052 | A Scorpio Season of Long Shadows & Fellowship
Published 10/19/2020
Jen: Welcome to the Big Sky Astrology podcast, with April Elliott Kent and me, producer and cohost Jen Braun. Hey friends, Jen here. Today is October 19th, 2020. And here with me, of course, to help clear up this hazy week is my friend, astrologer April Elliott Kent. Will you help us part the clouds this week, April?
April: I’ll see what I can do, Jen. That was a very smooth introduction for what I wanted to lead with here, so thank you.
Jen: Thank you so much.
April: We were wondering how we were going to do this. Well, I wanted to tell everybody about this lecture. I’m doing. It’s for an online conference called “Breaking Down The Borders.” It actually was the original online astrology conference.
Jen: First one ever?
April: First one ever.
Jen: Wow.
April: It’s been going for, I think like 13 years or something. This is my first time speaking for it. And the conference is on November 6th through the eighth online. And we will of course link to this in the show notes. But my topic, and I’m kind of excited about this. The topic is “Saints And Suckers: Neptune In Relationship.”
Jen: And why did you pick that title?
April: Oh, I really am interested in that dimension of relationship astrology, about how we fool ourselves into getting into the relationships we do and staying in them if they’re not working out. And just the whole role of Neptune, I was saying in a recent episode, it might’ve been last week, when we were talking about Venus with Neptune, I think… and talking about the importance of Neptune in relationship, because it’s what enchants us about each other, if there’s some element of Neptune there.
Jen: That’s a good word for Neptune, enchantment.
April: Yes.
Jen: Yes. I like that.
April: Yes. I do too. But of course, Neptune also represents that quest for clarity to figure out what’s actually going on and about illusion and disillusionment. And there’s a lot of both of those things in relationship. And I think particularly when we’re young, but really all stages of life, we can fall prey to this. So that’s why I chose the topic and I’m kind of excited about it.
Jen: Great.
April: Anyway, I’m going to invite everybody to go over. It’s a great conference. They’ve got a ton of really good speakers and topics. They are virtually going around the clock because they have people from all over the world. But mine is on November 7th at 03:30 Pacific Time. So 06:30 on the East coast and so forth. And you can actually just sign up for the lectures that you want. So you don’t have to buy a whole big package or anything. You can just do individual lectures. So, I hope people will sign up for mine.
Jen: Yes. So I would like to encourage people to sign up. And you can also find the link on your website, right, April? On bigskyastrology.com. So you can go there, and click on which tab?
April: On “About” and then “Events and Appearances.”
Jen: Okay.
April: And I’ve got the information in there.
Jen: It’ll be a good workshop.
April: I hope so.
Jen: You’re an excellent teacher.
April: Well, thank you. I have just finished one big workshop by the time we record this and hopefully that all went well. It’s a whole different world, this kind of online… I’ve done a lot of online teaching, but it is a different experience. It’s different for me and it’s different for the students as well. The demands of like peering into a little computer screen for hours at a time… it’s quite different. If you’re in person, you get a lot of energy from each other. I do from them and they do from me
Jen: And it’s true, I guess, of teachers all over the country right now, having to teach students – no matter the age – online. And it’s so much more challenging I think. All over the world, teachers are probably having to do this.
April: Yes. And it’s all day, five days a week.
Jen: Yes.
April: And they’re fighting with a lot more distractions. I mean, at least the people that are coming to a lecture like mine are there because they really want to be there.
Jen: Exactly.
April: And they’re really interested in the topic. The kids, as we know from having been school kids ourselves, don’t always exactly feel that way about being in class. Oh, bless you teachers. We love you.
Jen: Yes.
April: We love you. We salute you. We appreciate you.
Jen: We do.
April: Well…
Jen: Should we kick off the astrology part of the show?
April: Oh, let’s do. Well first stop, we have that Mars/Jupiter aspect that we teased people with last week. I don’t how many people have been sitting on the edge of their chairs…
Jen: …they’ve all been waiting. Alright, Mars squares Jupiter. And what can you tell us?
April: Well, first I’ll tell people it’s on October 18th, my time 10:30 in the evening, but it’s October 19th just after midnight, practically every place else. So Mars is at 19° and 26 minutes of Aries. And the Sabian symbol for 20 Aries is “A Young Girl Feeding Birds in winter” which we talked about last week. That helpful little girl. Is that wrong?
