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TRANSCRIPT Ep. 260 | Aries Full Moon: A Spicy Grand Cross!

TRANSCRIPT Ep. 260 | Aries Full Moon: A Spicy Grand Cross!

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Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is October 14th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 260 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, Venus finishes her journey through Scorpio with a series of meetings with Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, and then enters the wide-open spaces of Sagittarius. The Sun squares Mars on its way to a super spicy Aries Full Moon, and I answer a listener question about working with the cycles of transiting planets in a way similar to the cycles of the Moon.

Sun square Mars (Oct. 14, 2024, 1:15 am PDT)

The Sun in Libra squares Mars in Cancer on October 14th at 1:15 am Pacific Time. This is an aspect that encourages us to push ourselves forward, to really make ourselves seen, and listened to, and paid attention to. That isn’t always something that the Sun in Libra does. It is more apt to let others take their turn first.

But when the Sun in Libra is squared this Mars in Cancer, we will see it being a little more self-promotional. And even if we try to be kind and polite about the way we assert ourselves, a square to Mars suggests, at the very least, a struggle with those around us, which Libra really doesn’t love.

Neither the Sun in Libra nor Mars in Cancer tend to be really upfront about what they’re thinking or feeling, unless they are really pushed. So, the square aspect between them definitely gives us a few days out of this week when we’re a little more apt to strenuously assert ourselves and our positions.

Venus opposed Uranus (Oct. 14, 2024, 3:22 pm PDT)

Venus opposes Uranus on October 14th at 3:22 PM Pacific Time. This brings together the planet of pleasure and beauty and relationship with the planet of the unexpected. So, we often say that when Venus comes together with Uranus, we might see unexpected developments in relationships, sudden financial windfalls or expenditures. There’s definitely that and we will just have to wait and see.

The opposition aspect in particular often points to the way we compare ourselves with others. So, we could encounter somebody or something in our lives that shows us a fresh and very different way of being and going through the world.

Personally, I’m a big fan of Venus in Scorpio. I love its depth. I love that when it cares about something, it cares 100%. Any planet in Scorpio, however, can have a tendency, if it’s not careful, to veer towards the shadow side of things, and constantly be looking out for negativity, or bad things that could happen.

When Venus in Scorpio comes together with Uranus, a person or a situation or a story can come our way that shows us the possibility of interacting with the world in a way that’s more trusting. Or being willing to take people at face value instead of being very suspicious about their motives. Uranus is about change, but it doesn’t always mean that we get lifted up and thrown back down again. It can be a lot more subtle. It can mean that our aesthetic changes, that our way of appreciating the world undergoes an alteration. It can mean too that if you have habits that are related to relationship or the way you deal with your finances, the opposition to Uranus can bring an influence into your life that shows you how to do that differently.

If you have it in your mind that you’re never going to do well financially, or that you simply aren’t fated to have a good relationship, then seeing somebody who is very similar to you in a lot of ways but is handling money really well, or maybe is in a very happy relationship, that can be a real eye opener, and it can be a portal opening in order for you to have a different perspective on how these things can be for you in your life.

Venus trine Neptune (Oct. 15, 2024, 5:49 pm PDT)

Venus trines Neptune on October 15th at 5:49 pm Pacific Time. They are at 27º 51’ Scorpio and Pisces. I very much like Venus’ Sabian symbol, 28 Scorpio, The king of the fairies approaching his domain. And Neptune is on 28 Pisces, A fertile garden under the Full Moon. And these are a couple of really beautiful and, in the case of the King of the Fairies, a little bit whimsical, symbols. And coming together in such a nice aspect, Venus and Neptune, and in particular being in water signs, Scorpio and Pisces, create a truly lovely planetary environment for creating art of any kind. And both these planets are about love and especially falling deeply in love in that dreamy, passionate way that we have when we first meet someone that we’re really drawn to.

This can also be a good aspect for taking some alone time for the creative work that is symbolized by Venus and Neptune. If you’re an artist, if you’re a musician, if you’re a writer, this is a wonderful aspect for doing all of that work. It will feel especially enjoyable because sometimes when we do creative work, we’re happy to have done it when it’s finished, but it sometimes feels a little bit more like work than pleasure. This transit brings the pleasure.

Aries Full Moon (Oct. 17, 2024, 4:26 am PDT)

And now for the Moon Report. And it begins with the Aries Full Moon on October 17th at 4:26 am Pacific Time. This Full Moon is at 24º35’ Aries, with the Sun at the same degree of Libra. The chart for this Full Moon is pretty dramatic, and a Full Moon is dramatic in and of itself. It is the time of the lunar cycle when the Moon is at its brightest and when everything is revealed. Full Moons tend to be times when something that we have not noticed heretofore can make itself seen and known.

