TRANSCRIPT Ep. 202 | Mars square Pluto: Relationship Report Card! (10.2.23)
« Listen and read show notes here
Mercury opposed Neptune (Oct. 2, 2023, 8:34 am PDT)
Mercury makes two important aspects this week. On October 2nd at 8:34 a.m. Pacific Time, it opposes Neptune at 25º54’ Virgo and Pisces. Both Mercury in Virgo and Neptune in Pisces are strong in the signs that they rule, and this is a very stark example of opposites. Mercury in Virgo prefers to take the logical approach to things. Neptune in Pisces is much more intuitive. So with this opposition, we are asked to balance-which is always the mandate of an opposition, to find balance-logic with imagination. Busyness with rest and organization with spontaneity.
Mercury trine Pluto (Oct. 3, 2023, 12:19 pm PDT)
The next day on October 3rd at 12. 19pm Mercury trines Pluto at 27º54’ Virgo and Pisces. The Sabian symbol for Mercury is 28 Virgo, A bald headed man who has seized power. It’s sometimes written simply as A bald headed man, but I like using the more expanded version here because it does speak of the power element of Pluto. Mercury in Virgo has been about developing practical tools, writing instructions, coming up with ideas and techniques about how to do things on a practical level. And at this trine to Pluto, they can actually help us in giving our message or our work more power and more influence.
Mercury enters Libra (Oct. 4, 2023, 5:08 pm PDT)
The next day on October 4th at 5:08 p.m. Pacific Time, Mercury enters Libra. It’ll be in Libra through October 21st. Libra is actually a pretty comfortable sign for Mercury, especially for mastering the new techniques that we explored while Mercury was in Virgo.
Libra is actually really good at solving puzzles and coming up with systems of doing things. It is, of course, also very good for collaborating with others to brainstorm new ideas of how to get things done. While Mercury is in Libra, through October 21st, pay attention to the old adage that says we have two ears and only one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Mars opposes the North Node (Oct. 4, 2023, 9:06 am PDT)
Mars opposes the North Node of the Moon on October 4th at 9:06 a.m. Pacific Time at 24º57’ Libra and Aries. When Mars is transiting over the South Node of the Moon, it can do one of a couple things. It can kick us out of the nest, so that we get out of our comfort zone and move toward the North Node, where we are being asked to stand on our own and go after what we want as individuals. Or it can, especially with the Mars-Pluto square later in the week that I’ll talk about, it can get us mired in conflict that can keep us from getting ahead. Now, this opposition is within a few degrees of the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Libra that’s coming up on October 14th. So, it’s an important time to be paying attention to how we’re dealing with conflict. And, about how we might be letting our relationships with other people hold us back from moving forward on an important individual path.
Cancer Last Quarter Moon (Oct. 6, 2023, 6:45 am PDT)
And now it’s time for the Moon Report for the week of October 2nd. It begins with a Cancer Last Quarter Moon on October 6th at 6:48 a.m. Pacific Time at 13º2’ Cancer and Libra. The Moon is on the Sabian symbol 14 Cancer, A very old man facing a vast, dark space to the northeast, and the Sabian symbol for the Sun is 14 Libra, A noon siesta. At the Cancer Last Quarter moon, we look back, like the old man facing a vast, dark space to the northeast. And perhaps it’s time to rest a little and prepare for the last part of the lunar cycle, a bit of a noon siesta time.
Cancer is a nostalgic sign, and it’s a sign about belonging, belonging to a family, a community, a tribe. Do you have that sense of belonging in your life right now? Does it feel important for you to find more belonging?
We were recently watching a program on Netflix about these so-called Blue Zones, where there is a larger than normal percentage of people living into old age, including into their 100s, with a lot of vibrancy and good physical health. And one of the things that was emphasized over and over in these areas was the sense of belonging to their society, to their community, to their tribe. So what does that mean in your life? Are there maybe family members right now who need more from you, and how is that impacting other areas of your life, your partnerships, your work?
