TRANSCRIPT Ep. 266 (11.25.24)
Sagittarius New Moon: The Goddess of Opportunity!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is November 25th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 266 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, Mercury enters its latest retrograde period. The Sun trines feisty Mars and the Moon’s North Node. The second New Moon this calendar month is in Sagittarius, and I replay another mini-lesson about Pluto from last year – this one about Pluto transiting the houses of the birth chart.
Mercury stations Retrograde (Nov. 25, 2024, 6:42 pm PST)
Mercury stations retrograde on November 25th at 6:42 pm Pacific Time at 22º 40’ Sagittarius. When a planet stations retrograde or direct, we feel its presence more. Mercury is associated with communication, with learning, with travel, and with commerce. Because it’s stationing retrograde, expect Mercury-related topics to come to the forefront.
During Mercury Retrograde, it’s best to keep your scheduling a little bit looser and lighter. In the United States, this is complicated by the fact that this is Thanksgiving holiday week. This is the heaviest transportation week of the year, as everybody is traveling to have Thanksgiving dinner with their relatives. That might begin as early as Monday when this Mercury station is happening. And at the very least, the initial days right after the station can be a little bit frenetic. Be sure to double- and triple-check your holiday plans. If you’re ordering food from a restaurant or pies or something like that, make sure you have a backup plan. I’m not a Mercury retrograde alarmist as a rule, but Mercury does rule transportation. This is the busiest transportation week of the year.
Mercury is also the communication planet. This holiday is coming at the end of a very tumultuous election cycle in the United States. And there are probably members of the family that are not in agreement politically, and this is going to be a real test of the ability to remain civil and to hopefully find topics of conversation that unite us.
So, going into this holiday in particular, with this Mercury retrograde, and especially with the Sun also in aspect with Mars this week, which I’ll be talking about a little bit later, keep in mind what it is that you love about your family and the reason you do want to get together with them. See if you can focus on those topics.
Sun trine North Node (Nov. 26, 2024, 10:32 am PST)
On November 26th at 10:32 am Pacific Time. The Sun in Sagittarius trines the Moon’s North Node in Aries. Even if you don’t seem to be reaching exactly the goals that you set for yourself when the North Node went into Aries in July 2023, today at least you could recognize that you’re reaching a related goal that’s even better for you, one that you might never have imagined for yourself.
Often, that’s the way the North Node seems to work, that you reach toward what your mind recognizes as an appropriate expression of that symbolism, but maybe something completely different comes your way that fits the same symbolism. This is the way astrology works, and this is why it’s a little bit tricky to read for people or delineate their birth chart because these symbols can express themselves in a variety of ways.
So, the North Node in Aries might have encouraged you, for example, to quit your job and start a business. And maybe that has worked out for you, maybe it hasn’t, but even if it hasn’t, perhaps it’s moved you in the direction of if you take a job working for somebody else, you’re a lot more independent and self-directed, and that that in and of itself makes you feel really happy.
The Sun at this trine is on the Sabian symbol 5 Sagittarius, An old owl up in a tree. There is wisdom in this symbol, the symbol of the owl. And the fact that it’s perched up in a tree suggests to me that, well, we have perspective. As we’re getting closer and closer to the North Node of the Moon leaving Aries, moving into Pisces in January 2025, we’re starting to get a longer view of what we set out to do during this nodal transit.
And the North Node is on the Sabian symbol 5 Aries, A triangle with wings. And, this rather inscrutable symbol always makes me think of self-sufficiency, which we see in a chart that has a grand trine. In other words, three planets that are each connected by a 120-degree angle. That’s actually the case here because the Sun and North Node and Mars are connected, these are connected, each of them, by a trine aspect to each other. And if you look at them in a chart, it looks like a big triangle. This shows a lot of flow and a lot of ease in the chart, and it also shows a self-sufficiency. It’s like you’re a closed system within that grand trine.
Both of these have their pluses and their minuses, by the way. If there’s too much ease between planets in a birth chart, then maybe we don’t work as hard to actualize their potential. And self-sufficiency can be just another way of saying, we don’t tend to work really hard to initiate and perpetuate relationships. So, it’s an interesting symbol and to see the Sun trine that says, well, we have the wisdom at least to recognize when we need to make a little bit more of an effort. And if we do, then things do tend to work out well and come to us pretty easily.
