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TRANSCRIPT Ep. 268 | Gemini Full Moon: Be Curious and Stay Busy!

TRANSCRIPT Ep. 268 (12.9.24)
Gemini Full Moon: Be Curious and Stay Busy!

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 Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is December 9th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 268 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

Much quieter skies this week compared to last, but we do have an active and chatty Gemini Full Moon coming our way. Mercury moves direct this week and makes a very nice aspect with Venus. Venus and Mars oppose each other, bringing conflict, but also awareness, in relationship. And I answer a listener question about ideas that come our way when Mercury is retrograde.

Venus opposed Mars (Dec. 12, 2024, 2:46 am PST)

Venus in Aquarius makes an opposition aspect to Mars on December 12th at 2:46 am Pacific Time, at 05º58’ Aquarius and Leo. This is very close to the degree of the Venus and Mars conjunction back in February of this year, we’re halfway through their cycle.

Venus is the symbol that represents what we desire.  Mars represents how we will go about getting it and oppositions have a relational component to them. When Venus and Mars are interacting in any way, there’s the possibility that something or someone attracts you and excites you and maybe even awakens your competitive urges. This might especially be true with Mars having recently turned retrograde.

And being very active in our imaginations, that is a symbol of wanting something very much, but not necessarily being able to go after it in a really straightforward way. The opposition of Venus and Mars gives us some kind of image in our immediate surroundings that tells us something about the tension between Aquarius and Leo in this case.

Aquarius is a little more removed when it comes to relationship. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any feelings, but it means that it’s not necessarily going to wear its heart on its sleeve and that it is very attuned to spending time with a lot of people in group settings rather than so much on a one-to-one basis.

Leo, on the other hand, really wants and craves that one-on-one interaction. So, what we might see this week with the opposition happening is the tension between those two needs. And it can be in your own life, in your own relationships, it can be something that shows up in a movie that you watch, or a book that you’re reading, that really illustrates this tension.

Venus also symbolizes money, of course. So, when it is in opposition to Mars, you see something or perceive something that really motivates you to want to work harder and earn more. You can also be a little bit impulsive with your spending when Venus is connecting with Mars, especially Mars in Leo, which really loves to indulge.

So, you have to be aware of that and know that we can tend to get triggered towards a little more spending than is prudent for us this week.

Mercury sextile Venus (Dec. 12, 2024, 11:45 pm PST)

Also, on December 12th at 11:45 pm Pacific Time, Mercury makes a sextile aspect of Venus at 6º 58’ Sagittarius and Aquarius. Mercury is on the Sabian symbol 7 Sagittarius, Cupid knocking at the door. Venus is on 7 Aquarius, A child born of an eggshell.

We might tend to overlook an aspect like this in a busier week. Mercury and Venus both move pretty quickly. The sextile is a favorable aspect, but it’s not as strong as something like a conjunction or a square or a trine. It’s an opportunity aspect, and I like Mercury on that symbol, Cupid knocking at the door. It is a symbol of something coming our way, which can inspire us and also stir up our emotions as it’s sextiling Venus.

Venus’s symbol is a very odd one, the child born of an eggshell. And it seems to be about breaking with tradition because it’s a really unconventional way to be born and freedom from old ways and old standards. I think of something emerging from an eggshell as being a little bit of a symbol of freedom anyway.

So, we have an opportunity knocking at our door this week and possibly it’s an opportunity to find more freedom and new ideas.

Gemini Full Moon (Dec. 15, 2024, 1:02 am PST)

And now it’s time for the Moon Report. And it begins with the Gemini Full Moon on December 15th at 1:02 am Pacific Time, at 23º52’ Gemini and Sagittarius. Full Moons are illuminating. They bring a spotlight to issues that are connected with the sign that they’re in. Gemini is the sign of information, of learning, of movement.

Gemini likes to collect data. It loves to collect information and at the Full Moon, the Sun is in the opposite sign, Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the sign that collects all that information and turns it into a story, turns it into knowledge that then is taken out into the world. Both of these signs are connected with learning and also sharing what we know.

