Void of Course Moon in Dynamic Reports

Written by Zane Stein

Endorsed by Esoteric Technologies Pty Ltd, the creators of Solar Fire
Solar Fire can be used to generate a Dynamic Report listing times of transiting events, and
one of these events is the transiting Moon becoming Void of Course.
While there is some disagreement amongst astrologers as to what criteria must be met in
order for the Moon to be Void of Course, Solar Fire uses the most widely accepted modern
definition: The Moon is generally said to be Void of Course after it has made its last major
(Ptolemaic) aspect to another planet, or the Sun, in its current sign.
There is one exception in the rare case where the Moon is applying to an aspect with a
planet in the late degrees of a sign, but then the planet itself moves into the new sign before
the Moon reaches the position of perfection, the Void of Course is held to begin at that time.
This Void of Course period always ends when the Moon makes it ingress into the next sign.
The Moons travel through each sign takes approximately 2-1/2 days, but the Void of Course
period can be anywhere from a minute to 2-1/2 days, depending on when this last lunar
aspect occurs.
As mentioned, Solar Fire only uses the major (Ptolemaic) five aspects Conjunction,
Opposition, Trine, Square, and Sextile in determining whether the Moon is Void or not.
Other Lunar aspects are not invalid, but are more subtle, and do not save the Moon from
going Void.
Solar Fire offers three options to choose from in calculating the Void of Course Moon. (If
the user is unsure which option to pick, we suggest that you experiment by calculating all
three and comparing the results with real events.)
At the top of Solar Fire, click on Preferences, and then click on Edit Settings. When the
Preferences screen comes up, click on the Calculations tab, and you will see the three options
on the right side of the window.


Modern - uses aspects to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto.
Traditional - uses aspects to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.
Lilly uses aspects to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, but the signs
Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius and Pisces are deemed never to have Void of Course occurring in
them.
Once you have chosen your preference, click OK, and you are ready to calculate the moments
when transiting Moon goes into and out of Void of Course.
At the top of Solar Fire, click on Dynamic, and then click Transits & Progressions, which
will give you the Dynamic Reports Selection screen. On the left side, choose your starting
date and the time interval you wish to include in your search.

Under Event Selection, choose Transits to Transits and Void of Course Moon. (If you are
including Void of Course Moon along with other transiting events, such as Stationary Points
or Eclipses, you can tick those boxes as well. Note that if you are calculating other transits in
addition to lunar, you will not need to tick Sign Ingress as that will be shown as the end of the
Void of Course periods.)

On the Point Selection section, if you are only studying the

Moons aspects, put Moon under Transits. Otherwise, choose all
the transiting bodies you wish to include. Under Aspect
Selection, choose an aspect set that only includes the major
aspects. Medieval is a good choice for this.
Click the View button to generate your list of transits of the Void
of Course Moon periods (and any other transits you may have
selected.)

Lets look at a sample report, for a period beginning mid-February 2015, that includes three
Void of Course events. All times are UT. The Void of Course periods are easy to see when
you look at the EXL column: (V) indicates the start of Void of Course, and (S) indicates the
Moons ingress into a sign, signifying the end of that particular Void of Course.
P1 (H)
Mon (5)
Mon (6)
Mon (6)
Mon (7)
Mon (7)
Mon (8)

Asp
Sxt
Cnj
Cnj
Cnj
Cnj
Cnj

P2 (H)
Mar (7)
Aqu (6)
Sun (6)
Pis (7)
Ven (7)
Ari (8)

EXL
(V)
(S)
(V)
(S)
(V)
(S)

Date
Feb 16 2015
Feb 17 2015
Feb 18 2015
Feb 18 2015
Feb 20 2015
Feb 20 2015

Time
8:18:06 PM
12:14:14 AM
11:48:22 PM
11:48:33 PM
8:06:33 PM
11:14:05 PM

Pos1
27Cp33' D
00Aq00' D
29Aq59' D
00Pi00' D
28Pi02' D
00Ar00' D

Pos2
27Pi33' D
00Aq00' D
29Aq59' D
00Pi00' D
00Ar00' D
00Ar00' D

The first VoC begins with the Moon sextile Mars at 8:18:06 pm, with no further exact aspects
until 12:14:14 am, for a VoC period of almost 4 hours.
The next one is extraordinarily short; the Moon is conjunct the Sun at 11:48:22 pm just 11
seconds before it moves into Pisces, so technically the VoC lasts only 11 seconds. In both of
these cases, the Void of Course begins with the exact aspect, as shown by the angles in the
Position columns.
The third VoC, on February 20, is one of the rare ones that begins with a planets ingress.
The Moon is moving through Pisces, approaching a conjunction with Venus. But at 8:06:33
pm (UT), Venus enters Aries, and there are no other exact conjunctions before the Moon

