You Gots to Chill: When the Moon is Void of Course…(Western and Vedic Analysis)

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Saturday, December 16, 2000

 

You Gots to Chill: When the Moon is Void of Course…

 

Some years back, the hip-hop group, EPMD, made a song

called, " You Gots to Chill " , a very fitting

description of when the Moon is Void of Course. I have

run across many people, both here in cyberspace and

out in the Real World, that don't really understand

what the Moon VOC is all about, even though they may

have studied Astrology for some time. This essay will

try to clear things up regarding Moon VOC, and, will

attempt to address the Vedic view of this " dead " state

of the Moon.

 

What is Moon Void of Course

We say that the Moon is Void of Course, when it has

made all of the aspects it can make within the Sign

that it is travelling through; when it is past partile

to the very last planet, it is then Void of Course

until it reaches the next Sign, where it will begin to

make new aspects. Void of Course periods have special

significance for the Western Astrologer, and, as we

will see, for the Vedic Astrologer as well.

 

When the Moon is VOC, it is generally held by most

Astrologers that it is inadvisable to initiate

anything of great significance. This is because the

Moon is the most important planet in Astrology, due to

both its speed and significance in all of our lives.

The Moon rules over our Personalities, our Memories,

our Emotions; the Moon regulates the ebb and flow of

Society, and animal and plant life as well. The Moon

has a great sway in a woman's menstrual cycle, and in

the fertility cycles of other forms of life also. It

is a common fact that hospitals and police departments

go on high alert during the Full Moon, and even

military commanders, throughout the Ages, have

launched attacks according the phases of the Moon.

Many a ballad has been sung about Romance and Love,

with the fullness of the Moon as backdrop. In all

cultures, in all histories, the Moon has always been

held in high esteem.

 

It is for these reasons, and more, that the Moon's VOC

periods are extremely important to look out for; these

are periods, when Astrologers advise a time of

" cooling out " , so to speak; to sit back, and to get

all of the ducks in a row, to prepare for future times

- when the Moon goes into another Sign.

 

This idea is not at all far from the idea of Planetary

Retrogradation, especially that of Mercury; virtually

all Astrologers agree, that Mercury Retrograde is a

time of particular difficulty, with all things

Mercurial. Things like cars, computers, communication

between people, all legal documents and anything

important that is written on paper can go " haywire " at

this time. Faxes, emails, cell phones and the like

also fall under the purview of Mercury. In fact, the

recent Presidential Elections were held under Mercury

Retrograde (AND, a Void Moon!) - no wonder there was

such a huge mess!

 

When things are done when the Moon is VOC, they have a

tendency to go out of control; situations take on a

life of their own, and things almost never turns out

the way the person wants it. Since the Moon infers

growth and development, a Void Moon can represent

depletion, being " out of gas " and going in neutral, as

it were. Things that are projected to grow and

progress, are almost certain to be stunted, or halted;

nothing comes of it.

 

Times when the Moon is VOC can also mean that the

Public at Large is confused or befuddled, such as the

case in the recent US Supreme Court ruling deciding

who would become the President of the United States.

In a Horary chart, a Void Moon can represent a person

that is confused about the question he/she is asking,

and as a result, the chart cannot be correctly

interpreted. In the case of a Human Being that has the

Moon VOC in his/her chart, it could mean an overall

sense of confusion over what to do with oneself.

 

So, when the Moon is Void, it is, in essence, going

backward, although the Moon (along with the Sun) never

goes Retrograde. Because the Moon travels about one

degree every two hours, and thus goes through a Sign

every two and a half days on the average, the Moon

can, and often does, go Void of Course. Depending on

the position of the Planets though, these Void periods

can vary; sometimes, they last only a few minutes, and

at others, they last for up to a day. This article,

will address one of those times, when the Moon is Void

for a very long time. Determining when the Moon is VOC

is not difficult at all; most New Age bookstores carry

Astrological Calendars and the like, that contains

easy to read information when the Moon will go VOC for

any given date throughout that year, and for how long.

