This week: That big boom you're hearing is the annual conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter, sending us off on a big adventure! Venus enters Gemini and tangles with Saturn and Pluto. The Last Quarter Moon in Capricorn urges contemplation to prepare us for the upcoming Solar Eclipse. And April chats with astrologer Gaye Nelson to answer a Listener Question about the Almuten: What is it? What does it represent in the chart? And, how is it used? Plus: Multiple sweaters, actual bookstores, and Captain ...
Apr 10, 2023•32 min
This week, almost the only planet doing anything is Mercury - and Mercury is doing all the things, including entering Taurus! Venus and Neptune make the heart grow fonder, the Libra Full Moon is pushed out of balance by Jupiter’s thumb on the scale, and April answers a listener question about working with the waxing and waning cycles of the Moon. Plus: A sea captain, a señorita, and an untidy friend! Learn astrology with April – her “Forecasting Fundamentals” class begins April 15! Read a full t...
Apr 03, 2023•28 min
Thank your lucky stars for quieter skies after last week's epic planetary shifts! Join Mercury and Jupiter on a magic carpet ride of imagination and elevated ideas! Thrill to Venus’ rendezvous with exciting Uranus! Follow your hunches and get stuff done, as Mars makes a productive trine to Saturn! Reach out for new opportunities with help from a Marsy, playful First Quarter Moon in Cancer! And take a peek at transiting Pluto's aspects to planets in the birth chart! Plus: A shaggy deer, sharp and...
Mar 27, 2023•30 min
This week, the Aries Equinox and the first of two Aries New Moons announce the arrival of the astrological new year; Pluto changes signs and picks out a new pot to cook us in; and Mars finally leaves Gemini after nearly seven nerve-frazzling months. And in this week’s mini-lesson, April gives an overview of Pluto transiting through the houses of the birth chart. Plus: Power tools, paparazzi, and…is it a Saturn thing or a Pluto thing? Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you’d ...
Mar 20, 2023•37 min
While we catch our breath between Saturn’s ingress into Pisces last week and Pluto entering Aquarius next week, there’s still plenty going on. The Sun, Mercury, and Mars ask Neptune the musical question, “Who am I, and where am I headed?,” but the Sagittarius Last Quarter Moon chooses the direction it deems best. Venus confronts Pluto from the last, fiery degree of Aries and then slips gratefully into Taurus. And in this week’s mini-lesson, April introduces the epic ingress of Pluto into Aquariu...
Mar 13, 2023•32 min
This week: The Sun and Mercury get a wake-up call from Uranus; the Virgo Full Moon erupts on the same day tough-daddy Saturn enters Pisces for a two-and-a-half-year stay; Venus and Mars meet in a sweet aspect of prosperity and happiness. And April's final mini-lesson in the Saturn in Pisces series looks at Saturn in aspect to planets in your birth chart. Plus: A grouchy volcano, a new job, and an open window! Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you’d like answered on the show...
Mar 06, 2023•32 min
This week, the First Quarter Moon in Gemini spurs us on to action; Venus and Jupiter meet in a fortunate and energizing (if combustible!) conjunction; Mercury receives Saturn’s commendation for its work in Aquarius, then enters Pisces for a little dreamtime. And the second of April’s three mini-lessons on Saturn in Pisces takes a look at Saturn through the houses of the birth chart. Plus: A podcast milestone, a failed detonation, and a tricky time to do your taxes! Read a full transcript of this...
Feb 27, 2023•30 min
A Pisces New Moon asks: where have you been hiding out, and how can you find the courage to come out into the open? Mercury’s aspect to Uranus makes waves with innovative and radical ideas, but when Mercury trines Mars the next day, stand by them and make them a reality! And April offers the first of a three-part mini-lesson on the upcoming transit of Saturn in Pisces. Plus: Bearish bodyguards, “as I wrote in my book,” and two of the most spectacular donor names ever! Read a full transcript of t...
Feb 20, 2023•26 min
This week: Valentine's Day is flavored by Venus' rapturous conjunction to romantic Neptune, by the Sun's conjunction with realistic Saturn, and by the aftermath of an emotionally intense, pattern-breaking Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio. The Sun enters Pisces – what lights us up during this imaginative season? Venus enters fast-moving (impulsive?) Aries. And April answers a listener’s question about the best time to move into a new home. Plus: Impulse spending, the antithesis of romance, and the bo...
Feb 13, 2023•29 min
This week, Mercury teams up with Neptune to get creativity on the schedule and reads tea leaves with probing Pluto, before entering Aquarius for some long-range planning. Venus and Uranus remind us to embrace the flow of our inspiration while also inviting wisdom from those who’ve been around the block a time or two. And April answers a listener’s question about the fascinating technique of Horary Astrology. Plus: The age of irrelevance, the eternal search for car keys, and everyone’s least-love...