This Last Quarter Moon concludes the work that began at the Virgo New Moon on September 14th, or at least the initial phase of that work, which was something about the purification of our objectives, about having better healthiness. The desire to have a life that’s simpler and more useful. That is work that will continue. Of course, we don’t achieve that in a single 28-day period. But at this Last Quarter, it’s time to examine at least what role family plays in that vision of a healthier, simpler, and more useful life.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the Last Quarter in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began with the New Moon on July 9th, 2021 at 18º01’ Cancer. The First Quarter in that cycle was on April 8th, 2022, and the Full Moon was on January 6th of this year, 2023.
The way the Lunar Phase Family Cycle works is at each New Moon. We follow that degree, in this case 18ºCancer, and every nine months we’ll see an important lunation near that same degree. So that First Quarter on April 8th, 2022 was at 19º24’ Cancer, very close to the New Moon degree. The Full Moon in January 2023 was at 16º Cancer, and now this one is at 13º Cancer.
So basically, a story begins at the New Moon, and in this case, it was a New Moon story, a family. And we have been refining that story every nine months since, until now we are at the Last Quarter, the final chapter in the story begins, and will follow through for the next nine months to bring this cycle to completion.
So, it’s been a long, evolving story of family. And at the same time, it’s only now, really, I think that we’re beginning to understand these questions of family and belonging, and it was something that was put into motion back at that New Moon in July 2021. And we’ve been getting closer and closer to an awareness of what it is we need in this area of our lives.
Void-of-Course Moon Periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On October 2nd, the Moon in Taurus trines Pluto at 6:19 PM Pacific Time, is Void of Course for about 3 ¾ hours, and then enters Gemini at 10:03 PM.
Here is the pattern that needs changing at this Void-of-Course Moon period. Patience and taking it easy are often called laziness. And the Moon in Taurus does represent this lovely, measured approach to life. But sometimes we castigate ourselves for acting in that way, for moving more slowly, for taking it easy, for trying to enjoy life a little bit more.
But what if this is the approach that will really symbolize power? A trine to Pluto says we are getting closer to power and either that means we are being overpowered and we’re not resisting it or we ourselves are assuming power.
Either way we look at it, we know when taking a more relaxed approach to things actually opens us up to receive more from the universe. We know the difference between that expression of the Moon in Taurus and the one that just is a little lazy and doesn’t really get anything done. Either way you approach and conceive of taking it easy will determine how you access power.
On October 4th, the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune at 9:37 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s void of course for about 8 hours, and then enters Cancer on October 5th at 5:31 a.m. Now, Gemini is very good at multitasking. It usually manages to keep all the balls in the air while it’s juggling, but when the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune, we might drop a few of those balls here and there.
If you live in a place where this Void-of-Course period takes place at night, you could have some very lively and useful dreams. If these are your waking hours, try to arrange things so that you can indulge your imagination and maybe not have to juggle so much.
And, on October 7th, the Moon in Cancer opposes Pluto at 12:11 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s void of course for just a little over four hours, before it enters Leo at 4:24 p.m. Here is our old friend, the Moon in Cancer, making yet another opposition to Pluto, and leading into tomorrow’s Mars-Pluto square. This aspect is our monthly reminder to let ourselves feel what we feel, to find power and empowerment in the access that the Moon in Cancer gives us to our emotions. Pluto in Capricorn can sometimes feel as if, if we’re not as tough as possible and just unapologetically trying to get as much power for ourselves as we can in a worldly sense – that we’re just really not trying. But the Moon in Cancer says, no, there’s so much power -and it’s like I was talking about with the Last Quarter Moon in Cancer -that the connections we have in our lives, the emotional, social connections with others, are what can be a source of power for us.
Mars square Pluto (Oct. 8, 2023, 6:04 pm PDT)
Mars squares Pluto on October 8th at 6:04 pm Pacific Time at 27º53’ Libra and Capricorn. This is the final square in a synodic cycle between these two planets, which began on March 3rd, 2022, at 27º50’ Capricorn. Now, they’re at roughly the same degree and minutes now, but they are in signs that are square to one another. The conjunction between Mars and Pluto, which we had back in March, is usually related to using our physical energy and personal will in the service of something larger than ourselves. But at the conjunction, there is a sense of pressure that comes with those two planets coming into contact with each other. At the time of their conjunction in March of last year, we were coming off an intense series of conjunctions between Venus and Pluto, and I think when that Mars-Pluto conjunction kicked in, there was this strong drive to just be ourselves, unapologetically, to stop playing the game, social games that we felt were insincere.
