Hi all,
I?ve read a recent discussion about Moon VOC between voyagegirl and Sue. I am taught as voygegirl says that nothing will happen when Moon is VOC, but sometimes I am in some doubt.
I received a question this morning. It sounds:"I?ve started with building an extension to the house where I live with my wife and her parents (everydays disagreement). Now I?ve got a chance to buy a house where I was born and where my mother lives as undertenant. A house needs a lot of repair, but it doesn?t matter.What should I do? Should I stay here or should I move on my own?"
Oct 27 th, 8:55 AM, -2
Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14E31, 46N03
Asc 17?56 Scorpio
Hour ruler is Mars, L1,- chart is radical

The querent L1, Mars, on the cusp of 7tf house - in Taurus, retro - essentially weak, acc. strong.
Moon as co-ruler in 28th degree of Leo is VOC and separates from square with Mercury,L10, wife`s home. Next aspect of Moon will be sextile with Jupiter, L4. If I take Jupiter as roots of querent the answer is he should go and buy the house. We can see antiscia between Mars and Saturn (past times, old things..).
But - Moon is VOC. What do you think does it means? Only troubles or obstacles too high?
Thank you very much for eventual explanation.

My guess is that he won't buy his mother's house... that old VOC moon strikes again. Or if he does, he'll end up selling it, so it won't matter that he bought the house in the first place.

But please let us know what happens. Is the VOC moon conjunct the Part of Fortune? Because that is one situation in which I've noticed the VOC moon can bring about a positive result.

perhaps I'm mistaken, because I often am, but isnt the moon void when it wont make any more aspects before leaving a sign? and this moon would make an aspect yet with jupiter, so ....? Is it VoC? thanks for clarification in advance...
Granny

From glossary
Void of Course

- A planet is termed 'void of course' when it is separated from a planet and does not apply to any other planet during its passage through the sign. Most usually applies to the Moon.

It depends on your definition. Many astrologers would consider this VOC because the Moon has to change signs to perfect the next aspect. However, Lilly allowed for the crossing of sign boundaries as long as the Moon was in orb of the next planet it aspects. The Moon is only two degrees away from perfecting a sextile with Jupiter so it is well within orb.

The Moon doesn?t perfect its aspect with Jupiter until after it changes signs. But still, many would argue that because the Moon is already within orb of application, it?s not void. Void implies empty of action so ?not much happening? and I would certainly recognise the importance of its application to Jupiter in this chart. The problem is not that the Moon is VOC, but that the querent?s planet is so debilitated and retrograde; the 4th house ruler is also badly placed in the 12th house, combust and lacking dignity, and the angles are afflicted by malefics. It looks like a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire to me. When the querent?s significator is retrograde on the 7th house cusp that?s taken as an indication that they?ll end up returning to the place they moved from. Mars is also retrograding to the trine of Neptune and the square of Saturn.

Lilly does say that if the ascendant-ruler is badly placed it is better to move than to stay, but it would be nice to see *something* positive in the future applications of this chart. I could only recommend caution to anyone wanting to invest in property with this symbolism.

Void implies empty of action so ?not much happening?

To me 'not much happening' is the same as saying 'nothing to worry about' or 'nothing will come of it'. Then why is it that we are told in all the traditional texts that the Moon VOC is a great impediment in the chart and that things will not go well if the Moon is VOC? Alchabitius said it is 'a very horrible thing.' I understand that VOC means empty of action but this isn't the same as saying that nothing will happen.

Deb, I read your post and as always, I'm so in awe of the depth with which you read charts: it's astounding and I hope one day, perhaps in the next millennium, to come closer to being that good.

And Sue, maybe the "nothing will happen" is just another way of saying things won't go forward as planned or the words you used.

As I recall from Barbara Watter's book, she viewed the VOC moon as stricture against judgment and wouldn't read the chart at all. (Unless it was an event chart: that she would read.)

To quote Watters,

"nothing prevents the dead-end result you get when the Moon is VOC. The reason for this is that, in horary astrology, the moon rules function. When it makes no aspect to another planet until after it leaves the sign it's in, nothing functions in the situation that gave rise to the question. Therefore, until things change, which they will do when the Moon moves into the next sign, the situation is not viable. It has no future as things stand. This may be because the question was unnecesary or of no real concern to the querent. It may be because vital facts pertaining to the problem ard unknown to him. Most commonly, it means that in the very near future, something unforeseen happens to render the whole matter of the question null and void."

I don't particularly disagree with most of this quote. It is not a lot different from what Lilly says. I just disagree when the 'nothing will happen' becomes 'there is nothing to worry about'. And I don't think 'nothing will happen' is always a good definition either. But then, that's just me being pedantic. Blame my Virgo Moon.

If we take the chart above, it is obvious something will happen but it doesn't look like it will be good. When I first looked at the chart the phrase 'between a rock and a hard place' came to mind. This is similar to what Deb said about frying pans and fire. The VOC Moon is the least of his problems. But, as Deb said, this application of the Moon to Jupiter needs to be taken into account. I doubt whether Lilly would have considered this Moon to be VOC. Lilly says in CA that in cases of whether the querent should move or not that you see which is the stronger ruler, the 4th, which suggests the querent should stay put, or the 7th, which means the querent should move. Either choice looks bad in this case. Poor guy. He can't win.