Rose's Astro Academy | An Astrology Podcast

E02 Mars-Jupiter Conjunction, and Part 1 of the Moon Phases

August 12, 2024 • Rose Potts • Episode 2

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In the second episode of Rose's Astro Academy, Rose gives her take on the Mars-Jupiter conjunction happening this week in Gemini. She goes over possible positive expressions of this transit, things to watch out for, and includes a fun anecdote to Harry Potter. 

In the topic for this episode, she introduces how astrologers use the phase of the Moon at the time of one's birth to interpret a global theme for their life. She also discusses progressed lunation cycles, and explains how to understand the moon phases in terms of the plant life cycle. Finally, Rose dives into an exploration of the meaning of the first four moon phases - from the New Moon to the Waxing Gibbous.


Calculate Your Moon Phase Here: https://astrostyle.com/cosmic-calculators/moon-phase/


Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Moon Phases next week!

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Rose Potts:

Hello and welcome to episode 2 of Rose's Astro Academy, where I demystify the system of astrology piece by piece. Each episode we discuss a transit for the week and then I guide you through an exploration of a new layer of this fascinating system. This week the big transit happening is the mars jupiter conjunction in gemini. We'll start by taking a look at this and then we'll get into our topic for the week, which is looking at the meaning of the first four of the moon phases. So that would be from the new moon to the waxing gibbous, which is the phase right before the full moon. I had intended to talk about all eight of the moon phases, but I realized that it's a large topic and probably too much for one episode, so we're going to do it in two parts and I'll cover part two next week. Specifically, I'm going to be talking about the meaning of the moon phases in terms of the moon phase you were born under and in terms of your progressed lunation phase. The moon phase that you're born under says a lot about the global theme that you are working through in this life, and the progressed lunation is the current moon phase you are symbolically in at this time in your life, which I will explain in more detail later on. I love working with this with clients in session. I always find that it helps shed so much light and understanding for them. If you don't know what moon phase you're born under, in the show notes I have linked a free website where you can go to find that out.

Rose Potts:

So we'll start by looking at the Mars-Jupiter conjunction. The Mars-Jupiter conjunction goes exact around 11 am Eastern Time on August 14th. When I say exact, that means that the planets are at the same degree and a fraction of a degree within the same sign. This is when the energy of the transit is the strongest. But we have been in range of this transit since August 8th, meaning that the planets have been approaching one another in the sky and the energy of this transit has been building. And we will feel the energy of this transit until August 20th when Mars leaves that three degree range from Jupiter. For most transits we use a three degree range on either side of the exact conjunction. For the outer planets Uranus, neptune and Pluto, which move much more slowly than the other planets I like to bring that down to a one degree range. So since August 8th the energy of this transit has been building. We will feel it until August 20th and it will be strongest on or around August 14th.

Rose Potts:

When planets come together in a conjunction, we tend to see a merging of their archetypal natures. As I discussed in the first episode, each planet has an archetypal nature, which is a group of similar and related qualities. If we were to distill Mars down to a keyword to represent his core archetypal nature, that keyword would be power and Jupiter's keyword would be growth. So we're going to see, in its essence, scenarios playing out as a result of this transit that represent the growing of power. This is happening in the sign of Gemini, and thus Gemini is really toning this archetypal combination with his own flair. Gemini most often speaks to intellect and communication, so we can really see it playing out with those themes. Potentially, this transit will play out differently for us on individual levels depending on what house Gemini falls into in our birth chart. Depending on what house Gemini falls into in our birth chart, each house represents a different topic or area of life, such as our relationship, our work, family, our identity, things like that. This transit may also be activating planets in your birth chart, which will put a different spin on it for you too. So I'm not here to try to tell you how it's going to play out for you specifically, but I'm more so speaking to the energy for the collective and some different expressions that we might be seeing.