Jen: Wait, last week, the girl was giving them a drink from the fountain…
April: Oh…
Jen: This week she has bread, perhaps
April: And she’s feeding them.
Jen: She is feeding them
April: I want to tell that little girl that is very sweet that she cares, but she needs to back off.
Jen: Yes, you are really not supposed to feed birds bread, are you?
April: No. I’m going to think that these birds are like Mercury-in-Scorpio, birds. They are very resourceful, they don’t need her help quite that much. But it does talk about our altruistic impulses, which is nice. Mars in Aries is not necessarily associated in our minds with being altruistic and helpful to others. But I will say there is something of the Knight on horseback with Mars in Aries.
Jen: That’s funny. I was just thinking about how you had described at one point the Knight figure as an archetype for Mars in Aries.
April: Yes. And wants to come to the aid of those who are in peril. So, it’s like Dudley Do-Right on the old cartoon.
Jen: Yes
April: There is something of that in, I think this Sabian symbol, the “Young girl feeding the birds in winter.” And I guess they may be do need a little help now that I’m reading that more closely because it’s winter. So it’s a little harder for them perhaps to find the things that they need.
Jen: It could be. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.
April: We will. I think her purposes are very heartfelt and perhaps for all of us, as well as we go out this week and want to give aid and help to others, whether it’s particularly needed or welcome, it’s nice to see that there.
Jen: And what is Jupiter on, for the Sabian symbol?
April: Jupiter’s Sabian symbol is “A Hidden Choir Singing.” That is quite a lovely one.
Jen: I like that. It makes me think of a choir at the back of a church.
April: Yeah, definitely.
Jen: Actually, you know what this makes me think of? When I was in high school, our choir won a trip to go sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Utah.
April: Oh, wonderful.
Jen: And I remember a friend of mine mentioning afterwards that she felt like she was singing better. She was a soprano. I was an Alto of course, but she felt like she could really reach the high notes when she was singing with the choir. Because there’s something about being around people that are really excellent singers that lifts you up and that helps you sing better. And so maybe there’s something of that whole “being helpful” theme here in the Sabian symbol.
April: Definitely to me, that suits the symbolism of Mars with Jupiter really well, lifting your game. It’s a square aspect, so it means that we’re pushed a little bit. And there is something about being with other people that are just playing at another level or singing – in this case – at another level, that’ll make you work a little bit harder and bring your hustle.
Jen: Exactly.
April: So, that’s a nice memory.
Jen: Yes, it is.
April: This had its beginnings back on March 20th, Mars was conjunct Jupiter at around 23° Capricorn. Then we talked about that in Episode 17, “Saturn in Aquarius, All In This Together.” It might be worth going back and listening to what we were talking about then.
This is the second of three squares that Mars will make to Jupiter. The first was on August 4th. And we talked about that one in episode 37 “Full Moon in Aquarius and Many Happy Solar Returns.” So I had that pretty much in my solar return chart for this year. And then there’s this one and there’ll be one more on January 22nd of 2021.
Mars is basically how we are trying to proceed and get things done. It’s turning retrograde right now, so basically we’re trying to go back and finish some things we started before… or attend to matters that we abandoned in our rash Mars-in-Aries enthusiasm. Squaring Jupiter, which is more about building something that lasts systematically. So it’s the friction between those two. If you want to build something that’s going to last, something of real merit that will go on in perpetuity, you have to start somewhere. And that’s where Mars in Aries is really effective. It’ll just start something just because that’s what it does. It starts things. But with Mars in Aries – which is a little rash and impulsive – and retrograde… it’s a little bit frustrated. It just means that process isn’t going quite as smoothly and effectively as it might normally.
Jen: And the third square will be in fixed signs. Mars will have moved on to Taurus, and Jupiter will have moved into Aquarius at that point. Do you think because they’ll be squaring in fixed signs for that third one in January, that that will also be somewhat of a frustration? Because fixed signs – coming from someone with a lot of Scorpio planets – can be immobile sometimes and… you know… a little stuck?
April: It can be stuck.
Jen: I’m allowed to say that, right?
April: You are. And I’m allowed to second it, as somebody with lots of things in Leo.
Jen: Yes. We’re both allowed to say it.
April: However, I would say that it’s hard to get more stuck than Mars retrograde square something in Capricorn. So I think rather than saying, “we’ll be more stuck,” then we can say, “something will finally take” that we’ve been trying to do.
Jen: Oh, look at you!
