TRANSCRIPT Ep. 230 | Jupiter Meets Uranus: Shake it Up!

TRANSCRIPT Ep. 230 (April 15, 2024)

Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is April 15th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 230 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, the First Quarter Moon in Cancer confronts us with the need to transform in the face of matters beyond our control. The Sun enters Taurus and squares Pluto. And the long-awaited and exciting conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus. Plus, I answer a couple of listener questions about family.

Cancer First Quarter Moon (April 15, 2024, 12:13 pm PDT)

The week begins with the Moon Report and the Cancer First Quarter Moon on April 15th at 12:13 pm Pacific Time at 26º18’ Cancer. In the chart for this First Quarter Moon, the Sun, Moon, and Pluto create a high-energy T-square aspect. First Quarter Moons demand action, and this configuration in the chart says that we will definitely feel under pressure to get things moving.

The Sabian symbol for the First Quarter Moon is 27 Cancer, A storm in a canyon. James Burgess characterizes this symbol as describing transformation following a crisis. I think this is a pretty good representation of where we’re at after last week’s big New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries. This is a time when we’re dealing with things that are outside of our control, and when it’s time to allow ourselves to be changed by these things. I was actually really surprised at how exhausting that eclipse felt. In my chart, it doesn’t aspect very much, but nevertheless, I really felt that high energy coming from that eclipse, and maybe it’s just the fact that everybody was talking about it and it was all over the television and there was no getting away from it.

Specifically, a First Quarter Moon in Cancer talks about taking action to protect what you have and to nurture and create situations where you and the people close to you feel taken care of. This is the time to take action on what we envisioned or intended at that big April 8th New Moon Solar eclipse. Taking first action along that path.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

But this is also the First Quarter in a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that began back on July 17th, 2023, with a New Moon at 24º56’ Cancer. That was a very intense New Moon. It was opposed Pluto, Venus was turning retrograde and I believe the lunar nodes were changing signs as well.

So that New Moon was setting up a three-year cycle to explore all of those different themes that were going on around that same time. Now the First Quarter Moon at 26º18’ Cancer. Besides asking us to act on what was initiated at the April 8th New Moon, we are also invited to go back to what it was we intended at that New Moon on July 17th, 2023, and take action in that cycle.

Now, again, this isn’t always an intentional process. Sometimes it just means something began around that time, and some kind of action is called for now. It doesn’t always necessarily come from us, but sometimes it does. The Full Moon in this cycle comes on January 13th, 2025, and then the Last Quarter is on October 13th, 2025.

I wanted to take this opportunity to give a little reminder about this Lunar Phase Family Cycle because I had a couple people asking about this recently when I was giving a lecture on the topic. I wanted to make sure I gave proper credit to Diedrich Pessin, who is the astrologer who came up with this system, and it is so brilliant and so useful. I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to her, and also a plug for her wonderful book Lunar Shadows III: The Predictive Power of Moon Phases and Eclipses. I’ll put a link to that in the show notes because it’s an outstanding book, and I really would recommend it to anybody who’s interested in the topic. I know that we’ve mentioned her on the podcast before, but it’s probably been a little while, and I thought it’s not a bad idea.

There was also an episode during my podathon last September where I talked in some depth about this technique, and we’ll link to that in the show notes as well. And as always, a shout out to my friend Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste, who tipped me off about this cycle two or three years ago. I hadn’t heard of it before. And it’s proven to be a really useful, really interesting tool that I’m using in my work.

Void-of-Course Moon Periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On April 15th, the Moon in Cancer trines Neptune at 4:22 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just about three hours and then enters Leo at 7:24 pm Pacific Time. When the Moon is making a trine aspect to another planet at the beginning of Void-of-Course Moon, it suggests that there is a reward that’s coming our way and in this case, I think it is about creating new and healing habits in our lives around food, meditation, time that we spend with family.

If these are parts of your life that really haven’t been flowing too well for you, this might be a pretty rewarding time to set your mind towards creating new habits. I think, generally, the Void-of-Course Moon is a good time to break destructive habits and to start new ones, and it’s especially true with this one.

On April 18th, the Moon in Leo trines the Sun in Aries at 5:02 am Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for a little over two hours and enters Virgo at 7:10 am. The reward with this Void-of-Course Moon period is that the pride and self-esteem that are cultivated while the Moon is in Leo might make it a little more possible to take on new challenges. This is an especially good Void-of-Course Moon period for getting out of a rut.

And on April 20th, the Moon in Virgo opposes Neptune at 5:19 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just under three hours. And enters Libra at 8:08 pm Pacific Time. There is an awareness that comes when the Moon is opposing another planet. And the awareness here is about finding a good balance, which an opposition always points us toward, between logic and intuition, between order and disorder. This is the time to try to break habits of compulsiveness, disorganization, procrastination and to consciously cultivate good daily habits around health, and especially the way we cope with stress.