At this Full Moon, The Sun and Moon, of course, are opposed to each other in Aries and Libra, but they are both squared by Mars and Cancer, which is opposed Pluto in Capricorn. So we have a configuration that is called a Cardinal Grand Cross, where the Sun, Moon, Mars, and Pluto are all having it out with each other.

Each of them in one of the cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. And the reason that signs of the same modality, cardinal, fixed, or mutable, often don’t get along too well, is that each of them wants to do the same job. And when it comes to the cardinal signs, each of them wants to be the initiator.

When we have Mars opposing Pluto, we see power struggles. And also Pluto is that breaking down influence. I think it’s being revealed at this Full Moon exactly what is being broken down. Maybe it’s a consequence of that Libra eclipse that we had on October 2nd. Maybe much further back than that. Maybe from the time Pluto entered Capricorn, back in late 2008. And now it’s finishing up its final stand in Capricorn.

The Moon in Aries likes to act on its impulses. It basically has no patience. So this is usually a Full Moon where we want to take some kind of dramatic action in response to something that we become aware of. We need to try to take some deep breaths before reacting instinctively to disappointing situations around this day, or especially those situations symbolized by Mars and Pluto, where we might have the sense that somebody is trying to control us, or have more power over us. This looks like a very volatile Full Moon. A pretty spectacular scenario. Just in the world around you on a day-to-day basis, you might find more than the usual examples of people getting into quarrels or disagreeing with each other about things and not being able to see eye to eye.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the Full Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that began on April 19th, 2023, at a New Moon solar eclipse that fell at 29º 50’ Aries.

And I can remember that being a really important eclipse that had people quite ruffled. The things that were put into place at that New Moon, and in particular, Aries things – the way in which we want to move forward in our own life, in our own way, and what was initiated then, or the seeds that were planted at that New Moon, are now working themselves out over a three-year period in this lunar phase family cycle. So, this is a very important cycle because it began with a solar eclipse.

The First Quarter Moon in this cycle was on January 17th, 2024, when action was taken about what was initiated at that eclipse, and now we’re at the Full Moon, where things are revealed, and it’s not surprising, really, we have such a contentious chart for this Full Moon because the origins of this lunar phase family cycle were in that very intense solar eclipse.

The Last Quarter in this cycle will be on July 17th, 2025, and that’s when we look back over the entire cycle and try to gain some perspective on where we begin and where we’re ending up.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On October 15th, the Moon in Pisces sextiles Pluto and Capricorn at 1 pm Pacific Time, is Void-of-Course for 34 minutes, and then enters Aries at 1:34 pm. Sextile aspects bring opportunities or invitations. The invitation here is to let ourselves go deeply into our emotions – Moon in Pisces – because we can be confident that Pluto will help us maintain control or will pull us out of the quicksand if we go in too deep.

On October 17th, the Moon in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn at 12:26 pm. That’s the last aspect in that Moon in Aries of the Full Moon. The Moon’s then Void-of-Course for 34 minutes and enters Taurus at 1 pm Pacific time. The Moon at its last degree of Aries, which has just been through the fires of that very intense Full Moon Cardinal Grand Cross, represents the part of us that is untamed and individualistic, going up against that Pluto in Capricorn, which represents the ways in which society can try to control individuals and to make them conform to a particular way of being. And that is not in Aries’ nature.

So, when we have this square between the two, it’s only 34 minutes, but if something comes up in your life during this period of time that sparks in you the strong desire to be your own person, do things in your own way, no matter what those in authority try to tell you or get you to do, then that is an opportunity to break a pattern. And the pattern can be that you’re too individualistic and you don’t listen to what anybody tells you, and sometimes that works against you, or it can be that you are going up against rigid forces of conformity.

On October 19th, the Moon in Taurus trines Pluto at 12:33 pm Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 34 minutes, and then enters Gemini at 1:07 pm. The Moon is in Taurus and loves beauty. Take a moment to go outside and enjoy the crisp autumn air and the changing leaves. This Moon trine Pluto in Capricorn says, you’ve been given a day off work, so enjoy it. It’s good to be conscientious and to work hard, but if you are in a habit of working so much, and so hard that you never take the time to go outside and enjoy the beauty around you, then you’re probably working a little too hard.

Venus sextile Pluto (Oct. 17, 2024, 5:30 am PDT)

Venus makes a sextile aspect to Pluto on October 17th at 5:30 am Pacific time. If you’re feeling a little bit broody, as Venus can sometimes, especially at the tail end of Scorpio, this is a wonderful sextile for getting in touch with your trickster side. The Sabian symbol for Venus here is 30 Scorpio, The Halloween jester.