So, you don't necessarily have to be an Astrologer to

take advantage of this info!

 

Good News - The Upside of the Moon VOC

As it has been said before, there is a Time for

Everything, and the Moon VOC is no exception; these

are times to relax, kick back, and get things ready

for when the Moon enters a new Sign. These are also

very good times to go inwards; meditation, development

of one's Spiritual side, and introspection can be very

fruitful now. The Moon VOC is also good for doing

things that you do NOT want to grow or progress -

getting an audit by the IRS during a Void Moon usually

means, that nothing will come of the audit, and All

will be Well. In fact, former President Ronald Reagan,

at the behest of his Astrologer Joan Quigley, made

extensive use of the Moon VOC - during the Iran Contra

Scandal, Reagan would make public addresses when the

Moon had just gone VOC. Since the Moon represents the

Public at Large, and it was " asleep " if you will, the

Public forgot about Reagan's possible involvement in

the whole affair, and is today, considered one of

America's greatest Presidents. The Moon VOC, rightly

used, can be very helpful to us all.

 

The Upcoming VOC Moon

As mentioned earlier, the Moon goes VOC quite often;

but, a few times a year, the Moon is VOC for extended

periods of time. I consider a Void Moon to be of great

importance, when it is so for an entire business day

or longer (8 hours or more); these can be times of

difficulty, or at the very least, status-quo, for

those in business. For the rest of us, it is a Signal

from the Heavens, for a massive " shut down " for

awhile, and to review what has been done.

 

The next Big Moon VOC, and the last one for this year,

2000, will occur on Dec 24, 2000 - Christmas Eve - at

5:03AM, EST, and will continue for nearly an entire 24

hours, ending early on Christmas Day, at 3:54AM, EST.

This could spell trouble for merchants, shop owners

and department stores, who depend on Christmas

shoppers to finish the business year on a high note.

From the looks of things on the economic front, this

upcoming Void Moon could suggest sagging customer

sales, the first one for our Nation in quite awhile.

However, as said above, the Moon VOC is a great time

for reflection on the Past, and to plan well for the

Times Ahead.

 

The Vedic View of the Moon VOC

In Vedic Astrology, the Moon's role is paramount; in

that system, the Moon represents the Mother, one's

State of Mind, and the Public, among other things;

because the Moon moves so quickly, its position in the

personal horoscope is often used as a secondary

Ascendant, to confirm the readings found in the birth

horoscope. As is the case in Western Astrology, Vedic

Astrologers rely heavily on the Moon for use in

Electional and Horary Astrology, and its movements

through the Heavens guide Astrologers on a daily basis

on that side of the world.

 

But, while we here in the West make use of the 12 Sign

Zodiac, the Vedic Astrologers of India uses that AND

the Nakshatras, which is a 27 Sign Zodiac, also known

as the Lunar Mansions of the Moon. There is much

folklore about how the Moon got so many mansions, and

how his (in Vedic Astrology, the Moon is often both,

male and female) favorite Nakshatra is Rohini. Much of

this information can be found in any fundamental text

on Vedic Astrology.

 

Sandhi and Gandanta

A sandhi is an ending or beginning point, from one

Sign to another; so, 0 Sag and 29 Sag are sandhi

points for that Sign. Any planet, including the Moon,

is said to be weakened when placed at these positions

- but, this is made all the moreso, when a planet is

both in a sandhi AND gandanta degree. A Gandanta

degree is the last portion, or first portion of

certain Nakshatras. The first 3 degrees, 20 minutes of

the Nakshatras Ashwini, Makha and Mula, and the last 3

degrees, 20 minutes of the Nakshatras Ashlesha,

Jyestha, and Revati, are considered the Gandanta

points in the Zodiac - and are very, very inauspicious

for any worldy success. This is because gandantas are

the beginning or ending points of both, Nakshatras AND

Zodiacal Signs, and are considered especially weak.

