TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 84 (May 31, 2021)
Ep. 84 | Venus Enters Cancer: Everything’s Coming Up Throw Pillows!
You can read show notes or listen to this episode here.
Jen: Welcome to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast, with April Elliott Kent and me, producer and co-host Jen Braun. Hey friends, Jen here. Today is May 31st, 2021. And here with me, hugging her cats and saying it’s gouda for her, is my friend, astrologer April Elliott Kent. Hi, April.
April: You never fail to entertain me, Jen.
Jen: Oh good.
April: You allude of course, to June 4th, which is National Hug Your Cat Day and National Cheese Day.
Jen: I do.
April: Combining two of my favorite things in the entire world, cats and cheese. Well, and not only that, the first Saturday in June, which this year is June 5th, is National Black Bear Day.
Jen: Yes.
April: And tell the people why this is dear to our hearts.
Jen: Because, I have a dog named Bear, and he is a cross between a Black Lab and a Dachshund. So basically, he has the body of a Black Lab squished into the size of a Dachshund.
April: And he is the cutest thing ever.
Jen: He really is.
April: We invite you all, cat and dog and cheese lovers alike, to join us in celebrating these excellent national days.
Jen: Absolutely.
April: Now, Jen, that’s not all we’re celebrating this week. This is the latest in our episodes where we are celebrating the songs of the 1980’s.
Jen: Tell folks what we’re doing.
April: Well, we’re in our 80’s episodes. We’re now on Episode 84. So, since Episode 80 and until, and through Episode 89, we each are sharing with you a couple of our very favorite songs from those years. What are we starting off with this time, Jen? I think it’s your turn.
Jen: I think it’s your turn.
April: Again? Wasn’t it just my turn?
Jen: No, I think I went first. Okay, full disclosure to the audience. We just recorded Episode 83, two days ago, so…
April: We have no clue.
Jen: It’s all sort of just together at this point.
April: Alright. Well, I’ll go ahead and start.
Jen: Please do.
April: Alright. Well, I’ll give you my number one pick for 1984.
Jen: What is it?
April: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.
Jen: Cyndi Lauper. Yes. She’s fantastic.
April: Yes. She is great. And that was everywhere, it was infectious, it was ubiquitous and it was the rallying cry for a generation of young women.
Jen: Yes. And I can still picture that video and her dancing around with all of the 80’s garb on.
April: Aw, crazy. Gosh, I love her. And what a voice. What a voice.
Jen: Yes, she’s great.
April: Do you want my runner up?
Jen: I sure do. Yes. Tell us what your runner up is.
April: My runner up is a very heart-rending ballad called “Missing You” by John Waite.
Jen: Good one.
April: Love that song.
Jen: Yes.
April: I was completely taken with that when it came out.
Jen: Very good one.
April: And what about you? Tell us about your 1984 soundtrack, Jen.
Jen: Alright. So, my number one pick, most folks know that I’m from Minneapolis, and so my number one choice for 1984 is from Minnesota’s very own Prince, the song “Let’s Go Crazy.”
April: Good one!
Jen: Yes. I just heard that in the car the other day, I cranked it so loud and I thought, “This absolutely has to be on my 1984 list.”
April: Absolutely.
Jen: For sure.
April: That’s a wonderful song and a very, very…again, like I think we’re going with infectious joyfulness for 1984. And your runner up?
Jen: My runner up is a song from actually 1973, but it made it onto a compilation album in 1984.
April: all right, we’ll allow it.
Jen: It’s a song from Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up.”
April: Nice.
Jen: Yes. I just love that song. I’m throwing a little reggae into my mix there.
April: You sure are. Well, good for you. Now, we want to remind everybody that we have a playlist going on YouTube with videos, with all of these songs that we’re choosing. A listener emailed me and was suggesting that we try a Spotify playlist. So, I’m going to look into it. I’ll try. It’s been a little bit busy, but I’ll see if I can get around to doing that as well.
Jen: That’d be great.
April: You can listen to all these songs… As we said before, we couldn’t come anywhere close to affording the rights to play little snippets of these songs for you, so that’s the best that we can do.
Jen: Yes.
April: Alright, my friend. Well, now that we’ve got everybody celebrating cats and cheese and dogs and the 80’s, and maybe we should talk about what’s going on in the sky this very week.
Jen: Please, kick it off for us, pal.