Now we’re at the final, critical moment in that cycle, before the next conjunction between these two begins, on February 13th, 2024. And Mars is in Libra as it makes this square, which calls back a little bit to those Venus-Pluto conjunctions before the beginning of this cycle. So at this point, it’s a good idea to review what going after our own objectives in such a direct and unapologetic way has done to our relationships.
Some of them might be stronger. The ones that were fairly solid to begin with got past those Venus-Pluto conjunctions. But the ones where there were some issues about equality in the relationship, or whether one person was getting more value from it than the other, those were relationships that ultimately had a hard time making it through.
So here is a chance one more time to kind of review those issues. And a square can be a little bit frustrating, because we can feel as if we are meeting resistance as we’re trying to act or do something. And this is Mars in Libra, so it’s something in the relationship realm, but it is square Pluto, and there’s still some resistance there. Still the sense that some of our interactions with other people are not quite as fair as we feel they should be. That one person is trying to benefit at the expense of the other.
Basically, this is not a week to try to push your own agenda, because Mars square Pluto says others will probably not be receptive to it, and you will just suffer a lot of frustration.
I remember saying in my Equinox episode for donors, pointing out that in the chart of this Mars-Pluto square, Mars is making a really nice sextile to Venus. And this suggested to me that instead of going head on in your interactions with other people, if you’re trying to resolve something, instead we can rely on that connection between Mars in Libra, which is quite diplomatic, and Venus, which is also really good at softening the tone of our relationships with others. So this felt to me like an opportunity to connect with others and through those connections to try to take a less direct but probably much more effective route to achieving what we want to achieve.
Venus enters Virgo (Oct. 8, 2023, 6:11 pm PDT)
And just about seven minutes later on October 8th at 6:11 p.m. Pacific Time, Venus enters Virgo. Now Venus has been in Leo an exceptionally long time, since June 5th. And that was because Venus had a retrograde period while in Leo. So we’ve had an exceptionally long time to learn Venus lessons of how to find pleasure and gratification in the Leo areas of self-development, creativity, and the arts. And it’s been very much, I think, about the process of learning to approve of ourselves instead of having to look outside ourselves for applause.
Now Venus will be in Virgo through November 7th. If you have been looking for the right time to declutter and reorganize your home, it really doesn’t get better than this, because Venus in Virgo really enjoys doing things like that.
Venus also rules money, so it’s a great time to balance your accounts and to give some thought to how you can simplify your finances, and spend money on the things that are really useful. Venus in Virgo can kind of make a game of doing more with less and tightening your belt and bringing your expenses down. So that definitely is one part of the equation as Venus is in this sign.
Relationships are also under the purview of Venus. And in Virgo, this is a good time to show your affection in practical ways to the people in your life that really matter to you. It might also be a time that you find yourself wanting to cull some of the social connections in your life that are taking up more of your energy than they return in joy. Venus in Virgo needs to find value in relationships, or we simply won’t want to invest in them. Virgo is pretty self-sufficient, as I’ve said before, and its only reason for being in a relationship is because it wants to be there, and not because it needs to be there.
Listener Question: How moving affects your chart (astrolocality)
In this week’s listener question, Listener Kerrie asks, If a planet exactly conjuncts the Midheaven in your birth chart but you move far enough to shift that, do you lose the impact of that aspect or are you imbued with it regardless?
Well, thank you for the question, Kerrie. I have had other questions about astrolocality, and this seems like a good opportunity to wade into the topic.
It is a really fascinating technique in which we project your chart onto a map of the world, and draw lines on the map to show where your birth planets interact with the chart angles to become very strong. So in astrolocality, we can see the places in the world where particular planets in your chart are strongly placed on the Ascendant, the IC, the Descendant, or the Midheaven.
Now, as in all things astrological, this is a pretty complex topic, and I’m not going to pretend to be an expert, but to put it simply, the idea is this. Let’s say you would like to move to a place where your career prospects are improved. You might look to a place where the Sun or Venus or Jupiter Midheaven line is running through it. For improved relationships, one of those planets on the Ascendant or Descendant lines. To find a place that feels like home, maybe you look for a place where the Moon, or Venus, or Jupiter is on the IC line.
