TRANSCRIPT Ep. 272 | Aries First Quarter Moon: Tea Kettles Boiling!

TRANSCRIPT Episode 272 (1.6.25)
Aries First Quarter Moon: Tea Kettles Boiling!

Hello invisible friend, April here, and the date today is Jan. 6th, 2025. Welcome to Episode 272 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast, and welcome to 2025! This week, Mercury the Messenger enters Capricorn and helps with some practical planning for the new year, then squares imaginative Neptune. The lunar nodes enter the signs of Pisces and Virgo. Mars retrogrades back into the sign of Cancer, and its trine to Neptune encourages compassionate action. The Aries First Quarter Moon is one of the most productive First Quarters of the year, and I answer a listener question about those transits that hit the same point in your chart over and over.

Mars enters Cancer (Jan. 6, 2025, 2:44 am PST)

Mars retrograde reenters Cancer on Jan. 6th at 2:44 am PT. It first entered Cancer on September 4th, 2024. Then it entered Leo on November 3rd, went retrograde on December 6th, and now it’s back in Cancer. It will station direct on Feb. 23rd, and then reenter Leo on April 17th. An exhausting sounding journey.

The last time Mars was at this degree, at 29º59’ Cancer, it was on November 3rd, 2024, and it was in a pretty rough opposition to Pluto in Capricorn at that time. What was going on for you around that time? Were you in a disagreement with someone close to you, perhaps?

Just a quick review of Mars in Cancer. Mars is in the sign of what we call its “fall” in Cancer. It’s opposite Capricorn, which is the sign of Mars exaltation, where it’s very strong. Mars being exalted in Capricorn kind of makes sense because Capricorn has those qualities of patience, restraint, and strategy that help rein Mars in and harness its considerable energy for accomplishing things.

But what is it about Mars that makes it disadvantaged in this sign? Well, the emotionalism of Cancer is a little bit of a tricky mix with Mars. We don’t always take the most efficient or wisest actions when we’re feeling very emotional about something, and Cancer is a very emotional sign.

Also, Cancer is symbolized by the crab and that’s a creature that doesn’t move in a straight line. Now, that’s a good way to protect yourself from getting attacked but it’s also the surest way to frustrate yourself and others. And that’s especially so while Mars is retrograde. Not only are we moving backward, but also side to side, and it’s really hard to get anywhere.

But on the plus side, Mars and Cancer will fight furiously and unabashedly for their family and close friends, for children, for pets, and for the underdog. When it’s retrograde, we need to take the time to examine what actions we’re willing to take to have a safe and nurturing home life, to protect our traditions. If you feel that you’re constantly being attacked, picked on, or disrespected by others, this is a time to take a look at your behaviors and attitudes, and how they might be bringing some of that your way.

And then by the time Mars leaves Cancer on April 17th, and reenters Leo, you should be ready to move full steam ahead, and stand up to anyone who’s been trying to put you down.

Mercury squares Neptune (Jan. 6, 2025, 5:56 am PST)

Mercury in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces on Jan. 6th at 5:56 am Pacific Time. When Mercury meets Neptune, intuition is especially strong, and we’re better than usual at intercepting non-verbal cues. Which is just another way of saying, we’re picking up on all the vibes around us. We’re picking up on people’s body language. We’re reading between the lines.

There can be some cognitive dissonance at this square, with people telling you one thing, while you get a very strong instinct that they’re actually thinking something else. It can be a little bit harder on the days surrounding the square to track regular, linear information.

For this reason, it’s a pretty good time to indulge in any creative pastimes such as music, creating art, doing creative and imaginative writing. These are the sorts of tools that help us express things that can be hard to put into words, such as our feelings and what we perceive about the world. This might require more effort from you than usual, but in overcoming any kind of creative blockages, you can ultimately create sharper work and powerful communication.

And especially since Mercury is in Sagittarius, entangled with Neptune, question your beliefs at this time, because maybe you’re right about things, and maybe you’re not. Make no assumptions about who’s right and who’s wrong.

Aries First Quarter Moon (Jan. 6, 2025, 3:56 pm PST)

And now for the Moon Report. It begins with the First Quarter Moon in Aries on Jan. 6th at 3:56 pm Pacific Time, at 16º 55’ Aries and Capricorn. This is the most First Quartery of any First Quarter Moon all year because it blends that “let’s get started” energy of the First Quarter, with Aries, a sign that is most eager to initiate new things and to get the ball rolling.

For all of those intentions that you set at the Capricorn New Moon on Dec. 30^th, here is the time to crack the seal off of them and put them into action. Aries is one of the better Moon signs for breaking old habits and standing up for yourself, doing the things that you’re afraid to do. This is a very courageous First Quarter Moon.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the First Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began at the New Moon on April 8th, 2024 at 19º24’ Aries and that was that big solar eclipse. We know that that will have begun a very significant lunar phase family cycle so that instead of just lasting for a day, this eclipse is carried through for about three years.

