“Nothing will come of It”: understanding the blessings of the void of course Moon
(Wake Up World | Nikki Harper) The ancient term “nothing will come of it” is associated with the Void of Course Moon. Understanding the Blessings of the Void of Course Moon.
Understanding the blessings of the void of course Moon
The astrological void of course Moon tends to get a bad rap, almost on a par with the common myths and misunderstandings around Mercury retrograde. Somehow, it has seeped into cultural awareness that the void of course Moon is a bad thing, unlucky, unproductive and best spent with your head under the duvet.
Not so. Once you understand what the void of course Moon actually is, it’s easy to see how this very common astrological phenomenon can be turned to your advantage in everyday life.
It’s widely accepted that the energy of the void of course Moon can be summed up by the phrase ‘nothing will come of it’. Because the Moon’s astrological influence is thought to be uninfluenced/unmoderated by any other planet, the Moon’s own nebulous, ambiguous, floaty and hard to pin down energy holds free reign. That’s why it is thought unfortunate to start something new during this period – because it may not come to fruition, due to the vague energies underpinning it.
However, it’s not quite as simple – and nowhere near as negative – as that.
What exactly is a void of course Moon?
A void of course Moon occurs when the Moon is close to leaving one zodiac sign for the next, and will make no more major aspects before it does so.
What does that actually mean? I’ll explain below – if you’re familiar with basic astrology, you might want to skip ahead through this next section.
The void of course Moon for astrology beginners
As seen from earth, the Moon travels through all 12 zodiac signs in approximately 28 days, spending on average 2.5 days in each sign. As it travels, it forms aspects with the Sun and planets, depending where each planet is on a daily basis. An astrological aspect is just a fancy term for an angle – for example, a square aspect is an angle of 90o between two planets or bodies, while a trine aspect is an angle of 120o and an opposition is an angle of 180o.
Every zodiac sign is allocated 30 degrees of the sky as seen from earth (note that the zodiac signs do NOT correspond to the astronomical constellations due to the precession of the equinoxes, a source of much confusion for the non-astrologer). When the Moon enters a sign’s patch of sky, we count its journey through that sign by saying that it is for example at 0o Taurus when it first enters Taurus, then later it will be at 15o Taurus, and eventually it will reach 29o Taurus, ready to move to 0o Gemini.
Quite often, when the Moon reaches the last few degrees of a sign, it will make no more significant aspects to any other planets before it leaves that sign and enters the next one. This is a void of course Moon.
Example:
Imagine the Moon is at 20o Gemini. Mars is at 25o Pisces. As the Moon dances forwards through Gemini, it will soon form a square aspect to Mars, which is 90o away. Once the Moon reaches 26o Gemini, however, that aspect will be deemed to have passed for void of course Moon purposes, which only counts aspects which are ‘applying’ (getting closer). If the Moon forms no other significant aspects before arriving at 0o Cancer, then the Moon will be void of course from 26o Gemini until 0o Cancer.
What is the astrological significance of a void of course Moon?
Traditionally, it is believed that the astrological energy during a void of course Moon is difficult, and that one should not make major decisions at this time, buy expensive items, sign contracts, start new projects, start a new job or indeed do anything important at all.
The problem with this is that void of course Moons are VERY common – given that the Moon changes signs every couple of days, there will often be three void of course Moon periods in a single week. That’s a lot of “don’t’ do anything important” to keep up with!
Any single void of course Moon period can last from just a few moments to several hours. Rarely, they can last for more than a day; back in March 2013, when all of the planets were in the first half of a zodiac sign, there were multiple instances of 36 hour void of course Moons.
So it’s not practical to avoid anything important during these periods.
The good news is that, contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to!
Is every void of course Moon significant?
No.
You will not be affected by every single void of course Moon. You will be more significantly affected if you were born during a void of course Moon, or at certain times in your life where your own personal astrology makes you more vulnerable to these periods. You will also feel a void of course Moon more keenly when it’s in your own Sun sign, your Moon sign, your Ascendant sign or a sign which crosses the most significant angles in your chart.
