TRANSCRIPT Episode 319 (11.03.2025)
Taurus Full Moon: Necessary Things!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here and the date today is November 3, 2025. Welcome to Episode 319 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week: Another busy sky as Mars finishes its journey through Scorpio with an aspect to Neptune, then charges into Sagittarius and aspects Uranus and Pluto. The Taurus Full Moon gives an opportunity to evaluate the world on a practical level, while Venus goes deep, immersing itself in Scorpio and aspecting Pluto. Uranus circles back to the sign of Taurus for a short stay, and Mercury embarks on its latest retrograde period. And I answer a listener question about how to combine various forecasting techniques in a reading.
Mars trine Neptune (Nov. 3, 2025, 7:59 pm PST)
Mars trines Neptune on Monday, November 3rd at 7:59 pm Pacific Time at 29º43’ Scorpio and Pisces. This marks the end of Mars’ latest journey through Scorpio, a sign in which it is very strong. It entered this sign on September 22nd.
Mars’ time in Scorpio or in Aries, which are the signs that it rules, tends to be times when we might feel the urge to be a little more assertive, to go after what we want, to stand up for ourselves, and to put an end to situations that have become intolerable. It’s finishing its journey in this sign with this nice trine to Neptune, which is an aspect and a combination that allows us to pause and reflect on the journey since the end of September.
And to think about, too, are there situations in which maybe we’ve gotten a little too harsh or a little too tough with the people around us? And if it is time now to make some apologies or to resolve to be a little kinder going forward in the future.
Neptune is still on that Sabian symbol, 30 Pisces, The great stone face, which Dane Rudhyar describes as, A rock formation like a face is idealized by a boy who as he grows up begins to look like it. And Neptune is so much a planet of idealization.
So, as we’re finishing up this time of Mars in Scorpio and this last period of time when Neptune will be in Pisces, it is worth taking a strong look at what our ideals are, what we have aspired to be. And with Mars in Scorpio, what we have been aspiring to do since the end of September, with a view to realizing that what we idealize, what we look up to, is very likely what we will end up being.
Mars enters Sagittarius (Nov. 4, 2025, 5:01 am PST)
Mars enters Sagittarius on Tuesday, November 4th at 5:01 a.m. Pacific time. The first degree of Sagittarius is on the Sabian symbol, A Grand Army of the Republic campfire. And I had never looked this up before. I think I ran across on a podcast, there was an episode about the Grand Army of the Republic, and I had really never thought about what it was.
But it was a fraternal organization of veterans who served in the American Civil War. It was an organization between 1866 and 1956, and it was a powerful political lobby as well as a secret fraternal order. It gave me a really different way of thinking about this beginning of Sagittarius and about how it is connected to our beliefs and our grand causes.
Now, Mars in Sagittarius will fight for what it believes in, like these veterans of the American Civil War.
As Mars continues through Sagittarius through December 14th, it’s a time to embark on an adventure. The last month or two might have been a little difficult. We’ve had a lot of difficult Pluto aspects going on. We’ve had Mars in Scorpio, which is not always the easiest transit. But now that it’s going into Sagittarius, maybe we’re ready to move forward on the things that we’ve gotten clear about while Mars has been in Scorpio. And even though it still might feel daunting or scary to go out on a new path, this feels like the time for it.
Mars opposed Uranus (Nov. 4, 2025, 9:30 am PST)
Also on November 4, at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time, Mars in Sagittarius opposes Uranus. Because again, we’re in this situation where as soon as a planet moves into a new sign, it immediately begins to aspect Uranus and Pluto at the very beginning of their signs.
So Mars opposes Uranus and that’s at 00º08’ of Sagittarius and Gemini. Now, Mars in Sagittarius loves an adventure and as it comes into an opposition with Uranus, things can end up going in a very different way than we had expected.
So, we’re already a little uneasy, maybe, as we are pushing ourselves to explore new options in our lives. And then here we are in this opposition with Uranus, which I suppose in a way gives a good message, which is that no matter how carefully you plan, when you’re going out and doing something new, there’s no telling exactly how it’s going to go. Uranus especially likes to bring sudden and surprising developments on our journey.
Mars sextile Pluto (Nov. 6, 2025, 7:11 am PST)
And then on Thursday, November 6th, at 7:11 a.m. Pacific time, Mars in Sagittarius sextiles Pluto in Aquarius at 1º29’. Back on September 24th, we had Mars square Pluto, which feels like being at war with the forces of power and control. No matter what we were trying to do, we were finding resistance from more powerful forces. But Mars in a sextile with Pluto gives us the opportunity, the invitation to choose to work with powerful forces instead of fighting them.
