TRANSCRIPT Ep. 255 | Jupiter Takes a Leap, and Mars Draws Battle Lines!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is Sep. 9th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 255 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast and thank you to everyone who listened to last week’s Podathon episodes, especially those of you who made a donation, left a review, or otherwise showed your support for the podcast. It really does mean the world to me.
And I hope you enjoyed listening to those interviews with my fellow astrologers about their Pluto signs and generations: Linea Van Horn, Armand Diaz, Kirstin Vasgaard, Gwen Yi, and Anna Hull. Remember, you have until midnight tonight, Pacific Time, to make your $25 donation to be entered in my raffle for a chance to win a reading or an eclipse report. Just go to BigSkyAstropod.com and make your donation. Winners will be chosen tomorrow and notified by email.
This week: The Sagittarius First Quarter Moon and its ruling planet, Jupiter, meet up with the Sun and Venus, Mercury and Mars share an opportunity aspect, and Mars battles with the lunar nodes as a preamble to eclipse season. Plus, I answer a listener question asking for clarification on the relationship between eclipses and the Lunar Nodes.
Sagittarius First Quarter Moon (Sep. 10, 2024, 11:05 pm PDT)
The week begins with the Moon Report and the Sagittarius First Quarter Moon on Sep. 10th at 11:05 pm Pacific Time. That’s at 19º 00’ Sagittarius and Virgo. This is the first action point in the Virgo New Moon cycle that began on Sep. 2nd, at 11º 4’ Virgo.
This Sagittarius Moon’s ruling planet, Jupiter, is opposed to the Moon in this chart. Jupiter expands and tends to add a touch of optimism and generosity to most situations. And in this case, it probably suggests that we’ll be willing to take First Quarter Moon actions that are a little more daring than we might normally attempt. The Sabian symbol for the Moon at this First Quarter is 19 Sagittarius, Pelicans moving their habitat and the symbol for the Sun is 19 Virgo, A swimming race. Since both of these Sabian symbols involve water, moving and water, this First Quarter could draw attention to taking a little time at the beach or at swimming pools. And any New Moon intentions that might have had to do with aquatic environments.
If you’re a person who cares deeply about caring for beaches, for the ocean, for ocean creatures, that Virgo New Moon was a really good one for making the intention to reach out in that way. Virgo and Sagittarius are both signs that care very much for nature, for animals and for the environment. So I see this First Quarter Moon definitely taking the lead in making concrete steps towards anything that we envisioned at the Virgo New Moon.
Especially the Sabian symbol for the Moon, the pelicans moving their habitat, because we have to ask, well, why are they moving the habitat? And sometimes it is because of pollution. It’s a First Quarter Moon about beginning the work of cleaning up, which was one of the messages of the Virgo New Moon.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the First Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began at the New Moon on December 12th, 2023. So, this is also the moment to take action in this larger lunar cycle. Whatever it was that you were envisioning and making intentions about at that Sagittarius New Moon back in December is now ready for some kind of action to be taken. Sagittarius can have to do with travel, with education, with the things that we strongly believe. And now is the time to take some action, or in some cases, that action naturally occurs. The Full Moon in this lunar phase family cycle comes on June 11th, 2025, and the Last Quarter Moon on March 11th, 2026. Look to those lunations for more feedback about what you put into motion at that Sagittarius New Moon.
The Full Moon shows us exactly what it was that we initiated. It’s not always what we thought we were initiating. And the Last Quarter gives us the opportunity to look back. Review the mistakes that we might have made along the way and take one last action to achieve what it is we set out to do.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.
On Sep. 9th, the Moon sextiles Pluto at 29º52’ Scorpio and Capricorn. Very intense degrees. This happens at 10:11 a.m. Pacific Time. The Moon is then Void-of-Course for only 14 minutes. It doesn’t take long for the Moon to move from 29º52’ of a sign, into 0 degrees.
After the short Void-of-Course Moon period, the Moon enters Sagittarius at 10:25 AM. Void-of-Course Moon periods that begin with the Moon sextile another planet describes an invitation or an opportunity. Here is a very brief but potent opportunity. It comes mid-morning here on the West Coast to take a brief but intense moment, maybe sit down with your morning coffee and a piece of paper and brainstorm about a topic you’ve been thinking about we really will need to dig deep, whether emotionally or in some kind of research. This is the time to begin drafting out a plan to do that.
On Sep. 11th, the Moon squares Neptune at 28º45’ Sagittarius and Pisces. This happens at 5:20 p.m. Pacific Time. The Moon will then be Void-of-Course for 2 hours 17 minutes before it enters Capricorn at 7:37 p.m. When the Void-of-Course Moon begins on a square to another planet, there is some kind of conflict that we’re engaged in and trying to overcome.