The Gemini Full Moon is connected in some way to the Gemini New Moon, which this year was on June 6th. Whatever was planted or initiated at that New Moon, something about improving our communication with others, in particular, siblings and neighbors, and getting out and getting a lot of information… But Gemini, I always picture a bird or a bee or some pollinating insect going from one plant to the next, pollinating from one to the other. That is what’s initiated at the Gemini New Moon, and then six months later, at the Gemini Full Moon, we get this amazing, illuminating presence in the night sky, and it’s like the Moon is holding up a mirror to us and saying, how are you doing with this Gemini part of your life, and how far have you come in the things that you were thinking about and initiating back at that June New Moon?

Sometimes the Gemini Full Moon asks us to consider, are we curious enough? During the season that the Sun is in Sagittarius, it’s kind of tempting to think that we know everything that we need to know. And this Full Moon in Gemini is a reminder that we don’t know everything and that it’s important to stay curious, to want to keep collecting information, data, other people’s stories. Stay curious about the world around us.

At this Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are both square Neptune in Pisces. This is what we call a T-square configuration, where we have one planet opposed to another, and both of them are square a third. So, we have the Sun at almost 24 Sagittarius, the Moon at almost 24 Gemini, and Neptune at 27 Pisces.

In a Full Moon that is so focused on information and data, we have to remain aware of two things. One is that Mercury is turning direct on this same day, which I’ll talk about in a moment, and also that the Full Moon is square Neptune and Neptune is more descriptive of a vision that we have of things than factual clarity.

So, it’s important to keep that in mind and let ourselves be inspired by the Neptune influence of this Full Moon when we have the ability to see things in a way that is a little bit magical, that isn’t necessarily tied to reality but that doesn’t mean it is untrue, if you get what I mean. Something like love isn’t something that’s factual, but it is true, and that’s a bit of the nature of Neptune, I believe, at this Full Moon.

A T-square incorporates planets in three out of four signs in a particular modality, cardinal, fixed, or mutable. Each of those modalities has four signs that are assigned to it. In this case, the mutable modality, which is Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

When you have a T square, you have planets in three of those signs, but not the fourth. That is what we have here. And the sign that’s missing is Virgo. I call the missing sign in a T square the release point. And if things start to get a little bit stressful, especially with T-squares in the mutable signs, things can get hectic, and especially with this Mercury turning direct and so forth, where a whole lot is happening at once, and it can be a little hard to keep track of what’s really going on.

So, Virgo is the helper here, and this suggests taking care of business in a really practical way. If things start to feel overwhelming within a day or two either side of this Full Moon, this can be taking care of your car, make sure your tires are inflated, that all of your fluids are topped off. If you live in a place that gets snow at this time of year, and you haven’t already done so, this is the time to really prepare your home for those upcoming snowy months. Take your dog for a walk, play with your cat. Pets are dear to the heart of Virgo.

So, just remember that Virgo is your release point at this Full Moon T-square. And when things start to feel a little bit much, straighten out a drawer, do something to take care of your life on a practical level.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the Full Moon in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began with the Gemini New Moon on June 17, 2023, at 26º43’ Gemini. The lunar phase family cycle takes the degree and sign of a new Moon and projects it forward over a three-year period when we have important lunations near that same degree.

So before, I was telling you about the connection between the Full Moon that we’re having this week and the New Moon in the same sign six months ago. But those aren’t necessarily near the same degree, although they’re in the same sign. What’s special about the Lunar Phase Family Cycle is it actually takes that New Moon point and moves it forward so that the New Moon story has time to really unfold and develop.

That New Moon was at 26º 43’ Gemini on June 17th, 2023. Nine months later, there was a First Quarter Moon near that same degree on March 16th, 2024 at 27º03’ Gemini. That was the moment in the cycle of taking action on the June 2023 New Moon. Now we’re at the Full Moon in that cycle at 23º 52’ Gemini. It’s still connecting with that New Moon point from June 2023. And what is being illuminated at this Full Moon is connected to that New Moon six months ago in June of this year. But also, in a really important way, to the New Moon on June 17th, 2023. The Last Quarter in this lunar phase family cycle comes on September 14th, 2025, with a Last Quarter Moon at 21º 52’ Gemini. And that’s the final action point in this three-year lunar phase family cycle.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On December 9th, the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Pisces at 12:45 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours and 53 minutes before it enters Aries at 5:38 am Pacific Time. When the Moon makes a conjunction to another planet just before it goes Void-of-Course, that really influences the Void-of-Course period, and then it’s a time of assimilation where the Moon is taking in the food of the planet that it’s making a conjunction with and digesting it, making it a part of who we are.