Both Mars and Pluto are on Sabian symbols that describe tumultuousness. Mars is on 2 Sagittarius, The ocean covered with white caps, and Pluto is at 2 Aquarius, An unexpected thunderstorm. And these are a couple of symbols we’ve been running across in recent weeks. Both of them talk about things that are happening under the surface or that come from nowhere. It’s really just a restating of that Mars opposed Uranus principle from the previous day, that says unexpected things will happen whenever you are trying something new.
So, I’m going to give you this thought for the week, which is if you move out on a new adventure in a new direction, maybe you’ve decided to leave your job and find something new or move out of your house, whatever it might be … If things go off the rails a little bit, it’s nothing you’ve done wrong. In fact, you’re doing something right, which is to try something new and to not get completely shaken if it doesn’t go completely the way you had imagined.
Taurus Full Moon (Nov. 5, 2025, 5:19 am PST)
And now for the Moon Report, and we begin as always with the week’s major lunation, which this week is the Taurus Full Moon on Wednesday, November 5th, at 5:19 a.m. Pacific time, at 13º22’ Taurus and Scorpio. This is the time in each lunar cycle, the Full Moon, when we take stock of our progress on whatever were our plans and intentions at the New Moon. Most recently, that was the October 21st New Moon at 28º21’ Libra.
The Full Moon in Taurus asks us to take a long and skeptical look at our New Moon plans and ask ourselves, “Well, the things I wanted to do, are they really necessary?” It’s great to be re-examining this question this week, as Mars is so busy and wanting to jump out into all kinds of new directions. And it’s good to have that sensible Full Moon in Taurus that says, “Hmm, is this the right thing?”
The Full Moon is a time of reflection when the Moon is at its brightest in the night sky and what we are reflecting on now is what is really needed to make our lives feel satisfying and wealthy and nourishing. It wants us to make sure we have the basics covered. What are the essential supplies, the most important relationships that we need to have in order to make those New Moon wishes come true and feel satisfying?
The Moon is on the Sabian symbol 14 Taurus, Shellfish groping and children playing at the edge of the beach. And the Sun is on 14 Scorpio, Telephone linemen at work. This combination of symbols says to me that we are going after the things that are necessary and satisfying… that’s the shellfish and the children . And that it is very important to keep lines of communication open. And that’s always the meaning of the Full Moon, which has us reflecting on the state of our relationships and how we can improve them.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the Full Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that began at the New Moon on May 7th, 2024, at 18º02’ Taurus. And with the lunar phase family cycle, what we see is at every nine months, following each New Moon, we will see a major lunation near the same degree of that New Moon.
What it’s doing actually is expanding the influence of that New Moon, really over a three-year period, and gives us an opportunity to realize some of our New Moon objectives that really can’t be easily tied up in one lunar month.
So that was the New Moon – and think back or look back in your journals or any record you have to what was important for you at that New Moon in May 2024. Nine months after that was a First Quarter Moon on February 5th, 2025, at 16º46’ Taurus, which was an action point in this lunar phase family cycle saying, go ahead and get started with those processes. Now we’re at the Full Moon, and we get to reassess what we planned at that New Moon and how we are doing on that particular journey. We might decide we need to change our tactics just a little bit before we get to the final lunation in this cycle, which is the Last Quarter Moon on August 5th, 2026, at 13º40’ Taurus. That’s when we will have our last action moment in this cycle that gives us a chance to finish up whatever Taurus New Moon objectives and intentions we put in place back in May 2024.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On Tuesday, November 4th, the Moon in Aries opposes Venus at 3:21 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 4 hours and 55 minutes, then enters Taurus at 8:16 a.m. An opposition from the Moon to another planet, as it goes Void-of-Course, shows that we can come to some kind of awareness, and in this case, it is, what do you need versus what do the important people in your life want?
Venus is at home in its sign of Libra, so there’s a pretty good chance that the others in our lives will tend to get their way during this Void-of-Course Moon, but instead of reacting in an Aries Moon way, which can be throwing a little bit of a temper tantrum to get your way, let others get what they want. It probably won’t be easy, but those feelings are not going to linger as long as the aftermath of a fight, plus you will get a greater understanding, usually, of the give-and-take that’s required in relationships. Use this Void-of-Course Moon to develop some new skills around this kind of relationship balancing act.