follows into Aries at 11:14:05 pm. This means that theres no longer any energy building for
the Moon in the sign of Pisces, and so the Void of Course period is considered to begin at that
moment. This unusual situation can be detected in the report by looking at the Position
columns, where the angle of the Moon is different from the angle of Venus.

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Void of Course Moon is an ancient tool, at least as far back as the 1st Century AD, if not
earlier, it was used for only one thing: as one of the Considerations Before Judgement in
horary astrology. These Considerations were a set of rules to determine if the chart was truly
radical: is the question one that can be answered or one that should be answered? Perhaps the
question is too trivial to even be dealt with. Is the person asking the question being totally
honest with the astrologer, or perhaps, dishonest with themselves? Perhaps they really want
to know something other than what was asked? Is the situation too fluid to arrive at an answer
right now? Or does the querent already know the answer and is testing the astrologer?
Thus when preparing to search for the answer to a question using an astrological chart,
checking to see if the Moon was Void was an important prerequisite. The classical astrologer
Firmicus Maternus refers to the Void of Course Moon as traveling in an aspect vacuum,
meaning that it is currently traveling devoid of applying to any major aspect. What does this
tell the reader of a horary chart? Lets look at what some of historys most respected
astrologers have had to say:
Dorotheus, who was an astrologer around the 1st Century AD, wrote that when the Moon was
Void, the question shows that this native is void of good in livelihood, possesses pain and
hardship in the pursuit of what he needs."
In the 13th Century, Guido Bonatus wrote that if the Moon was Void it signifies an
impediment to the thing in question: it will not come to a good end, nor be accomplished; but
the querent shall be forced to desist with shame and loss, or the thing enquired after shall
scarce ever come to a good end, or not without much labour, sorrow or trouble unless the
Lord of the Ascendant or significator of the thing shall be in very good condition, and then it
may be hindered, but not wholly frustrated.
Four Centuries later, William Lilly wrote that if you see the Moon Void in a chart, you shall
seldom see a business go handsomely forward, there's no great hopes of the question
propounded, that it shall be effected, and , all manner of matters go hardly on (except the
principal significators be very strong) when the Moon is Void of Course
A few early 20th Century astrologers had this to say on the subject:
C.C. Zain (Elbert Benjamine) wrote the matter is seldom brought to maturity.
Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson wrote that that the Void of Course Moon could indicate
that anything begun will be abandoned so that nothing would come of it, the querent
gives up his objective & eventually stops worrying about it, and if the querent was
worried or ill he was needlessly upset and NOTHING will come of his fears or his
symptoms, and he will be cured.
Marc Edmund Jones felt the Void of Course Moon showed the querent was playing
with life or toying with reality so that it would be extraordinarily difficult to help
him." According to Jones, unless this planet makes a vital aspect before leaving the
sign in which it is found, the querent or the key person in the inquiry is revealed as
not completely or honestly participating in the affair at hand.

What do todays horary astrologers say about it?

Deborah Houlding says that the meaning changes depending where in the sign the
Void of Course occurs.
In the beginning, it means the situation is still at its beginning and things will
delay starting their course of action.
In the middle, the situation is currently under a halt, expect delay and idling before
events start happening again.
In the end of a sign, it offers you the answer to your question, which can be:
Nothing happens (which can be a positive thing depending on the question)
No significant changes
Unfruitful actions, futile attempts
Things will proceed slowly and with difficulty
Efforts met with shame and loss
Bad, tiresome, useless business
The Void of Course Moon is still an important part of present day horary astrology.