April: Yes. Look at me being optimistic!
Jen: Love that!
April: Yes. So we get a little purchase, get a little foothold in it with that tenacious Mars in Taurus, and finally start to move along our path towards some future achievements.
Jen: Yes, we’re tenacious. That’s what we are.
April: Yes, we’re tenacious, April and Jen. That’s what we are.
Jen: Excellent.
April: Okay. Well we also have Mercury revisiting its opposition to Uranus on October 19th, 07:53 PM at 9° and nine minutes of Scorpio and Taurus. And I say revisiting, because of course it’s retrograde now and it was just there.
Jen: Yes.
April: And it is on Jen’s new favorite Sabian symbol.
Jen: “A Fellowship Supper!”
April: Oh my gosh!
Jen: It’s so great!
April: It is. Because alert listeners will recall an episode long ago where Jen was very excited about incorporating the word fellowship into our episode.
Jen: Indeed. It’s true.
April: Because one of her dear friends is very fond of that word.
Jen: Yes. One of my friends, we’ll get together and at the end she’ll say “Thanks for the fellowship.” Because she just thinks it’s sort of warm and convivial. Which I enjoy.
April: It is. And I love that Sabian symbol for this Mercury, “A Fellowship Supper.”
Jen: I love that too.
April: So Mercury, when it was direct back in the before days, it was opposed Uranus on October 7th, that was Episode 50, “The Grand Cross: Wheel of Fortune” that episode. And I just remember both of us – and several other people that I was noticing on social media or podcasts or something – were talking about their appliances being in revolt. Because Uranus and Mercury both have to do with technology.
Jen: Yes.
April: So you had an issue with an appliance…
Jen: And now we need a new fridge!
April: Oh no!
Jen: We are saving for a new fridge. It’s not dead yet, but we don’t want it to be dead and then have to get a new fridge.
April: The signs are there.
Jen: But it’s on its last legs.
April: Of course it’s getting ready to be really cold where you live.
Jen: It’s true.
April: If it just dies, I’m sure you could just shove stuff out on the back porch.
Jen: We can always put stuff outside…
April: Yes, put it on the patio, you’ll be fine. So, also plumbing issues with Mercury in Scorpio. And I guess maybe I would say that I’m hearing that one from people in somewhat unpleasantly graphic detail, because that’s how Mercury in Scorpio likes to work. And “A Red Cross Nurse” is the Sabian symbol for Uranus at this opposition. So I think, this is just a little repair person that’s coming out here and being super helpful and trying to fix everything that has gone a little bit haywire.
Jen: Maybe they do it in a charming way though, because it’s a fellowship supper…
April: Perhaps they do. I just love this idea of the fellowship supper. And we’re doing so much of our gathering these days, as we said in the beginning about that conference, through mediated technology… through zoom like we’re doing now and all kinds of other things.
Jen: Yes.
April: So this is yes, having to look at different ways of maintaining that fellowship. I don’t know what it’s like where you are; here in San Diego, things are kind of opening up a bit more for people gathering in public together and things like that. But the Mercury opposed Uranus says, “Hmm, we’re going to see how that goes.” Because when it turns direct again and makes one last opposition to Uranus, there’ll be a whole other story there.
Jen: Yes. Well, where we are, it’ll be interesting, at least for us heading into winter with snow and not being able to gather outside as much… trying to figure out how we’re going to do that. Maybe we’ll have a big bonfire or something, I don’t know.
April: Oh, that sounds nice.
Jen: Bonfire in the snow? We’ll see.
April: And snow angels.
Jen: We’ll see.
April: Venus is very busy this week, which is big news for somebody like Jen who’s got lots of things in Venus-ruled signs.
Jen: Explain to people why that’s a big deal for people that have a lot of Libra or Taurus planets.
April: Right. Because Venus is their ruling planet. So when we have a week where Venus is doing something like changing signs – like it did a couple of weeks ago when it went into Virgo – when it is making a lot of aspects to other planets as it’s doing this week, it means that the planets in your chart that are in the Venus-ruled signs to Libra or Taurus are kind of quivering, they are kind of resonating. It’s like someone taps a glass and you get that little resonant ring.
Jen: Nice.
April: Yes. So the first thing that Venus is going to be doing of note this week is on the same day as that Mercury/Uranus opposition, it will make a trine to Jupiter on October 19th, just after midnight Pacific Time, at 19° and 27 minutes of Virgo and Capricorn. The Sabian symbols here are “An Automobile Caravan” and “A Hidden Choir Singing” again, which just sounds like heaven.