Feb 06, 2023•25 min
This Week: The Full Moon in dramatic Leeeeeoooo and the Sun’s square to Uranus urge us to liberate ourselves from stagnant patterns. As Venus squares Mars, it's time to stop asking for approval and start demanding what is ours. And April answers a listener’s question about the difference between the Sun and the Rising Sign in your birth chart. Plus: A hummingbird, an address in L.A., and dealing with the supermarket clerk. Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you’d like answer...
Jan 30, 2023•30 min
This week: The Sun makes creative and heart-opening aspects to Mars and Jupiter and reaches the midpoint between its eclipse seasons. Venus enters Pisces – make your world more magical! The Taurus First Quarter Moon demands action related to something we began at last April’s Solar Eclipse. And April answers a listener’s question about what it means to have the Sun (or any planet, really) in the 12th House of the chart. Plus: Morning hair, charged to 60%, and whatever you do will be wrong – act ...
Jan 23, 2023•29 min
This week: Mercury and Uranus move forward and invite us to do the same; the Sun’s rendezvous with Pluto issues a challenge to claim our personal power; the Aquarius season offers a chance to break our own rules, and the Aquarius New Moon is a wake-up call to create a lasting legacy; Venus and Saturn celebrate the beauty of doing more with less; and April answers a listener’s question about looking on the bright side of your birth chart. Plus: Complimenting a fish, emotional nutrition, and where...
Jan 16, 2023•32 min
This week: A very busy Venus makes a swooning trine to Mars, squares the Lunar Nodes (and pushes us out of our comfort zone), and squares Uranus, shaking up relationships and finances. Mars finally stations direct, but don't move forward too quickly. And the Libra Last Quarter Moon wraps ups a powerful Lunar Phase Family that began in late 2020. And April answer’s a listener’s question about how to make the most of New Moon cycles when they sometimes skip houses in your chart. Plus: The algebra ...
Jan 09, 2023•34 min
Happy 2023 everyone! This week: the Sun makes an energizing trine to Uranus; Venus enters exciting Aquarius and gets an added boost from Jupiter; a snuggly Cancer Full Moon highlights big dreams; and the retrograde Mercury connects with the Sun and Uranus. April answers a listener’s question about how to work with transits for yourself. Plus: Sparkling in public, finding your people, and the tale of the two-foot-tall zucchini! Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you’d like an...
Jan 02, 2023•29 min
April is under the weather, so there will be no episode for the week of Dec. 26 - see you on Jan. 2 for the first episode of 2023!
Dec 26, 2022•1 min
Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa! - and a good old Happy Holidays to one and all this joyous season! In the skies this week: Jupiter re-enters Aries and brings an uncharacteristically jovian spirit to the Capricorn Solstice and the Capricorn New Moon. The Capricorn Venus trines Uranus shakes us up and freshens our outlook, and Mercury sextile Neptune melds imagination and reality. And April answers a listener’s question about the out-of-bounds Moon. Read a full tran...
Dec 19, 2022•32 min
It's a low-energy, take-it-easy week as the Sun fields a questionable offer from Saturn and a wake-up call from Neptune; Mercury connects with Uranus for some outside-the-box thinking; the Virgo Last Quarter Moon encourages us to clean up some loose ends as we prepare to say farewell to Jupiter in Pisces next week and welcome the Capricorn solstice; and April answers a listener’s question about Morning and Evening stars. Plus: Borrowed eyeglasses, low batteries, and prime time in the Antipodes! ...
Dec 12, 2022•26 min
An energetic Full Moon in Gemini is influenced by scrappy Mars; Mercury and Venus leave “sky is the limit” Sagittarius for “buckle down and focus” Capricorn; and this week’s Void-of-Course Moon periods are short and happy. And April deploys an automotive metaphor to answer a listener question about transits affecting several planets close together in your chart. Plus: Helpful conflict, the pleasures of productivity, and the Pope. Already looking ahead to 2023? Join April’s webinar on “Making the...
Dec 05, 2022•30 min
This week: The Pisces Quarter Moon is on a fast-moving Sabian symbol, but proceed with some caution. Mars revisits a recent trine to Saturn to a review an ongoing project; Mercury makes a choice; Venus and Mars get an unobstructed view of one another; Venus dons her rose-colored glasses just as Neptune stations direct; and April answers a listener's question about the best location to use in calculating your Solar Return chart. Plus: A gratitude bonanza, swallows returning to Capristrano, and le...