The Moon in Sagittarius’s style is to plunge enthusiastically into new things, not necessarily really looking at it all that carefully beforehand. And then we can get in a situation where the experience doesn’t really wind up being what we had imagined and that is described by the square to Neptune. If this is a common pattern for you, this is a Void-of-Course Moon period – just a couple of hours – to think about trying a new approach.
And then on Sep. 14th, the Moon makes a conjunction with Pluto at 29º49’ Capricorn at 12:35am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for about 18 minutes, then enters Aquarius.
When the Void-of-Course Moon begins on a conjunction with another planet, I get the feeling that we are trying to incorporate the lessons of that planet and this is an intense message. It’s Pluto at the very end of Capricorn and Pluto has been in this position on and off since the end of 2023. We’ve been trying hard, I think, to incorporate what we’ve been through in the Pluto and Capricorn experience, which began at the end of 2008.
It has to do with how old structures in our world and our society are being broken down in order for new things to be built in their place. But there’s no question, it feels hard, and there are days that we feel we’re losing everything. That there are none of the old institutions or ways that we have depended on for a lot of our lives.
So, that sounds like a lot, and it is, and this is a very short Void-of-Course Moon period, only 18 minutes. For many of us, we’ll be asleep, but I think it is worth always with these Void-of-Course Moons that happen in the middle of the night to set our minds before we turn in for the evening to create a space for dreams to arise that tell us more about this planetary story.
What do we need to do in order to be better prepared for the changes to come, that the world is bringing our way?
Mercury sextile Mars (Sep. 11, 2024, 8:42 pm PDT)
On Sep. 11th at 8:42 pm Pacific Time, Mercury makes a sextile to Mars. This happens at 4º21’ Virgo and Cancer. And Mercury is on a very unusual symbol, I think, for Virgo: A man dreaming of fairies, because dreaming is not really Virgo’s style – but being distracted by a variety of worries or concerns is.
With Mars on the symbol 5 Cancer, An automobile is wrecked by a train it’s worth bearing in mind at the sextile…Because sextiles just provide opportunities, they’re not always great opportunities. So, we have to be a little bit aware around this time, because if we’re not fully paying attention or we’re preoccupied with thoughts and worries, we might not really be paying attention, and that’s when accidents can happen.
Hopefully, it will not be anything as terrible as an automobile being wrecked by a train. But definitely, there are things that arise in day-to-day life – a missed email, or a bill that we forgot to pay. There are levels of accidents. that this could refer to. But basically, the overall idea with this aspect on this date is don’t let your mind run away from you, and pay attention to what’s happening around you.
Sun square Jupiter (Sep. 12, 2024, 3:53 am PDT)
The Sun in Virgo squares Jupiter in Gemini on Sep. 12th at 3:53 a.m. Pacific time, at 20º10’ Virgo and Gemini. A square aspect usually suggests tension or conflict and in this one, we see the Sun in Virgo, which is careful, and cautious, and measured, and wants to think things through before it acts, versus Jupiter in Gemini, which just wants to take a big, impulsive leap into new experiences. And in the case of Jupiter in Gemini, it can mean that we are distracted by way too many ideas, or desires, that are swirling around in our heads.
Now, where Jupiter in Gemini can be helpful to the Sun in Virgo is the Sun in Virgo does reflect the ways in which we can get too much into our heads, with our eyes constantly looking down at our work, and that we might miss bigger messages or opportunities that might come our way.
So, Jupiter in Gemini encourages us to take a little break, to step away from our desk every 20 minutes, which we’re constantly told to do, but which the Sun in Virgo finds quite challenging. So, making sure we take breaks, we do things to rest our minds a little bit, just go out in your backyard and watch the hummingbirds and whatever wildlife is going on out there.
And of course, where the Sun in Virgo can help Jupiter in Gemini is by being a little more discriminating about which of many options to take advantage of. Sun in Virgo is very discerning, and its job is to say, “This possibility looks worthy of my time and interest, and this one doesn’t.” In practical terms, on this date, the best idea is to not take action that is ill-considered.
Venus trine Jupiter (Sep. 14, 2024, 10:34 pm PDT)
Then on Sep. 14th at 10:34 pm Pacific Time, Venus trines Jupiter at 20º23’ Libra and Gemini. This is an extraordinarily lucky transit as transits go. It’s not a long one. Really, for this entire day of Sep. 14th. I would expect this to be a little bit in effect.
If you’re a person who might buy a lottery ticket, this isn’t a bad idea. It’s a great day for shopping, but not a great day for buying. This is the kind of day that something you’ve been looking for for a long time, maybe a gift for someone special to you, does appear and present itself to you. But, again, it’s probably a little overpriced, or it would probably be good to wait for another day to make that purchase.