Jen: Yes.
April: And to me, it’s very cinematic. When you have the hidden choir singing, you can just picture… you’re watching the little automobile caravan, just a bunch of friends on a road trip maybe in different cars, chugging along the open road, like Highway 40 going through New Mexico or something. And in the meantime in the background, you have this beautiful voice, the choir singing and whatnot.
Jen: That’s quite lovely.
April: It is quite lovely. And Venus trine Jupiter, what a nice aspect! Venus is about enjoying life, enjoying ourselves, finding pleasure and relaxation as much as Venus in Virgo can. Which admittedly is not a lot. Venus in Virgo relaxes by doing Virgo things, by organizing things and tidying up… that’s really relaxing for Venus in Virgo, brings great joy. And just the sense of putting things right in the physical world.
Jen: I like that.
April: So now Venus is coming together with Jupiter. And these are the two planets that are considered the Benefic planets. That’s how the ancients called them. Jupiter was the great Benefic, he’s this super lucky guy.
Jen: Okay.
April: Venus is the lesser Benefic, but don’t tell her that. And it just means, well kind of good everyday luck, something nice happens. Like one day I had a student show up with a coffee for me. That’s a nice Venus kind of a luck of a gift. Jupiter would be, you really get some substantial recognition for instance, in your work – Jupiter in Capricorn – or a really nice big gift of something that’s really going to last for a long time. Somebody gives you a new refrigerator. I mean, that’s definitely a Jupiter moment. So, Venus trine Jupiter is just the two coming together, a sense of forward motion and it just sounds lovely to me.
Jen: It is lovely. And I like how the Sabian symbols are about people with a similar goal, whether it’s the caravan or the choir, they all have a goal that they’re working together toward.
April: That’s exactly so. Then on October 20th, a date dear to me, because it was the birthday of my late brother… and it was also the day that I bought my Toyota Corolla that I had for 30 years! So October 20th is a big day for me. Sorry, Kirk, my brother, but I’m remembering the car too on your birthday. So Venus squares the Lunar Nodes on October 20th at 01:33 PM Pacific at 21° and 18 minutes Virgo and Gemini.
Here is what came to mind for me, because we’ve been talking about these Lunar Nodes. The North Node is in Gemini, South Node in Sagittarius. And we are talking about that nodal search for truth, you know?
Jen: Yes.
April: And about keeping our minds open to new information and new possibilities at the same time. We’re letting go of the need to be absolutely sure about everything, which is represented by the South Node in Sagittarius. So what came to mind for me with Venus squaring these Nodes is that: In this ongoing search for truth, we have to avoid being pulled off course by the delicious details of Venus in Virgo. So I noticed, for instance, in preparing a talk – like preparing a workshop or a lecture as I’d been doing – the tendency to get off track from the big bold strokes of what it is that I’m trying to say on the subject, and getting mired down in little things like, “Oh, the font isn’t right” or “Oh, I italicized it in this slide, so I better come back and do it in the next one.” Virgo details. And I’m not saying that it’s not important to do things precisely and well, but it’s kind of not the point of this particular nodal axis.
Jen: That’s such a great example.
April: If Venus in Virgo wants to be helpful in this situation, because she’s trying to bring something to the party to galvanize her search for truth… it is really about, I guess, the appreciation of the analytic approach. As we’ve said before, when we’ve had planets in Virgo that have connected with this nodal axis is to say, “Yeah, you can’t just let go of everything that you think you know. And you can’t just let every crackpot theory into your orb through the North Node.” So the Virgo is there to sort of be a clearing house between the two and the fact checking and say, “Well, is this really true? Is this really factual?” And the Venus part, it isn’t strictly speaking mental processes and things. But it could represent a person in your life, especially a feminine person who comes into your life to help you get clarity between those two things.
Jen: Embodying that quality, right?
April: Yes. So it’s not gender specific. But a person who is more receptive in nature, who is the kind of person who will be Socratic with you and kind of ask you a lot of questions so that you have to think more about what it is that you’re processing in terms of ideas, philosophies, information.
Jen: Got it.
