TRANSCRIPT Ep. 314 | Capricorn First Quarter Moon: A Plan and a Checklist!

TRANSCRIPT Big Sky Astrology Podcast (9.28.25)
Ep 314 | Capricorn First Quarter Moon: A Plan and a Checklist!

Hello, Invisible Friend. April here, and the date today is September 29th, 2025. Welcome to Episode 314 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. In this lighter-than-normal week, it’s time to get work on those recent Virgo New Moon goals with a surprisingly cheerful Capricorn First Quarter Moon. Jupiter comes up with a lot more ideas than Mercury can put into words. Venus’s rendezvous with the Moon’s South Node is a declutterer’s paradise. And I answer a listener question about the difference in the chart between work and career.

Capricorn First Quarter Moon (Sep. 29, 2025, 4:54 pm PDT)

The week begins with the Moon report, and we begin, as always, with the week’s major lunation, the Capricorn First Quarter Moon on Monday, September 29th at 4:54 p.m. Pacific time. This is at 7º5’ Capricorn and Libra. The First Quarter Moon is the time in each lunar cycle when we take action toward making our New Moon goals a reality. Our most recent New Moon was that solar eclipse at 29º Virgo on September 21st.

Whatever it was at that time that you were formulating some intentions about or some wishes or goals, this is the time to begin to take action in that direction. The First Quarter Moon and the Last Quarter Moon are both action times in the lunar cycle. The difference between them is, the First Quarter Moon is when we act, not necessarily based on a lot of knowledge, but rather just on our instincts. It’s at the Last Quarter Moon when we can make decisions that are based on what has happened in the lunar cycle up to that point.

I like the First Quarter Moon because it has a lot of energy and pep, and we’re not really second-guessing ourselves too much the way we might do at the Last Quarter Moon.

The way Capricorn approaches the situation is with a plan and a checklist. It’s kind of strange, given I was just emphasizing how much the First Quarter Moon is about acting on instinct and impulse, but Capricorn, to be honest, never does that completely. Even if they don’t know exactly the full game plan and how they’re going to get from point A to point Z, they will at least have a preliminary plan, and so should we. Where we have a list, we have a timeline, even, and the timeline might go something like this.

We have the First Quarter Moon this week. Next week is the Full Moon, when we begin to see a little more clearly the direction that we should take, and then the Last Quarter Moon is the week after that, and that’s when we really start to nail down a plan. Now, in a few minutes, when we talk about the Lunar Phase Family Cycle, that is a longer-range plan that we can make that is based on this recent New Moon.

The Sabian symbol for the First Quarter Moon is 8 Capricorn, Birds in the house singing happily, and it reminds me quite a bit, actually, of this contradiction of the Capricorn First Quarter Moon. Because we see birds that are in the house, so presumably they are in cages, but they’re singing happily, and it’s kind of like that vision of the Capricorn First Quarter Moon, singing happily as it goes about its tasks.

The Sun’s Sabian symbol is 8 Libra, A blazing fireplace in a deserted home, which I have to say is one of my favorites. Isn’t that a lovely scene that we conjure in our minds? It really gives the impression of a home that we go to at the end of the day, and the lights are glowing, and the fireplace is roaring and comfortable, and we go inside and our loved ones are gathered around and ready to welcome us.

It’s a nice complement to the imagery of Capricorn, and maybe that is the weary traveler coming home from a day in the world at the office, and coming home and being welcomed into this very beautiful and serene and welcoming place. I hope that is the feeling of this First Quarter Moon for all of us, to be singing happily even if we are in situations where sometimes we feel a little bit confined, and that we are always surrounded by loved ones in a beautiful and welcoming place.

We’re in the aftermath this week, too, of that intense Mars-Pluto square, and even the Sun trining Pluto from last week, and so we’re probably ready for a little bit of comfort and a nice, warm gathering by the fire.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the First Quarter not only in this month’s lunar phase cycle, but also in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began at the New Moon of December 30th, 2024, at 9º43’ Capricorn. That was of course very close to the new calendar year, and a time when many of us make resolutions for the entire year ahead.