So that’s all pretty simple, but it actually gets quite complicated. Let’s say you have the Sun square Saturn in your birth chart. And if you move to a place that puts the Sun on the MC line, it might put Saturn on the descendant.
Now, depending on how comfortable you are, how much work you have been doing to get the best out of that Sun-Saturn square in your birth chart, that could be a good place for your career and reputation, but tough on partnerships. But it could also mean that a strong business relationship – Saturn on the Descendant -could help your career in such a place – Sun on the Midheaven.
You can get your own astrolocality map at astro.com. I found it a little hard to find it on their site navigation, but if you just go to Google and put in astroclick travel, astro.com, you get there right away. You put in your birth data, and it will show you a map with your major planetary lines all over the world.
Now, Kerrie, as for your specific question, let’s say you were born with something like Mars close to the Midheaven, and you feel it’s causing a lot of conflict for you in your career life. If you move west from your birthplace, you will have an earlier degree or even an earlier sign on the Ascendant, and the planets in your chart will move counterclockwise through the houses.
I was born in Indiana, and when I moved 2,000 miles west to California, my Ascendant changed from about 2º Sagittarius to early Scorpio. And the Sun, which was in the ninth house of my birth chart, moves into the tenth house. If you move east from your birthplace, you’ll have a later degree or sign on your Ascendant, and planets move clockwise through the houses.
The farther you move, geographically, of course, the greater the change from your birth chart. Let’s say you make a move of 1,000 miles or so from your birthplace, and you get that Mars off your Midheaven a little bit. 10º or more would be good. Your question is, are you then done with Mars in your career area?
Well, unfortunately, no. Your birth chart is your birth chart. It describes the roadmap and lessons of your lifetime. In this case, it would be something about learning to use the assertive, straightforward, passionate characteristics of Mars as beneficially as possible, especially in your career, and to be a leader and a pioneer without running over other people.
Now, if you move to some place that takes Mars off that Midheaven a bit, you are putting yourself in a situation where that astrological assignment isn’t quite so stressful. Hopefully, then, you can still work with it, work with it maybe even a little better, because there isn’t quite so much pressure and intensity. I think it was my teacher who recommended living just a little bit off the exact astralocality lines for your chart, to take that intensity off a little bit.
In my own chart, I grew up in Los Angeles with my relocated Sun almost exactly on the Midheaven and in the 10th house: a strong drive to be noticed. I got out and did a lot of performing. And with Neptune exactly on the Ascendant. Very musical, very spiritual, a little bit psychic. So this was a very intense place for me. And then when I moved to San Diego, which is not that far away, the Sun and Neptune eased back into the ninth and twelfth houses. It’s just that much more east from where I was in Los Angeles. So, now I have the Sun and Neptune back in the 9th and 12th houses as they are in my birth chart, and it’s a little easier to deal with. I’ve done fine here in my career, but it has been a little more low-key, sort of like the difference between Los Angeles and San Diego as cities!
Kerrie, I hope that helps just give you a little bit of an introduction into astrolocality. I’m going to add a couple of resources in the show notes for this episode if you want to learn more about astrolocality. And on the subject of show notes, Apple Podcasts cut the show notes off, even though we’re using their guidelines for how long they can be. So if they cut off as you’re reading them, be sure to check out the full show notes at BigSkyAstropod.com.
If you, Invisible Friend, have a question you would 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 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. Leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll help spread the word by telling an astrology loving friend about the podcast.
You can read show notes and full transcripts, and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod. com. Thank you very much to everyone who’s shown support for the podcast over the past year, and especially during the recent pod a thon. On each episode, I’m thanking some of my financial donors by name.
This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to donors Paula J. Hepner and Stephanie Esman!
Paula and Stephanie, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations. If you’d like to support the show and receive access to my upcoming bonus episodes of the Equinoxes and Solstices, please donate $10 or more at BigSkyAstropod com. You can make a one-time donation in any amount, or become an ongoing monthly contributor.
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!

Writing and images © 2017-23 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my weekly column!