Rose Potts:

So let's return to the archetypal keywords for Jupiter and Mars. So we said Mars represents power and Jupiter represents growth. Another archetypal keyword for Jupiter is good fortune, and another one for Mars is action. So under a Mars-Jupiter conjunction we may find ourselves taking more fortunate actions, with this happening in the sign of Gemini. This action may have an intellectual or communicative bend, such as good progress, learning a subject or really acing that presentation at work. Another thing we can look at when analyzing a transit is to see what the ruler of the sign is doing and if it's in good position or not. The ruler of Gemini is Mercury and it's in its other rulership of Virgo. This means that Mercury is in a really empowered place at the moment, which potentially gives this transit a much more positive spin. So fortunate action is a really big expression we are likely to see.

Rose Potts:

Another theme we may be picking up on is having a felt sense of irrepressible courage. Jupiter rules the feeling of optimism and Mars rules courage. So that really brings me to that just overly optimistic sense that basically we can do no wrong. And this reminds me of, if you know, that scene in Harry Potter I think it's the fifth book where Harry takes a good luck potion. And it's a potion where, no matter what the drinker does, things turn out right for them. Where, no matter what the drinker does, things turn out right for them. So Harry takes this potion and he's overcome with a sense of buoyant optimism and at the time he's in a really sticky situation with no clear answer as to what action to take. But as soon as he drinks this potion, all of a sudden he just knows what he has to do and he follows his intuition and somehow everything works out very well for him in a way that would have been impossible if good fortune had not been on his side. So this taking action with fortunate outcomes really is the energy of a Mars-Jupiter conjunction, especially when we see the ruler, mercury, being in such an empowered position.

Rose Potts:

But I don't want to be swayed by the shadow of the Mars Jupiter, even in my explanation of this transit and make it seem like there can only be good outcomes. The shadow side would be taking overly optimistic action because we are ignoring or overlooking the potential downfalls. Every transit has the potential for negative expressions, and especially transits like this where we see something that looks so overly optimistic. It would be wonderful if we could take a good luck potion and easefully navigate our way out of sticky situations, but real life isn't like that and usually when we're being overly optimistic it means that we're overlooking important things. I think that warning is really coming through with this transit, because the Mars-Jupiter conjunction is also receiving a square from Saturn. Saturn rules structure, discipline and tough lessons, and squares are a challenging aspect. So I think that Saturn squaring Mars and Jupiter is really telling us to be careful of those shadow qualities of over-optimism or trusting that we can do no wrong under this transit. Right after Mars and Jupiter come together, jupiter goes right into that square from Saturn and I really see that as Jupiter being like this overly optimistic balloon, and Saturn is just coming along to deflate it. However, returning to some positive expressions, if we've been feeling a sense of inertia or stuckness, I really like this transit for being able to surge through that inertia and take action. Mars-jupiter is a really wonderful energy for having breakthroughs as a result of some determined action we take. But again, saturn is coming along right on the heels of this transit. So don't be surprised if this breakthrough comes with a big reality check or if it feels like two steps forward, one step back. Well, that's everything I wanted to touch on with the Mars-Jupiter conjunction. If you notice any of these themes playing out in your life from now until August 20th, send me an email at rosesastroacademy at gmailcom and let me know what happens. I love to hear how these transits play out in real life.

Rose Potts:

Now let's turn to our topic for the week, which is talking about the meaning of the first four moon phases. Each of us is born under a moon phase, and that moon phase speaks to a theme or energy that we are embodying throughout our life. This topic is really fascinating once you know what moon phase you were born under. So in the show notes I've linked my favorite site where you can go and find that out. It's really easy. You just put in your date of birth. So I recommend you doing that before listening to the rest of this episode. I've also timestamped the moon phases for you in the show notes if you do just want to go ahead and listen to yours and if yours happens to be on next week's episode. Well, I'm glad that you're excited for next week's episode.

Rose Potts:

There are eight moon phases in total and in order, they are the new moon, the waxing crescent, the first quarter, the waxing gibbous, the full moon, the waning gibbous, the last quarter and the waning crescent. Today we'll be going over the first four phases, so from the new moon to the waxing gibbous, and next week, in part two, we'll go over the remaining four. A great way that I like to remember the difference between the waning and the waxing cycle is when we think about how candles were made in the olden days. Essentially, you would heat up a pot of wax and then you would take a string and continually dip the string in the wax, and as you dipped the string, the candle would grow. So I really like holding this image in my mind of the wax on the candle growing, which reminds me that the waxing phase tells us that the moon is moving towards the full moon and the waning phase tells us that the moon is diminishing and moving towards the new moon as we move through the moon phase cycle.