Now we’re at the First Quarter in that cycle, and maybe it’s been a little bit hard up to now this year to get things going. There have been so many planets changing signs. Everything from Jupiter to the lunar nodes has changed signs since November, and it’s been a little bit hard to stick to any resolutions for the year. In many ways, we’ve needed to just go with things and see where we end up. But the First Quarter now in this cycle gives us the energy and the opportunity to go ahead and take action, maybe on some things we have not been able to tackle this year at all. So now we have an opportunity to get started with them.

The Full Moon in this Lunar Phase Family Capricorn cycle is on June 29th, 2026, at 8º14’ Capricorn. The Full Moon part of the cycle is when all is revealed, and we really start to get a sense of what we were beginning at that New Moon, even if we couldn’t quite tell yet exactly what it was.

The Last Quarter, nine months after that, will be on March 29th, 2027, at 9º06’ Capricorn, and that is the final action point in this three-year cycle that not only encourages us to act and act decisively, just sort of round third base and head for home, but also to reflect and put things into perspective. How have we done with those goals, and were they the right goals at all?

At this First Quarter Moon, not only for this month, but as this three-year Lunar Phase Family Cycle continues, review the areas of your life that are associated with the house that the early degrees of Capricorn fall in.

The New Moon in the cycle began at 9º43’ Capricorn, and now we are at 7º05’ Capricorn. So this whole section of the chart, between 7 and almost 10º of Capricorn, that’s really the territory we are working on during this Lunar Phase Family Cycle. And it is about our career, it’s about our families, it’s our standing in the community, and how successful we feel with all of that.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.

On Sunday, September 28, the Moon in Sagittarius squares Saturn in Pisces at 10:44 p.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours 12 minutes and enters Capricorn on Monday, September 29 at 2:55 a.m.

Traditionally, it was thought that Void-of-Course Moon periods were not a good time to initiate something new because things would not turn out as planned and would go in a very strange direction and sometimes would come to nothing. I don’t necessarily think I agree with that entirely, but I will share one little caveat from William Lilly, who said that the Moon Void-of-Course in Sagittarius or in Pisces could, as he said, “performeth somewhat” because they’re both ruled by Jupiter, the great benefic.

So, in this case, we have the Moon Void-of-Course in Sagittarius and aspecting a planet in Pisces and they are both ruled by Jupiter. So as Void-of-Course Moon periods go, even if you’re inclined to look at them in sort of a negative light, this one has a chance of turning out in a pretty positive way. It can be hard for a Moon in Sagittarius to come up against a hard aspect of Saturn in any sign because Sagittarius’ nature is to be optimistic and adventuresome and to spring back when it has fallen down.

So, when it comes up against Saturn, that’s what we’re looking at – we’re looking at a situation where maybe we have a little fall, something didn’t turn out the way we had hoped, perhaps, and we feel blocked in going after something that we want, is often something that happens with Saturn. But I’m inclined to think with this particular Void-of-Course Moon, I’m going to put my faith in Lilly’s interpretation of it and think if you’re starting something important now, you can still turn out reasonably well.

On Wednesday, October 1st, the Moon in Capricorn sextiles Saturn at 8:33 a.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours 18 minutes and then enters Aquarius at 12:51 p.m. Here we have the Moon in Capricorn, that is incredibly organized, as I was saying before when we were talking about the First Quarter Moon, and this is still part of that cycle. Even when it’s attempting something new and doesn’t have an idea of exactly how it will turn out, the Moon in Capricorn is inclined to be very organized, very pragmatic, and to have a clear set of instructions as it starts out.

Here it’s sextiling Saturn in Pisces, and with Saturn in Pisces, it can be a little bit of a struggle, as we found since Saturn first entered this sign in 2023, can speak to boundaries and goals that are a little bit vague. What’s nice about the Moon in Capricorn making its sextile to this Saturn says this is a Void-of-Course Moon for 4 hours 18 minutes, when we can focus on creating a plan for a long-term goal.