April: This week, we’re going to start with the Sun in Gemini, making a conjunction to the North Node of the Moon on May 31st, at 5:12 PM Pacific Time at 10°, 44 minutes Gemini. And this is sort of a follow up to Venus conjunct North Node, which we talked about – I don’t know if it was in the last episode or two episodes ago. But the Sun is catching up to where Venus was in any event. And on that Sabian symbol for 12° Gemini, “A Slave Girl Demands Her Rights of Her Mistress”. When we talk about something coming together with the North Node, it talks about a planet whose symbolism, if we embrace it, is going to be moving us along our evolutionary path, making us better and happier versions of ourselves. Basically, the Sun coming together with the North Node always tells us that this is eclipse season.
Jen: Yes. Right.
April: Our will and our creative energy are being used to move us toward growth. The reason I say it’s a sign that we’re in eclipse season is an eclipse can only happen when a New or a Full Moon occurs within range of the lunar nodes. I’m want to say 13°, but people will give you different numbers on that. We know that when we see the Sun coming into a conjunction with the North Node, that it is eclipse time. So, it definitely is. We talked, I think in our last episode about the Lunar eclipse and coming up the next, we’ll be telling you about that June 10th Solar eclipse. This is sort of a preview of coming attractions. And we know, looking at that Sabian symbol and then the symbolism of the Sun, it really is about standing up and claiming your place in the world and being willing to be seen, and to the extent that we’re able to do that and exert our will and celebrate our creative energy, that is what it’s going to be moving us and the direction of growth.
Jen: And recently you mentioned Venus came through and joined up with the North Node. And shortly before that, Mercury came through and joined up with the North Node. And we have these aspects right now where Mercury will make an aspect, and then a week or two later, Venus will make the same aspect. And then a week or two, after that, the Sun makes the same aspect, because they’ve been traveling near each other, I would say,
April: Yes. It’s sort of like a street gang in West Side Story.
Jen: The Sharks and the Jets.
April: So, it begins with Mercury, and Mercury is about how, “How we perceive this situation? How can we frame things in a way that moves us forward?” Venus, as we were talking about is the ways in which the things that we enjoy, the things that bring us pleasure in a sense of completion, the relationships that we savor with the other people in our lives, those are all the things that are going to move us in the right direction. And then finally with the Sun, yes, it’s about the self and the will and the creative principle.
Jen: Great.
April: Jen, do you know what time it is?
Jen: Is it Moonwatch…?
April: Moonwatch…. Play it!
April: Yes, dear friends, it is Moonwatch! This week, we are celebrating a Pisces Last Quarter Moon, on June 2nd at just after midnight Pacific Time, 12:24 AM. And this is happening with the Moon at 11° and 59’ Pisces, the Sun at 11° 59’ Gemini.
Jen: Yes. And let me throw in for one moment that there are 60 minutes in every degree. And so, this is almost 12°.
April: Correct. A Last Quarter Moon is the time in each lunar cycle we’re invited to look back, consider everything that has come to pass since the New Moon, since we set certain intentions for ourselves. And then we have the First Quarter Moon where we take action, we have the Full Moon where we really see what has come to fruition from what we started. The Last Quarter Moon is when we are making one last push to finish up what we started, with the benefit of hindsight. So, it’s the time that we look back over the lunar cycle and say, “Okay, well, maybe I need to fine tune this or tweak that in order to get the most that I can from the rest of this lunar cycle.”
And, all of these lunations, of course, the quarter lunations that we talk about, the New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon are part of a Lunar Phase family. Tell us more about that, Jen.
Jen: This Last Quarter Moon is the last chapter of a Lunar Phase family that began with the New Moon of March 6th, 2019 at 15°, 47 minutes of Pisces. Basically, this Last Quarter Moon is bringing us back to March of 2019 as well as of course, bringing us back to the New Moon in Taurus from three weeks ago. The First Quarter of that Lunar Phase family was on December 3rd, 2019 and the Full Moon was at September 1st, 2020. So, you can think back to March 2019 to December 2019 and September of 2020, and think if there’s a through line for all of that for you. Is there a story that perhaps was repeating or a pattern that you notice from those states in time?
April: I don’t remember a thing about March of 2019. I mean, I’m sure if I looked back in my notes and in my planners, my schedulers, where I keep all my appointments, I make little notes about things, but off hand I would have no clue. But that’s very fitting because that would have been a New Moon in Pisces.
Jen: Ha!