And it’s a little bit of a grim image because Halloween always brings to mind death and passings and things that we would prefer not to dwell on. But there is the jester here that… It’s kind of like going to a funeral and starting to laugh completely inappropriately and not knowing how to stop.

Reminds me of that Mary Tyler Moore show episode with Chuckles the Clown, who has met his demise in a sort of ludicrous way. And everybody is laughing about it. And Mary, of course, finds nothing to laugh about until they’re actually sitting in the funeral. And then she begins laughing and she can’t stop.

So, if things have been feeling a little heavy for you, it can be very cathartic to just start off your day maybe with a comedy podcast, or a video stream of cats doing crazy things. I think we have something in the show notes that might amuse you. Venus sextile Pluto says it’s okay to go really deep in what you feel, and at the same time, to realize that sometimes life is funny – even at the moments when it seems it should be anything but.

Venus enters Sagittarius (Oct. 17, 2024, 12:28 pm PDT)

Also on October 17th at 12:28 pm Pacific Time, Venus enters Sagittarius. This is a very warm and optimistic opening of the big skies for Venus after a journey through Scorpio, which is never its favorite territory because it struggles in Scorpio. It is in the sign of its detriment because Scorpio is the sign opposite Taurus, which is a sign that Venus rules. So even with the best possible aspects, Venus going through Scorpio can be a little bit of a tough few weeks.

As Venus goes into Sagittarius, we regain our interest in and our enjoyment of books, travel, a delight in anything connected with another part of the world, outdoor activities, sports.

Venus will be in Sagittarius until November 11th, and I think it is well worth taking advantage of it and being a happy wanderer, getting out on the weekends, maybe taking a hike, going to a new part of your community that you’ve never been to before.

Listener Question: Working with Transits like Lunar Phases

In this week’s Listener Question, Listener Kellie asked, “My question is inspired by the Moon Phases lecture you gave a while ago with Moon Phases and Eclipse education.”

We’ll put a link to that in the show notes because I do have it for sale still, the replay, on my website. Kellie continues,

“I am wondering how to learn from this for other planetary cycles like Saturn. At the moment, transiting Saturn is in Pisces, which is quincunx my inatal Saturn in Leo, which is similar to a waning gibbous lunar phase.

What tips do you have for getting the most out of this phase before it changes to the next phase? What is it I am trying to learn the Saturn way?”

Kellie, I am so grateful for this question because this is a technique I actually use quite a lot, in particular when talking to a client about Saturn’s cycle.

I’ve often said that the lunar cycle is the template for all the work that we do with cycles. In the lunar cycle, of course, we’re learning about the dynamic between the Sun and Moon, representing will and intuition. We begin at the New Moon, an initiating phase. Something new is conceived. But it’s a little bit like conceiving an infant: you may not be aware of it right away.

The Crescent Moon symbolizes a growing preoccupation. The First Quarter is a time for action. The waxing gibbous is for perfecting. The Full Moon for seeing what’s really going on. The waning gibbous for sharing the experience with others, maybe getting their input. And the Last Quarter is another action period, this time action that’s based on experience. And then finally, the balsamic or waning crescent phase for rest and release.

Using this as our template and applying it to the cycle of Saturn, or indeed just about any other planet, shows a similar story line. But in this case, it’s applied to Saturn themes of maturity and success in the outside world. The Saturn return, when transiting Saturn, is at the same degree and sign of your natal Saturn, happens about every 29 years, and it’s the initiation of a new cycle in maturity and success, similar to a New Moon.

At the Saturn Return, we assess how well we are doing in becoming the grown up we have hoped to become. Are we happy with our career, our home, our family status, our finances? Often the Saturn Return is a time where we feel a little emptied out. We know that the old ways are no longer exactly right for us, but we don’t know yet what will take their place.

When transiting Saturn is 30 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, it forms a semi-sextile aspect. We begin to take stock of what we might need moving forward. What do we have left from our other Saturn incarnation, and what might we need for the future?

When transiting Saturn reaches the point 45 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, it forms an opening semi-square aspect, and it’s similar to the Crescent phase of the lunar cycle, the phase of preparation. We might glimpse a new passion that we could possibly cultivate into a new career path, but it’s only the slightest notion. We don’t really know at all how this is going to go, but a new interest gives us some place to direct our energy and focus, and we can research what we need to have and know in order to tackle it.

As Saturn forms its sextile to natal Saturn, we might go back to school, choose a new specialization in our career, join a new organization.

When transiting Saturn reaches the point 90 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, it forms an opening square aspect, and it’s a little bit like a First Quarter Moon phase. We commit to taking some action in this new direction along our life path. This could have to do with our career, with marriage, with the situations and institutions that make us feel that we’re succeeding in building something important. At the waxing Square, we take action. And this is important whether or not we’re completely confident that we’re headed in the right direction. It’s our best guess. Sometimes just taking a step makes the ultimate goal come more clearly into view.

