TRANSCRIPT Ep. 273 (1.13.25)
Cancer Full Moon: Worldly Ambition, Human Connection!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is January 13th, 2025. Welcome to Episode 273 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week: A somewhat cranky Cancer Full Moon is flavored by contentious Mars and Pluto. The Sun finishes up its journey through Capricorn with connections to Mars, Uranus, and Neptune, then enters Aquarius. Venus squares off with Jupiter, then comes together with Saturn to stabilize. Opportunities arise when Mercury connects with Venus and Saturn. And I answer a listener question about Pluto transiting the 7th house and its impact on potential relationships.
Sun trine Uranus (Jan. 13, 2025, 12:13 am PST)
The Sun in Capricorn trines Uranus in Taurus on January 13th at 12:13 am Pacific Time. The Sun is the symbol of a strong and healthy ego, a good sense of self and Uranus transits usually demand that we reinvent ourselves to some degree. It can be liberating to open yourself up to new ways of being, but it can also be disorienting, especially with the Sun in a sign like Capricorn, which is more comfortable following a well-defined playbook.
The Sun’s Sabian symbol is 24 Capricorn, A woman entering a convent, and it speaks of entering a contemplative space in order to pursue an important spiritual goal. Convents are also communal spaces. At this trine, it might be a good idea to get together with a friend, at least, or attend a meeting of a group that you belong to, to discuss new plans or ideas.
Since the Sun and Uranus are both in Earth signs, finances and health can be subject to some of these changes. Networking can be lucrative, and exploring new ways of making money can be productive. If you’ve been plagued by health issues, this is a time to change your routines in order to improve your health.
Cancer Full Moon (Jan. 13, 2025, 2:27 pm PST)
And now for the Moon Report, and it begins with the Cancer Full Moon on January 13th at 2:27 pm Pacific Time, at 23 degrees, 59 minutes, Cancer and Capricorn. The Full Moon is the time in the lunar cycle when we’re made aware of what was missing in our New Moon plans and intentions. The Cancer Full Moon reminds us that Capricorn’s worldly ambition isn’t everything, and it can’t really make us feel fulfilled unless we’re also paying attention to the emotional connections in our lives.
And how are we doing with the balance between the two? The Moon and Sun are in aspect to Mars retrograde and Pluto. In this Full Moon chart, this energy is volatile and emotionally driven. The Moon is also trine, and the Sun sextiles, Neptune. This Full Moon says that trying to find the balance between ambition and emotional connections is especially hard right now, that there are control issues, power struggles, and the aspects to Neptune point to misunderstandings or a tendency to avoid conflict and drift into denial, or at worst, into a kind of victim mindset.
The Sabian symbol for the Moon is 24 Cancer, A woman and two men are on a bit of sunlit land facing south. It’s a symbol that, to some degree, is about the harmonious blending of all aspects of the self. The Sun is on the Sabian symbol, 24 Capricorn, A woman entering a convent, that dedication to spiritual expression, affirming community support for the things that we would like to achieve.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the Full Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that began on July 17th, 2023, with a New Moon at 24º 56’ Cancer. The First Quarter in this cycle came on April 15th, 2024, at 26º 18’ Cancer and the Last Quarter will be on October 13th, 2025 at 20º 39’ Cancer.
So, we go back in our minds to July 2023, and that New Moon at roughly 25 degrees Cancer, to try to remember: What were we focused on? What were our intentions? What did we hope to have accomplished over the coming three years? This Full Moon is the opportunity to really see where we’re at with regard to that beginning point.
We might have taken some kind of action or seen something moving forward on those intentions at that First Quarter in April of last year, but now we’re really looking at everything as it is. And we’re looking at our family relationships and how we’re feeling within our own home, within our closest community and seeing if we’ve given enough attention to that or if there’s really been too much attention that we have been putting behind Capricorn and that New Moon in Capricorn on December 30th.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On January 13th, the Moon in Cancer trines Neptune at 8:45 pm Pacific Time, is Void-of-Course for 4 hours and 27 minutes, and then enters Leo on January 14th at 1:12 am. The Moon trine another planet, as it goes Void-of-Course, suggests to us a gift or a reward coming our way.
Here is a chance to get into the habit, because Void-of-Course Moon times, I think, are really good for getting rid of habits that aren’t working for us and initiating good, healthy ones. The habit that we can create here is about kindness toward those we love.
This Void-of-Course is after that kind of cranky Full Moon, so there’s a good chance it will have been a rough day. Consider just putting on a movie, popping some corn, having a little snuggle session with your human or furry family members.
On January 15th, the Moon in Leo squares Uranus at 8:10 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 12 hours and 36 minutes and enters Virgo on January 16th at 8:46 am. A Void-of-Course Moon that begins with the Moon square another planet indicates a conflict or some kind of impediment that we’re trying to overcome. Since this aspect is happening in fixed signs, Leo and Taurus, stubbornness can really be part of the tone of this evening. Maybe use this Void-of-Course Moon to muster up the courage to do something unexpected and exciting every once in a while.
