When You Just Can’t Get Going…

… which is exactly what may happen on Monday (Aug 28th) when the Moon is Void of Course from 10.39am until 8.49pm (both times BST)—in other words, pretty much the whole working day. There’s a couple of doozies in September, too.

Mundane and/or horary astrologers—and those with even a passing interest in same—will have read the term, ‘Void of Course Moon’ and its interpretation, ‘nothing will come of the matter’. To others it may just be an esoteric term to be glossed over. Well, not any more!

The Moon is said to be Void of Course when it has no further major aspects to be made before it leaves a particular sign. Major aspects are conjunctions, oppositions, squares, trines and sextiles. This state of affairs can last from a few seconds up to two and a half days—the approximate time it takes for the Moon to travel completely through one sign. It sounds a bit complicated but it’s actually quite easy once you’ve got your head round it. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

The Moon is ‘Void of Course’ from this point until it enters Sagittarius 14 hours and 42 minutes later.

The Moon is in Scorpio and is square to Uranus over in Aquarius (Figure 1, above). It is at exactly the point of the square—from here the two bodies are separating. Also, from here the Moon is Void of Course because it doesn’t make a major aspect to anything until it enters Sagittarius where, apart from anything else, it has a whole raft of conjunctions in store.

On this particular occasion—it’s a real-world example—the Moon’s VoC period was 14 hours and 42 minutes. The next VoC period—after a conjunction of the Moon with Mercury in Capricorn—was just an hour and 24 minutes.

The two and a half day stretch doesn’t happen often. That occurs when most of the rest of the Zodiacal planets are all in one or two places. Let’s have another look.

This one has to be made-up as a real example isn’t easy to find. So, in Figure 2 put the Moon in Sagittarius. Then stick the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius and, for the sake of argument, Jupiter in Leo, Saturn

Once the Moon’s opposition to Saturn passes exactitude, the Moon is Void of Course until it enters Capricorn and all the way until its’ Aquarius ingress.

in Taurus and Pluto in Sagittarius. So, the Moon’s last aspect is to Saturn at the back end of Sagittarius, at which point it goes Void of Course. It gets into Capricorn a little later—and is Void of Course again immediately because there are no major aspects to be made until it enters Aquarius a couple of days and a bit further on.

So that’s the technical bit over and done with. But what does a Void of Course mean astrologically?

It’s a period when one should do ongoing stuff and get shot of unfinished business. Clearing out, finishing off and planning what to do next is also good. But don’t start any projects, don’t initiate any new schemes. Either they won’t get off the ground at all or they will start and then fizzle out. It’s sort of similar to retrograde Mercury but much shorter and a bit more general.

Ever wonder why that guy you met at the bar/pub/club seemed so promising at the start but any sign of attraction had gone the next day? It has to be said that some blokes should be left in dark places but that’s by the bye; the chances are that the Moon was Void of Course that night and it just wouldn’t work out.

Or the time when everyone in the office really got behind a new idea and pushed—and it still bombed? Either the idea wasn’t as good as it looked or you all got going when the Moon was Void of Course.

One other situation which is specific, I think, for writers, artists, musicians and any other creative types. You may find that doing anything at all is difficult during such a period and I have a theory. Because painting, composing, writing or even throwing a pot is continuous creation, rather than just starting a project and then letting it roll, you may find yourself short of inspiration or unable to settle to a job. I used to wonder why it was that I could stare at a blank piece of paper (nowadays it’s a screen) and get nothing all day—and then be writing furiously from 10pm onwards. Now I’d put it down to a Void of Course Moon period.

That’s apart from those infuriating times when brain-fade is the culprit—or ideas just stay away in droves!

Just in case you’re wondering, one may edit and correct ‘til the cows come home. That’s not creative.

So there you have it. Now you know about Void of Course Moons—and the little table (below) will show you when they are for the next three months so that you can observe and avoid them. But don’t try using them as an excuse for not doing something…

Void of Course Moon Periods September—November 2017
Please note: all times are GMT

From                       To
Date         Time          Date        Time

August 26   5.40am         August 26   8.54am
August 28   9.39am         August 28   7.49pm
August 31   4.43am         August 31   8.20am

September 2 4.31pm        September 2  8.07pm
September 5 5.17am        September 4  5.29am
September 6 8.30pm        September 7  12.02pm
September 9 3.53pm        September 9  4.24pm
September 11 0.55am       September 11 7.30pm
September 13 6.37pm       September 13 10.13pm
September 15 9.24pm       September 16 1.10am
September 18 0.56am       September 18 4.53am
September 20 5.31am       September 20 10.07am
September 22 1.06pm       September 22 5.41pm
September 24 7.34am       September 25 4.02am
September 27 11.09am      September 27 4.25pm
September 30 0.15am       September 30 4.41am

October 2    11.14am      October 2    2.27pm
October 4    7.20am       October 4    8.41pm
October 6    10.39pm      October 6    11.57pm
October 8    1.46pm       October 9    1.46am
October 10   10.26pm      October 11   3.39am
October 13   4.01am       October 13   6.42am
October 15   5.29am       October 15   11.20am
October 17   11.28am      October 17   5.36pm
October 19   7.13pm       October 20   1.42am
October 22   11.36am      October 22   11.58am
October 24   4.46pm       October 25   0.13am
October 27   5.24am       October 27   1.00pm
October 29   4.23pm       October 29   11.47pm

October 31   9.09pm       November 1   6.44am
November 3   3.04am       November 3   9.47am
November 5   9.30am       November 5   10.27am
November 7   10.41am      November 7   10.46am
November 9   5.15am       November 9   12.30pm
November 11  8.57am       November 11  4.42pm
November 13  3.46pm       November 13  11.27pm
November 16  0.51am       November 16  8.20am
November 18  11.43am      November 18  7.00pm
November 21  0.28am       November 21  7.15am
November 23  10.34am      November 23  8.15pm
November 26  2.38am       November 26  8.05am
November 28  12.10pm      November 28  4.31pm
November 30  6.36pm       November 30  8.39pm

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