April: Then on the next day, October 21st at 02:42 PM Pacific, Venus will trine Pluto at 22° 33 minutes of Virgo and Capricorn. Venus is on one of my personal favorite Sabian symbols, “An Animal Tamer.” Which in some interpretations of the symbols is “A Lion Tamer Rushes Fearlessly into the Circus Arena.” And then the Sabian symbol for 23 Capricorn, which is Pluto’s position, is “A Soldier Receiving Two Awards for Bravery in Combat.” Which is one we’re seeing again and again, because Pluto’s just sitting there on that symbol.
Jen: Yes. And that was the symbol from January where Saturn and Pluto met up.
April: Right. So these two symbols talk, both of them about bravery and about fearlessness. But Venus is trine Pluto. Venus can be about the relating principle. Pluto is about going deep, seeing things as they are. And I think that maybe this combination just talks about being brave enough to really go deep in our dealings with other people and to clear the air where we need to. The trine means that there will be abundant opportunities to do that and that it should kind of go well. Because if you had Venus square Pluto, yes, you may have those in-depth conversations, but they’re usually going to have a little bit of an edge to them. With the trine, it’s like, “Oh, we kind of get each other. We kind of want the same things deep down.” And just having honest conversations and figuring out practical ways to move forward, with Venus in Virgo.
Jen: Because the nature of the square’s a little sharper, as you’re saying, and the trine generally goes easier.
April: Yes. And Venus rules finances too. So this is about being sure you know the real cost of things. What it’s really costing you to buy that new car, that new house or what it’s costing you to have the job that you have. We don’t often think about that. It’s easier now that people are not commuting as much. But if you do things like fold in the amount of time that you’re commuting or the amount of money you spend for gas in your car or train fare or whatever it is, however you get work, that is a cost that you have to offset against what you’re earning at the work. So it’s that kind of equation I think that this Venus in Virgo trine Pluto is looking at.
Jen: Do you think it could also be the cost of the energy that you give to things?
April: Absolutely. Yes. Are you thinking in terms of things like… every time you buy a thing you have to spend energy, time, and sometimes money maintaining it for instance?
Jen: Well that, or even relationships. You know, that it can be an exchange of energy and ideas. And if you find that you’re giving more to a relationship or vice versa, it may be the real cost of that is higher than you would have otherwise thought.
April: Right. The thing about relationships and the thing about Pluto, specifically, are about an emphasis on something bigger than the self. And in this case, it’s the team, it’s Venus, it’s a pair of people at least, it’s the dynamic. So if you get to the point where you’re feeling invisible almost, or your contributions and your heart and your affection are not being appreciated in the way you need, that certainly is something that you’ll be looking at. And maybe the basis of some conversations for people. This is about learning to value yourself, and the trine says the Pluto is actually going to stabilize and strengthen part of you. Because you’ll have looked really deeply. You’ll have taken the Neptune blinders off from Venus’s recent opposition in Neptune and saying, “What is really going on here? And am I getting what I’m worth?”
Jen: That’s a good point. It’s brave enough to look at your own self-worth too.
April: Then finally Venus trine Saturn on October 24th at 08:40 AM Pacific Time at 25° and 52 minutes of Virgo and Capricorn. This is about cleansing and organizing, because we have Venus on that nice Sabian symbol for 26 Virgo. Maybe we had a lunation there or something. Because the Sabian symbol is “a boy with a censer.” Like the little thing that distributes the incense in a church. And then the Sabian symbol, 26 Capricorn for Saturn, “A Water Sprite.” So both of these are really clearly about cleansing and organizing and making substantial changes, for instance, in your environment, in your home, doing something nice for your possessions, I think, with that cleansing thing. And also, on the heels of that Venus/Pluto trine, and the Venus opposition to Neptune recently, this is about building a new structure going forward for your relationships, for your work life, for the places in your life where it’s important to feel valued and appreciated. And it’s a trine. I mean, nice aspects for Venus this week.
Jen: With the Virgo and Capricorn aspects happening in these lovely trines… it’s also sort of grounding us. Right?
April: Yes. Grounding us versus grinding us down.
Jen: Yes, exactly.
April: The trine’s pretty nice actually.
Jen: Yes. Okay. So moving on from these trines, we next have the Sun entering the sign of Scorpio this week, October 22nd at 03:59 PM Pacific Time.
April: Yay!
Jen: Scorpio season, April!
April: I love Scorpio season.
Jen: It’s the season of letting go.
April: Yes, of letting go. I was thinking of it as the season of long shadows. If you go outside, the nature of the light is set such, the angle of the Sun is such, that you have these really long shadows from the trees and so forth. It’s a season of mysteries of dead crunchy leaves, of spooky holidays.