Here in the United States, at least on the West Coast, it’s really happening while we sleep, so we’re not so much doing something during the time of the Void-of-Course Moon. But in a way, this is really appropriate when the Moon is in a conjunction with Neptune, the planet of dreaming. Make notes before you go to bed on this night. Ask to be given guidance in your dream state. “Bring me a dream,” you might say, about something that you’re trying to deal with and resolve in your life, usually on a deeply emotional level. And you might sleep a lot more deeply than usual. Your dreams could be very vivid. Make sure you set your alarm before you go to bed so that you don’t oversleep in the morning.

On December 10th, the Moon in Aries trines the Sun at 2:13 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for a whopping 17 hours, 42 minutes before it enters Taurus on December 11th at 7:55 am. What a beautiful transit. A trine from the Moon to another planet before it goes void brings a lovely gift or reward, and it lasts such a good long time.

An Aries Moon is actually one of the better Moon signs for breaking old habits, which is what we try to do at a Void-of-Course time. This could be breaking old habits about standing up for yourself and doing the things you’re afraid to do. Use this time to “just do it,” as the Nike commercials used to say. I’ve often called the Moon in Aries the Nike Moon! But you do have to be mindful of others. Nobody likes a self-centered bully or bulldozer. So you have to be a little sensitive to that. But overwhelmingly, the trine from this Moon in Aries to the Sun in Sagittarius says now is the time to move forward, to do the things that you want to do just for yourself.

On December 13th, the Moon in Taurus sextiles Neptune at 4:39 AM Pacific Time, it’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours, 42 minutes, and then enters Gemini at 9:22 am Pacific Time. The Moon sextile another planet brings an opportunity or an invitation. Here is an opportunity to form the habit of greeting each day with an attitude of appreciation for the beauty in your life, no matter what your circumstances may be, and get into the habit of looking for what’s lovely, looking for what is loving.

And on December 15th, the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune at 6:32 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours and 49 minutes and then enters Cancer at 11:21 am. When we see the Moon square another planet, we know there is a conflict that we’re trying to get past. This one can have to do with emotional overwhelm. The Moon in Gemini is very busy processing a variety of information, including emotional information, about what we’re picking up in the people around us. One thing we learn when the Moon is square Neptune is that we can’t control a lot of what happens in life, but we can control our thoughts. And so it’s important to make a conscious effort to focus on the aspects of life that are beautiful.

This is a wonderful aspect for writing, if that’s something that you do, and in particular, music, or poetry, something that’s a little more abstract. Feed your mind and your heart things that are inspiring, lovely, and relaxing.

Mercury stations Direct (Dec. 15, 2024, 12:56 pm PST)

On December 15th at 12:56 pm Pacific Time, Mercury stations direct at 6º 23’ Sagittarius, on the Sabian symbol, 7 Sagittarius, Cupid knocking at the door. Here he is again!

When a planet makes a station… and by station, we mean it’s slowing down to either turn retrograde or turn direct. And in this case, it is moving direct, and we feel its presence that much more keenly at these times.

Mercury is the ruler of communication, travel, learning and we can expect these to show up pretty strongly on the day that Mercury is stationing direct. Mercury turned retrograde on November 25th at 22º40’ Sagittarius. For you, has it been a time of those stereotypically Mercury retrograde problems where you’re losing your keys or electronics and other kinds of machinery in your life are not cooperating with what you’re trying to do? Or that messages go awry, or you end up late to an appointment because you wrote down the time wrong in your book? It’s all this kind of stuff when Mercury is retrograde. Not always but this one for me, definitely has been more than others. But when it turns direct, then we have that opportunity to catch up with ourselves, is the feeling I get from Mercury turning direct.