April: You know? I was not really thinking too clearly. That’s how it hits me. So yes, thank you for that. And Last Quarter Moons are always of the nature of a square, a 90° angle, because at a Last Quarter Moon, the Moon is squaring the Sun. That’s what defines it. So, it’s always a motivating lunation. But this particular chart, the Sun and the Moon are pretty well positioned otherwise, they’re not making a lot of difficult aspects to other planets. However, this chart does have a kind of a(n) intense looking opposition between Mars and Pluto. And we’re going to talk about that a little bit more later in the episode. So, there is some little undercurrent here of power struggles, control, these kinds of things, but we’ll talk about it a little later.
Anything else, Jen, that you think we need to cover about this Last Quarter Moon?
Jen: In thinking about this Last Quarter Moon, just to keep in mind that the Sun in Gemini leads with the head, but the Moon in Pisces tends to lead with the heart and with feelings. And so, as we look at these larger phases, then going back to March of 2019, it’s just reminding us to look at the big picture and take a gentle and humane approach as we move toward the completion of a project or a matter that began in March of 2019.
April: Right. Because each of them has their role. It’s not that dealing with things intellectually is bad. It’s not that being really sensitive and intuitive about it is bad. It’s that the two temper each other, balance each other are trying to find a way forward that encompasses both of these approaches.
Jen: Yes. What’s coming up next, pal?
April: Next, we have Venus entering Cancer.
Jen: Yay….
April: Yay… I like that because I get a Venus return.
Jen: Totally.
April: So, Venus enters Cancer on June 2nd at 6:19 AM Pacific Time. And it will be in that lovely home- loving sign through June 28th. Then just the very next day, Venus will trine Jupiter in Pisces, that’s June 3rd, 4:33 PM Pacific. And that happens at 1° and 44 minutes Cancer and Pisces. This is a homebody Venus. It enjoys being mostly with people that she knows and loves, being cozy at home cooking for people, feeding people, hugging a cat, hanging with a dog. It’s a real sweet home-loving sign for Venus. During this month or so that Venus is in Cancer, you will very likely want to beautify your home in some way, you will need to watch your spending because Venus is trining Jupiter. Venus is a little spendy, anyway, it’s the things that we will spend money on because we value them and they bring us pleasure. So, the trine to Jupiter just says, “Hey, if one throw pillow is good, five is even better. If gouda is gooda, gouda and parmesan and mozzarella, and brie are just that much better.
Jen: And Jupiter tends to expand what it comes in contact with. Isn’t that right?
April: Does it ever!
Jen: That’s why you say that.
April: Yes. And we tend to expand when we overindulge in Venus.
Jen: I have heard that when Jupiter’s in your first house, which is the house of self, your waistline can sometimes expand.
April: Yes. Take it from someone for whom Jupiter is the planet that rules my first house, keeping weight under control has been a lifetime challenge.
Jen: I see.
April: And also, it’s the thing of, if you’re sitting at dinner with people, you’re having such a wonderful time, for some of us we’re enjoying a glass of wine with dinner, we’re eating a lot of things we wouldn’t normally be offered. And then tendency is just going, going, going, because it’s so enjoyable. And that is very much the feeling of Venus with Jupiter. The Sabian symbol for Venus at this trine is, “A Man Suspended Over A Vast Level Place.” It’s sometimes written as “A Man on a Magic Carpet hovers over a large area of land.” This sort of suggests that by staying suspended, staying above it all, you have a better view, and it’s also easier to protect yourself. Jupiter is on the degree, “A Squirrel Hiding From Hunters,” which doesn’t sound super jovial.
Jen: Right.
April: But this is just like the higher up you can stay, take the high road, the better view you have, the easier it is to see what is coming your way.
Jen: That’s a funny Sabian symbol specifically for Jupiter, because Jupiter is so big, he can’t hide, so maybe he’s the hunter.
April: He’s a really big squirrel. But it does sort of, together with the Venus, maybe talks about that little stockpiling thing that squirrels have, where they’re gathering up all their little treats and squirreling them away, hiding them away somewhere for the future.
Jen: Maybe.
April: This could also be a time about reassessing the way you’re spending money, generally. Right after tax season here in the United States, probably a lot of us are reconsidering some of the ways we’re handling our finances. And this can talk about wanting to save more or take a long view of your finances, and this kind of thing.
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April: What do we have coming up next?
Jen: The Sun trines Saturn on June 3rd at 12:05 PM Pacific Time. The Sun is in Gemini at 13°, 24 minutes. Saturn is in Aquarius at the same degree. Tell us about this, pal.