This can be a great day for social events, especially if you’re dating somebody. Venus is in Libra, the sign of relationship, and Jupiter is in Gemini, which is very sociable, so I think that this would be a day that if you decided to have a first coffee with someone or a dinner or something like that, even with a platonic friend that you’re wanting to get to know a little better, this is a great aspect for it because we tend to naturally try to be pleasing with others and conversation is generally not a problem.
Mars squares the Lunar Nodes (Sep. 15, 2024, 7:25 pm PDT)
Mars in Cancer squares the lunar nodes on Sep. 15 at 7:25 p.m. Pacific time. This happens at 6º38’ Cancer and Aries and of course Libra for the South Node. This seems like a minor kind of a transit, but it’s one to pay attention to because Mars is coming in contact with the Lunar Nodes and we’re getting ready to have a couple of eclipses that are close to those nodes.
In particular, the Libra solar eclipse that will be coming up on Oct. 2nd is very close to these degrees. Mars is the planet that fights and defends, and as it’s moving through Cancer, we tend to want to take a more indirect approach. The things or the people that we’re going to be inclined to fight for or defend will be our family, our loved ones, even our country.
The nature of the conflict is the dichotomy between the lunar nodes, the North Node going through Aries, favoring independence, moving in a new direction, being a pioneer, versus the South Node in Libra, which has been much more about letting go of ways in which we’re a little too codependent sometimes on the people in our lives that are important to us.
So, Mars in Cancer certainly favors the idea of fighting for relationships, fighting for the people we love. But when we look at the difference between the nodes and the message here, what that is calling up is this tension that we’ve been going through ever since the nodal axis has been in Aries and Libra.
So, this really points the way, as I say, to especially what we’ll be seeing with that solar eclipse on Oct. 2nd.
Listener Question: Eclipses at the Lunar Nodes
In this week’s listener question, Listener Scout writes, “Hi April, I loved the juicy answer you gave for the recent listener question about whether lunar eclipses are always about endings. I was struck by one point you made at the end, but I’m confused about what you meant by ‘closest to the nodes.’
Isn’t each eclipse equidistant from the two nodes, since the nodes are in opposition? Could you explain further with an example? Maybe with the next eclipses happening on Sep. 17th and Oct. 2nd? This was intriguing and I’m eager to understand. Gracias. P. S. The podcast is a highlight for me every week. Thank you for always staging such a great show.”
Oh, thank you, Scout. I appreciate that and thank you so much for your question. I can see how my answer might have been a little confusing, so let me see if I can clarify that for you.
The quote that Scout was referring to was from Episode 249, in response to a question from listener ‘Eclipso’.
And what I had said was, “I don’t think that things end at a lunar eclipse exactly. I pay a little more attention to whether an eclipse is closer to the transiting South Node of the Moon or the North Node. The nodal axis and eclipses are about change, but the South Node has a particular mood of release. And the North Node tends to point in a scary but potentially rewarding new direction.’
Now, here is the simple answer, Scout. A solar eclipse, when the Sun and Moon are in a conjunction with each other, will only occur near the North or South Node. It will make an opposition to one of them, but it’s only in a conjunction with one of them.
For example, the solar eclipse on Oct. 2nd at 10º04’ Libra is close to the South Node, which will be at 06º38’ Libra. So… pretty close. The lunar eclipse on Sep. 17th at 7:34 pm Pacific Time, and of course that’s Sep. 18th if you’re in Europe or points farther east, this eclipse finds the Sun at 25º40’ Virgo and the Moon at 25º40’ Pisces.
So, yes, the Sun and Moon are both involved, but at a lunar eclipse, which is a Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are opposite each other. We look to the Moon as the eclipsed body and see that it is closer to the North Node at 6º 36 minutes Aries. Now, because eclipses can happen within 11º 38 minutes of the Nodes in the case of a lunar eclipse, and in the case of a solar eclipse, they can happen within 17º25’ minutes of the nodes. So, eclipses don’t always even happen in the same sign as the lunar nodes.
In the case of the Sep. 17th lunar eclipse, the Moon will in fact be about 10 degrees from the North Node and in a different sign. So you have to look carefully at exactly where this connection with the nodes is happening.
The lunar eclipse coming up is then moving us in the direction of the North Node, which is still in Aries, and the quest to become more self-reliant and independent. And the solar eclipse will move us in the direction of the South Node in Libra, where we’re confronted with the need to continue to release negative qualities like codependence and indecisiveness.
Scout, I hope that that helps. Many thanks for your question, and thank you so much for listening to the podcast.
And if you, invisible friend, have a burning question that you would like me to answer on an upcoming episode of the podcast, please leave a message of one minute or less and at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast, or you can just email me your question at april (at) bigskyastrology.com. Please be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
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That’s it for this episode. Please join me again bright and early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!
