TRANSCRIPT Ep. 330 | Leo Full Moon: Standing Up and Standing Out!

TRANSCRIPT Ep 330 | Leo Full Moon: Standing Up and Standing Out!

Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is January 26th, 2026. Welcome to Episode 330 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, after an extended stay in Pisces, Neptune enters Aries for the next 12 years. Mars and Pluto join ferocious but innovative forces to focus on the future. Mercury and Venus bring inspirational words about our values. A sizzling Full Moon in Leo sets the tone for the upcoming eclipses, and I answer a listener question about the progressed Moon.

Neptune enters Aries (Jan. 26, 2026, 9:34 am PST)

Neptune enters Aries on Monday, January 26th at 9:34 am Pacific Time. You might remember that it dipped its toe into Aries last year on March 30th, after spending about 14 years in Pisces, and then turned retrograde back into Pisces on October 22nd.

Now it leaves Pisces for good, or at least until the year 2175. And once it’s settled into Aries, it won’t leave that sign again until May 2038. So, this is a big long-term shift that we’re really just beginning to feel.

The last time Neptune moved through Aries was from April 13th, 1861, through April 7th, 1875. Neptune is sometimes described as our collective dream, the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are and where we’re going. One strand of the Neptune in Aries dream is the idea that a single individual, or a single nation, can save the world.

And it’s hard not to think about that when you notice that Neptune entered Aries on April 13th, 1861, one day after the American Civil War began. It’s tempting from this viewpoint to frame President Abraham Lincoln as the man who saved the world. But at best, he saved the United States. And even then, I don’t think we could honestly say that the rift between North and South was ever fully healed.

With so much emphasis on the individual will and the heroic self, this can be a challenging transit for building society and for fully working together, which is arguably humanity’s natural inclination, and one of its best. Neptune in Aries can inspire courage and vision. But at its worst, Neptune can slip into delusion, distorted thinking, and a lack of insight. And in extreme cases, that can even tip into violence.

Now, I’ve got Sagittarius rising, and I’m an incurable optimist, or at least I’ve always thought of myself that way. For most of my life, I’ve assumed that no matter how much I might disagree with some of my fellow humans, if I were to keel over on a sidewalk one day, the people around me would rush over to help. I don’t assume that quite as easily anymore, and it feels less about political or ideological differences and more about how far people have drifted from our shared social center, especially since the COVID pandemic.

So, it’s going to be really interesting to see how society fares during this very independent transit of Neptune in Aries, especially over the next couple of years, as Saturn also has moved into Aries. That will begin on February 13th. That combination raises some important questions about responsibility, leadership, and what it really means to act with courage for ourselves and for one another.

Mars conjunct Pluto (Jan. 27, 2026, 3:01 pm PST)

On Tuesday, January 27th, Mars makes a conjunction with Pluto at 3:01 p.m. Pacific time, at 3 degrees, 34 minutes Aquarius.

They’re coming together with a total of five planets packed into a very narrow 10-degree stretch of Aquarius. So, the Aquarian vibe is very strong right now. And this is not subtle energy. It is concentrated, focused, and very much about ideas, principles, and the big picture of how we live together in society.

Whenever Mars and Pluto come together, there is the potential to become absolutely ruthless in going after what we want. We can be fiercely protective of the people we love and the ideals that we hold dear. Mars and Pluto together can move mountains. They bring enormous drive, stamina, the willingness to push through obstacles that might normally stop us in our tracks. But there’s a shadow side to this combination as well.

If you don’t have a healthy outlet for all of that intensity, it’s easy to slip into feelings of impotence or inadequacy. And instead of empowerment, it can feel like nothing we do makes any difference at all. And when that happens, giving up can start to look like the only way to regain a sense of control. There’s a real temptation to just take our toys and go home because at least then we get to decide when the game ends.

The late astrologer Donna Cunningham once described Pluto as symbolizing the places where we might fail out of spite. And boy, I think that’s a perfect description of the negative potential of this Mars-Pluto conjunction.

The harder Mars pushes with our personal will and force, the harder Pluto pushes back. Power struggles can escalate quickly under this transit. The best possible expression of this conjunction, I think, is when Mars and Pluto find a way to work together, rather than pushing against each other, to move towards something that is meaningful and lasting.

But that requires a careful reality check. It’s really critical to ask whether what we’re pushing for truly serves the collective, especially with so much energy in Aquarius, or whether it’s really only about asserting our individual will. When this energy is aligned with the greater good, it can be incredibly productive. And when it’s not, it can turn corrosive very quickly.

Mercury conjunct Venus (Jan. 29, 2026, 2:17 am PST)

Mercury and Venus come together this week on Thursday, January 29th at 2:17 a.m. Pacific Time. They are at 14 degrees, 57 minutes Aquarius, on the Sabian symbol 15 Aquarius, Two lovebirds sitting on a fence. Whenever these two planets come together, it is a sweet spot for conversation, for connection, and especially for finding the right words to express our affection or appreciation. In Aquarius, that connection will probably be a little cooler, a little more objective, but also very honest.