On Thursday, November 6th, the Moon in Taurus sextiles Neptune at 6:51 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 29 minutes and enters Gemini at 7:20 a.m. This could be one of those mornings when you look outside and the world looks mystical and heartwarming. Maybe the Sun is shining through the autumn leaves and reminds you of the beauty of autumn and of the world. Maybe your morning beverage just tastes extra delicious. Some of the best things in life are either free or pretty close to it, and I think this is a good Void-of-Course Moon period as we look to change our habits a little bit to notice and appreciate the little things in life.
On Saturday, November 8th, the Moon in Gemini squares Neptune at 6:32 a.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 34 minutes, then enters Cancer at 7:06 a.m. There can be conflict when the Moon squares another planet at the Void-of-Course time, and emotions can come to the surface. Words can be a little bit hard to come by, which is not usually the case for Moon in Gemini, so you might have to get a little bit creative to express yourself – music, writing, any kind of artistic endeavors, even cooking. Use this Void-of-Course Moon to get in the habit of finding alternative ways to express your feelings.
Venus enters Scorpio (Nov. 6, 2025, 2:39 pm PST)
Venus square Pluto (Nov. 7, 2025, 7:44 pm PST)
On Thursday, November 6th, Venus enters Scorpio at 2:39 p.m. Pacific time. It will be in this intense and truth-seeking sign through November 30. And just the following day, on Friday, November 7th at 7:44 p.m. Pacific time, Venus squares Pluto at 1º31’ Scorpio and Aquarius.
Now, Scorpio and Pluto are not the same thing, but there is, as I like to say, a lot of experiential overlap between them. When Venus is in Scorpio, it is about getting very clear about what it is that we love, and value, and desire in our lives. Really getting into a place of being real with ourselves and with others.
And Venus squared Pluto is not that dissimilar. It goes more quickly. This aspect is probably only in effect for a few days on the Thursday leading up to the exact aspect, then on that day and maybe the day after. Whereas Venus is in Scorpio for several weeks.
So the amount of time is different, but the message is pretty similar. And it is about foremost focusing on whether the energy that we’re putting out is being met with the appropriate response. We have to look deeply into our relationships, and to the extent that we know, maybe we’ve been fooling ourselves a little bit as to whether somebody really values us, this is the time where we get that wake-up call and realize that maybe we need to make some adjustments.
We can expect some storm clouds along the way when Venus is in Scorpio, and especially during this square with Pluto. Venus also rules finances, and it’s important now to evaluate whether the amount of money that you’re earning is relative to the work that you’re doing. And also, if you have been staying in a job, for instance, that really makes you miserable but pays really well, this is a time when this comes up as an issue. And you have to really think long and hard about how much your life energy is worth, and whether it can really be properly repaid with money alone.
Uranus enters Taurus (Fri. Nov. 7, 2025, 6:19 pm PST)
Also, on Friday, November 7th, Uranus enters Taurus at 6:19 p.m. Pacific time. It was in Taurus beginning way back in May 2018, up until July 7th of this year when it entered Gemini.
Uranus is currently retrograde, and it will continue back in the sign of Taurus till 27º or so of that sign. Then it will station direct on February 3rd, 2026, and will re-enter Gemini on April 25th, 2026, and it will stay there through August 2032.
Uranus being in Taurus has been interesting, especially for things like money. We have seen the rise of cryptocurrency and digital currency, things that, to some extent, distance us from the value of money. How often anymore do you carry cash around with you and pay cash when you buy a morning coffee or even go to the supermarket? But there is something about that tactile connection to money that frames our relationship to it in a subtly different way.
Uranus going through Taurus has very much widened that disconnect for us. As Uranus is going through Taurus for these last few months until April of 2026, I think it’s worth examining these issues because it goes back again to that message of the Taurus Full Moon: what are things worth? So it’s less about the actual money that we’re exchanging hands and much more about what it represents.
Are we too disengaged from the sense of worth and what our time is worth? We have to exchange our time for an income to some degree, for example. So these are the kinds of questions we’re continuing to examine while Uranus goes back into Taurus.
Mercury stations Retrograde (Nov. 9, 2025, 11:02 am PST)
Mercury stations retrograde on Sunday, November 9th at 11:02 a.m. Pacific time.