Rose Potts:

The best metaphor I've come across for understanding each phase is to link it with a phase in the plant life cycle. The new moon is akin to the planting of a seed. The waxing crescent is when the seed becomes a seedling. The first quarter is when the plant starts to grow a stronger stem, leaf and root system. The waxing gibbous is when the plant flowers and becomes ready to bear fruit. The full moon is the bearing of the fruit. The waning gibbous is when the fruit falls off of the plant and is ready to be shared. The last quarter is when the plant starts to wither and die, and the waning crescent is when the plant is at the end of its life cycle and starting to break down and decay. So we'll go through each and break this down more.

Rose Potts:

Another thing I want to touch on before we get into the phases is that each of us is traveling through a progressed lunation cycle. The moon phase we are born under represents a global theme for our life, but ancient astrologers paid attention to the movement of the planets after one's birth as well, and said that the movements of the planets after birth spoke to the unfolding of the person's life. They paid special attention to what they called the progressed lunations, which was the movement of the moon after birth, and each day of the moon's movement was extended to a year of the person's life. The entire moon cycle is about 29 and a half days, so if we can expect to live to be about 90, then in our lives we will journey through about three complete moon phase cycles. I see this as three big books we are playing out in our lives, each of which lasting about 30 years. We can be born at any point in this moon phase cycle and then, after we are born, the moon continues its current cycle and then eventually a new cycle will begin, and, etc. Its current cycle, and then eventually a new cycle will begin, and, etc. So we have the global theme for our life of the moon phase we were born under, but then we have the progressed moon phase that we are currently playing out.

Rose Potts:

This is one of my favorite things to look at with clients, because I find that, without fail, every time, telling a client their global moon phase and then telling them their current progressed moon phase sheds so much light on their way of moving through this life, but also helps them understand where they are at currently. This can be especially helpful for clients, because some of the moon phases can be harder than others, for example, when going through the last quarter and waning crescent phases. It's such a process of churning away from the structures that one has built in their life. People leave their careers, even their marriages, or the city that they've called home, and it can feel like everything they built is burning to the ground. It's a very uncertain and challenging time. If one doesn't have the context of where they are at in their progressed lunar cycle at this time, then it can be incredibly confusing. Knowing your current phase in the progressed lunation is work that you do typically with an astrologer, or if you know a bit about astrology already and how to calculate that. It's not something I'm going to dive into on this episode, but perhaps just by listening to my breakdown of each phase and reflecting on your life, you can kind of gauge where you think you're at in your progress inner cycle.

Rose Potts:

So let's get started with looking at the meaning of the new moon phase. We're thinking about this in terms of themes for people born under new moons and for people going through their new moon progressed lunar cycle. As I said, the new moon is akin to the planting of the seed. The global theme for someone born under a new moon is to emerge. There is often a pattern with new moon babies that their wills can be overshadowed by the will of their parents. For example, those born under a new moon will often follow a career path because it was what their parents chose for them. The life's work of someone born under a new moon is to find a true sense of self outside of the external structures imposed on them, and then to be able to express that sense of self like a seed breaking open. For someone in a new moon, progressed lunar phase, the past years would have been filled with many endings and letting go. They will feel like they've stepped into a new identity. Maybe they've moved to a new place, started a new career path or enter a new phase of life where they take on new roles, such as becoming a parent. Like the new moon, that is still completely dark. This new beginning in someone's life can feel a lot like limbo. The old structures of one's life have been released and we may have an idea of the new identity, life phase or direction that we're in, but there's still a lot that isn't clear and a lot that feels unknown and unsure at this stage.