On Friday, October 3rd, the Moon in Aquarius trines Mercury in Libra at 11:15 a.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 7 hours 52 minutes, and then enters Pisces at 7:07 p.m. I like to think that the Moon going Void-of-Course on a trine aspect to another planet means there is a gift that’s forthcoming, if we’re willing, especially, to change our perspective and our habits. This is a trine that’s happening between two communicative air signs, Aquarius and Libra.

This speaks to an effortless communication of feelings, which is a nice moment if the trend overall in your life has been that it’s difficult to express your feelings or to respond to other people’s words in an empathetic way. This trine is a little bit of gift, and says you can start a new kind of approach or habit to this area of your life. Don’t keep telling yourself that this is something you’re not good at, and instead, during this 7-hour and 52-minute period, do your best to say what you think and how you feel, and to respond empathetically and thoughtfully when others are communicating with you.

And on Sunday, October 5th, the Moon in Pisces makes a conjunction with Saturn at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours 18 minutes, and enters Aries at 9:48 p.m.

I think of the Moon in a conjunction with another planet, as it goes Void-of-Course, as being about an assimilation of qualities associated with that planet. So here it’s Saturn, and it is Saturn in Pisces, but it’s still Saturn. And this means, don’t let yourself off the hook. If there are things that you’ve committed to do that you know are important for you to do, Pisces often feels that it wants to escape from those responsibilities, and the sense of being confined in a situation.

But here we can let the Moon and Saturn intercede gently with our Pisces sides, if there are things that we would like to avoid or ignore. This is a Void-of-Course Moon period for holding yourself to account, to meet your commitments and your promises to especially the people that you care most for.

Mercury square Jupiter (Oct. 1, 2025, 1:59 pm PDT)

Mercury squares Jupiter on Wednesday, October 1st, at 1:59 p.m. Pacific Time, at 22º34’ Libra and Cancer.

I love Mercury’s Sabian symbol, which is 23 Libra, A Chanticleer, or a rooster, really putting our voices out there to be heard, and speaking out strongly about the things that we really care about. Jupiter is on the Sabian symbol 23 Cancer, The meeting of a literary society, which is also about the exchange of ideas. But in the case of Mercury here, it’s a little more one-sided. Jupiter’s symbol speaks of getting together with others to share ideas and to critique ideas.

The problem I always find when Mercury is in a difficult aspect with Jupiter, or indeed really any aspect at all, it’s that Jupiter has a lot of big ideas, and it’s Mercury’s job to contextualize them and to articulate them clearly. And what can happen when you have Mercury and Jupiter together is Mercury gets overwhelmed by the sheer scope and volume of Jupiter’s ideas and input.

So, Mercury is then sitting there having to scribble as fast as it can to copy down all of the different ideas, and then try to synthesize them and make some kind of sense of them. It’s not a terrible aspect, and Mercury’s aspects only last a day, really, as they are approaching another planet.

But what I would say about the middle of this week is, especially if you’re traveling, if you’re having meetings, if you’re doing something that is of the nature of Jupiter or the nature of Mercury, then there may be some little delays. You may lose some paperwork. If you’re traveling, make sure that you have all of your documents exactly where you need to access them at any moment, so that you don’t get completely overwhelmed by the experience of on the road and in new situations.

Venus conjunct the South Node (Oct. 4, 2025, 2:20 am PDT)

And on Saturday, October 4th at 2:20 a.m. Pacific Time, Venus makes a conjunction with the Moon’s South Node at 18º14’ Virgo.

Venus in Virgo, as we’ve been saying for the last couple weeks since it went into the sign, really is a little bit of a minimalist when it comes to property and possessions. This is not always true of every planet in Virgo with every person at every time. Some of the messiest people I’ve ever known have had planets in Virgo.