Sun trine Mars (Nov. 27, 2024, 12:06 am PST)
The Sun in Sagittarius trines Mars in Leo on November 27th at 12:06 am Pacific Time. This is the day before the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U. S., and this is a great transit for creative inspiration, the energy is there to support you in making your dreams a reality. But specifically related to this holiday, this day, it is a really good transit for blowing off steam through physical activity.
I remember so fondly when I was very young that on Thanksgiving holiday, our family would play football. And it would be everybody in the front yard playing for a couple of hours. And then everybody is worn out and they’re ready to come in and have some pie and coffee and relax. See if there’s something that you can do with your family at this holiday that brings you together in a spirit of play and of fun. This could be board games as well. Whatever it is that your family likes to do. The Sabian symbol for the Sun is 6 Sagittarius, A game of cricket. So, it speaks to that participation in communal activity.
Sagittarius New Moon (Nov. 30, 2024, 10:21 pm PST)
And now for the Moon Report, and it begins with the Sagittarius New Moon on November 30th at 10:21 pm Pacific Time. It’s at 9º 32’ Sagittarius, on the Sabian symbol 10 Sagittarius, A golden haired goddess of opportunity. With Sagittarius and the Sagittarius New Moon, honesty is the best policy, because as I’ve said before about Sagittarius, it feels that the less you hide, the freer and more energetic and the more creative you can be.
The Sun and Moon are square Saturn in Pisces. This does tone down the natural ebullience of Sagittarius a little bit. It is much more focused on taking our big ideas, our huge plans, and consciously and conscientiously make something of them. Our intentions for the New Moon in Sagittarius cycle include spontaneity, being open to adventure, spirituality or religion, an appreciation of the outdoors, independence, cultivating more light-hearted fun and energy, and considering the big picture.
I will be having an extra special, donors only, New Moon in Sagittarius YouTube discussion on this day, and if you have donated to the podcast since the September Podathon, please be sure to check your email and I will be giving you details about how to join in. And if you have not made a donation and would like to participate in these YouTube videos that I’m offering to donors throughout the year, it’s not too late. Just go to BigSkyAstropod.com, make a donation of $10 or more, and you will get on the list to receive those notifications.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the New Moon in a three-year Lunar Phase Family Cycle. The intentions that you make at this New Moon will come to some fruition in the next 29 days. But, more so, over the next few years, when major lunations fall close to this New Moon degree at 9-month intervals.
Be thinking in terms of the big picture and the long game as you’re contemplating this New Moon. Take a look at where 9º32’ Sagittarius falls in your birth chart. That can give you a valuable guide in the direction to be aiming for.
The First Quarter in this Lunar Phase family cycle will come on August 30th, 2025 and that’s when some kind of action will happen that will move these intentions forward. The Full Moon in the cycle is on May 31st, 2026 and we should see a lot more clearly what it is that we actually initiated at this New Moon. And then the Last Quarter in this cycle is on February 27th, 2027, which is the point in the cycle when we take final action that is informed by what we’ve already experienced during the cycle. And we look back and we say, what have I done well? What have I not done as well in trying to reach my goals for this Sagittarius New Moon that we’re having now?
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On November 24th, the Moon in Virgo opposes Neptune at 9:34 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 5 hours 45 minutes and enters Libra on November 25th at 3:19 am. An opposition from the Moon to another planet at the beginning of a Void-of-Course Moon period indicates an awareness that is possible. Intuition is high when the Moon is connecting with Neptune. So trust your instincts, but also consider the facts, because that is Moon in Virgo’s strength. This is an opportunity to get in the habit of treating others with kindness and empathy.
On November 27th, the Moon in Libra sextiles Mercury in Sagittarius at 1:14 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 15 hours and 7 minutes and then enters Scorpio at 4:21 pm. A sextile aspect from the Moon to another planet indicates an opportunity or an invitation. The opportunity here is to make sure we’re communicating in a fair and diplomatic way. This is also just before, again, the Thanksgiving holiday and Mercury is a travel planet, so if you’re traveling, do double-check those travel plans, be very diplomatic in your communications with your family, and this might be a time when old issues arise at the family dinner with Mercury Retrograde.
On November 29th, the Moon in Scorpio trines Neptune at 10:19 pm Pacific Time, is Void-of-Course for 5 hours 34 minutes, then enters Sagittarius on November 30th at 3:53 am. Trines from the Moon to another planet bring a gift or a reward. And at the Void-of-Course Moon, we’re always trying to get out of bad habits and initiate new ones, more healthy ones. This is an opportunity to use some kind of sleep-promoting modalities or rituals.