Rose Potts:

Now, moving on to the waxing crescent. This is right after a new moon, when we start to see that sliver of moonlight returning. The waxing crescent phase is akin to the seedlings sprouting up from the earth. Like the seedling, there is a vulnerability to those born under a waxing crescent moon. They can be highly sensitive and can struggle with a sense of not feeling strong enough to take on life's challenges. The global theme for those born under a waxing crescent moon is to focus on a persistent push forwards to overcome the odds that may seem stacked against them and the ways that they may feel too vulnerable and unable to cope with life's demands. That they may feel too vulnerable and unable to cope with life's demands. This holds true as well for those going through a waxing crescent progressed lunation cycle.

Rose Potts:

Whereas the new moon phase can be a time of acclimatizing to our new circumstances, the waxing crescent phase is about initiating action and pushing forwards. We've set out on a new path in life and the feeling is that there's no turning back and the only thing we can do is to keep moving forwards, moving on to the first quarter phase this is when the moon is half lit up and moving towards a full moon. It's akin to the plant cycle of building a strong stem, leaves and root system. People born under a first quarter moon can be very good at dealing with crisis situations. We all know that person who has the ability to stay calm and level-headed in a crisis. These are our first responder type people. At the first quarter we are firmly established, our root system is anchored and we are past that vulnerable stage of the seedling. But there's usually a crisis for the plant in this cycle, such as strong winds, lack of water or other taller plants taking up the sunlight. The plant has many challenges to overcome before it reaches the stage of flowering.

Rose Potts:

Someone born under a first quarter has the global theme of overcoming challenges. It may feel like life presents them with more than the usual amount of challenges, but they find that they also have a strong ability to overcome these challenges. For those going through the first quarter progressed lunation it can feel like a coming of age story for that 30-year cycle that we're in. In the new moon phase we may strike out on a new path with rose-colored glasses about how it will turn out, but in the first quarter we are coming face to face with the challenges of our chosen direction. We get to see if we have what it takes to overcome these challenges that stand in the way. If we are successful in overcoming those challenges, the next phases will be about the fruits of this cycle.

Rose Potts:

Lastly, for today, we will talk about the waxing gibbous cycle. This is when the moon looks almost full. Just before the full moon, the plant life cycle for this phase is akin to the flowering of the plants. This is the growing of the blossoms which will become the fruit. Those born at the waxing gibbous have a strong sense of mission in their lives. They can feel how close they are to attaining the culmination of the full moon, and these people tend to make their life about fulfilling that important work.

Rose Potts:

The global theme for someone born under this cycle is refinement. They understand that the plant may be flowering, they're seeing the benefit of their hard work, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before the plant is ready to bear fruit. They are here to improve and perfect a skill, and the intended outcome of their life is mastery in a subject. This may seem like the most positive moon phase cycle I've gone over thus far, but it can be really challenging for people born under this phase because they have such a restlessness in their spirit that makes them feel like they have to work so hard to achieve this mission that they can let a lot of other aspects of life pass them by. And being born under this phase is also no guarantee of success. For those going through a waxing gibbous, progressed lunation phase, it can really feel like a graduate student writing their thesis. They've put a lot of work into this direction. They have passed the first quarter tests, where they have proven their competence and their strength, and they have nearly succeeded. But there is a lot of work yet to be done before they can reap the fruits of their labor. So there we have it For our topic. Today. We looked at the first four moon phase cycles, what they mean for someone born under them and for someone at that point in their progressed lunation cycle.

Rose Potts:

If I went over your moon phase today, I would love to hear if it resonated for you. Please feel free to send me an email with your thoughts to rosesastroacademy at gmailcom. I want this podcast to be a co-creative space, so if there's a topic in astrology that you would like me to talk about, please also send me an email about it. New episodes air every Monday If you want to book a reading with me, you can find out how to do that in the show notes or on my website, rosesastroacademycom. And you can follow along on my Instagram, astrohooper, where I release fun hula hooping and astrology content. Finally, if you enjoyed this episode and you want to see this little seedling grow, you can help out by leaving a review of the podcast and sharing it with your astrology-loving friends. Well, that's all I have for you.