This week, the Capricorn New Moon comes factory-installed with inspiration and change; Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn build toward a promising future; the Sun reaches the midway point between eclipse seasons; and Mercury concludes a series of aspects to Neptune before entering Capricorn – grab your planner and ink those 2024 goals! April answers a listener question about how transiting planets relate to the condition of that planet in our birth chart. Plus: Driving through fog, coloring outside the lines, and the Sun gets the bends!

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Timestamps (full show notes at website)

[1:04] Mercury makes the last in a series of squares to Neptune on Jan. 8 (5:24 pm PST) at 25º12’ Sagittarius-Pisces. Articulating difficult topics could be challenging but productive.

[2:58] The Sun trines Uranus on Jan. 9 (4:07 pm PST) at 19º13’ Capricorn-Taurus. Think of this transit as a smooth glide into an examination of who we are and who we want to be. 

[4:41] On Jan. 9 (6:40 pm PST) Mars sextiles Saturn at 04°05’ of Capricorn and Pisces. Look for work-related opportunities to come your way.

[6:32] The Sun squares the Lunar Nodes on Jan. 10 (5:43 pm PST) at 20º18’ Capricorn/Aries/Libra. When a planet is square the nodes, we say it's at the bendings. Release the habit of giving too much at the expense of individual accomplishments.

[8:35] Moon Report! The Capricorn New Moon (Jan. 11, 3:57 am PST at 20º44’ Capricorn) is on the Sabian symbol 21 Capricorn, A relay race. This is a reminder that achieving goals is often a matter of taking something as far as we can personally, then passing it off to another generation to take further. 

[10:23] This New Moon initiates a Lunar Phase Family Cycle (LPFC) that unfolds over the next three years as major lunations fall close to this New Moon point. The First Quarter Moon of this LPFC is on Oct. 10, 2024; the Full Moon is on July 10, 2025; the Last Quarter Moon is on April 9, 2026.

[11:50] Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon periods. On Jan. 9, the Moon in Sagittarius conjoins Mercury (10:24 am PST). It's VOC for a little over 7 hours until the Moon enters Capricorn (5:33 pm PST). 

[13:47] On Jan. 11, the Moon in Capricorn conjoins Pluto (6:33 pm PST). It's VOC for only half an hour before entering Aquarius (7:01 pm). 

[14:55] On Jan. 13, the Moon in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus (1:59 am PST) and ushers in an epic 17½ hour long (!!!) VOC Moon period, before it enters Pisces (7:29 pm). 

[16:43] Mars in Capricorn trines Jupiter in Taurus on Jan. 12 (2:42 am PST). Mars is on the Sabian symbol 6 Capricorn, A dark archway with ten logs at the bottom; Jupiter is on 6 Taurus, A bridge being built across a gorge. 

[18:29] Mercury enters Capricorn on Jan. 13 (6:49 pm PST) and will be in the sign of the sea goat until Feb. 4. Finally! It’s time to sit down and fill in your schedule for the coming year.

[19:57] Listener Diane asks about how our experience of a transit is influenced by its natal position. While discussing Mars in Cancer, April mentions Dana Gerhart’s observation about how planets in detriment or fall work overtime.

[25:39] If you’d like to have a question answered on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email april(at)bigskyastrology(dot)com; put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

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