The Moon is in Virgo, and Virgo, ruled by Mercury, can get very much in its head, and that can lead to stress. So, this is an opportunity to try to initiate some good habits to help you still your mind and find peace.

Venus conjoins the North Node (April 17, 2024, 11:46 am PDT)

On April 17th at 11:46 am Pacific Time, Venus in Aries makes a conjunction with the Moon’s North Node. And on April 19th at 1:59 am Pacific Time, Mercury makes a conjunction with Venus. So, Venus making a conjunction with the North Node can be a transit for bringing important friends or partners into your orbit. These will be new people that are coming your way, and this is especially so if you have points in your chart that are close to 15º Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn.

Then Mercury, coming together with Venus. Emphasizes communication skills in your relationships. Also, perhaps, the ability to communicate through arts.

In any event, these three days, April 17th through the 19th, are really excellent ones for socializing, for connecting especially with new people.

Sun enters Taurus (April 19, 2024, 7:00 am PDT)

The Sun enters its Taurus season on April 19th at 7 am Pacific Time. It’ll be in Taurus through May 20th, and Taurus season is the time when we rest and restore ourselves after the frenetic energy of Aries season, and especially this Aries season because we had two eclipses and Mercury retrograde.

Overall, Taurus season is the time to take stock of what you have and what you need in order to make yourself stable and comfortable. The peacefulness of the Sun in Taurus doesn’t last very long.

A couple of days after it enters Taurus, the Sun squares Pluto in Aquarius on April 21st at 10:02 am Pacific Time. Which brings the awareness, maybe, of a lack or a hardship. Or maybe feeling pressured to give others more than you really want to. The Sun and Pluto at the square at 2 degrees 4 minutes of Taurus and Aquarius. And the Sabian symbol for the Sun is Steps up to a lawn blooming with clover. An image of pleasant beauty.

But Pluto is on the degree 3 Aquarius, A deserter from the Navy. Somehow this makes me think of someone who has plenty and is confronted by someone who they feel have deserted their duties and so they don’t have much. Someone who’s left a job, failed to build their savings, taken on too much debt. The tension of the square comes from the fact that the Sun and Pluto both have a point. The Sun in Taurus has gone to great lengths to make itself comfortable. and to provide for itself. But we have to think a little bit about that degree for Pluto, a deserter from the Navy. I know I’ve spoken about this symbol before. On the face of it, it’s very cut and dried. Here’s someone that just ran away from their obligations.

We have to remember that we don’t always know the reason that somebody leaves a situation. It could have been a matter of conscience. It could have been that somebody in their life really needed them. So, I think part of the tension of this square is to not necessarily feel that we have all the answers and that we know everything about people.

Sun in Taurus can fall into that trap sometimes, a feeling they know what’s what and that there’s no possible other explanation for a situation. Here I think we have to remember that we don’t always know all the facts of the situation and to perhaps even see if there are ways that we can help the people in our lives who are in need.

Mars sextile Jupiter (April 19, 2024, 8:28 am PDT)
Mars sextile Uranus (April 19, 2024, 4:56 pm PDT)

Also, on April 19th, Mars sextiles Jupiter at 8:28 am Pacific Time, at 21º29’ Pisces and Taurus. And at 4:56 pm on the same day, Mars sextiles Uranus at 21º46’ Pisces and Taurus. This is the day before the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction and both of those planets are receiving these sextile aspects from Mars.

There are exciting possibilities that are coming with that conjunction. But these sextiles might suggest that we’ll get even more from Jupiter and Uranus if we put forth a little effort.

Jupiter conjoins Uranus (April 20, 2024, 7:27 pm PDT)

And on April 20th at 7:27 pm Pacific Time, Jupiter makes a conjunction with Uranus at 21º49’ Taurus. The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 22 Taurus, A white dove over troubled waters.

Let’s look at the basic symbolism of Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter enlarges, expands, shows us infinite possibilities. Uranus is a planet that demands change. We can expect Jupiter to amplify the influence of Uranus and Uranus prevents Jupiter from getting a little too sure of itself.

This is a combination that upsets the apple cart. But Jupiter adds good fortune to the mix. I think it was Steven Forrest who wrote in a recent article on his website, I’ll find it and link to it in the show notes, that this combination is one that means you have to shake things up in order to get that good fortune from Jupiter.

Jupiter and Uranus have a 14-year synodic cycle, which means they come together in a conjunction about every 14 years. The last Jupiter-Uranus conjunction was back in June and September 2010 and in January 2011. Was there something particularly exciting that you can remember happening in your life around that time?