This is about liking each other as people first, about shared ideas, mutual respect, and the pleasure of just being on the same wavelength mentally. I love this image of the two lovebirds sitting on a fence, because it’s so simple and it’s so revealing. These aren’t lovebirds who are locked in some passionate embrace. They’re just perched there together, side by side. There is a sense of ease, a sense of choice that they’re together because they want to be and not because they’re clinging or they are entangled with each other. And the fence itself suggests kind of a boundary, a place between two worlds, which feels very Aquarian, standing slightly apart but together observing and deciding.

With Mercury and Venus at this degree, there’s a strong emphasis on conversation as the glue that holds relationships together. It is a wonderful time to talk things through, to say the kind thing, the fair thing, the clarifying thing. This is not a conjunction that’s about grand romantic gestures so much as just quiet mutual understanding. Do we share the same values? Can we listen to each other? Can we sit together comfortably even if we don’t agree on everything?

This conjunction reminds us that love isn’t always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it’s as simple as just choosing to sit on the fence together, exchanging ideas, respecting each other’s independence, and enjoying the quiet pleasure of being in one another’s company.

Leo Full Moon (Feb. 1, 2026, 2:09 pm PST)

And now it’s time for the Moon Report, and we begin as always with the week’s major lunation. This week, that is the Full Moon in Leo on Sunday, February 1st at 2:09 p.m. Pacific time. It’s at 13 degrees and three minutes Leo. This is not an eclipse, but in just a couple of weeks we will begin seeing eclipses on that Aquarius and Leo axis, starting with a solar eclipse on February 17th at 28 degrees 49 minutes Aquarius. I’ll be talking a lot more about that in the coming weeks. For now, think of this Full Moon as a preview of coming attractions, an early hint of the themes that we will later be working on with a little more intensity.

Aquarius and Leo, where we will see an eclipse in the summer, form a polarity that highlights the tension between the individual and the collective. What the crowd can accomplish versus what one person can do by standing up and standing out. It’s the axis of participation and leadership, belonging and self-expression.

The Full Moon is the point in a lunar cycle when things come into focus. It’s when we can clearly see what is working for us and what isn’t. This Leo Full Moon asks us to look honestly at how willing we are to be seen, to step outside the crowd and speak strongly in our own voice. At the same time, it asks an equally important question: are we using that individual voice in service of something larger than ourselves? Are we speaking for our family, our community, or even our country when it matters?

With such a large stellium of planets gathered in Aquarius at this Full Moon, the Moon in Leo can start to feel a little bit outnumbered, even though Leo is a pretty formidable sign. There’s the sense here of the individual needing to work a little harder to be heard amid the collective noise.

The Sabian symbols really underscore this story. The Moon’s Sabian symbol is one of my favorites. It’s 14 Leo, The human soul awaiting opportunity for expression. And the Sun is on 14 Aquarius, A train entering a tunnel. The Moon’s symbol speaks to soul expression, finding and speaking with the voice of the soul.

The Sun’s symbol, on the other hand, is about cutting through obstacles. It reminds us that difficulties are part of the path to achievement and that progress often requires determination and the willingness to push through resistance. Together, these are symbols that suggest that authentic self-expression is not always easy, but it is necessary. And it’s often what allows us to break through and make a meaningful impact.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the Full Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that began on August 4th, 2024, and a New Moon at 12 degrees, 34 minutes, Leo. What were you imagining for yourself at that time? Look back through your diaries and your appointment books to see if anything jars your memory and think about the house of your chart where 12 degrees, 34 minutes, Leo falls, because that might give you some insights as well about what began with this lunar phase family cycle.The First Quarter then came nine months later, May 4th, 2025, at 14 degrees, 21 minutes, Leo. That would have been an action point in this cycle where you were compelled to take some kind of action toward those Leo New Moon goals. Now, nine months later, is a Full Moon at 13 degrees, three minutes, Leo, where we are taking a look at where we are, how we got here, and what there is left to do in this Leo cycle.

Nine months from now, on November 1st, 2026, is a Last Quarter Moon at nine degrees, 25 minutes, Leo. That is a final action point in this lunar phase family cycle, where we’re asked to address whatever it is that we have not taken care of so far in this Leo New Moon cycle.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

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

On Tuesday, January 27th, the Moon in Taurus sextiles Saturn in Pisces at 9:58 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for two hours 57 minutes, then enters Gemini at 12:55 p.m.

A sextile aspect from the Moon to another planet beginning a Void-of-Course Moon Period suggests an opportunity or an invitation. This is on the morning and early afternoon leading up to that Mars-Pluto conjunction. There’s a good chance that the energy on this day will be tense and volatile. If you happen to find yourself in a kind of a spicy situation, don’t feed the fire by popping off. Instead, try to center yourself in that Taurus Moon energy.

Take a step back, get grounded, and try your best to stay cool, calm, and collected. Void-of-Course Moon Periods are excellent for practicing new habits, and this one could bring an opportunity to just practice being the grown-up in the room.

