one way or another. So if you tend to be a little too apt to be conciliatory in interactions with others instead of exerting your own power, here is a Void-of-Course Moon period to think about that and think about ways in which you can take a step or make a promise to yourself to reclaim that power by asserting what you believe is fair and just.
Mercury stations Direct (Sep. 15, 2023, 1:21 pm PDT)
Mercury turns direct on September 15th at 1:21 PM Pacific Time, at 8º Virgo on the Sabian symbol 8 Virgo, First dancing instruction. Mercury turned retrograde on August 23rd, and it’s been, I think, a little bit of a tricky Mercury retrograde period. I think because it’s been in combination with Venus retrograde for so much of the time.
This Sabian symbol hints at the awkwardness that we can sometimes feel once Mercury starts to move forward again, that it’s not all immediately flowing. Mercury returning direct is starting to break up a block of six retrograde planets that was in place last week as of the time that Jupiter turned retrograde.
For a moment there we had six planets that were retrograde, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. So when that is the case and we have so many planets that are retrograde, it just generally is a time for slowing down a little bit, relaxing and not trying to push things. That instead, we kind of go with the flow. But now as Mercury’s turning direct, and then about once a month we will have some of the outer planets turning direct as well, it begins to feel a little more of an advantageous time to begin to move forward and to take action on some of the things we’ve been thinking about while Mercury’s retrograde.
Sun trine Uranus (Sep. 15, 2023, 6:24 pm PDT)
Also on September 15th at 6:24 PM Pacific Time, the Sun makes a trine aspect to Uranus on 22º 56’ Virgo and Taurus. The Sabian symbol for the Sun is 23 Virgo, An animal trainer, and the symbol for Uranus is 23 Taurus, A jewelry shop. I know when we had Mars trine Uranus on these degrees a couple of weeks ago, I think I talked about how Mars being on this symbol is about restraining those Mars urges toward conflict, toward anger, toward standing up for ourselves, but sometimes in a somewhat aggressive way.
And I think as the Sun is on this degree, it’s reminding us to restrain the ego in order to get ultimately what we want. Virgo is an earth sign. We often forget that we dwell so much on Virgos reputation for being intellectual, and it’s ruled by Mercury. It’s a smart sign, but it’s also an earth sign. It has this kind of animalistic side that has to be tamed. It’s a little bit of a diamond in the rough a lot of the time. And so it’s trine Uranus on the jewelry shop degree, and I think that there is a connection there.
I always think that the Sun in any kind of aspect to Uranus, and I’ve said this pretty often on the podcast, I think is about freeing ourselves from the ideas that we hold about who we are and who we have to be. So let’s look at this aspect this week as an opportunity to get out of our own way a little bit, to give up that idea of who we have to be and to free ourselves up to explore other alternatives.
Venus square Jupiter (Sep. 17, 2023, 12:18 pm PDT)
On September 17th at 12:18 PM Pacific Time, Venus makes the last of three square aspects to Jupiter. The other two squares in this series were on June 11th and August 22nd. And they’ve been very interesting aspects for examining conflict between what we want – Venus – and either getting too much of it or not handling it really well when we get it.
I think this last of the square aspects with Venus being direct is about how we can bounce back and regain our optimism even when we don’t get quite what we want or things don’t go in exactly the way we had hoped. So this could be finishing up something that started in June. It’s like a little story that started then.
It could have been about something fairly small, but it could have been something about an expenditure or a relationship or something with money generally. Because Venus is associated with things like finances and relationship. It could have been something that wasn’t super major that started then, but that it’s been a little bit of a process of learning about how to handle disappointment or how to handle getting too much of a good thing, which is also something we could see with Venus and Jupiter in aspect together.
Listener Question: What Do the Signs Want?
In this week’s listener question, Listener Elliott asks, “As Venus goes direct, I’ve been thinking about all types of relationships and what each sign most wants when trying to put together a team or make a sale or present the ideal pitch or when you’re already stuck on a team and just want things to go more smoothly.
What are some of the things each Zodiac sign finds most appealing? Most enticing? For example, I know Sag will wanna be sold on an adventure element and not want to be tied down, but what on earth does the stubborn Taurus in my life want when working with each zodiac sign? What sells best, not trying to manipulate others, just trying to help my life breeze more than it grinds for everyone’s sake.”
Thank you, Elliott. What a practical question. What does each Zodiac sign want? On one hand, it’s simple, but of course it can be pretty complicated. In practice, a Sagittarian can have its ruling planet Jupiter in a sign like Capricorn, which is better at following through on things. A person with a Sun and Taurus might have a handful of planets in Gemini and be a lot less set in its ways.