However, as we have seen in the case of the Western

Moon VOC, Gandantas can be used to great success, when

it comes to Spiritual Matters.

 

While the Western Moon will be VOC for nearly a day,

the Vedic Moon will be, in essence, " Void " itself,

from 9:45 AM, EST to 10:20PM, EST, Christmas Eve, the

height of Holiday Last-Minute Shopping. Again, this is

not good for merchants, or for anyone else who wishes

to get anything done in a worldly, material way; we

will have both, the Moon VOC, and the Moon in Gandanta

at the same time. But, great strides can be made in

other avenues, especially the Spiritual ones. Being in

a meditative state at this time can put one in touch

with flow of the Heavens, and with the rest of

Universe. Silent Night, Holy Night, indeed!

 

The Moon VOC and Gandanta in a Personal Horoscope

Of course, if such effects of the Moon VOC and

Gandanta can be seen and felt among the Public at

Large, it should only be natural that a person born

with either of these conditions in his/her horoscope

feels this, too. I have found both states of the Moon

in one's chart to be both, uplifting and cloudy,

depending on how the person uses it. In the case of

the Moon VOC, it can often reflect a person without a

rudder; they may be confused as to what career to

pursue in life, or, it may come out as ideas that have

little chance of being realized in the material world.

However, I have seen the Moon VOC in the charts of

people that are highly imaginative and Spiritual as

well. In fact, I have several cases of people in my

files, that have, at the very least, a highly

developed intuition, if not out-and-out Psychic gifts.

A person born with the Moon VOC, has the capacity to

be exceptionally introspective, and can use their

uncanny intuition to guide them in their lives.

 

A good example would be Malcolm X, the assassinated

former spokesman for the Nation of Islam; in his

horoscope, the Moon is Void of Course in Aries in the

4th house. It is public record how his family was

broken up, after the murder of his father; he spent

the rest of his childhood going from foster home to

foster home, and eventually wound up in NYC, where he

caught up with street hustler lifestyle of drugs,

number-running and prostitution. He eventually ended

up in prison, where he was exposed to the teachings of

Elijah Muhammad, and after reforming himself on the

inside, joined the Nation of Islam (tr Saturn sqr his

Moon). His Spiritual revelation was immensely

profound, especially after his Haaj (Pilgrimage) to

Mecca. A clear proof of the Moon VOC.

 

A good example of what a planet that is Gandanta can

do, would be in the case of Paramahamsa Yogananda's

horoscope. Yogananda is hailed as the first Indian

guru to come to the United States to promulgate the

teachings of the Vedas, in the early part of the 20th

Century. Founding the Self-Realization Fellowship,

Yogananda played a crucial role, opening up the doors

of Spirituality to the West. In his Vedic chart, the

Moon is placed in the 1st house, at 3 Leo, and in the

Gandanta zone; note also that the Moon is the 12th

lord, the 12th house being associated with

Spirituality, ashrams and so on. Yogananda is a prime

example of a person who was able to get the most out

his Gandanta planet.

 

I hope this article has helped those who wish to learn

more about the ways in which the Moon can effect our

lives, both in transit, as well as in our own

horoscopes; understanding the special phases of the

Moon, when it is Void of Course, and when it is

Gandanta, can give us awesome insights into ourselves

that we may have never thought possible.

 

Salaam,

Mu

 

DATA:

Malcolm X

May 19, 1925

10:25PM

CST

Omaha, NE

USA

Placidus Asc 4 Cap

Source: Lois Rodden Database

 

Paramahamsa Yogananda

Jan 5, 1893

8:38PM

LMT

Gorakhpur, India

Lahiri Ayanamsha, Lagna 6 Leo

Source: Light on Life, by Hart deFouw and Robert

Svoboda

 

REFERENCES:

Light on Life, by Hart deFouw and Robert Svoboda

Penguin/Arkana Books, 1996

 

Jim Maynard's Pocket Astrologer 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Mu'Min M. Bey

Western and Vedic Astrologer

1-888-514-5342

mumin_bey

 

 

 

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