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TRANSCRIPT Ep. 276 | Venus enters Aries: The Thrill of the Chase!

TRANSCRIPT Ep. 276 (2.3.25)
Venus enters Aries: The Thrill of the Chase!

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Hello, Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today, if you can believe it, is February 3rd, 2025. Welcome to Episode 276 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, Mercury’s aspects to the Sun and Jupiter bring optimism, hope, and breakthroughs. Venus enters spicy Aries for a good long stay and enters an intense dialogue with Pluto. Jupiter stations direct, the Taurus First Quarter Moon encourages practical action toward New Moon goals. Neptune conjoins the North Node for fateful encounters, Mars makes a very productive trine to Saturn, and I answer a listener question about trine aspects. Is their fortunate reputation deserved?

Mercury trine Jupiter (Feb. 3, 2025, 1:51 pm PST)

As the week begins, Mercury trines Jupiter on February 3rd at 1:51 pm Pacific Time at 11º16’ Aquarius and Gemini. This transit can be a little bit like an inverted funnel: There are so many ideas and impressions coming your way from Jupiter that you feel as if they can’t possibly squeeze through the tiny aperture that leads to your brain!

It’s an inspiring combination for brainstorming and for dreaming up your future. Grab a pen and write it all down. Mercury and Jupiter also both enjoy a change of scenery, so see if you can take a day trip to a park or to the beach and clear your head.

The downside of this combination can be the tendency to cherry-pick information that supports your beliefs. Mercury’s Sabian symbol is 12 Aquarius, People on stairs graduated upwards and it reminds us that we’re not all at an equal level, at least not in terms of life experience. Jupiter’s Sabian symbol, 12 Gemini, is A slave girl demands her rights of her mistress and it’s about claiming our right to be respected, whatever level we’re at. So in order to get that respect, be willing to examine your biases and your shortcomings and be willing to work on improving yourself.

Venus enters Aries (Feb. 3, 2025, 11:57 pm PST)

Venus enters Aries on February 3rd at 11:57 pm Pacific Time – so, it’ll be February 4th practically everywhere else. It’ll be in this sign through June 5th.

This is a long journey through Aries for Venus because it includes a retrograde period between March 1st and April 12th. While Venus is retrograde, she will sneak back into Pisces between March 27th and April 30th, and then she reenters Aries and is there through June 5th.

Now, Venus struggles a little bit to do her work when she’s in Aries, simply because it’s Venus’s job to create harmony, and Aries’ job is to assert our own desires. Venus’s sign will symbolize major themes in relationship, money, security, balance, and cooperation. When Venus is in Aries, we might be a little more inclined toward impulsive shopping and spending, and very passionate, romantic connections that begin very quickly and then end almost as soon as they begin. For Venus in Aries, the thrill is in the chase.

But the positive side of Venus in this sign, which is focused on individualism, is that it is a good time to pay attention to ourselves and our own needs, and often that gets put on the back burner. Now this is especially true during Venus’s retrograde period, and we’ll talk a bit more about that when we get closer to that station.

Jupiter stations Direct (Feb. 4, 2025, 1:40 am PST)

On February 4th at 1:40 am Pacific Time, Jupiter stations direct at 11º16’ Gemini. Jupiter has been retrograde since October 8th, and it will be direct until November 11th, 2025. In June, it will enter the sign of Cancer.

Gemini is associated with the gathering of information as well as with communication and short-distance travel. When Jupiter is in this sign, it tends to amplify everything related to these themes, for good or for ill. Right around this date, there’s likely to be so much information flying around, that it can be really difficult to figure out what is worth paying attention to. It is a good time to socialize, but be wary of gossip. Jupiter can get the best of us in this sign, and before we know it, we can find ourselves saying the wrong things to the wrong people. It’s also a good time to speak up for yourself, as we see in Jupiter’s Sabian symbol, 12 Gemini, A slave girl demands her rights of her mistress and in that, we see the desire to be taken seriously.