Jen: It’s a lovely image.
April: A big fan of Scorpio.
Jen: Nice.
April: This brings us into, you know, when we talked in our Libra Equinox special episode for our donors, we talked about Samhain, the Wiccan high holiday that comes around Halloween. And we’re going to have a really big Full Moon to talk about next week for Halloween. This is the opening salvo in that particular campaign.
Jen: Okay.
April: And this is the time of year that we acknowledge endings. We know nothing lasts forever. It’s just the nature of the season. You can’t help if you are seeing the leaves crinkle up and die, the crops have all been harvested and it’s their time to lie fallow, and that they can be restored for the new planting season in the spring. It is a time of some melancholy, I think. Sometimes it’s something very romantic about this time of year because it’s beautiful. You know?
Jen: Yes.
April: But we’re starting to get too, I understand from people who live in places that actually have seasons, unlike where I live, that right now in October, is where you get beautiful, bright bursts of autumn color in the trees where you live.
Jen: It’s beautiful. It’s really beautiful around here. It’s about letting go. And it’s the season of releasing as we are reminded here in the Midwest every day, when the leaves fall from the trees.
April: Right. Which we’re never reminded of in Southern California. We just kind of, “Oh, today is 72, clear and perfect.” It’s like every day, a little monotonous.
Jen: So boring!
April: It is. It is a little bit.
Jen:
April: But we have – if you’ve lived here a really long time, you’ll start to understand the very subtle changes of the seasons. It’s just beautiful. And why is that we all love fall so much? You talk to 10 people and probably eight of them are going to say their favorite season is autumn. So why is it that this season – as the Sun’s going into Scorpio and it’s endings and things closing down – why do we love it so much?
Jen: We all have Scorpio somewhere in our charts, even if you don’t have any planets in Scorpio; that’s important for people to remember. And I’ve always thought of it as: Perhaps it’s the area of each person’s chart where you’re making the greatest transformation.
April: And when your feelings are the deepest. Here’s a funny thing. And I don’t know if you’ve experienced this…
Jen: What’s that?
April: I find myself, from time to time, getting deeply nostalgic for some of the worst moments of my life. And I have no idea what that’s about, except that I think that when you’re going through great trials, you feel – ironically – very alive. You’re really feeling deeply. And I guess it’s back to something my mother used to say, if you were having a bad time, and she’d say, “Well, it’s these disappointments now that make you appreciate the good times later on.” And maybe there’s something to that. It’s like, without the darkness, without the shadows, we can’t fully appreciate the light. I mean, spring would not be as exciting to you in the cold place where you live if you hadn’t been through the colder seasons and things closing down and lying fallow for awhile.
Jen: That makes sense. And you appreciate the Sun so much more when you’ve also experienced the rain.
April: Just so my friend.
Jen: Exactly.
April: Jen?
Jen: April!
April: Do you know what time it is?
Jen: What time is it?
April: Moonwatch.
Jen: Moonwatch.
April: Oh, play it.
April: You are such a crooner.
April: Moonwatch. It’s a First Quarter Moon this week at 0° and 35 minutes of Scorpio and Aquarius. And this is on October 23rd at 06:23 AM Pacific Time. The Sun will be on the Sabian symbol, “A Sightseeing Bus,” which goes back to our automobile caravan before.
Jen: Yes. It sounds fun.
April: A lot of people on the road apparently this week. And the Sabian symbol for the Moon of course is 1° Aquarius “An Old Adobe Mission.” And this is the very important degree of the upcoming Jupiter Saturn conjunction in late December. So I’m going to look at this as a little bit of a preview of coming attractions, perhaps for that.
Jen: Okay.
April: Especially since the distinguishing characteristics of this chart really are about the Sun and Moon in aspect to Uranus, which is the planet of change, of new things coming our way. And in modern astrology, Uranus is associated with Aquarius.
Jen: Yes, indeed.
April: I didn’t actually look back, I guess it was nine months ago that we would have had a New Moon in Aquarius, I guess in February that would have been around this same degree. And I can vaguely remember talking about it.
Jen: We did talk about this degree, because I remember you talking about that Sabian symbol specifically.