And as for this conjunction, is there a place in your life where you’ve been feeling stuck? The clue can usually be found in the house of your chart where this degree falls. So, look for the house of your chart that contains 21º49’ Taurus. Here is your chance to get unstuck and to move in a positive new direction.

You might feel this combination most strongly if there are any points in your chart that are within 3 or 4 degrees either side of 21º49 minutes Taurus, so maybe between about 18 degrees and 26 degrees. And especially of the fixed signs, so Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius.

It’s not always the case, though. Sometimes you can have a really strong and favorable experience of something coming together in the sky like this conjunction. And it’s not necessarily activating too many planets or points in your chart, but I would definitely look at the house of the chart where this combination is coming together, it could definitely be good fortune, however, you define that, but it will require the willingness to change in order to activate that good luck.

Listener’s Questions: Family

In this week’s Listener Questions segment, I had somewhat similar questions from two listeners on the subject of parents and family, and I thought it might be worthwhile to combine them for a little meditation on these very important relationships in our lives. Listener Kerrie asked, if a person has a lifelong battle of wills with a parent, which transits will indicate a shift in that dynamic?

And listener Marlene wants to know if it’s true the belief that our soul makes a contract to choose our parents and family to reincarnate, why did I choose my family? I’ve only found lies, deception, manipulation, verbal aggression. How may I deal with these feelings of exclusion and abandonment? Well, Kerrie and Marlene, thank you very much for these questions and I’m going to begin with the one that’s perhaps a little more difficult.

Marlene’s question I think is a philosophical rather than a strictly astrological question. The condition of certain planets and houses in your birth chart can certainly give us a perspective on these kinds of challenges that you find with the people in your life. And it seems reasonable to ask, if we do choose our families, why would we seem to choose ones that are hurtful?

I suppose my take on that would be that while I certainly have no problem believing that we make what I might call soul contracts with people to incarnate and work out past issues with each other for example. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are choosing to be in painful and destructive families or other kinds of relationships because that would assume that these hurtful people were destined to be that way, and I honestly believe anybody has the potential to make the choice to be kind and honest rather than deceptive, manipulative, or verbally aggressive, which was Marlene’s experience.

Her family members don’t appear to have made the loving choice, and that could be owing to a lot of factors. Her parents might have been shown that kind of example by their own parents. They could have lived through awful experiences. Now, none of this is an excuse to treat others poorly. But in any event, if we’re being treated poorly by parents, family, partners, bosses, whoever it is, Then, ultimately, we face a choice of our own to remain in an active relationship with these people or to limit our ties with them.

Which brings us, more or less, to Kerrie’s question. If you have a lifelong battle of wills with a parent, specifically, what is the astrology that we would look for to maybe shift that dynamic into a kind of a detente? And this is true also of an extreme example like Marlene’s, when is it the right time to stand back or to otherwise shift things?

Considering the astrology of this, parents are symbolized in the birth chart by several symbols. The fourth and tenth houses, the ruling planets of the signs on those houses. The Sun, and Saturn, and the Moon. Siblings would be symbolized specifically by the third house, its ruling planet, and Mercury. So, let’s say that a heavy transiting planet, such as Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto, or even an eclipse, is connecting with the cusp of your chart’s fourth or tenth houses, Or, maybe making a square to that axis.

These are transits that will tend to bring matters to a critical point, where things can possibly reach a new level of understanding. Now to get there, there might very well be a big battle first. That brings things into the open and clears the air. The same can be true if these kinds of transits are connecting with the Sun, Moon, or Saturn in your birth chart.

These can be important in helping you decide how you will insist on being treated. This is especially true with the Sun, or if they’re connecting with the Moon, how much you need to protect yourself or others in your life, such as your spouse or your children.

And also, very importantly, to take responsibility for the circumstances and create necessary boundaries. That is the work of Saturn. And please notice that I said responsibility and not blame. They’re not the same thing. We always have the ability to respond in a situation – that doesn’t mean we are to blame for it.

In situations where two people are having a power struggle, I like the analogy of a tug of war. In order for the conflict to continue, both people have to keep pulling really hard in opposite directions on their end of the rope. So sometimes it’s as simple as just letting go of your side of the rope, dropping it, refusing to engage. That might be seen in a transit of Neptune or Pluto, for example, which are very effective for helping us surrender the ego and to let go of past patterns.

Kerrie and Marlene, I hope that that helps. These were a little more philosophical than some of my other listener questions and I enjoyed answering them, but some of this is just my opinion, so feel free to reject whatever doesn’t fit your particular situation. Now, if you, Invisible Friend, have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, just leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. Or, email me at april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com and put “podcast question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

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