Taurus First Quarter Moon (Feb. 5, 2025, 12:02 am PST)

And now for the Moon Report. And it begins with the Taurus First Quarter Moon on February 5th at 12:02 am Pacific Time at 16º46’ Taurus and Aquarius. The First Quarter Moon is “go time” for all of the intentions that you set at that New Moon in Aquarius on January 29th. But the Sun and Moon are both in fixed signs, which don’t move too quickly, so we can expect it to take a day or two to start to gain some momentum.

This is one of the Moon’s happiest signs. The Moon as a symbol is considered inconstant because it moves so quickly and it changes signs and phases so often. But the sign of Taurus is like a calm, happy pasture where the Moon can feel safe and relaxed. In this First Quarter Moon chart, the Moon also makes productive aspects to Mars and Saturn, and it’s relatively close to Uranus, so the steadiness of Taurus is modified a little bit, maybe goosed up a little bit, by some planetary aspects that encourage motivation and productivity, which Taurus can sometimes find a little bit challenging.

During this First Quarter phase in Taurus, work to translate your Aquarius New Moon goals into financial gain. Take pleasure in being in your body. Eat and drink delicious things. Get a massage or a facial. Connect with nature. Go out and feed the wildlife. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s winter, and for some animals, food is scarce.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at this First Quarter is 17 Taurus, A battle between the swords and torches. There will be some things that are worth fighting for, or at least debating about around this lunar phase, but the Sun is on 17 Aquarius. The symbol for that is a watchdog standing guard, so we will be well prepared to protect ourselves.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the First Quarter phase in a lunar phase family cycle that began with the New Moon on May 7th, 2024. That New Moon was very close to the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction that was exact on April 21st, I believe it was and that carried over to this New Moon chart.

I remember looking back at my notes for that New Moon and seeing that at that time I was feeling very overbooked with lectures and consultations as I was preparing for a speaking trip. And that is the energy of that New Moon, a lot coming in because it was so close to Jupiter, which amplifies, and Uranus, which is always bringing new and interesting opportunities.

This is the First Quarter from that New Moon, and we can begin to implement some of those many Jupiter-Uranus ideas and opportunities that came our way at the May 2024 New Moon.

The Full Moon in this phase family will come on November 5th, 2025, and the Last Quarter is on August 5th, 2026. At that Full Moon phase in November, we’ll get a better perspective on the things that we chose to implement from those many New Moon opportunities and at the Last Quarter in August of 2026. We can decide how we want to fine-tune, what it is that we’ve been implementing, so we can take it to the finish line and see some success in the conclusion of this phase cycle.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. These are the times when we have an opportunity to break old habits that are not really working well for us, and possibly taking some steps towards implementing more effective and healthier habits.

On February 3th, the Moon in Aries square Mars at 2:19 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for a whopping 17 hours and 14 minutes. This is a very long Void-of-Course Moon period! And then the Moon enters Taurus at 7:33 pm.

When we see a Void-of-Course Moon begin with the Moon square another planet, we know there’s the possibility of conflict or something that we’re trying to overcome. When we see the Moon with Mars, we can assume that tempers will be quick. People may be a little more intolerant than usual, and this includes you.

This, as I said, is a very long, Void-of-Course period, so there’s plenty of time to work on changing a habit, and in this case, it’s about practicing emotional regulation and developing intentional and practical strategies to manage anger and frustration in particular. One strategy that works really well with Aries and with Mars is vigorous exercise and any game that you’re doing that is very competitive is very good for those two symbols.

On February 5th, the Moon in Taurus sextiles Neptune at 7:29 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 3 hours 15 minutes and then enters Gemini at 10:44 pm.  Anytime we see the Moon sextile another planet as it goes Void-of-Course, there is an opportunity or an invitation that comes our way. And anytime the Moon and Neptune connect, intuition will be stronger than usual and creativity will flow. Here on the West Coast, this is a good evening for doing something creative rather than just parking yourself in front of the TV.

There’s a saying that there are no mistakes, only discoveries and that’s a great way to think of this planetary combination.

