I recently had an experience while doing a reading for someone when the Moon was Void of Course (VOC). Though I did not realize at the time this was the case, I sure wish I had. The reason is that when the Moon is VOC it is not recommended to take any actions that you hope will have fruitful outcomes. Well, of course, I want all my readings to have fruitful outcomes! But during this particular reading, I noticed that I felt very scattered in my delivery and mentally blocked on what I wanted to say. The irony is that I had extensive notes in front of me and I had reviewed the material very well. Needless to say, no matter how hard I tried to get “in my flow,” I just felt completely off. Immediately after the reading, I ran to look at my calendar for any astrological events occurring right then, and sure enough, the VOC Moon had literally just begun at the moment I began my reading. I sat there dumbfounded as I really did not think the VOC Moon had that much effect on me. Well, it sure did. And now I respect it, make note of its occurrences each month, and I DO NOT schedule readings over this time if I can avoid it. So, What Exactly Is a Void of Course Moon?
When the Moon is VOC, that means it is in the late degrees of one zodiac sign and not making any more aspects to planets before entering the next zodiac sign.
The Moon speeds around the Earth in just 29 and ½ days, and it changes zodiac signs every 2 ½ days. For this reason, the Moon is said to be “Void of Course” whenever it is transitioning between two zodiac signs. However, it’s never really “not in a sign,” it’s just that it does not make any more major aspects to other planets until it reaches the next zodiac sign. To give you an example of how this works, earlier this month when I was tracking the Moon, at the exact time it went into its VOC period, it was still at 28 degrees Pisces. So, from 28 degrees of Pisces to 0 degrees of Aries (which was about 2 hours - from 7:21 pm MDT to 9:20 pm MDT) the Moon was VOC – but that does not mean it wasn’t still “in” a zodiac sign. It goes from Pisces directly into Aries, but the VOC period is in effect during its last and final degrees when no more aspects are being made until the Moon enters its next sign.
Hopefully, that makes sense. So, why is this such a big deal anyway? Well, from my personal experience shared above, it’s important to honor – or at least recognize – these periods because they can cause us to be foggy in our thinking. The best way to describe it is to say that we can experience a mental block. No fault of our own, we just seem to be forgetful, unclear, intolerant of things that don’t normally bother us, and confused as to why we feel the way we do. So, it makes sense that during this very brief period of time, much like a retrograde, we should rest our minds. We should pay more attention to things that bring us joy and involve little mental effort. We should not attempt to finish a big project or initiate a new action. Anything that requires critical thinking skills, problem-solving, or heightened mental activity should be avoided until after the VOC Moon.
What Kinds of Effects Happen Over a Void of Course Moon?
Think about how your mind feels when you haven’t made a decision because you feel too mentally bogged down to be clear. This is what it feels like when the Moon goes VOC. When the Moon doesn’t have any aspects being made to it, it’s like it doesn’t have any instructions for what to do or where to go next. It feels as though it’s just hanging in “no man’s land,” and until it receives its next directive, it’s best to just wait.
Because the Moon in astrology represents our emotions and our instincts, it would make sense that when the Moon is VOC, we can’t get an accurate read on how we feel or what we need to do.
How to Stay on Track Over the Void of Course Moon: Recognize that, the Moon changes zodiac signs about every 2 1/2 days. So, one useful tip is to have a calendar that already shows the phases of the Moon on it so all you have to do is highlight the certain days that have a VOC Moon and then note the exact time period of it. Of course, you’ll want to look at the month ahead if you have to plan any special meetings so you know the exact times and exact days not to plan things.
What Are Good Actions to Take Over the Void of Course Moon?
Rest, clean, and do mindless things. Keep living your life, by all means. Just don’t plan to have important conversations because communication can definitely be muddled. Luckily, although the VOC Moon happens quite frequently, a lot of times it occurs in the middle of the night, or for only a couple of hours, so we don’t have to sweat it too much!
What About Making Wishes Over a Void of Course Moon?
Lastly, I often get questions about making wishes over the VOC Moon, so I want to address that here. First, it is usually advised to make your New Moon wishes within the first eight hours AFTER a New Moon. You can really go up to 48 hours after the New Moon according to Jan Spiller, author of New Moon Astrology. But, if the VOC Moon happens to fall right on the New Moon, then you want to wait until after the VOC period has passed. You can also make your wishes right before the VOC period assuming the New Moon has already happened, and the VOC period has not yet begun. Most likely, a VOC Moon will not last 48 hours, so you should be able to wait it out and then write down your wishes once it’s complete.
I hope you found this guide helpful and that you now know how to navigate through all your future VOC Moons!
Comments