I’ve often recommended to people that they just make it a habit to do something new on a regular basis, but what Uranus wants is to be free. It doesn’t want to be told it has to do anything every day. Here we might pledge to do something new every once in a while, spontaneously. That might be a good way to work with this energy.
On January 18th, the Moon in Virgo trines the Sun at 6:01 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for 1 hour and 31 minutes and then enters Libra at 7:33 pm. The gift or reward of this trine is to enjoy doing the things you like to do, whether or not they look to other people as though they would be light-hearted and enjoyable. Because the Sun is in Capricorn, the Moon is in Virgo. Those are both very diligent signs that derive a lot of pleasure, relaxation, enjoyment from making things work, from organizing something in the house, or sitting down with a lot of spreadsheets and planning your goals for the year ahead. They may not look very relaxing to a person who has a lot of planets in water signs or air signs and would like to be more sociable, for example, in an evening. But do what it is that pleases you, that seems enjoyable and relaxing and you don’t need to feel as though you need to get permission from anybody else about the way you spend your leisure time.
Venus square Jupiter (Jan. 14, 2025, 11:48 am PST)
On January 14th at 11:48 AM Pacific Time, Venus squares Jupiter at 11º 59’ Pisces and Gemini. When two planets square each other, conflicts often arise. Often, they’re very necessary conflicts, kind of a way to clear the air so that we can move forward in a more productive way.
Venus symbolizes the things that we enjoy, but not necessarily what we strictly need. When Venus squares Jupiter, we can sometimes go a little bit overboard in indulging our wants. I think the opportunity with this aspect is to learn to appreciate what it is that makes you feel truly good and happy. And that usually comes down to having some of what you want without sacrificing too much – too much money, space, or peace of mind in the process.
It’s sort of like when you’re trying to go on a diet, or eat less sugar, or drink less. You know that when you overindulge in these things, it makes you feel terrible, and yet it’s really hard to resist it. That’s kind of what a Venus square to Jupiter can feel like. So, here’s an opportunity, because a square says, we’re going to look at it, we’re going to examine it, and we have an opportunity to move in a better direction of not just completely indulging our every whim, which is the possible shadow side of Jupiter, but instead to have a good balance of what it is that we want, and what it is that we need, and just not overdoing it in any particular direction.
Sun opposed Mars (Jan. 15, 2025, 6:39 pm PST)
The Sun in Capricorn opposes Mars in Cancer on January 15th at 6:39 pm Pacific Time. When the Sun makes any kind of aspect to Mars, what happens depends very much on how strong and healthy and confident we’re feeling. We might be feeling low, a little bit down on ourselves. And if we are, we might tune into that part of Mars that’s very defensive, that lashes out at others, instead of dealing with our own feelings.
We might be in a situation where we need to go all out for something that we’ve had our hearts set on and find that we get very much in touch with our fierce, competitive side.
If you’re feeling strong and excited for the new year, however, this is an aspect that can really inspire you to get your plans underway. And often with an opposition, we can be inspired and motivated by others. We observe doing things in a way that really looks inspiring, really looks like a good way to do it.
Now, if you do find yourself getting angry, bickering with your family or the people you work with, step back instead of reacting. The Sun’s Sabian symbol, 27 Capricorn, A mountain pilgrimage, is kind of about retreat and pilgrimage, walking away or counting to ten before we react in an angry way. Mars is on 27 Cancer, A storm in a canyon, and this is about crisis leading to transformation. You can be determined and motivated and meet the crises that arrive in your life without becoming brittle and reacting angrily to obstacles. Here is your opportunity to practice being nonreactive.
Sun sextile Neptune (Jan. 17, 2025, 3:20 am PST)
The Sun sextiles Neptune on January 17th at 3:20 am Pacific Time. Here is an opportunity to take imaginative, Piscean, Neptunian dreams and turn them into something tangible. This could also manifest as a spiritual breakthrough of some kind. Pay attention to little things because they might be trying to tell you something. This is a subtle kind of an aspect, and sometimes we just have to be a little more still so that we can really hear and see and sense messages coming our way.
But if you’re a creative person, if you’re a person who has just been trying to make a dream come true, these kinds of sextiles are wonderful because the Sun in Capricorn is very task-oriented. And it’s really good at setting out an agenda and then working its way through it step by step, making things real. So, this Neptunian Pisces has all of the dreams, all of the inspiration, and it just needs a little bit of Capricorn to help make it into a reality.
Venus conjunct Saturn (Jan. 18, 2025, 5:26 pm PST)
Venus makes a conjunction with Saturn on January 18th at 5:26 pm Pacific Time, at 16º 05’ Pisces. This is an aspect that supports long-term commitments, like marriage, taking on a mortgage, any type of major purchase. All of the things we associate with Venus can be made permanent when Venus comes together with Saturn.
You might find yourself receiving insights on managing what you have more wisely, putting your money to work for you, making investments that will help build your wealth.
The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 17 Pisces, An Easter Promenade. It’s something about celebrating your spirituality with traditional rituals, and that is very much like a wedding where it’s a spiritual commitment and we enact this traditional ritual to indicate to the world that we’re serious about this other person and building a life with them.