This First Quarter is the time when we should begin to see some kind of action taking place related to that New Moon, that eclipse. What was it that you were imagining at that time that you might want to do for yourself? Or what big events might have taken place around that eclipse? We do often get charged up around eclipses time, and there can sometimes be shocking developments. Think back and look at the Aries house of your birth chart to think about what might have been happening in that area of your life.

Then the Full Moon in this lunar phase family cycle comes on Oct. 6th, 2025. It’ll be at 14º08’ Aries and that is when we get the full picture of that solar eclipse. That’ll be a pretty dynamic Full Moon. And then the Last Quarter in the cycle is on July 7th, 2026, at 15º41’ Aries and that begins the process of winding down this important solar eclipse lunar phase family cycle.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On Jan. 7th, the Moon in Aries squares Mars at 1:16 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just under one hour and enters Taurus at 2:11 pm. When a Void-of-Course Moon period begins with the Moon square to another planet, we know there’s some kind of conflict or challenge that we’ll be faced with.

This Moon is ruled by Mars, because it’s in Aries, and Mars is retrograde and in that very emotional water sign of Cancer. This is a passionate and volatile combination. Hurt feelings can easily result in emotional outbursts. It’s kind of like water boiling over in a pan when you have the Moon with Mars, or a tea kettle coming up to temperature and screeching. Void-of-Course Moon periods, of course, are good for changing habits, and the habit that we might need to change here is about learning to speak up when we’re angry or upset so that things don’t build up and then come out in a way that’s really disproportionate.

On Jan. 9th, the Moon in Taurus sextiles Mars at 2:50 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 2 hours and 17 minutes and then enters Gemini at 5:07 pm. The Moon sextile a planet as it goes void is about an opportunity or an invitation that might be coming our way.

I like the combination of the Moon being in Taurus with that Mars in Cancer because it calms things down and stabilizes the emotions of the situation. So what we have here is an invitation or an opportunity to actively nurture those in our environment. Particularly, think of your workplace, because Mars is associated with work, and what can you do for the people that you work with every day to make things a little more nurturing and pleasant for them.

Often this involves food if we’re talking about Taurus and Cancer, so this might be bringing in some healthy snacks or offering to make an afternoon run to the local coffee shop. If you can make your workplace a little cheerier, people will remember how you made them feel and this has practical consequences when it’s time to offer promotions or pay raises. These little acts of kindness can actually pay off in ways that are far beyond the emotional benefit.

On Jan. 11th, the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces at 4:03 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours, 21 minutes, then enters Cancer at 8:24 pm. The Moon square another planet at the beginning of a Void-of-Course period indicates a conflict. And the conflict here is, the communication represented by Moon in Gemini can be very unclear – that’s the Neptune influence. Emails can seemingly evaporate. Phone calls or texts are missed. What we can do during this Void-of-Course period is practice the art of clarifying our communication, proofreading, confirming our communications.

And it’s important to remember to refrain from gossip. I have the Moon in Gemini myself, and I admit I kind of love gossip. I love to hear all the news and the little stories of people. But especially when this Moon in Gemini is connecting with Neptune, these little bits of gossip can emerge when least expected and be overheard by the wrong people and this can cause hurt feelings and misunderstandings.

Mercury enters Capricorn (Jan. 8, 2025, 2:30 am PST)

On Jan. 8th at 2:30 am Pacific Time, Mercury enters Capricorn. On the face of it, Mercury, as we associate it often with Gemini, has no particular sympathy with the sign of Capricorn. One is light and chatty, the other is quite serious and prefers to focus on just really important topics. But Mercury is also the ruler of Virgo, and when it’s in that sign, it’s keenly analytical and practical.

So while Mercury is in Capricorn, it kind of leans into its tempered, disciplined, organized side. We can find it much easier to develop a strategy and a practical approach to accomplishing goals. It can be a fantastic time to begin to pull together the materials that you’ll need to file your income tax return, for example, finishing up your filing, taking care of important pieces of communication, are terrific, while Mercury is in Capricorn, which it will be until Jan. 27th.

Take the full month of January to really plot for goals in the coming year. Thoroughly analyze all of the facts and figures from last year, so that this year’s plans are built on a very strong and well-informed foundation.

Lunar Nodes enter Pisces and Virgo (Jan. 11, 2025, 3:02 pm PST)

The lunar nodes enter the signs of Pisces and Virgo on Jan. 11th at 3:02 pm Pacific Time. The North Node has been in the sign of Aries, the South Node in the sign of Libra, since July 2023. Other than the partial solar eclipse in Aries on March 29th, eclipses will now begin happening on the Pisces-Virgo axis until Feb. 20th, 2027.

The North Node represents the brass ring in life that we are trying to reach for, and that if we do reach for it, we find some measure of happiness and contentment. While it was in Aries, the brass ring was found in pursuing new challenges in our own way and on our own timeline. As the North Node moves into Pisces, it’ll be time to embrace compassion, spirituality, artistic interests, intuition, developing faith that things are as they should be.