But the simple approach to the question is based in the Sun’s placement in the sign, this takes us into the realm of stereotypes. But like a Sun sign column, it can work a little bit because the Sun is a powerful symbol of the motor that runs our lives and what we see as our true purpose.
So I’m going to answer your question from a very rudimentary Sun sign perspective and remind everyone that this is really just a starting point and that there is not just one kind of Taurus, one kind of Sagittarius, one kind of anything. But if we speak to the Sun in a person, we speak to their sense of importance and pride, and that’s a good way to start to make a connection with someone.
With that caveat, what does the stubborn Taurus in your life want? You mentioned the idea of working with people on a team, and of course this can be work related or a team of family members or friends, whatever the situation.
What Taurus wants is safety, security, and comfort, and the desire to keep things stable can sometimes show up as stubbornness. As a fixed sign, Taurus is often a superb manager and organizer. Show honest appreciation for these qualities and be grateful for their ability to provide security for others as well as for themselves.
I think you nailed Sagittarius pretty well, Elliott. This is a sign that finds itself through adventure and learning, and this requires them to be as free as possible. Appreciate Sagittarius’ visionary ideas. Just know that it’s best to look to fixed or cardinal signs to turn those ideas into a reality.
Well, shall I go through each sign? Okay. Let’s do it in reverse order though, because Pisces always has to be patient and wait till the end. Pisces likes to be part of the gang. It’s not a sign that loves taking care of details generally, but they do tend to love people. If you need someone who can improve the esprit de corps, the mood of the situation, Pisces is a very good bet because they have a way of making everything more fun and uplifting.
What comes to mind with Aquarius is they don’t like to be cooped up or told what to do, and they hate standing in line for things. Take meetings outdoors in the fresh, take meetings outdoors in the fresh air if you can. Let them give their opinions, it’s very important to Aquarius. And don’t expect them to do the same thing in the same way day after day. It’s really not what they were built for.
Capricorn likes to have rules and an agenda. It wants to know, what are we here for and how can we get it done as efficiently as possible? Capricorn is built for achieving goals and it tends to be impatient with haziness or time wasting. They tend to be good leaders if a little bit tough because they push themselves hard and they expect others to do their best as well.
Scorpio will be most intrigued by either a mess or a mystery. Give them a chance to get to the bottom of things. This is a natural researcher and problem solver, and they really are at their best when things are an unholy mess. Scorpio thrives in organizing chaos and bringing order to things.
Libra likes collaboration, it’s true, but they feel it’s their job to present opposing viewpoints as well. They appreciate the mental challenge of playing devil’s advocate. Libra excels at figuring out how things work, so give them a challenge. This is one of the signs that really needs mental stimulation.
Virgo, above all, wants to be helpful. It is a sign that loves designing systems for efficiency, enjoys troubleshooting problems and repairing things. Virgo detests waste, so they’re naturally suited to designing systems for monitoring the use of resources. They are personally offended when things are done poorly or when their helpful natures are taken advantage of.
Our friend Leo needs to feel important, needs to be noticed, needs you to laugh at their jokes, but never at them. Do these things and Leo will move heaven and earth for you. Like its fellow fixed signs, Taurus, Scorpio, and Aquarius, Leo is extremely loyal. Put Leo in charge and you’ll find they’re generally good managers. They’re not really built to be one of the gang. They really need to feel indispensable and in charge.
Cancer is at its best when it’s creating a situation where people can thrive. They’re very sensitive, including to their surroundings and can feel pretty cranky if they’re not comfortable, or if their surroundings are smelly, noisy, or otherwise, not to their liking. They get their feelings hurt easily, and they don’t like to show it. If they begin to close down and stop talking, you know it’s time to get in there and offer some sympathy.
Gemini is made to communicate and to facilitate connections They need to be in motion and they do not respond well to boredom. Like Libra and Aquarius, they need to be mentally engaged and intellectually challenged. They’re often good writers, so put them to work sending out the company newsletter or writing copy for social media.
Aries is impatient and likes to keep things short and to the point. The standing meeting was probably created for or by an Aries. This is a pioneering sign that does not like to do things they’ve done before. If there’s something new that needs to be started or developed, Aries will love that challenge.
I hope that helps, Elliott. Again, these are based on the pure archetypes of each sign, and people are not signs. But these are not a bad place to start when you’re working in a team or have teamwork foist upon you as a way to begin to understand and connect with others.
And if you, invisible friend, have a question that you’d like me to answer on a future episode, just leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email me at April(at)bigskyastrology(dot).com and put “Podcast question” in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
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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!
© 2023 by April Elliott Kent
