049 | Saturn & Pluto Leave the Station

April & Jen ring in October and their favorite season of the year! The Aries Harvest Full Moon is sandwiched between Saturn and Pluto, both leaving their retrograde hibernations. No sooner does Venus give Mars a big kiss than the warrior planet revisits one of his least favorite recent aspects, a square to Saturn. Venus cleans out her closets and visits (imaginary sponsor) The Container Store, and Pluto moves direct on the degree of his January rendezvous with Saturn. Also: April has a close call with a second Saturn Return, Jen celebrates a Solar Return, and… what is a profection, anyway? Order your own Solar Return report at April’s website! Sign up for April's mailing list for updates, a free monthly lunar workbook, AND an email tutorial on the Lunar Phases! To read April & Jen’s essays, or to join the podcast conversation and leave a comment, go to www.BigSkyAstroPod.com. Read more about this week’s astrology at the Big Sky Astrology website! Follow Big Sky Astrology on IG, Twitter, and FB @BigSkyAstrology Read a full transcript of this episode. Episode links: 00:30 – April and Jen love October! Why not celebrate, and ring in the season? Happy harvest! . 02:18 – Venus kicks off the week (Sept. 28) by connecting well with a retrograde (Rx) Mars on the Sabian symbol for 26 Leo, “A rainbow”; Mars is on 26 Aries, “A man possessed of more gifts than he can hold.” The Venus/Mars cycle gives us information about what we want and how we take action to get it. What do you really want? What would you fight for? It’s possible to make something good of this trine with just a little effort. (Listen to Episode 39 and Episode 21 for our first discussion of these symbols. And to hear our Libra-centric episodes, review Episode 48; you can also can donate $5 or more to hear our Libra Equinox episode from last week and to receive an invitation for our upcoming solstice/equinox episodes.) . 06:26 – Saturn turns direct at 25.20 Capricorn (Sep. 28)! April came thisclose to having a second pass of her second Saturn return! How has April’s near collision with Saturn been this time around? (And do check out April’s fantastic book The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology. Did we mention Oprah Magazine?) . 09:25 – Lend your ears to April’s interview on The Sixty Project! (And look! We “linked it in the show notes!” 😂) . 11:25 – Where were we? Saturn’s facing forward – after moving backwards since May 20 – on the Sabian symbol, “A water sprite.” Get out in nature. Be authentic. Maybe frolic a little?... you know, in a Saturn-in-Capricorn working kind of way? It’s a good time to revisit Saturn themes around the boundaries that we set for our life and the ambitions we have. Hopefully that little water sprite will enjoy himself on the 28th because the very next day… . 13:24 – …Mars Rx squares Saturn (Sep. 29) for the second of three times at 25.20 Aries/Cap (the first was on Aug. 24). This combination can be frustrating, but luckily, the Sabian symbols are nice: Once again, Mars is on “A man possessed of more gifts than he can hold.” And Saturn is on “A water sprite.” Do we have too many irons in the fire? How will you spend your finite resources, like time and physical energy? (We can bid adieu and Godspeed to the third square on Jan. 13, 2021.) . 17:36 – ** MOONWATCH! ** We welcome a Harvest Full Moon at 9.08 Aries (Oct. 1) on the Sabian symbol for 10 Aries, “A man teaching new forms for old symbols.” The Libran Sun is on, “A canoe approaching safety through dangerous rapids.” This lunation harkens back to March 2020; since then we’ve been learning to blaze new trails, living in strange times. The symbols speak to learning how to do things differently; luckily, safety is approaching. This lunar phase is part of a family that also began in April 2019. . 22:20 – To hear more about the Aries/Libra polarity, donate $5 or more and you will gain access to our Sept. 22 special Libra Equinox episode! As a bonus, you’ll receive our upcoming so