The
more open-ended
aspects of a
Void-Of-Course Moon are a quilted
landscape
of unique possibilities…
The
resurgence of
interest in the Void-Of-Course (VOC)
Moon,
first described by Ptolemy and most recently
repopularized by astrologer
Al H. Morrison, has got astrologers looking at this
once-every-couple-of-days
period as one where nothing really happens. It’s viewed as a
little vacuum
in time where you shouldn’t do anything too definite except
be
spontaneous and
creative, and maybe party. Kind of like celestial recess.
But
there’s lots
more to it than that. Remember that
although the VOC period is when the classic, Ptolemaic aspects
(conjunction,
sextile, square, trine, opposition) are played out before the Moon
changes
sign, there is still a playground of other aspects still in action
which may
not be what you’d like to sign a contract on but can be
earthshaking
nonetheless. It’s a period when the so-called
“minor”
aspects are in operation,
which as we have pointed out elsewhere,
(see aspect list
at link) may not be
so minor. They actually fall
into two separate camps, and in so doing paint the VOC experience as
either
rough, motivational, and prickly – or smooth and inwardly
elevating.
Rough
And
Prickly
The
most obvious aspects
that fall within the VOC period
are the minor but still “standard” quincunx and
semisextile. They’re the most
obvious because they’re subsets of the 30° standard
chart
divisions and thus
are easy to spot. But, they’re quite different and they each
have
their own
unique baggage surrounding them that colors their experience. A look at
them
individually, and in their immediate context:
Quincunx
(150°).
This is actually a formidable aspect and has a lot written about it,
especially
when two of them aspect a single point in a natal chart, something
called the
Yod, or “Finger Of God.,” or “Finger Of
Fate.”
How dramatic. Its nature is
primarily one of goading restlessness, a pushy, motivating kind of
thing that
just won’t let you settle down until you’ve done
something
with it, and then
still won’t. It has forward-moving instability, like tripping
as
you’re running
and having to catch up with yourself before you fall, thus speeding
your
trajectory. Perhaps for that very quality it’s associated
with
fate as it
forces you into unstable situations which you then have to cope with to
keep on
track, changing your direction as you go, often desperately improvising
on each
unexpected hand you’ve been dealt and raising the stakes to
meet
the next one.
It makes you nervous, but it gets you places. Not surprisingly, the
charts of
presidents of the United States have six times more quincunxes than the
norm,
and that pretty much describes the road to success in politics
–
it’s a
punch-out free-for-all in which you don’t know where the next
blow is coming
from, so you just keep moving to stay ahead of the fray. And if that’s
the “minor” aspect happening
during a VOC period, good luck at laying back and relaxing!
It’s
going to be a
flat-out adventure or nothing.
And if
you’re
getting that aspect, chances are you’ll also
be getting one or more of the other important minor aspects within,
perhaps,
eight degrees of it (by lunar motion, something you would experience in
the
same waking day of 16 hours). Those are: eight hours before it the
biquintile
(2/5 of the circle, 144°), eight hours after it the triseptile
(3/7
the circle,
154° 17’). These are enabling and inclusive aspects,
adding
to the breadth,
power, and imagination of activities spawned at this time.
Semisextile
(30°).
This, in its own way, is quite the opposite of the quincunx. Having the
nature
of adjoining signs, which tend to mix like oil and water,
there’s
a quality of
“good fences make good neighbors” about it. Far
from a
promising adventure,
perhaps the most alien creatures you’re likely to meet live
next
door, and you
know that well enough to be pleasant and stay out of their way most of
the
time. Next door: a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want
to
live there. At
the same time, there’s the camaraderie of being neighbors,
sharing the same
block, or the same country. It’s e
pluribus unum, but only as long
as you keep your own unum.
Your neighbors will back you up, in a pinch, but only if you
mainly rely on yourself. If this is what’s happening during a
VOC
period, it
really is a good time for relaxing and having that neighborhood
barbecue, but
without expecting anything further to come from it.
The
other minor aspects
in this neighborhood you may be
getting aren’t quite so full of outreach as the quincunx,
either.
Within eight
degrees are: five hours before it, the 13th (27° 42’
), and
after it the 11th
(32° 44’, +/-6 hours after) and the 10th
(36°, +/-12
hours after). The 11th and
13th are prickly, quirky, and a bit unsettling, but without much
hitting power,
with the 10th adding some suppleness to grease the skids. All in all,
more of
an inward stew rather than an outward journey.
Interesting
Countryside
These
two sets describe
the quality of most VOC periods,
either singly or in combination, depending on where and how much later
in sign
the other planets are after the last official aspect. Sometimes you get
just
one, sometimes the other, sometimes both in quick succession or
blending. The
really long VOC periods (when the planets making regular aspects are
very early
in signs, pass early) will see much more variety, involving all the
minor
aspects, more than mentioned here, subsequently taking turns creating
contiguous, evolving worlds until the Moon’s final sign
change.
Very short VOC
periods (when the planets are late in signs) will see almost nothing,
just a
quick breather space. But when you’re looking for what to do
with
that coming VOC
period while you’re avoiding big decisions and purchases, it
would be well to
give it closer inspection to see what the real lay of the land is.
It’s not a
blank drift into totally unknown territory. In fact, it’s
particularly interesting
countryside that requires its own approach and planning to get the most
out of
it.
-- John Townley
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