On Thursday, January 29th, the Moon in Gemini squares Saturn in Pisces at 11:56 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for two hours 36 minutes, then enters Cancer at 2:32 p.m. A square between the Moon and another planet starting a Void-of-Course Period does suggest a conflict that we’re going to be trying to resolve. There could be difficulty in expressing ourselves with the Moon in a Mercury-ruled sign, Gemini, being in a square aspect to Saturn. Mercury is in a conjunction with Venus on this day, and that might help us find the words that will be most effective.

Let’s try to use this Void-of-Course Moon to get into the habit of gaining clarity and choosing words carefully before we send our message out into the world.

And on Saturday, January 31st, the Moon in Cancer trines Saturn in Pisces at 1:52 p.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for two hours, 17 minutes, and then enters Leo at 4:09 p.m. This is a transit that is occurring between planets in emotional water signs, Cancer and Pisces, and those are signs that tend to process things emotionally.

Use this Void-of-Course Moon to check in with yourself. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with emotions, consider: are they yours or do they really belong to someone else? Be clear and let feelings go if they are not yours to have. Compassion is one thing, but absorbing other people’s hardships or hard feelings isn’t helpful or healthy. Why be upset when you don’t have to be? Use this Void-of-Course Moon period to get into the habit of establishing these kinds of emotional boundaries.

Listener Question: The Progressed Moon

In this week’s listener question, Kelly with a Y writes, “Hello to my favorite Invisible Friend. I have a question for you about Progress Charts.

My Progressed Moon is currently at 27 degrees Pisces in the third house and all I can say is, I am exhausted. What is your take on the Pisces to Aries threshold and Progressed Charts and Moon in general? Please tell me that everything is going to magically become easier and the overwhelm will shift to initiations when my Progressed Moon shifts to Aries in March!”

Oh, listener Kelly with a Y, thank you for that question. I’m smiling at “my favorite Invisible Friend.” Thank you so much!

I’m really glad that you wrote in because what you’re describing is something I have been hearing from so many people right now.

Your experience of those final degrees of Pisces is completely in sync with the collective mood. With transiting Saturn and Neptune moving to the very end of Pisces, I think there is this overwhelming sense of exhaustion in the air. It can feel like we’ve been running a very long race and we can dimly see the finish line, but it feels like getting there is going to take everything we have.

And it’s not just physical tiredness. It is also emotional and spiritual fatigue. That feeling of, “I just don’t know if I have one more push in me.”

Before I answer your big question about whether things magically get easier, let me do a quick recap of what Progressions are, just so that we’re all on the same page. Progressions are based on the movement of the planets in the days following our birth. And each day after your birth and the placements of the planets on that day symbolizes a particular year of your life.

Progressed charts describe our inner developmental story, how we grow, mature and shift over time. They don’t replace the natal chart. They add a layer of timing and context, especially around emotional readiness.

The Progressed Moon is one of the most noticeable parts of that story. It describes where our emotional attention is focused, what we’re learning to respond to and what kind of experiences we are metabolizing at a given stage of life. When someone says, “I feel different lately,” very often the Progressed Moon has changed sign or house or is about to.

And it moves fairly quickly, at least in astrological terms, about one sign every two and a half years, or about a degree per month. So, when you’re in those last few degrees of a sign, you really feel it. There’s a sense of wrapping up, letting go. And especially in Pisces, this sense of dissolving old identities and emotional habits. And it can feel foggy and draining and frankly, pretty overwhelming.

One important thing to keep in mind is that your Progressed Moon doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It really matters where your natal Moon is and whether it’s currently being activated by transiting planets as well. If your natal Moon is under pressure right now, that can definitely amplify the exhaustion that you’re feeling during the end of this Progressed Pisces phase.

Now, what about Pisces being on the move into Aries? This is one of the most dramatic shifts that the Progressed Moon makes. And I would put it kind of on the same level as the Progressed Moon moving into the first house, which is equally dramatic.

Pisces is the end of the Zodiac. It’s a place of surrender, release and depletion. Aries is the beginning. It’s about initiation and courage, discovering what you want now, not what you’ve already outgrown. So let me ask you and everyone listening to think back to last year.

How did you feel when Neptune first entered Aries at the end of March? And again, when Saturn entered Aries near the end of May? If you felt even a small burst of energy, clarity or motivation, then that’s a really good clue. You can probably expect a similar feeling when your Progressed Moon moves into Aries in March. And you may even get a preview this week as transiting Neptune enters Aries again.

And in February, when Saturn follows suit, will everything magically become easier? Well, I won’t quite promise magic, but I will say this: The quality of your energy is likely to change. The overwhelm of Pisces gives way to a desire to act, to begin again and to say, okay, what’s next? And after months of emotional fatigue, that shift alone can feel like a breath of very fresh air.

Kelly, thank you so much for your question!

And if you have a burning question about astrology that you would like me to answer on a future episode, leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com slash bigskyastrologypodcast, or drop me an email at april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

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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!