This aspect is exact around dinner time, maybe, here on the West Coast. It might be a good time to establish a habit of creating lovely dinners for you and your loved ones. Especially since Taurus is a natural cook. The aspect to Neptune could mean that a few things go wrong along the way, but you can always fix it next time you make the same dish. Use a timer! My Taurus Moon husband is an amazing cook, but he got distracted the other day and burned a pan of lentils so severely that the house still smells smoky days later!

On February 7th, the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune at 11:52 pm Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 3 hours and 12 minutes and enters Cancer on February 8th at 3:04 am.

The conflict in this square is that you’re gonna have to scrub that pan that you burned up because you didn’t use a timer! The Moon in Gemini is usually pretty good at multitasking, but when it’s square Neptune, we may learn the hard way that we need to focus a little more closely on one task at a time.

Neptune conjunct North Node

On February 6th at 10:11 pm Pacific Time, Neptune makes a conjunction with the North Node at 28º09’ Pisces. The last time this transit happened in Pisces, it was 167 years ago in January 1858.

Pisces is associated with minorities and one notable event that happened within a couple of months of that conjunction was the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dred Scott case, which declared that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be U.S. citizens, and that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the U.S. territories. So, it would not be surprising to hear about citizenship in the news around this conjunction, which I think we have been hearing a little bit about already.

For individuals, this conjunction represents a choice between floating along with what’s safe or actively sailing your ship into unknown waters. There is no way to be certain ever, when we’re doing something new, that it will work out. But this will feel exactly like the right path to take. Faith will be our greatest ally.

The Sabian symbol for the conjunction is 29 Pisces, A Prism.  This suggests that in order to really see the truth in its entirety, we need to look at things from all angles and points of view, and then ultimately, we do a bit of a gut check on what is real.

Venus sextile Pluto (Feb. 7, 2025, 4:14 am PST)

Venus sextiles Pluto on February 7th at 4:14 am Pacific Time, at 2º15’ Aries and Aquarius. This is an opportunity to evaluate your relationship with money and with other people, both ruled by Venus. Pluto demands complete and total honesty and integrity. So, if we have been cutting a few corners in our relationships or with money, now is the time to change that behavior.

Your future self will thank you in advance and you will be rewarded with better and stronger relationships and greater financial stability. Also, this is a good time to get out and mingle, because you can meet some real power players in your network and those connections could bring you something beneficial going forward.

Mercury conjoins the Sun (Feb. 9, 2025, 4:08 am PST)

Mercury makes a conjunction with the Sun on February 9th at 4:08 am Pacific Time at 20º59’ Aquarius. This means that Mercury will be cazimi, which refers to that moment when it’s very close to the Sun, when Mercury becomes very powerful. Check out the listener question from Episode 259, and we will link to that in the show description, for a review and a recap of what it means when a planet is cazimi and how we might see it expressing itself.

Basically, Mercury experiences a moment of power and clarity when it’s within 17 minutes of arc. That’s not 17 minutes on the clock, but 17 minutes of arc of a conjunction with the Sun. This particular cazimi will last between 7:09 pm on February 8th and 1:03 pm Pacific Time on February 9th. So, take this opportunity to solve a problem or focus on a breakthrough, because the mind is very sharp at this time, especially in Aquarius.

Mercury with the Sun also emphasizes effective communication and don’t forget that listening is 50 percent of good communication. Focus less on what you want to say and more on what’s being said to you.

Mars trine Saturn (Feb. 9, 2025, 5:15 am PST)

And on February 9th at 5:15 am Pacific Time, Mars trines Saturn at 18º22’ Cancer and Pisces. As a person with this aspect in my birth chart, in Earth Signs, I can say that this is one of my birth chart’s best friends. It’s the aspect that I have to thank for my drive and my productivity because when Mars connects with Saturn it simply will not stop until it has finished the job.

