Big Sky Astrology Podcast Episode 320 (11.10.25)
Hello, Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is November 10th, 2025. Welcome to Episode 320 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week, Jupiter turns retrograde and asks us to look within for guidance on home and family. The Last Quarter Moon in Leo says it’s time to assert your creative vision. People can get strenuously opinionated as Mercury and Mars come together in Sagittarius. Good feelings overflow as the Sun and Jupiter meet in a harmonious trine, and I answer a listener question about what transiting planets in aspect to each other mean for you if they aren’t aspecting anything in your own birth chart.
Jupiter stations retrograde (Nov. 11, 2025, 8:41 am PST)
Jupiter stations retrograde on Tuesday, November 11th at 8:41 a.m. Pacific time at 25º09’ Cancer. It will be retrograde through March 10th, 2026.
When a planet is retrograde, I feel that it is asking us to look within for the answers that we seek related to that planet. Jupiter is about our philosophy of life, about our perspectives surrounding travel and higher education. And because it’s currently moving through the sign of Cancer, it’s also about matters closer to home, things that we want to do to our house, ways that we want to get together and celebrate with family. Here in the U.S., you might be beginning to talk to family about plans around Thanksgiving holiday that’s coming up on the 27th.
I tend to like planets that are retrograde because I think that we don’t often enough look within for answers to questions that we’re curious about. But there is a downside to a retrograde planet, and that is that we can be reluctant about taking advice or input from somebody else when that can be very useful. A reminder, then, to try to be a little bit more open-minded than you might instinctively feel.
With Jupiter being in the sign of Cancer, there’s a little bit of a tendency to get insular and almost kind of tribal, where we only want to spend time with the people who are close to us and or who think as we do and see the world in roughly the same way we do. So, in the coming months through March 10th of 2026, that Jupiter is retrograde, let’s keep an eye on that tendency and make the decision to open our homes and our hearts and to venture out to make more of the world and its people feel like home and family to us.
Leo Last Quarter Moon (Nov. 11, 2025, 9:28 pm PST)
Now it’s time for the Moon Report, and we begin as always, with the week’s major lunation.
This week, it’s the Last Quarter Moon in Leo on Tuesday, November 11th at 9:28 p.m., that’s at 20º04 minutes, Leo and Scorpio. It’s the moment in the New Moon cycle when we review our New Moon intentions, wishes, and plans, see how well we have been doing in the last three weeks towards making them a reality. It is the final action point in the lunar cycle. This is the Last Quarter for the New Moon on October 21st, which was in Libra, and this month’s cycle has to do with how our plans impact our family, our partner, our close friends, and community.
But at the Last Quarter Moon in Leo, we are generally ready to act with confidence, to assert an individual and creative vision, and to tell the world what we want and the way we want it. Enthusiasm can be contagious while the Moon is in Leo, and those in our orbit can be easily persuaded by our ideas, conviction, showmanship.
The Moon’s Sabian symbol at this Last Quarter is 21 Leo, Chickens intoxicated. It always makes me smile. And the Sun is on 21 Scorpio, A soldier derelict in his duty. With the Moon on the symbol, Chickens intoxicated, there’s a little bit of a warning here of maybe getting a little too “Leo,” a little too full of ourselves, drinking our own Kool-Aid, being high on our own supply.
I think it’s a little warning there to not get too carried away with what it is we think and we want. It’s kind of against the spirit of that Libra New Moon, which encouraged collaboration with others and to think about the people close to us for a change.
And the Sun’s symbol, A soldier derelict in his duty, is always one I find really fascinating. It sounds like the picture of a soldier just deciding he doesn’t want to do his job and running away. But in fact, it can also be about a kind of conscientious objection, where sometimes we’re in situations where we have to follow our conscience and face the consequences of society’s disapproval. We have to be true to ourselves. And I think this goes back a little bit, too, to that Jupiter turning retrograde. And it’s a similar story of saying we have to be guided by our own conscience and by our own rules and ethics.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the Last Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began at the New Moon on August 16, 2023, at 23º17’ Leo.
Your first guidance on this can be to just think about where that degree of Leo falls in your birth chart, what house. Because it says that at that time, matters related to that house of the horoscope were important to you. If it were in the third house, it might be a time that you were deciding you needed to reach out and communicate with people in your life, maybe, that you hadn’t spoken to for a while. It could have had to do with a writing project that you were interested in or something related to a sibling, which can also be related to the third house. So, depending on where it fell in your own chart, know that that is where your intentions and your plans were centered at that time.