April: Well, this is an aspect that values stability. Anything coming together with Saturn, we’re trying to find an appropriate form and container. When it’s the Sun, it’s about our creative self. It’s about our unpolished natural self, the Sun. And so you bring it together with Saturn and Saturn says, “You’re great. Let’s just figure out how to use you in the best possible way.” Like the Sun is, you have this beautiful exotic plant and Saturn goes, “This is just the right pot for you. This is where we need to put you.”
It’s a trine, so it’s nice. Saturn’s being supportive of the Sun. The Sun earlier, we saw conjunct the North Node, it’s like celebrating the part of us that is unique, that is creative. And Saturn in trine to that says, “Yes, we can take all of those things you have to offer and really do something with them, really make something of them.” Again, we have Saturn on that familiar Sabian symbol, 14 Aquarius, “A Train Entering A Tunnel.” So, it’s very much about focusing on a particular thing. And I remember we had the Sun square Saturn relatively recently when the Sun was in Taurus. That one’s pretty hard. But this is a lot more flowing. This is like Saturn putting on his supportive face. His face that says, “Yes, you done good. You’ve been really trying to get rid of what is not authentically you. Now we’re going to reward you and give you probably some rewards.” Saturn can really reward us when we have been working hard.
So, you’ve been working hard on some kind of creative project, for instance, I think Saturn could really be supportive of that this week.
Jen: Yes. Saturn can be a lot about trimming down, right? Or pruning down what’s unnecessary?
April: Yes.
Jen: So, coming off that Venus trine Jupiter, where it’s more and more and more, that same day we have this happening,
April: Right. That says, as it relates to pleasure, “Venus, go for it.”
Jen: Yes.
April: Trine Jupiter. But as it pertains to… ah, I don’t want to finish that thought.
Jen: Okay.
April: It’s too much like hard work. It feels too Saturnian.
Jen:
April: I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just move on.
Jen: Nobody wants to trim down that sentence.
April: Nobody wants to. Alright, next up, we have Mercury square Neptune again on June 5th at 12:05 PM Pacific Time, 23° and 5 minutes of Gemini and Pisces. We discussed this aspect just last week. Mercury made its first square to Neptune on May 22nd. And this is the second of three squares. Then it’s going to make a third on July 6th after it has turned direct. We’re having three chances to cut through the Neptune fog. And the Sabian symbol for Mercury at the square is “Children Skating On Ice.” I think of this as like, cutting through ice is cutting through the fog, Mercury cutting through Neptune, trying to get clear.
Now, just a reminder about where we are at with Mercury retrograde. Mercury entered its shadow period of the retrograde on May 15th, it turned retrograde just a couple of days ago on May 29th, and then it will station direct again on June 22nd, leave it shadow on July 7th. That is where we’re at. We have just turned retrograde and we’re going to start slowly revisiting some of those aspects that Mercury made to other planets over the last few weeks.
Jen: Yes. And when Mercury stations direct on June 22nd, it’s at 16°, 8’. So, you can think about what patch of your chart has between 16° and 25° of Gemini. That is where Mercury is doing his business.
April: For sure.
Jen: Mercury made that first square to Neptune. And now it’s the second one. We’re kind of revisiting a story we might see then on July 6th, more of the same unfolding story.
April: Yes. Even greater aggravation.
Jen: Nice. Yes.
April: You and I are both struggling a little bit with this particular Mercury retrograde already. And perhaps some of our listeners are as well. As I’ve said, Mercury retrograde can be a little stronger when it’s in a sign that it’s strong in and it’s in its rulership.
Jen: Right.
April: So yes, that’s where we’re at. And probably the thing that started making weird noises around the 15th or the 29th is now starting to come to a grinding halt.
Jen: Oh, fun.
April: Let’s hope not. Yes, we both have had some similar experiences about that in the last week or so.
Jen: So, the last thing we have for this week that we’ll talk about is Mars opposing Pluto on June 5th at 12:45 PM Pacific Time. Mars is in Cancer at 27°, 27’. Pluto is at the same degree of Capricorn. This cycle began when Mars and Pluto came together in a conjunction on March 23rd, 2020. The opening squares were between August and December of last year. There were three of them. And this closing square will be in October of this year, October 22nd. So, another story is unfolding. April, tell us what would be helpful for this.
April: So, Mars is a planet of – we associate it with anger or with fighting. I mean, it can be that, but really it’s about the way we exert ourselves. It’s about the way that we’re trying to get our needs met, protect what is ours and get more of what it is that we want. So, when Mars comes together with Pluto, that impulse that we have comes into contact with larger forces that are inclined to sometimes tell us, “No.” That is the nature of an opposition. We push with our Mars, Pluto pushes back and says, “No, we’re not going anywhere with that.” It can be a very frustrating aspect when you have Mars either square or opposed Pluto.