April: Yes. So if we go back in our minds to February in the “before” times, just when everything changed and got a bit locked down and what have you, that would have been the New Moon, the Aquarius New Moon, that this is now the First Quarter Moon. And it says “You conceived something then. You planted a seed of intention that had to do with Aquarius, that had to do with something, a creative project, so big that you cannot accomplish it by itself.” Again, there’s this fellowship idea of people together doing something, creating something. And now is the time to actually do something about that in real terms. That’s what a First Quarter Moon always says is: We’re at that moment in that cycle. Then in another nine months from now, we will have a Full Moon around this degree, and we can see what we accomplished between now and then.
Jen: So, what does this First Quarter Moon say… with Uranus in the picture, and Mercury joining up with the Sun?
April: Well, we’ll talk a little bit about Mercury with the Sun in a moment and Mercury being retrograde. But just focusing on the idea of the Sun in opposition to Uranus is that the tension is between: Do we keep things as they are? Because consistency is what feeds the Sun. The Sun is about the unchanging core of something. And the fact that it is unchanging and consistent is what gives it its sense of identity. So Uranus is a natural threat to that because Uranus always says, “We’re going to mix things up. We’re going to do things differently.” So at this First Quarter Moon, the Sun is opposed Uranus, it’s standing in opposition to this change agent planet. And we are being called to ask to find a middle point between our desire to hold on to things as they are. The Sun is in Scorpio, and as you point out, that’s a fixed sign. And Uranus is in Taurus and saying, “No, we need to change things.”
Jen: Well, that’s a novel way to put the Sun and Uranus together for me, because of thinking about the Sun as consistency. It feels like a new way to think about it for me. And I like that connection.
April: Yes. And they’re making a T-square then with the Moon in Aquarius. The Moon is the moderator, if you will. And it kind of appears on the face of things to be siding a little bit with Uranus because they kind of have something in common.
Jen: Because of Uranus as being the modern ruler of Aquarius, you mean?
April: Yes.
Jen: Okay.
April: And also the Moon is exalted in Taurus, which is the sign Uranus is in. So they’re kind of feeling each other here. They’re kind of saying “Yes, change is really what we need to do.” But the Moon also likes it security, Right?
Jen: Yes.
April: So it’s not completely on board with lots of change either. That Moon is sitting there saying, “There’s got to be a way we can find a balance between these two.” In literal terms, this might seem to refer to the pandemic and the shutdown. It could have something to do with that. Because again, it goes back to February where we had a New Moon at this degree of Aquarius.
But I think what we’re looking at here is people having a lot more of a dialogue about how to move forward as a society in the light of everything that we’ve been through in the last nine months.
Jen: Because Aquarius is also about community?
April: Yes. Fellowship, Jen! Fellowship.
Jen: Fellowship! Thank you, April. That made me happy.
April: And bon homie!
Jen: And bon homie!
April: Yes! Oh, my goodness…
Jen: Well, pal, wouldn’t the release point be in Leo because we’ve got the T-square.
April: Leoooooo!
Jen: Thank you for singing that. And we’ve got the release point over there at 1° Leo saying, “Express yourself, be creative.”
April: And it’s kind of more on board with the Sun.
Jen: Because the Sun rules Leo.
April: Yes, because it’s ruled by the Sun. And yet I can’t say that Leo and Scorpio are always completely on the same page about everything. But they’re both fans of keeping things as they are.
Jen: Yes.
April: So yes, I think the release point being in Leo, you make a good point there… which is about, there are all kinds of ways of maintaining our sense of unique self and integrity without having to just keep things exactly as they are. Because Leo is the creator and creation means you’re not keeping things just as they are.
Jen: Good point.
April: You’re taking something you have, which is Taurus and you’re making something else of it, or you figure out what you can do with it. And that is the Leo part… Deep thoughts with April and Jen!
Jen: As per usual.
April: Jen, tell us about the Sun/Mercury conjunction, because you are the queen of the inferior and superior conjunction. So talk to us about this.
Jen: Mercury will be passing over the face of the Sun, joining up with him on October 25th at 11:23 AM Pacific Time at 2° 47 minutes Scorpio. We know therefore that Mercury is halfway through its retrograde cycle because it’s joining up with the Sun. Mercury is the closest it ever gets to Earth during this conjunction – physically, that is, because it’s joining up with the Sun on the same side of the Sun as the Earth is. It’s interesting that Mars is also is the closest that it gets to Earth physically, as well, these days. I wonder if that gives it a little more oomph, a little more power to both Mercury and Mars these days?