Now, if you have a journal, a diary, even your appointment book that you can go back to August 2023 to find out what was occupying your mind, what were you thinking about? On May 15th, 2024, we had a First Quarter Moon that was near that same degree, 25º08’ Leo. That was the time when action needed to be taken. And it might have happened even without your conscious effort.
The Full Moon in this cycle was on February 12th, 2025, at 24º06’ Leo. And at a New Moon, sometimes we don’t know exactly what we are planting or starting or putting in place. By the time we get to the Full Moon, 18 months later in a lunar phase family cycle, we have a much clearer picture. And sometimes we find that we didn’t necessarily initiate exactly what we thought we did. That was on February 12th, 2025.
And now we are at the Last Quarter and the last nine-month sequence in this lunar phase family cycle. At the Last Quarter, we are being intentional about how we wrap up this whole lunar phase family cycle. What did we begin? How has it been nurtured? And now, how do we need to bring it to completion?
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On Monday, November 10th, the Moon in Cancer sextiles Uranus at 9:22 am Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for just 11 minutes before it enters Leo at 9:33 am. When the Moon makes a sextile to another planet, as it goes Void-of-Course, we see there is an opportunity or an invitation that could be coming our way.
The Moon in Cancer tends to be focused on family, on our home environment, on nourishment and nutrition as well. As it makes a sextile to Uranus, there is an invitation or an opening, or the awareness that we might want to reach out, maybe to others and to help them get their nutritional needs met. It could also just be nurturing a co-worker by taking them a muffin. It could be taking a nice, quick walk, maybe near the water instead of hanging out in the break room or doom scrolling at your computer. This is a Void-of-Course Moon that invites us into maybe spicing up our workday routine a little bit and maybe making that into a new habit.
The Moon in Leo squares Uranus on Wed. Nov. 12 at 3:29 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 23 minutes, then enters Virgo at 3:52 pm. There is a conflict when the Moon is squaring another planet, and there is a good chance that at this Void-of-Course Moon, we can see some real stubbornness. The Moon in Leo, a fixed sign, is connecting with Uranus in another fixed sign and we can be very inflexible and so might the people around us. It would be a good idea to try to turn over a new leaf by practicing patience and acceptance when other people’s priorities don’t turn out to be the same as yours.
And on Saturday, November 15th, the Moon in Virgo trines Uranus at 1:08 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 36 minutes, then enters Libra at 1:44 am. An aspect from the Moon to Uranus in the wee hours, as we are experiencing it here on the west coast of the United States, usually means we’re not sleeping terribly well, and in this case, it could have to do with things that we haven’t finished.
Virgo will tend to fret about that in the night and maybe changing financial situations as well with Uranus back in Taurus. So instead of just staring at the ceiling and worrying about things, you might want to just take a moment and write down what is bothering you, what you’re worried about. Writing things down usually makes Virgo feel as if it is a little more in control of things and make it a kind of a habit to adopt this kind of coping mechanism to take practical and useful action in the face of stress or instability.
Mercury conjunct Mars (Nov. 12, 2025, 3:15 pm PST)
Mercury makes a conjunction with Mars on Wednesday, November 12th at 3:15 pm Pacific Time. That’s at 6º04’ Sagittarius. This is coincidentally the day after Veterans Day here in the United States, where we remember those who have served in the armed forces.
This feels appropriate with Mars involved in an important aspect here. Mars is the warrior planet, and Mercury and Mars are in Sagittarius, which symbolizes fighting for what we believe in. Sagittarius is always ready to do that.
Now, on a more mundane level, there’s a pretty high probability on this date of saying some things that you’ll later regret. You have to really guard against things like road rage, and also your mind – symbolized by Mercury – could really be working overtime. You might not be at your most tactful because your mind is racing and it’s focused on getting things done. We might be impatient with small talk. Sagittarius is not interested in chit-chat or even really gossip. It’s thinking the big thoughts.
Mercury and Mars together in Sagittarius is a pretty good combination for speaking your mind. But if you’re already feeling kind of overwhelmed and maybe you haven’t been sleeping well, this is the kind of aspect that can provoke arguments and harsh words that we can’t take back. So, we need to question and learn from our anger and our impatience.
Sun trine Jupiter (Nov. 16, 2025, 9:08 pm PST)
And on Sunday, November 16th at 9:08 PM Pacific Time, the Sun trines Jupiter at 25º06’ Scorpio and Cancer. It’s one of the very nicest transits for putting ourselves forward and for expressing ourselves creatively, getting the attention that we deserve and generally just having a nice time. Good opportunities can present themselves sometimes out of nowhere and you can feel more confident, feel as if others are more receptive to what you have to say.