In this week’s Trine, Mars and Saturn are in water signs and the Sabian symbols are relationship-oriented. Mars is on 19 Cancer, A priest performing a marriage ceremony and Saturn is on 19 Pisces, A master instructing his pupil. With these Sabian symbols, the Mars-Saturn combination speaks to constancy in relationships, making a serious commitment and learning what we need to learn, which is the master instructing his pupil, especially on an emotional level, because these are water signs.

You have a choice of what lesson to take away from this transit. You can either work on controlling and having discipline over your temper, your impulsiveness, your physical drives of Mars, or indulging in chronic rage against authority figures in your life. Bring all of your energy to organizing your life in such a way that you will move forward to a stronger platform. And most of all, refrain from negative self-talk because Saturn can really take us down that road if we’re not careful.

Listener Question: How Great are Trines, Really?

In this week’s listener question, listener Trine Away writes, “I have a natal chart that’s heavy on squares and light on trines. The thing is, when trines by transit come up, or a transiting planet trines a natal planet, I feel a bit blocked. I’ve been lucky here and there like everyone, but trines just don’t seem to compute for me.

A big trine did deliver a reward once. But only after bone-bending work. Weirdly, I seem to use trines to do yet more major work. For me, trines seem to represent lower-than-average or long overdue paychecks for hard labor, not really gifts. In your book, you talk about how the chart for 9/11 was loaded with trines, so they’re not always good.

Could you go into more depth about what trines do, how they work, and how we should use or enjoy them? When are trines bad? I feel like the only kid who doesn’t understand birthday parties or something, and I want to.”

Well, thank you for the question, listener Trine Away. It’s a good one, and it gives us the opportunity to explore the trine aspect beyond its reputation as being kind of the Jupiter of aspects, bringing us nothing but gifts.

A trine, first of all, is a 120-degree aspect between two planets. When it’s exact, it means that these planets are in the same element. So, Aries would be trine Leo and Sagittarius, who are also fire signs. But what a trine does is facilitate a conversation between two planets that is flowing.

Take a trine between, say, Venus and Pluto. Just by their nature, the goddess of harmony and of gracious dinner parties with pastel table linens, and Pluto, the god of caustic dinner conversation, followed by burning down the dining room, are going to be odd bedfellows whenever there’s an aspect of any kind between them.

But if they’re in, say, a 90-degree aspect, a square, which speaks of friction and conflict, they would probably come to an agreement about how to handle their very different approaches to socializing. Because they would fight it out, they would yell, they would air their feelings and come to a compromise.

But a trine is an aspect of non-interference. And with a trine, these two planets would simply hold very weird dinner parties without really tempering each other’s excesses at all. They won’t fight, but they won’t necessarily grow either.

When you have a lot of squares in your chart and not a lot of trines, you believe in struggle and distrust ease. You know how to handle conflict, but don’t necessarily know how to just go with the flow. And when a transiting planet comes along and trines a planet in your chart that’s involved in several squares in the birth chart, it encourages and enables those struggles. As you put it, “Weirdly, I seem to use trines to do yet more major work.” Yes, because trines make it easy to do the hard work of the squares and it makes you tend to do more and more of it!

Similarly, people who are born with lots of trines in their chart and very few squares, really can struggle when they come up against a hard square, say, from a transiting planet. Because often, they simply haven’t developed the muscles to overcome those kinds of hardships and to develop tenacity.

I would say you’re in a better position than somebody who has a lot of trines in their birth chart because your first instinct is to do the work, whatever the work is. But if you’re not experiencing trines as bringing any kinds of gifts, it might be because you’re simply not wired to relax and let things be as they should be and go along with the flow. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you as a person, but consider thinking of it that way and thinking of ways that you can recognize and embrace the moments of ease that trines can bring your way.

Listener Trine Away, I hope that that helps and that you can learn to embrace your trines!

If you have a question that you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, please leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. Or drop me an email at april (at) Big Sky Astrology (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 that you’ll help spread the word by telling an astrology-loving friend about the podcast.

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Thanks very much to everyone who’s shown support for the podcast, and 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 Elizabeth DeZeeuw and Anna Kelly!

Anna and Elizabeth – and I sure hope I pronounced your last name correctly – 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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