Three times each year, about, for about three weeks at a time, Mercury turns retrograde, which just means that from our earthly perspective, it looks like Mercury is moving backwards in the sky. It is not. That’s an optical illusion.
But while Mercury is retrograde, it is legendarily problematic for matters that are ruled by Mercury. We misplace items. There are miscommunications. We make decisions that end up being based on inadequate or even wrong information.
Mercury is retrograde through November 29th and finally enters Capricorn on January 1st. While it’s retrograde, it’s a good time to review past decisions, past work, and the things that you think you know.
Mercury in Sagittarius makes us very sure of what we think we know. But instead of trying to prove that we’re right to everybody we speak with, it’s a good time to look inside and see what the truth really is and admit it, especially if you have had some things kind of wrong in your head.
Here’s a little checklist for dealing with the mundane issues of Mercury retrograde. Confirm important arrangements by phone and in writing. Allow twice as much time as you think you’ll need to do anything and especially if you are traveling, because Mercury and Sagittarius both are connected with travel. Negotiate the lowest possible penalties in case anything needs to be changed and don’t necessarily reconsider traveling at this time, although I’d be a little more reluctant for a long journey overseas that has a lot of complicated arrangements that could go wrong.
Listener Question: How to blend transits, progressions, and Solar Arc Directions in a reading
In this week’s listener question, listener Ashley writes, “Thank you so much for your helpful podcast. I’ve started to try to give readings and I’m wondering what’s the best way to blend transits, progressions, and solar arcs when you’re trying to do predictions?”
Well, congratulations, Ashley, on beginning your work as a serious and professional astrologer giving readings.
It can be a little bit overwhelming at first, and just as a woodworker needs to have a whole lot of tools but may not use them all on a regular basis, it’s kind of the same in astrology. We learn a lot of techniques, a lot of tools, so that we can use them when we really need them, but we don’t always need them for every reading.
The ones you mentioned are very good ones, though. Transits, which refer to the position of the planets in the sky currently, are good for timing external events. And if we’re meeting with someone for a reading only once a year or so, we just focus on the slow-moving planets, Jupiter through Pluto, especially the ones that are making conjunctions, squares, or oppositions to something in the birth chart.
Secondary progressions are good for describing more internal processes. In secondary progressions, we usually only look at the inner planets, the Sun through Mars, plus the progressed angles. Secondary progressions are based on the movement of the planets in the days following your birth and each day following your birth is equivalent to a year of your life. So, if we look from one day to the next in the ephemeris, we’ll see that something like Pluto has basically not changed position at all and that can go on for up to a month, two months, and that’s 30 to 60 days that are 30 to 60 years in the progressed system. So that’s why we don’t look at those so much. But if a progressed outer planet is changing sign or house, or direction, all of which are a bit more rare, do take note of it because those can be important years.
Now, solar arc directions to me are effective for describing how a person might act based on transits and secondary progressions.
Solar arcs are based on the movement of the progressed Sun, roughly a degree for each year, and you take that arc, that movement of the progressed Sun from its natal position, and you tack that arc onto every natal planet to get the solar arc direction. And I think because they’re based on the movement of the progressed Sun, they can be a little more action-oriented and can be helpful in helping us figure out exactly what a person’s going to do or what’s going to happen on an external level.
So if we’re combining all of them, first we have to really understand the birth chart. Then we begin with the transits, the outer planet transits, and the secondary Sun and Moon. We can get so much just from those big transits and the secondary Sun and Moon. But in the secondary progressions, we also look at the inner planets that are changing sign or house or making major aspects. I would not dream of doing a reading without secondary progressions as well as transits. I feel they’re that important.
Now with solar arc directions, I’ll be honest with you. I like them very much, and I used to use them in every single reading I ever did, but I’ve kind of fallen out of the habit of it in recent years. And basically, what I will do is if something’s going on for the client that they’ve written about in a questionnaire to me that I ask them to fill out before reading, and I’m not really seeing it in the transit or the secondary progressions, I will crack out the solar arc directions at that point and very often find the information that I’m looking for.
Ashley, I hope that helps. Any astrologer you talk to has their own system for how they blend these kinds of techniques together. Those are just sort of the things I look at and how I work with them, and I hope that that’s helpful to you. Thank you so much for the question.
If you have a question you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. Or you can send an email to me at april@bigskyastrology.com and be sure you put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Donor thanks
That is everything on my show sheet, so I’m gonna wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please 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. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod.com.
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That is 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 © 2017-25 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!