Mercury is on this lovely little Sabian symbol, Cupid knocking at the door. Just about being receptive. And Mercury in Sagittarius is the storyteller of the zodiac, so this is about being receptive to a beautiful and uplifting story, the things that we have accumulated in our consciousness for the last few weeks while Mercury has been retrograde.

And, also, if you find yourself getting into an emotionally stirring story, try to take a more objective view, maybe, of the topic. Pay attention to how stories are making you feel. This station is occurring on the same day of the Gemini Full Moon, so emotions could be heightened. But, again, remember that that Full Moon is connecting with Neptune and you might feel that you’re having a sudden insight or epiphany – maybe especially about some relationship in your life, and you might be feeling hurt or misunderstood. Be very aware that as Mercury’s turning direct, as we’re having this Full Moon, you may not be seeing everything very clearly and exactly the way it is. So don’t jump to any kind of conclusions, especially with Mars still retrograde and we’re inclined to misunderstand things and get angry based on erroneous information. So be a little bit cautious during this Mercury Station.

Listener Question: Mercury Retrograde Ideas

In this week’s listener question, listener Elliott asks via Speakpipe, “Greetings, April and assorted Big Sky fans! This is Listener Elliott with a Mercury Retrograde Question. It’s kind of a two-parter, because… Mercury.

The first part is, are all the ideas that come to us during Mercury retrograde, and especially the storm, always going to end up being really bad ideas? Because I’ve experienced this a lot of times. And the second question is, is the potential exception to this ‘bad new idea during Mercury retrograde’ rule, possibly when it’s an idea about an old problem, or an old circumstance, something like an issue that’s not closed, something from our history or our background, basically an open issue that still needs solving.

If we get struck with an idea about an old problem during Mercury retrograde, could it be a good idea? And how do you know, you know, before it’s too late?”

Listener Elliott, you always ask very insightful questions!

First, let’s think about what is actually happening when Mercury is retrograde. It moves so much more quickly than the Earth as it moves around the Sun.

And during its retrograde periods, we are momentarily overtaking it. If Mercury is the symbol of how we perceive things, how we make sense of them, then these are times when we tend to get a little bit ahead of our thought processes, which are represented by Mercury. We might tend to act before we’ve really thought things through, where we don’t see all the details that are represented by Mercury.

And for that reason, Mercury’s retrograde periods are not favored for anything that requires paying attention to detail, seeing and analyzing all the factors involved in a situation. Sometimes, while Mercury is retrograde, it does bring to mind “old cases,” we might say, that have not been solved. As you say, we may have new insights or perspective to bring to these old matters. And the old adage in astrology is that matters that begin with the prefix “re’” are appropriate to tackle while Mercury is retrograde. So, we are encouraged to revisit, reconsider, rethink matters from the past.

I think it’s entirely appropriate while Mercury is retrograde to take another look at these old matters and see whether we have helpful information to bring to bear. And I think it’s entirely possible that we do. But I still think we’re better served by saving final action until Mercury is direct.

Let’s say that you’ve been bothered by something that happened a long time ago with a member of your family. And you’ve recently had an insight about it that you would like to share. If Mercury is retrograde, one approach might be to write a letter to them, but wait until Mercury is direct to send it. It’s only a three-week period, and we can almost always wait. Because while ideas that we work with while Mercury is retrograde are not what I would call bad, they are very likely incomplete. There still might be something that we’ve missed, so it’s a good idea to wait until you’ve had time to look at it with a clear eye before you act.

Elliott, I hope that helps, and it’s very appropriate to be thinking of this question as we are wrapping up our current Mercury retrograde period this week!

If you have a question you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/ bigskyastrologypodcast. Or you can just send me an email, april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com, and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

Well, that’s everything 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, I hope that you will subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. Leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll 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.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to show support for the podcast, especially during my September 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 Stephanie Jackson and Kristin Jennings!

Kristin and Stephanie, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations!

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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!

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