Also, about when it’s conjunct. And we saw that, that was just around the time that the lockdown happened with the pandemic here in the U.S. when that conjunction happened. So, at this point, we’re at the opposition point, all is revealed, we have a little clearer sense of what’s going on. There is a bit of a path forward as pertains to the pandemic and opening things up and so forth. So, Mars is still in Cancer, which is a sign in which it is a little bit disadvantaged. Mars likes to just go in a straight line, just go after what it wants. Cancer doesn’t work that way. It kind of moves in erratic directions so that it can make it harder for people to see where it’s going to go and so it can protect itself. Mars kind of hesitates to go on the offensive when it’s in Cancer. But when it is cornered, it can really, really get angry and want to lash out. Mars connecting with Pluto is a little bit like a, “You can’t fight city hall” kind of aspect. And Mars is in Cancer and it’s ruled by Moon in Aries at the time of this opposition.
It is a fighter, but the way Cancer likes to fight is very kind of underneath the surface. So, I would say rely on your ability to build alliances with other people. The Sabian symbol here is “A Modern Pocahontas, which is A Person Who Can Move from Group to Group With Ease.” And so, this says, “Yes, build those alliances to protect yourself and your interests as well as you can. Don’t give him without a fight, but don’t go looking for one.” Because when you’re up against Pluto, you’re not going to win. The best you can really do is play defense when you’ve got Mars in cancer oppose Pluto.
Jen: What I was thinking about is how Pocahontas, I don’t know how easy it was for her to move from group to group, but perhaps she had some ability to be understood and communicate with a group that’s different than her own. And so I do wonder if there’s something around communicating with other groups that are different than your own versus doing it easily?
April: Well, with relative ease, let’s say if you have the language ability that makes it much easier. What it suggests is that you have something that facilitates that process.
Jen: Sure.
April: And yes, ease is a relative term that it may cost you emotionally, that it may actually put you in danger and extreme situations, even. But it says that you have the tools, you have the skills to connect. But say you’re a person who has people of very strong and diametrically opposed political views within your family, within your groups of friends, I think that’s something most of us can relate to, you might be the person who is able to get people talking to each other. You know, it’s Mars in Cancer, having a big family dinner to kick off summer, a barbecue, something like that, where people are in the same environment and can at least go back to connecting on an emotional level.
Jen: Yes.
April: That’s the thought. It’s not one of the nicer aspects that we see and it can be frustrating, but I think there’s also something there that can be useful in this week.
Jen: Right.
April: Well, what do you think? That’s everything on the show sheet. You think we’ve done it?
Jen: We’ve done it. Let’s grab our cheese and our cats and our dogs, give them a hug and end the show.
April: Oh man, cheese. That sounds really good. Alright, friends, well, thank you for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to follow us, subscribe, write a review. And we hope that you will help us spread the word by telling a friend. We are continuing to experience a few problems with Apple Podcasts. We know a lot of you listened to us there. We want to alert you that they’re not displaying our full show notes, the hyperlinks sometimes are not working. So, if you want to read the show notes with all of the wonderful, glorious URLs and the full transcripts and leave your comments, you can do so about each episode at our website, bigskyastropod.com.
Jen: We’re so grateful to everyone who showed support during our Podathon last fall. Each week we thank some of you by name. Who is it this week, pal?
April: This week, we want to give a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to Robert Murdock, Colleen Moffett and Sharmeen Khan.
[cheering and applause}
April: I love the name Moffett because when I was growing up, there was a chicken pie shop in our neighborhood called Moffett’s Chicken Pie. So, Colleen, if you are connected with the Moffett family in any way… And the great thing about them is they had a giant chicken on the top of the restaurant and people used to steal it, people took pictures of it in a swimming pool, and it was a whole legacy. And the chicken pies were delicious.
Jen: It’s great.
April: In any event, Robert, Colleen, and Sharmeen, we truly appreciate you. And we thank you so much for listening to the podcast and supporting us during our September Podathon.
Jen: Thanks to all three of you. If you’re a listener who 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 $5 or more, we’ll invite you to our special episodes for the Equinoxes and Solstices. And we do have a solstice episode coming up in a couple of weeks.
April: You bet we do, and you’ll want to download your special bingo card so you can be checking off every time, mispronounce a name or all those other things.
Jen: Yes.
April: Well, that is it for us 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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