Insomnia is something a lot of people deal with in the modern world. Things are pretty hectic and we worry a lot about all kinds of things. Use this particular Void-of-Course Moon period maybe to get into the habit of changing the way you settle down before your bedtime in a way that can promote plenty of sleep, something at the end of each day, a ritual that signals to your unconscious it’s time to relax and to let go and to move into sleep. Maybe it’s reading some kind of really helpful piece of literature before you fall asleep. Maybe it’s doing those things, breathing, or stretching exercises, whatever it might be.
Mini-Lesson: Pluto Transiting the Houses of the Birth Chart (from March 20, 2023)
In this week’s mini-lesson, I’m replaying a mini-lesson from March 20th, 2023, in episode 170. This is about transiting Pluto, moving through the houses of the birth chart. And I think the timing is really apt because just this morning, I had an email from listener Heather, with the subject line, “Am I as doomed as I feel?”
And she wrote, “Hi April, I love listening to your podcast via Spotify and hearing your insights into the many questions your listeners have today as Pluto moves into Aquarius. I took some time to look into its impact on my life and see where it is in my chart. I did spend some time trying my best to find the information myself, but I feel as though there’s so much information that sometimes it can seem confusing. My question is about Pluto in Aquarius, and how it lands on my chart, and what changes I should expect.”
I think that playing this mini-lesson is a good place to start because the house or houses of your chart that Pluto will be moving through in the next 19 years are obviously really important. So, here’s the mini-lesson from March 20th, 2023 and episode 170 about Pluto transiting through the houses of the birth chart.
Past April: We think of Pluto, and rightly so, as kind of a generational influence. Most of the people born in the next 20 years will have Pluto in the same sign, and it’s tempting sometimes to write off these slow-moving planets as not having much to do with us personally, and as a society, of course, we will all be shifting along with Pluto as it’s in this new sign.
But the house placement of transiting Pluto in your chart personalizes these kinds of collective and generational themes. And it’s going to symbolize where you will be more secretive and protective and probing, where you’re trying to uncover the truth. Where you’re trying to get rid of what’s not necessary and to make yourself truly strong.
Now, Pluto isn’t always a nice guy and his transits can also describe the areas of life that will bring out your jealous nature, your destructive nature, the controlling side of you. And that is just how every planet works. Every planet has a bright side and a dark side. And it’s up to us to lean more towards the light side. It’d be a little hard to find with Pluto. Pluto is a pretty dark planet. But if we make friends with him, if we at least learn to coexist with him, and master the lessons he’s trying to teach us, then we will be living in a more authentic way and in a more powerful way.
If Pluto is moving through the first house of your chart, what it’s doing is bringing a lot of energy that’s been festering with Pluto in the 12th house of your chart, possibly for many years, and now pulling it out into the open, into the first house where you can deal with it.
The first house is a house of identity. It refers to our immediate environment and to emergency situations. When Pluto comes into the first house, and especially as it’s moving over the Ascendant, it strips you of your artifice or any insincerity. The way I said it in my book on transits was, it’s like an actress caught by the paparazzi without her makeup.
As Pluto goes through your first house, you will not always be at your best. You are dismantling what is insincere about the personality that you’ve been presenting to the world your whole life. And what happens as Pluto goes over the Ascendant into the First House is it generally becomes a lot less interested in pleasing other people. And definitely, by the time Pluto is finished in your First House, you will find that you’re presenting a very different, a much tougher, but a much more genuine version of yourself to the world.
The second house is the house of wealth and security and self-esteem. And when Pluto moves through this house, you will probably see great ups and downs in your financial situation. You can see great windfalls. You can find disappointing losses. There is definitely a desire to downsize and to declutter. And by the end of this transit, you will know what you truly need and you’ll be more prepared to do without all of the rest.
The third house is a house of perception and communication, how we see the world. And when Pluto moves through this house, you can kind of see right through people – and it’s not that comfortable. You will find you cannot abide being lied to. You will stand for nothing less than the truth. You will probably come to speak the truth without a lot of diplomacy and you will see the world in much sharper focus.
The third house also symbolizes your siblings, and you might see one of them undergo some important shifts in their lives. Your neighborhood is symbolized by the third house and you might see it going through some big changes as well.