Once transiting Saturn forms a trine aspect to natal Saturn, the wind is at our backs, and we feel certain that we are beginning to make progress.

When transiting Saturn reaches the point 135 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, in a waxing sesquiquadrant aspect. It’s like a waxing gibbous phase. It’s the phase when things just don’t feel easy. My friend Dana Gerhart, who is something of an expert with the lunar phases, compares this to a woman who is in labor, and she is fully dilated, and she feels really ready to go, but she’s just not quite there yet. And that’s what the Gibbous Moon phase feels like.

When Saturn makes its quincunx to natal Saturn, it can feel impossibly difficult. But we have to hang in there. Perseverance is the key.

When transiting Saturn reaches the point 180 ahead of natal Saturn, in an opposition aspect, we reach the Saturn equivalent of the Full Moon. And now we are ready to deliver something fully formed. Perhaps in Saturn terms, we’re recognized as a person of talent or authority or ability in our field in a way we never have been before.

Then, when Saturn makes another quincunx to its natal position, comes the feeling that the thing that we had hoped for still isn’t the complete answer, and that there is some more adjustment that is going to need to be made.

Transiting Saturn reaches 225 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, and an uncomfortable sesquiquadrant aspect. It’s even hard to say. And the waning Gibbous or disseminating phase of Saturn’s journey. And this is where Kellie is now. This is a sharing phase when we canvass others for their feedback and advice and just share our experience.

I think I used the example in one of my books of this phase of being like a quilting bee where the ladies would get together and ostensibly it was about piecing together a quilt, but it really was an opportunity to talk things over and compare their experiences with each other.

I can remember giving birth to my first book during this Saturn phase in my chart, and it was miserable. I was not happy with the way it turned out. I didn’t get good feedback on it. But when transiting Saturn entered its trine aspect to natal Saturn, suddenly everything came right. I got a fantastic offer to write a book I really loved, and that ended up doing very well for me.

Transiting Saturn reaches 270 degrees ahead of natal Saturn and a separating square, and it’s very similar to the Last Quarter lunar phase.

This can be a really productive and rewarding Saturn phase, especially since it’s very much of the nature of Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn. Suddenly we’re willing to take actions based on what’s happened in our career or other journey since the Saturn return, and this can bring considerable success. When transiting Saturn makes the sextile to natal Saturn, we might connect with colleagues who can help us go even further.

When transiting Saturn reaches 315 degrees ahead of natal Saturn, it forms a waning semi-square, which is similar to the lunar Balsamic phase or waning crescent. Now we enter the uncomfortable transition from that very active Last Quarter Moon phase to the time when we begin the emptying out and healing phase of the Saturn cycle. We begin to face what didn’t really happen for us during this Saturn phase, or at least not quite as we’d hoped. And we have to start to let go of some of those plans and ambitions. Especially as Saturn moves 30 degrees behind natal Saturn, the semi-sextile aspect, it’s important to slow down and let go. We begin slowly to assimilate the lessons of the 29-year Saturn Cycle, to come to terms with it, and to begin to make space for what’s coming up in the next Saturn cycle.

What I’ve done here with the cycle of transiting Saturn can be done with any transiting planet. It’s a way of understanding the entire work of that planet’s cycle, from ground zero, and that empty space of the new phase, all the way to the balsamic phase at the end.

The difference is in the essential meaning of the cycle – in this case, Saturn, our goals, ambitions, maturity, boundaries – and the length of the cycle. With each planet, just take its total time to transit around the Sun. With Jupiter, for example, that’s 12 years. And I multiply that number of years This is a number that divides easily by 8, because we have 8 phases. With Jupiter, this ends up being about 18 months per phase. With Saturn, it comes out to about 28.5 months per phase.

I find this a wonderful way to work with transits. For example, look each year at the month before your birthday when the transiting Sun is in its balsamic phase, relative to your natal Sun. It’s often a low point in the year for people in terms of vitality. And it’s a very good time to reduce your workload if you possibly can and take a rest.

Kellie, I hope that that’s helpful. I really love this technique. And as I say, particularly with Saturn, I find myself using it a great deal.

And if you, Invisible Friend, have a burning astrological question you would like me to answer in a future episode of the podcast, leave a voicemail of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast, or send me an email at April at 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 gonna wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe or follow in your app of choice. Leave a rating or a review and 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.

Thanks very much to everyone who’s shown support for the podcast over the years, and in particular during my recent Podathon! 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 Grace Looney and Patricia Parker!

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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!



Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent

For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!

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