TRANSCRIPT Big Sky Astrology Podcast Ep 327
The Sun joins Venus and Mars: A Hidden Choir Singing!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is January 5th, 2026. Welcome to Episode 327 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast, and to a new year!
This week, we welcome the new year with Venus and Mars making a conjunction to each other and both to the Sun, and all three are opposed Jupiter. The Libra Last Quarter Moon adds to the week’s emphasis on relationships, and I answer a listener question about finding purpose in your birth chart.
Sun conjoins Venus (Jan. 6, 2025, 8:36 am PST)
Venus makes a conjunction with the Sun on Tuesday, January 6th at 8:36 am Pacific time at 16º22’ Capricorn.
When we have a planet in a conjunction with the Sun, we know that it is reaching its cazimi point. We’ve talked about cazimi a lot when Mercury is making a conjunction with the Sun because that happens pretty regularly. When a planet reaches its cazimi moment, it is particularly strong, and I’ve described it before it’s like the planet is hanging out with a celebrity, the Sun, and is basking in the reflected glow of the Sun’s power.
The conjunction of the Sun and Venus is a critical moment, of course, in their synodic cycle, and the degree of this conjunction is called the Venus Star Point. You can check out Episode 282 for a refresher on the Venus Star Point, and we will link to that in the show notes. You can also go to sophiavenus.com to find your own Venus Star Point prior to your birth. We’ll link to that in the show notes as well.
A conjunction of Venus and the Sun occurs every eight years near the same degree and sign and in the same condition. This Venus Star Point finds Venus direct, and if you go back eight years, you will find a Venus-Sun conjunction near this same degree of 16 Capricorn and also direct. Four years ago, you would have found the conjunction near that same degree, but retrograde.
This is one of the more powerful days of the year to manifest the situations and relationships that are truly in line with your heart and your values. Look your best today. Don’t hide out at home, and if you receive a compliment, accept it gracefully. You may have an insight today about an important relationship in your life or what you need to activate within yourself and your world to attract the kind of relationship that will really be right for you.
Venus conjoins Mars (Jan. 7, 2025, 6:43 pm PST)
Then on Wednesday, January 7th at 6:43 p.m. Pacific time, Venus makes a conjunction with Mars at 18º09’ Capricorn. The last conjunction between these two was on February 21st 2024 at 6º57’ Aquarius.
When Venus comes together with Mars, often something or somebody wanders into your world and either excites you romantically, maybe awakens your competitive urges. Venus can also be about money, and when it comes together with Mars, we might find ourselves feeling motivated to work harder in order to earn more money.
Motivation will be high to pursue the things that you want, the things you enjoy, and also the objects of your affection. Mars is currently exalted in Capricorn, which could amp up the energy to go after what you want, and Venus represents what you want. So, Venus currently in Capricorn, as we spoke about a couple of weeks ago when it entered that sign, can be very focused on practical, pragmatic, financial aims.
The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 19 Capricorn, A child of about five carrying a huge shopping bag, and it’s a sort of a whimsical symbol, but it can suggest that we are trying to procure or carry more than we can comfortably handle. And that can happen when Venus is connected in some way with Mars, because Mars – even in Capricorn – can be a little bit impulsive and really excited about acquiring things. This particular Sabian symbol tends to be about taking on what we’re not quite ready for, taking on heavy burdens that can accelerate our growth, but that can also exhaust us, and that’s also a possibility when Venus makes a conjunction with Mars.
Sun conjoins Mars (Jan. 9, 2025, 3:41 am PST)
Then the Sun makes a conjunction with Mars on Friday, January 9th at 3:41 a.m. Pacific time. It is at 19º 12’ Capricorn, on the Sabian symbol, 20 Capricorn, A hidden choir singing.
The Sun is right between Venus and Mars, and all of them are at 19º Capricorn and opposed Jupiter in Cancer. I love the three planets clustered together at that same degree of Capricorn, representing “a hidden choir singing.” Energy, focus, and competition will tend to be more pronounced when Mars comes together with the Sun. People can be a little more temperamental than usual. Anger can come very easily. But Mars in Capricorn can control this desire for conflict. Remember, Mars is much more subdued in Capricorn, at least externally. Its impulsiveness and eagerness and sense of competition don’t necessarily show themselves when Mars is in Capricorn. All of those qualities tend to be tempered and regulated.
So, what this can mean on this day with the Sun together with Mars, and of course we’ll have a moment of Mars being cazimi as well, is that we feel a lot of energy – Mars – to pursue creative aims represented by the Sun, and also to promote ourselves. If there is something that you have been working on that you’re ready to share with the world, this is a pretty good day to do it.
Venus opposes Jupiter (Jan. 9, 2025, 9:35 am PST)
Venus opposes Jupiter on Friday, January 9th at 9:35 a.m. Pacific time, at 20º 11’ Capricorn and Cancer. Even a hard aspect like an opposition isn’t necessarily that difficult when the planets involved are Venus and Jupiter. Jupiter tends to amplify the planets that it comes in contact with, in this case the Venusian qualities of grace, harmony, and beauty. Money flows, relationships tend to feel happier. But of course, it is a hard aspect, and in this case that means a tendency to overdo it, to spend more money than you need to, and on things that don’t necessarily satisfy you. Even with Venus in Capricorn, which is usually a little more restrained and practical with money, we might overdo it a bit on big ticket items.