Now, when the Sun is aspecting Jupiter, we might be a little more likely to take risks, so we need to be a little bit cautious. But it’s also easier than usual to get what we want. Now remember, of course, that getting too much of a good thing can be problematic. So, share some of the spotlight with other people who deserve attention as well. Don’t get too full of yourself.
The Sun’s on the Sabian symbol, 26 Scorpio, Indians making camp. It’s a symbol that is about being adaptable, how we learn to respond to changing conditions that we live in, trusting that we can find whatever we need wherever we go. And Jupiter is on 26 Cancer, Contentment and happiness in luxury, people reading on davenports.
Doesn’t that sound lovely? It’s kind of about being in a position of comfort and stability and, therefore, potentially, influence. It is about the power and responsibility that comes with having more. There is a certain flow or harmony, symbolized by the trine aspect, between this idea of being resilient and adaptable and finding what you need whenever you need it.
And also, on the other hand, the fact that hey, sometimes we’re better off than we think that we are. And that’s not to downplay any kind of difficulties anybody’s going through. But again, this sense of gratitude for having what we do have and the relative luxury that comes with that.
Listener Question: Do transits matter if they’re not aspecting your chart?
In this week’s listener question, Listener James writes, “I enjoy your podcast and your take on the week’s transits, but I always wonder whether aspects between transiting planets matter if they don’t aspect anything in your birth chart.”
Great question, James. And the easy answer is that yes, of course, transits matter. They’re describing the celestial weather that we are all living within. And in the same way that the actual weather impacts everyone, even if you don’t live in the place that is hardest hit, it still influences your life. You have to change your wardrobe, maybe the way you get to work.
What I try to do each week in this podcast and in my weekly column on my website is to give a general forecast of what we’re all living with. This week, as the Sun is trine Jupiter, the tone of the times shift a little bit and we will all, I believe, feel a general response to that. A little bit of an uplifting of confidence and optimism, just from that important piece of astrological weather.
It’s like you give a forecast of the weather and you say, “It’s going to be sunny and mild today.” And it doesn’t mean everybody’s going to have a great day. You might’ve lost your job, a member of your family might be sick, but at least you’re not having to fight the weather!
Now, of course, that aspect, Sun trine Jupiter, for example, will have a particular resonance for you. If you have a planet or an angle in your chart, close to 25º06’, say Saturn is at 25º Capricorn in your birth chart, you get new opportunities from the Sun’s sextile to your Saturn, maybe a job offer, or somebody reaches out to you to do something that will help your career. And you might also get some good insights from Jupiter’s opposition to your Saturn. This general good vibe of the Sun and Jupiter is, in this case, specifically focused on a point of your chart that’s related to things like career, reputation, maybe your parents.
But even if you have no planet anywhere near that territory, you still have those degrees present in the houses of your chart. If that Sun is transiting your 11th house and Jupiter is transiting the seventh, that can bring a moment of good fortune through friendship networks, 11th house and circumstances around your most important partnerships and close friendships.
And there’s something else. If the transiting planets are connected to each other in your birth chart, even if they’re not connected to the transits, they will resonate to the same planets connecting in the sky. So, let’s say you have the Sun in early Pisces, trine Jupiter in early Scorpio in your birth chart, nowhere near 25º Scorpio or Cancer, but they will still tingle a little bit during this transit.
And even if the aspect is a square, say the Sun in early Leo, square Jupiter in early Scorpio, the natal planets still feel that kind of connection to each other more strongly when they’re connecting in the sky.
Now, sure, if you have a natal planet or an angle at 25º getting a direct aspect from the Sun and Jupiter might be a stronger and more lasting influence. But there is value in just knowing what’s happening in the sky and what it makes available to you and in what areas of your life.
James, I hope that helps. I have had questions from people before about the kind of forecasting in my podcast and how that can apply to their personal situations. So I hope that I’ve given you some ways to think about that.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast or email me at april (at) bigskyastrology.com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
Well, that is everything on my show sheet. It is a much lighter week, astrologically speaking, than it has been recently. 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, please subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. It really helps the show get discovered by new listeners. You can leave a rating or a 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 transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at bigskyastropod.com.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s shown 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 first-time donors Elise Hindmarch and Casey Coghlin! Casey and Elise, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.
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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!