April: I don’t know man, but I’m loving that Mars in the evening sky in the East. It’s so beautiful.
Jen: It’s been very bright and close to Earth.
April: Well, did you notice the Sabian symbol for this conjunction?
Jen: The Sabian symbol is 3 Scorpio, “A House Raising.”
April: Fellowship, Jen! It is all coming back to fellowship!
Jen: There’s a lot of fellowship happening in this episode!
April: There is. How are we going to work together to create the structures that are necessary moving forward?
Jen: Oh, that’s really beautiful. I like the way you put that, my friend.
April: But I think with Mercury, if I’m understanding the conjunction of Sun and Mercury correctly – and it’s entirely possible I’m not – but I think that anything that is that close to the Sun, unless they’re exactly conjunct as they will be on the 25th… but when it’s just a little bit off of that, Mercury is not really working at its optimal power and strength. We’re a little too subjective in how we’re seeing things. And we’re not necessarily seeing the whole picture.
Jen: Because we’re blinded by the Sun?
April: Yes. But there is that brilliant Cazimi moment when they are conjunct.
Jen: We should have a Cazimi song. Shouldn’t we?
April: Cazimi…
Jen: Cazimi…
April: Oh, my goodness. Well, that’ll have to do for now!
Jen: I did notice, April, that this is the final Mercury retrograde in a water sign until… I want to say 2025… it’s going to be a few years.
April: Okay.
Jen: Because beginning now Mercury will just be retrograding in air signs through 2021. I know that next week we’ll be talking about Mercury backing into Libra on the 27th and in 2022, it’ll be an Earth signs and then fire. So this is it. We can bid adieu to Mercury in water signs until 2025.
April: Adieu, adieu to you and…
April & Jen: …you and you.
April: And I suppose that is everything on our show sheet. Is it time to say adieu?
Jen: It is time, my friend, to say adieu…
April: We have done it!
Jen: …Adios… Sayonara.
April: Well, on that festive and international note, we want to thank you for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, we hope that you will subscribe to the podcast. You can do this wherever you usually listen to your podcast. And leave us a rating, leave us a review. We haven’t had a review since May.
Jen: Well, people write stuff on bigskyastropod.com… on that site. But wouldn’t it be fun to get a new Apple podcast review?
April: It kind of would be fun. But we do love your comments on the website.
Jen: We do.
April: And you can also read the show notes and full transcripts of every episode at bigskyastropod.com.
Jen: We are grateful to everybody who showed support during our recent Podathon. As you all know each week, we’re going to be thanking one of you by name. My friend, who do we have this week?
April: Well, this week, we want to give a shout out to Jack Coté. I think it’s Coté.
Jen: Yay Jack!
April: You know, you can Google how to, how to pronounce names. They said, “Coté.” This has the emphasis on the “E.” So I’m thinking, “Coté.”
Jen: “Coté.”
April: Yes.
Jen: In Spanish, the emphasis would be just so, then. On the “E” like that.
April: Exactly. Well, we want to give a wonderful shout out, not only to Jack, but to Jack’s two cats.
Jen: Does Jack have cats?
April: Yes, and I admit I know nothing more about these cats other than the fact that they exist. We would really love details on these cats.
Jen: Yes. Why not?
April: I would love to have a gallery of pictures of all of our listener’s pets.
Jen: Pod pets!
April: Wouldn’t that be spectacular?
Jen: A gallery of pod pets!
April: It would be great!
Jen: That would be fun!
April: Well, so we know Jack is our kind of people because Jack has two cats.
Jen: Yes. For sure.
April: So Jack, we appreciate you. We thank you so much for listening to our little podcast and for supporting us during our Podathon.
Jen: Thanks Jack. And if anyone listening didn’t get a chance to support us during our Podathon, you can always make a contribution at our website, bigskyastropod.com. If you donate five bucks or more, we’ll invite you to hear our special episodes for the Equinoxes and Solstices.
April: Yes. I guess we have another one of those coming up pretty darn soon here before you know it.
Jen: Before you know it. Yes.
April: Alright. Well that is it for this week. Join us again, bright and early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground…
Jen: …and your eyes on the stars.
Thank you for listening. To learn more about April Elliott Kent, please check out her website, www.BigSkyAstrology.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, read her thought-provoking weekly essays, purchase her books, sign up for a personal astrology reading, and more.
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© 2020 by April Elliott Kent and Jennifer Braun