If life feels really difficult right now, ask for help from family, friends, or even the universe, via ritual. Things can be difficult when we have aspects to Saturn, and we may feel right now that a relationship or a financial condition in our lives is really challenging. So ask for help. I liked what Carolyn Casey said, that the universe wants to help, but spiritual etiquette requires that we ask. Ritual, even something as simple as burning a candle while stating our intention, is a way of politely asking the universe for the aid that we seek, an intentional way to do it. We could get clarity simply about what it is that we want. Sometimes we’re not really sure, and that makes it hard to go after it.
Mercury sextile Saturn (Jan. 18, 2025, 11:38 pm PST)
Mercury sextile Venus (Jan. 19, 2025, 8:32 am PST)
Mercury sextiles Saturn on January 18th at 11:38 pm Pacific Time, and sextiles Venus on January 19th at 8:32 am Pacific Time. Mercury connecting with Saturn, it’s time for a reality check. Are you telling the truth about yourself, your goals, your life? There could be an opportunity to revisit stories about ourselves that we would prefer to forget. This could be a chance to gain a renewed perspective, an understanding of that story.
Relationships with Mercury people, siblings, neighbors, these can help you come to a clearer understanding of yourself and your circumstances. This is an opportunity during these two aspects to figure out what it is we actually want, to keep our eyes open for clarification through people, ideas, or situations that delight us.
Sun enters Aquarius (Jan. 19, 2025, 12:00 pm PST)
On January 19th at 12 noon Pacific Time, the Sun enters Aquarius. It’ll be in this sign until February 18th. Aquarius is a fixed air sign, which means that it really knows what it knows. The fixed quality, of course, is about certainty and even stubbornness. Air signs are related to mental processes. So, its motto is, “I know.”
Aquarius, in modern times, has come to be associated with the planet Uranus. They both seem to have a quality of unpredictability or rebelliousness, but traditionally Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, and it is much more traditional in some ways than we tend to remember. I think that this rulership by two such different planets suits Aquarius perfectly because it’s so contradictory itself. It’s very traditional on one hand and on the other hand, extremely unconventional and rebellious.
During Capricorn’s season, we set intentions for the year ahead. We might initiate some new projects or habits or routines. During Capricorn’s season, then during Aquarius’s season, we solidify them. We decide which ones are the ones that we’re really going to run with and do something with throughout the year and further out into the future – because Aquarius is a future-oriented sign. It’s the season in which we take the opportunity to recreate ourselves. To do something in our lives really differently than we’ve been doing it up to now. To live our lives in such a way that we are more free, that we can innovate, that we can do the things that are really important to us, instead of the things that society has always told us we must do.
Listener Question: What does Pluto transiting the 7th House Mean for Relationships?
In this week’s listener question, listener Candace writes, “Hi April, thank you for taking my question. I’m an Aquarius Sun in the 7th house. I went through a devastating divorce 5 years ago, at the age of 51. With Pluto transiting my 7th house for the next 20 years, does that mean I am destined to be alone? Thanks for any insight.”
Candace, thank you for your question. I’ve got to begin my response with this little anecdote. Years ago, my husband and I were at a reader’s fair at my local astrology group, and he got a little short reading from a colleague of mine. This guy looked at my husband’s chart, saw that transiting Pluto was in his 7th house and flatly pronounced that he’d be getting a divorce. Well, it’s been a pretty long time ago. Pluto has been and gone from my husband’s 7th house and we are still married!
Pluto’s job as it transits your chart is to turn over the soil and see what’s squirming around down deep in the matters of that house. I would say that our marriage has undergone a certain amount of that kind of scrutiny and has changed and grown in all the ways you’d expect from a marriage of several decades.
But what does it mean if you’re not in a relationship? Well, here are some thoughts. I should imagine that this will be a time when you’ll be looking deeply at how you do relationship, who you are in relationship, what you seek and need in your dealings with other people. It’s especially significant because your natal Sun is in the seventh house. To a great extent, relationships are the way you learn about yourself in general.
None of this precludes your having a relationship, but it does say that you’ll need to be scrupulous In seeing yourself and others very clearly, being very honest and fearless. You might very well find yourself connecting with individuals who are kind of Plutonian. That is, maybe they’re in Plutonian professions, such as science and research, psychology, the end-of-life industry, law enforcement, or even something like plumbing. Or those people who “read” sort of like a Scorpio, with intensity, bluntness, and a complete allergy to subterfuge. Ideally, a Plutonian sort of person is very clear about themselves, refuses to idealize you. But if they decide to love you, you can know that you are loved as you are, and they will be very loyal.
There are, of course, negative sides of Pluto. Cynicism, tearing others down, being controlling. These are really easy to spot. And if you see them in a person, run, do not walk, in the other direction. The good qualities of quiet kindness, commitment to work and loved ones, and honor are also very easy to spot, and they tell you that this is a person worthy of your attention and possibly your love.
Candace, I hope that that helps. I am sorry that you had such a difficult divorce. But it truly is never too late to learn from the mistakes of an unhappy marriage so that you can magnetize a happy one.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at SpeakPipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast. Or, just drop me an email at April at BigSkyAstrology.com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
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That’s 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!
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!