But many others will pass unnoticed in your life; remember, we’re talking about something which can happen several times a week.
If you are planning an important event, then yes, it’s definitely worth using electional astrology to avoid it taking place during a void of course Moon. Most of the time, however, we simply don’t have that much choice over when we have to take care of important matters.
It’s important to remember that astrologers don’t universally agree on the void of course Moon in any case (we don’t agree on much!). Many point out that void of course Moons are calculated using only the most major of the astrological aspects. There are many more minor aspects such as the septile, decile, biquintile etc which are not taken into account. So when we say the Moon doesn’t make any more aspects in that sign, it may still be making minor aspects after all, which will anchor and direct the Moon’s energy and avoid the ‘vagueness’ which is believed to characterise a true void of course Moon.
Secondly, if your own natal chart has any planets near the end of signs, then you will be unlikely to feel the effects of a void of course Moon in that sign, because even though the Moon will not be making (major) aspects to other planets on that particular day, it will be making aspects to your own natal chart.
So: there’s absolutely no need to hunker down in a bunker every few days due to a void of course Moon.
What’s more, by understanding the blessings of the void of course Moon, we can actively plan to make the most of these free-floating energy periods, turning them into a positive life factor rather than an irritation.
The blessings of the void of course Moon
It’s easy to see why one would ideally want to avoid, for example, getting married or starting a new business during a void of course Moon. ‘Nothing will come of it’ is not exactly the energy we’re aiming for in a love match or a hopeful startup venture.
However, there are plenty of things you can and should do during a void of course Moon period.
Think about it. If ‘nothing will come of it’, then this is an excellent time to schedule:
- a difficult conversation
- an admission of guilt or of a mistake
- a visit you have to make but are not looking forward to
- a meeting where you are hoping something will be dropped
- anything that you don’t want to have consequences
Famously, Ronald Reagan’s astrologer is said to have regularly scheduled difficult press conferences during void of course Moons, with the hope that the press would not make a big deal out of awkward news – given Reagan’s reputation as a Teflon president, this may have been quite a successful tactic!
A void of course Moon is also a very good time for spiritual work, since the Moon’s intuitive energies are perhaps at their strongest. You could use a void of course Moon for:
- Shadow work
- Journaling
- Divination
- Mediumship
It is best to avoid this period for manifestation, however, since clearly you definitely do want something to come of your Moon manifestation efforts.
Void of course Moons are also excellent for self-care and relaxation. Think of it like an astrological pause. Before the action ramps up again, you could use this energy for:
- Spending time in nature
- Spending time in solitude
- Meditation
- A nap
- Indulging in a treat
- Reading
- A luxurious bath or a massage
Finally, the void of course Moon has great potential as a creative time, particularly for trying out new creative skills or a new hobby. Although the “rule” is to not do anything new that you want to succeed, this can actually be a great time to experiment with something new without feeling that pressure to make it work or to be great at it. There’s no time like the void of course Moon for ‘dabbling’ with this or that. Try your hand at something you’ve never done before, free from expectations. If you enjoy it, you can always come back to it more seriously at a more astrologically auspicious time – and if you don’t enjoy it, nobody will notice or care that you haven’t suddenly become the world’s newest expert in it.
Remember though that some void of course Moons last literally only moments – if you’re going to schedule something into this time, be aware of how much time you have to get it done. Use a void of course Moon calendar to check.
In summary, the void of course Moon has many blessings to offer us if we can learn to look beyond the traditional warnings. It occurs far too often for most people to work with it on an everyday basis, but it can be helpful to be aware of when it is likely to occur in your sign or elsewhere which is particularly significant in your own astrological makeup.
Make the most of the next few void of course Moons in your life and see if you have an affinity with this energy. After all, sometimes it’s a gift to know that ‘nothing comes of it’.