The South Node represents the comfort zone, the things that are so ingrained in us, we’re so comfortable with, we’re very good at, that it can be hard to get out of that spot so that we can move forward. In Libra, that has been about perhaps being over-invested in relationships. In being agreeable, in trying to please everybody.

Now as the South Node is going in Virgo, there is the need to release some of the shadow sides of Virgo, judgment in a negative sense, criticism, the insistence that only what we can experience with the senses is worthwhile. The nodes were in these signs between November 2015 and May 2017 but at that time, the North and South Nodes were reversed with the North Node in Virgo and the South Node in Pisces.

So, we have a little while now to experience this dichotomy and to figure out, as these big planets, Saturn and Neptune, will be going into Aries very soon, after years of coloring our experiences with Pisces, to figure out how to maintain that Pisces quality of kindness and charity and looking out for one another.

Mars trine Neptune (Jan. 12, 2025, 1:16 pm PST)

With a similar message, Mars in Cancer trines Neptune on Jan. 12th at 1:16 pm Pacific Time. What a lovely transit, especially for volunteering, for taking care of others. That Mars in Cancer very much has that nurturing quality, and Neptune in Pisces just wants to be good to people. Consider volunteering at an animal shelter, a soup kitchen, a food pantry, get involved with a community garden or a beach cleanup group.

And if it’s just too hard to find time in your schedule to volunteer, and I know that’s a problem for people. I know that people want to be helpful and they want to be engaged and involved. It really is tough sometimes when you have a job and a family and all these different responsibilities.

But you can always find small ways to show kindness in your workplace or your neighborhood. Even making a small donation to a few organizations that represent things important to you. Make it a priority to give. Work to create a sense of almost family closeness with the people you spend the most time with.

Listener Question: Transiting Planets Making Several Exact Aspects

In this week’s listener question, Listener Saturn’s Little Helper asks, “Like everyone, forever, always, I am going through a significant Saturn transit. My question is not about Saturn exactly. It’s about these outer planets that go through long retrograde periods, backing over key points in the personal chart three or more times.

It feels like a giant dump truck backing over me time and again, although I’m often better at life by the very end. The question is specifically about how the second and third passes, or more, can affect us. If we’ve worked really hard to weather through the lessons, or if life was just extreme during the first transit pass to a natal planet, can the second, and especially the third, pass as a planet goes retrograde, and then direct for the final time, ever get easier?

Am I asking because I wanted it to be easier? You bet. But what I really would like is the truth as you see it. Thank you so much.”

Well, Saturn’s Little Helper, I love your question and I love your nickname! Let me dig in and see if I can help.

So, indeed, the outer planets, Saturn through Pluto, nearly always, but not always, will make three or more exact passes as they aspect a planet in your birth chart. With Neptune and Pluto, in particular, we can often get these as many as four or five times. And they’re pretty vexing if you’re having a difficult time with them. Having Pluto square your Venus, for example, three times can really be excruciating.

I think that the first time is actually usually a little harder because you’re experiencing something new that’s come on the scene. It kind of takes you by surprise. The second time you have the aspect, you tend to at least have some frame of reference for it, some context. You may not be loving it, but it doesn’t take you completely by surprise. And by the time you get to the third exact aspect, you’re pretty familiar with the curriculum that you’re being asked to master.

I wish I could give you an answer that applied in all situations. I don’t think there really is one. I think so much depends on the planet that is being aspected. Your experience with the transiting planet, what’s going on there, and the nature of the events that happen during the exact aspects.

I tell this story to many of my clients about these kinds of aspects, and it’s the story of going to a rabbi because you’ve decided you want to convert to Judaism. And the first time you go to the rabbi’s house, he opens the door and you say, “I’d like to convert,” and he just slams the door in your face. The second time, you go and you say, “I really want to convert,” and he looks at you for a minute, and at least does you the courtesy of saying “no,” and slams the door in your face. And then the third time you go, “I’m sincere, I truly want to convert to Judaism.” And he stands there and looks at you for a moment and says, “Okay, come inside.”

That’s how I like to envision these exact aspects from the outer planets to a natal planet. They’re trying to gauge your sincerity. I think this is especially true with Saturn, by the way. Saturn is testing to see how much punishment you’ll take in the interest of getting something or doing something you really want to do.

And each of the big planets is a little bit different, but ultimately I think that’s what that transiting process is trying to teach us, the level of our sincerity, to really get the picture. Uranus comes along and there are disruptions. Neptune comes along and there is sadness or grief. Pluto comes along and it’s that feeling of powerlessness.

These are big lessons and we don’t learn them in an instant. During the amount of time that one of these outer planets can be in the vicinity of something in your birth chart is kind of a sacred time. It’s a time not of events, but of process, of working through these big messages. And sometimes you have to have a few different kinds of events with some months in between in order for it to sink in.

I hope that helps, Saturn’s Little Helper, and I hope Saturn is not too unkind to you and that you pass his tests! Thank you so much for your question.

And if you have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode of the show, just leave a voicemail of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast. Or, send an email to 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, be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. Leave a rating or 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!