Nov 28, 2022•28 min
There’s a lot to be grateful for this week, starting with the Big Sky Astrology Podcast’s third anniversary! Warm thanks to all of you who’ve been here from the beginning, as well as those who found the show along the way. In other news: the Sun enters Sagittarius, and there's a New Moon in this grateful sign the day before Thanksgiving – count your blessings, if not your calories! Sagittarius' ruling planet, Jupiter, turns direct. And Mercury comes together with Venus for declarations of gratit...
Nov 21, 2022•25 min
A volatile Last Quarter Moon in Leeeoooooo encourages camel-like self-reliance. The Sun, Mercury, and Venus make happy aspects to happier Jupiter. The Sun trines Neptune on a magical, bunny-related Sabian symbol, and Mars makes the second of three squares to Neptune – defend whatever you have faith in! The Sun and Mercury fall into formation with Pluto. Mercury and Venus prepare the way for the Sun’s Sagittarius season, which begins next week. And April answers a listener's question about planet...
Nov 14, 2022•29 min
This very full week features a tense Taurus Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse, which promises to make U.S. Election Day more... exciting than usual. Within hours of the eclipse, Mercury connects with the Sun - then both oppose Uranus and square Saturn; ready to break through constrictions and reinvent yourself? And Venus' aspects to Saturn and Neptune promise a happy outcome if we make an effort, tighten our belts, and commit. Plus: A listener question about whether transiting planets' retrograde periods ...
Nov 07, 2022•32 min
Happy Halloween! In this very light astrological week: The Aquarius First Quarter Moon tests resolve about projects that began back in January. Void-of-Course Moon periods this week are shorter and happier, thanks to Jupiter. Venus opposed Uranus celebrates the beauty of taking out the trash, both literally and figuratively. And in this week between the October 25th Solar and November 8th Lunar Eclipses, April climbs into the wayback machine to revisit mini-lessons about eclipses in the houses o...
Oct 31, 2022•29 min
This week, eclipse season begins in earnest with a relationship-shifting Scorpio Solar Eclipse. Mercury in Libra’s aspects to Mars and Pluto sharpen its decisiveness and resolve as it prepares to enter tell-it-like-it-is Scorpio. Mars in Gemini begins a chilly retrograde period, and outward frustration sends us inward to find solutions. Jupiter backtracks for an encore in Pisces. And April answers a listener's question about setting intentions; do we really create our own reality? Plus: A broken...
Oct 24, 2022•31 min
This week: a very busy Sun and Venus refuel at the Mars filling station, confront the impersonality of Pluto, merge together in a conjunction, and walk hand-in-hand into Scorpio season. Saturn turns direct, and a high-tension Last Quarter Moon in Cancer shows us what we're made of. And April answers a listener's question about what Pluto entering Aquarius next year could mean for us individually, not just collectively. Plus: escape routes, meal plans, and hidden romance. Read a full transcript o...
Oct 17, 2022•32 min
This week, Mercury re-enters Libra – put your pencils down and face the world! – and makes the last of three oppositions to Jupiter; the Sun and Venus unite with Saturn to make last week’s Jovian dreams a reality; and Mars initiates a sequence of three squares to Neptune – take care when operating heavy machinery! And April answers a listener question about what to do when the sign on your Ascendant clashes with planets that are very different in style. Plus: A bag of tricks, the tyranny of time...
Oct 10, 2022•32 min
In a light astrological week, Mercury concludes a sequence of aspects to Pluto and a process of mental refinement; Pluto turns direct on a Sabian symbol that brings to mind a grim alpine scenario; and the Aries Full prompts the question: has that couple at the next table lost interest in one another, or are they close beyond words? Also: April answers a listener's question about unaspected planets. Plus: smelly cheeses, housemates out of orb, and the trouble with spreadsheets! Read a full transc...
Oct 03, 2022•30 min
This week, the Sun and Venus in artful Libra meet up with gritty adventurer Jupiter around the campfire (does it have to be so dusty??). Mars and Saturn work their strategic magic, though their accomplishments could meet with a setback after Mars turns retrograde (Oct. 30). Venus enters her home sign of Libra, the better to enjoy those we love and all things palatable and pleasant. Mercury finally stations direct, and it's time to leave the past behind and make new memories. And the Capricorn Fi...
Sep 26, 2022•31 min
As we welcome autumn harvest time to the Northern Hemisphere at this Libra equinox, the marketplace beckons: how will others value what we have to offer? The Libra New Moon on an extraordinary Sabian symbol of renewal gets an extra boost from Jupiter. Mercury backtracks into Virgo for a little quality control; what did you overlook last month? And a busy week for Venus reminds us that not all surprises are bad, sharing is essential, and good manners can sometimes be rewarded. Plus: a listener qu...
Sep 19, 2022•34 min