If Pluto is moving through your fourth house, that’s the house of home and family and belonging. This can be a transit when you find you’re confronting your parents and authorities, your family, coming to terms with your early upbringing and with your family history. It’s not uncommon to become the family whistleblower. Basically, this is a transit of figuring out what your true home is, who your true family is. You might possibly see yourself moving to a new place as well.
If Pluto is moving through your fifth house, this is the house of creative self-expression, love affairs, children. When Pluto goes through this house, you can occasionally feel as if you’re going through the motions. It’s doing things on a creative level that are designed to please other people instead of yourself.
And the same is true in romantic relationships, of persevering in relationships that you know at a heart level are not right for you. By the time Pluto is finished in this house, you will be more closely aligned with projects that mean more to you and love affairs that are more genuine. And when it comes to your relationship with your children, it’s about learning to let go of the need to control your children or to get in those kinds of power struggles with them.
Pluto in your sixth house of routines, employment, service, and health. You can see life-or-death circumstances in your job or daily routine. You might find yourself gravitating toward a job that’s concerned with some of these things. By the time this transit is over, your daily life is probably going to look very different than it does now.
This is a transit that prepares us to be of true and optimal service, to perform good works without an expectation of reward, and basically to live a life that makes you feel proud of your ability to give to others.
Pluto in the seventh house. This is the house of closest relationships, and this is about figuring out who really deserves to be in your life at that level. Often, we find ourselves in situations where we are figuring out who is able to handle us when we are at our worst. And it is a time of having to get very real, very honest with partners. And it can also a partner who is going through some kind of life-changing event, dealing with illnesses of parents or losing their job or any number of big transitions.
Pluto moving through the eighth house is, it’s the house of support from others, of blending of resources. There can be big rewards when Pluto goes through this house, but very often there are strings attached. So be careful what you wish for, be careful who you take support from, but appreciate whatever comes your way, use it for the greatest good.
We ultimately have little control, it seems, over what the universe will send our way. And when Pluto’s going through the eighth house, we just have to learn how to use what is sent to us for the greatest good.
Pluto in the Ninth House, the House of Beliefs, is, I think, ultimately about adjusting your belief system to come to terms with what we learned in the Eighth House, which is that we can’t really fully control the course of our lives.
Of course, we can make better decisions. We never exactly know what’s going to come our way. When Pluto goes to the ninth house, we can find ourselves at odds with institutions. We won’t like to be told what to do or especially what to believe.
Pluto in the 10th house is a house of public image, career, life path, also parents and authorities. This can be a time when your profession is fundamentally changing. We’ve seen that a lot in recent years, that the face of retail has certainly changed, a lot of those jobs have gone away. Pluto going through Aquarius, I think a lot of professions involved with technology are probably going to see a lot of changes as well, but definitely when Pluto’s in the 10th House, we are no longer happy about taking orders from people.
We feel the strong need to be more in control of our career path, of our life path. And if you fail to take control, you can find yourself in some really toxic workplaces. Pluto must be expressed and if it’s not expressed as empowerment, then it is often going to be expressed as powerlessness and exploitation. Pluto will not keep secrets when it is in the 10th house and that’s your secrets, the secrets of the authorities in your life.
Pluto in the 11th house. The 11th is a house of future plans, hopes and dreams, groups and organizations. This is a transit ultimately about finding your true friends and allies. You’ll no longer be willing to just show people what they want to see instead of what you really are. So this is about being strong enough to stand apart from the pack.
And finally, Pluto in the 12th house is a house of unconscious, of places of confinement. Pluto likes transiting this house because there’s all kinds of juicy stuff in there that we try to ignore. It’s like a closet where we put all the stuff we don’t want to think about. And when Pluto goes in there, he goes to town, he digs up the old shame and pain and embarrassment and makes us look at it. Generally, this is not a time when you’re going to get a ton of peace of mind. But you do have the opportunity to confront your old hang-ups and to find out what is really true about you and to become a whole and truly integrated person.
But this is a really good transit for getting some kind of guidance. This can be spiritual guidance, it could be visiting a therapist or a coach or something like that. Because the 12th house is inherently about our blind spots, and it can be hard to confront those and get past them if we can’t see them.
Present-day April: I hope it was helpful to listen to that little section! It had been a long time since I listened to it or revisited it. And, I actually found it a little helpful for myself, so I hope that you did as well.
Well, I’ll be getting back to listener questions very soon, so if you have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. Or, you can email your question to me at April (at) BigSkyAstrology.com and 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, be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. Leave a rating or a review, and I hope 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.
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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!
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!