So, we can get into that collecting mode when Venus is in Virgo, and especially with possessions that we can convince ourselves will be really practical and helpful later on. While Venus is on the South Node, however, this is the time that we really need to go through and do a little decluttering and start letting some things go. That is the nature of the South Node.

It is where we are hanging on to things, to ideas, to relationships that are a bit past their prime. Our possessions, relationships with people who maybe we feel we’ve really grown apart from them, are all things we can consider letting go at this time.

Listener Question: Job vs Career?

In this week’s listener question, listener Paul writes, “I love your podcast and I love your listener question segment!” Thank you so much, Paul! “How would I see the difference in my birth chart between having a job that pays the bills versus a job that feels more like a career, something that feels like it’s part of my life path? I continually find myself sidetracked into jobs that don’t seem to mean anything to me, instead of pursuing something that really feels like a life goal.”

Oh, Paul, I love your question, and I think a lot of people can probably relate to this.

In astrology, we see work as a Sixth House function. So, this is where you go each day to do a job. It’s about our daily routine. So we get up in the morning, we travel to a job, we do the job, we collect the paycheck. The 10th house is the house of our career, what we see as our life path, our reason for being, our meaning in the world. How are we making a contribution to the world? And it’s true that those two don’t always connect and come together in our lives.

Our work doesn’t have to be part of a career in order to be honorable and worthwhile, and neither does our career need to be something we do every day as a job in order to be important. In the birth chart, we can see this by taking a look at whether there’s some kind of connection between the 6th and the 10th houses, that show there’s a capacity for combining these two. For example, if you have Taurus on the cusp of the 6th house and its ruling planet, which is Venus, is placed in the 10th house, then we see such a connection.

And the reverse would also be true. If you have Capricorn on the 10th house cusp and Saturn, which rules Capricorn, is in the 6th house, then we see our connection.

Now, what happens if you don’t see these together in the birth chart? You will probably see some kind of connection between them, either in secondary progressions or by transit, that shows moments when it’s a little more possible or a little easier for you to bring together those two areas of your life.

The planets Mars and Saturn are also related to work, and I might connect Mars a little more to the realm of work, a job, and Saturn to career. Specifically, Mars describes what we like to do for work and especially the way we like to work, what’s important to us in how we work. If you have Mars in Virgo, you’re really interested in a job where you can pay attention to details. And if you have Mars in something like Libra, it’s so important for you to do work that puts you in contact one-on-one with other people, and also to bring some kind of sense of harmony and balance in your work.

Saturn really represents those qualities that make others respect us and talk about the kind of leader we would be, for instance. So, Saturn in Aries is usually more comfortable working on its own because it likes to do new things, it likes to pioneer a new approach, and it feels like it wants to go its own way at its own speed. People will often respect somebody with Saturn in Aries because they’re such an innovator.

Now, if you have a connection between Mars and Saturn in your birth chart, especially a favorable aspect like a sextile or a trine, it’s more likely, I think, that you have the feeling that the work that you’re doing is contributing in a larger sense to the world and to your place in it. And the same could be true if those planets are in a little more difficult aspect, like a square. It’s just that the process of their working together doesn’t always feel quite as smooth, and there could be more tension or more conflict in the process.

The kinds of transits you might want to be looking out for, Paul, to look for a moment to get perhaps into a work situation that is more connected to your sense of career, would be for the ruler of your sixth house, so say, again, if you have Taurus on the sixth house, would be Venus.

Look for those times each year when transiting Venus crosses into your tenth house. And especially if you have an opportunity then to apply for a different job, or even a promotion, or at a different company to try to further what you feel is your career, that might be a good time to do that.

I hope that helps. I think it is a really interesting question, Paul, because I talk with a lot of people about their careers, and it’s often something that I hear, is a disappointment that they’re spending a lot of time… we spend a lot of hours each week at our jobs, and if we don’t feel as if they are furthering us along our path, something that’s meaningful for us, it really can be frustrating.

I wish you good luck with this. Thank you so much for the question.

And if you have a question 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 just drop me an email at April (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com.

Donor Thanks

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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!