Jupiter is usually about looking for meaning, and when it connects with Venus, we’ll be giving a lot of thought to what would make our relationships happier. The opposition can also mean that we notice somebody else who seems to have everything we want, and that can be very inspirational, but it can also trigger a little bit of jealousy.
Sun opposes Jupiter (Jan. 10, 2025, 12:42 am PST)
Mars opposes Jupiter (Jan. 10, 2025, 6:25 am PST)
On Saturday, January 10th, the Sun and Mars in Capricorn both oppose Jupiter within about six hours of each other. The Sun opposes Jupiter at 12:42 a.m. Pacific time, and Mars opposes Jupiter at 6:25 a.m. Pacific time. These two very masculine symbols connecting with Jupiter can mean that masculine qualities or issues attract a huge amount of attention. Again, Jupiter brings abundance and popularity, but it can also exaggerate the qualities of the planets that it aspects.
So, avoid negative solar tendencies, such as boasting and bragging and demanding the spotlight, and temper the Mars tendencies, such as being at war with others and insisting on having your own way. On the other hand, if you’ve quietly been doing good work for a long time without getting the kind of acknowledgement that you deserve, that might turn around this week.
Libra Last Quarter Moon (Jan. 10, 2025, 7:48 a.m. PST)
And now it’s time for the Moon Report, and we begin as always with the week’s major lunation. This week, that’s the Libra Last Quarter Moon on Saturday, January 10th at 7:48 a.m. Pacific time at 20º 24’ Libra and Capricorn. A square between the Moon in Libra and the Sun in Capricorn speaks to the tension between Libra qualities of wanting to collaborate with others, put others first, and Capricorn, which is a little more solitary and tends to focus on its own goals, its own objectives, and how to get where it’s going.
The Last Quarter Moon is the last major phase in the New Moon cycle that began with the Sagittarius New Moon on December 19th. That was a New Moon that was in difficult aspect with Saturn and Neptune. So, it’s as we started out this New Moon cycle, realizing there were obstacles we were going to have to overcome in order to reach our goals or objectives.
At the Sagittarius New Moon, we are normally focused on not so much things of the practical world, the financial world, but rather on the big picture. What does our life mean? What is it that we are trying to achieve to have a satisfactory life? Maybe something about travel or about education, but maybe, in order to really achieve those Sagittarius New Moon goals, it would be great to find some kind of resolution of that conflict between what we want to plan with others and what we want to do on our own.
The Sabian symbol for the Moon is 21 Libra, A crowd upon the beach, and that does have that convivial tone and that tone of leisure and having fun together, which we see in Libra. The Sun is at 21 Capricorn, A relay race, and we can see the difference in those two symbols. One is about having fun with others. The other is somewhat about collaboration because it is a relay race. One is going to pass off to the next, but it’s still a race and there is a competition at the heart of it.
It does give us a good symbol though about how we might possibly use the energy of this Last Quarter Moon. That is a good way to think about collaborating with others toward a goal.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the Last Quarter in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began with a Solar Eclipse New Moon on October 14th, 2023 at 21º 07’ Libra. That New Moon was square Pluto in Capricorn, so it’s a somewhat heavy New Moon and eclipse that we have been carrying forward since 2023.
The First Quarter in this cycle was on July 13th, 2024. That would have been a moment to try to initiate something that would help us move through that Solar Eclipse impasse with the Sun and Moon square Pluto.
That might have had something to do with forming important relationships or alliances. The Full Moon in this cycle was on April 12th, 2025 at 23º19’ minutes Libra. That would have been a moment where we could stand and look at where we had been and where we had yet to go with these particular Libra objectives – relationship, collaboration, maybe art. And now here we are at the Last Quarter in this cycle and that is the opportunity to take a final action to help us resolve whatever it is that we started out with back at that solar eclipse. It might have been pretty difficult.
An eclipse is a little bit tricky and especially when it’s in aspect with Pluto like that one was. How far have you come since October 2023 about relationships in your life? How well you’re getting along with others and collaborating with the things that you both need?
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.
On January 6, the Moon in Leo squares Uranus at 5:05 a.m. Pacific time. It is Void-of-Course for three hours and 52 minutes, then enters Virgo at 8:57 a.m. This particular square beginning a Void-of-Course Moon period asks us to look at the ways in which we might desire to have our creative talents noticed or just our individuality noticed, but at the same time not wanting to change or do anything differently – because the Moon in Leo and Uranus in Taurus are both in fixed signs. It’s kind of hard for them to change.
But doing the same old thing is not going to get you the attention that you want. So at this square I think it’s important to tell a new story, sing a new song and watch how others respond. Even if you try something new and it flops, you’re going to learn more about what works and what doesn’t. Use this Void-of-Course Moon to stretch your creative muscles and furthermore, as I always suggest during Void-of-Course Moon times, make that a new habit for yourself.
On January 8th, the Moon in Virgo opposes Neptune at 3:23 p.m. Pacific time. It’s void-of-course then for 43 minutes and enters Libra at 4:06 p.m.
At a Void-of-Course Moon that begins on an opposition from the Moon to another planet, there is often an awareness that comes our way. Sometimes this is an awareness that comes from watching others and the way they do things differently and showing us a new possibility. There might be a desire during this nearly one-hour period to spend a little time with artistic people or people who are, as I like to say, a little bit blurry around the edges. They don’t necessarily hew to a specific schedule or feel they need to do things in exactly the right way.
Unfortunately, you could also feel a strong desire to nitpick what these people are doing – that they’re not practical, that they are not attentive enough to details. Harsh judgments like these are never fun, so appreciate the artistic, the non-conformist people in your life without feeling like you need to change them. In fact, maybe you can learn something from the easy-going way they approach things in life.
And on January 10, the Moon in Libra squares Venus in Capricorn at 9:54 a.m. Pacific time. It’s void-of-course for 17 hours and one minute, then it enters Scorpio on January 11th at 2:55 a.m.
When there is a square between the Moon and a planet as it goes void-of-course, we know there is a conflict that we’re trying to resolve. In this case, Venus in Capricorn likes balance, but it likes structure even more.
This transit follows the Libra Last Quarter Moon, when we were trying to resolve the conflict between our Libra selves, that wants to get along with others and collaborate, versus in that case the Sun in Capricorn which is more single-minded and focused from a personal point of view.
Try to use this Void-of-Course Moon period, and it’s a good long one, to establish a habit of using some kind of structure such as a daily planner for instance, to track and ultimately achieve your New Moon goals and also to make an effort and a habit of spending more time with people in your life who you really like. Often, we have good intentions to get together with others but we get busy. we get preoccupied perhaps in this case by professional obligations or family obligations, and it just falls by the wayside. Try to start a new goal for this year that prioritizes nurturing the relationships in your life.
Listener Question: Finding Life Purpose in the Birth Chart?
In this week’s listener question, Listener Ginger asks, “Where do I find my life purpose in my birth chart?”
Well first of all Ginger, I love your name! It is a very unusual one in this day and age. It’s so spicy!
And thank you so much for your question, which is one that I actually get very, very often in readings.
The easy answer is that your entire birth chart describes your life purpose, different aspects of it. But let’s narrow it down to a few particular symbols that might speak to that a little more specifically.
Personally, I would begin with the Sun with its sign, house placement, and aspects to other planets. The Sun is by far the most important body in our celestial system, our solar system. Without it, we just wouldn’t exist.
Especially once we learn more about astrology, we often don’t give a lot of attention to the Sun, because we know that there’s so much more to our chart than just the Sun. But the Sun is also something we sometimes take for granted. Talk to someone about the Sun in their chart, a quality of the Sun in their chart, and they’ll often get almost impatient. “Well, that’s true of everyone, isn’t it?” And no, it’s not!
Of course, your Sun is made more individual by the time of day when you’re born, which determines its house placement. Someone with the Sun in Sagittarius, for example, grows through adventure and understanding of the world. If that Sun is in the sixth house, environments connected to work, health, service, provide these adventures and understanding. If it’s in the second house, situations connected to money and practical security provide some of these opportunities.
And, of course, the Sun’s aspects to other planets are very important. The Sun in aspect to Saturn would be vastly different than the Sun in aspect to Neptune. Saturn makes the Sun sign’s qualities more inflexible, and Neptune makes the boundaries a lot looser. So that’s the Sun.
I think I would also look to Saturn, the Nodes of the Moon, and the Ascendant as being connected with life purpose in particular ways. The Sun describes what you’re aspiring to be, the ways in which you are the protagonist of your own story. Saturn describes the skeletal foundations of who and what you are, and the boundaries within which you need to try to develop yourself.
The Moon’s Nodes delineate a path from what comes easily to things that are more challenging and will help you grow. And the Ascendant is extremely important because it is so personal to you. It’s based on where you were born and the exact time of birth. The Ascendant degree can change about every four minutes. So that makes it very specific to you and very important.
But Ginger, ask a dozen astrologers and you will probably get a dozen answers to your question. And that’s why I would say that it’s your entire birth chart that points to something as complex and individual as your life purpose. Each element of the chart talks about a piece of that purpose and how each planet helps you achieve it. Without Mars or Mercury or Uranus in your chart, we wouldn’t know about the part of your purpose that is feisty, the part that is dependent on your brain to perceive and to communicate, and the part that is rebellious and innovative.
Ginger, I hope that helps. I very much enjoyed this question. Thank you so much for sending it in!
And if you have a question you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast. Or you can send an email to 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, so I am going to 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.
Thank you so much to all of you who have shown support for the podcast over the years 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 CATHERINE BOYER and LISA MOORE! Lisa and Catherine, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.
If you’d like to support the show and receive access to my bonus video episodes for donors only, please go to bigskyastropod.com and make a contribution of $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.
That is it for this episode. Join me again right and early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars.
Writing and images © 2017-26 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!