VOID OF COURSE --- AND MAKING PLANS

But in the first half of the 20th Century, astrologers who werent into horary questions began
to take a look at it. Thanks to the early research of an astrologer named Barbara Hunt (later,
Barbara Watters) into how the Void Moon impacted event planning, a young sceptic named
Al H. Morrison (then a Federal Law-enforcement Investigator) started researching the
Moons positions in all the investigative case files he had. When he discovered that, case
after case, efforts to bring suspects in during the VOC proved fruitless, he began to research
this lunar pattern in depth. Soon, through his writing and lecturing on his findings, and
promoting the study through distributing Void of Course ephemerides to astrologers
worldwide, the Moon entering a Void period became a part of every astrologers toolbox, and
found its way into just about every published astrological ephemeris and calendar.
Most astrologers today owe their understanding of the Void of Course Moon as a planning
tool to the findings of Mr. Morrison. Here is some of what he had to say about the subject:
"Every couple of days there comes a time which is best used for subjective,
spiritual non-material concerns, like prayer, yoga, play, psychotherapy, or
passive experience, sleep or meditation.
"This period may last a few seconds, or it may be three days and nights in a
single session. It begins when the Moon in transit makes the last major aspect it
will make before it changes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. It ends when
the Moon enters the next sign. The name of this period is Void of Course Moon.
You may call it a silly season or vacation from normal living.
"Decision making in such periods turns out later to be unrealistic. Creativity
diverges into unpleasant directions, improvisations, false starts, error. Business
moves fail to generate profits, or meet unexpected difficulties. If you buy any
object it usually fails of its intended use. "Human judgment is more fallible than
usual during the time the Moon is Void of Course. This is the principle factor in all
observed experience thus far.
"Routine proceeds readily, but often requires an adjustment later. Defects or
shortages come to light. Delay and frustration are commonly experienced while
the Moon is Void of Course. "Neurotic tendencies, bad habits are more open to
change. ESP experiments show odd results.

"Historic events during such periods have a wild, Pandora's Box impact on
cultural evolution. The first two dozen successful space shots were all launched
with the Moon Void of Course, to open an all-new age in which old concepts and
ideas are corrected or disproven.
"In every presidential election from 1900 through 1972 one of the two major
party candidates was nominated with the Moon Void of Course. Every one of the
candidates nominated with the Moon Void of Course lost. "Jimmy Carter's 1980
nomination came in a Void of Course Moon."*1
"Only observation can demonstrate what the Void of Course Moon indicates in
your daily living. the scientific approach is to check it out. Design your own
experiment.
"There is much more to selecting a "good" time to act or decide material issues.
Skipping the Void of Course Moon is just staying out of avoidable difficulties.
"Go out of business when the Moon makes its last aspect. Feed your soul until
the time the Moon enters the next sign. Then, go back into business!"

1. Note: Astrologer Debbi Kempton-Smith noted added an item that occurred after Al had
passed away: John Kerry's 2004 nomination and Al Gore's 2000 nomination came in a
Void of Course Moon.

Void of Course but still

Some astrologers experiences have led them to write that when the Moon is Void of Course,
but yet will still make an aspect to the Part of Fortune before leaving its sign, the period until
it makes that aspect kind of saves it from being Void of Course.
Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobsen wrote a good bit about this in her book, Simplified Horary
Astrology:
First note whether the Moon makes any aspect good or bad to Fortuna: if so, she is only
zodiacally Void of Course (not aspecting a planet). Then note whether the question has to do
with a project, or with a querent who is sick, worried or frightened. In either case, the
keyword for you to remember to use is NOTHING.
If in any aspect to Fortuna the Moon is only zodiacally Void of Course. If the aspect is a
parallel, con-junction, sextile or trine NOTHING BUT SUCCESS will be experienced, &
there will be no undue expense or loss.
With any aspect at all to Fortuna there will be some success or improvement, but if it is a
bad aspect such as a square, semi-square, sesquare, opposition or quincunx it will entail some
expense or loss. However, in the over-all picture, there is NOTHING to worry about.
With Solar Fire you can easily study the value of this yourself by adding the Part of Fortune
to your Point Selection. If you only want to chart the Moons journey, create a transiting
point containing just Moon and Part of Fortune. As you can see here, I call mine Moon_POF.

Calculating the Moons journey for 10-11 January 2015, lets include the Part of Fortune (set
for the day/night option). At 10:45:27 am, the Moon goes zodiacally Void, but still has the
Part of Fortune left to aspect half a day later. Only after that, using this method, would the
Moon be fully Void until it enters Libra at 6:56:30 the next morning. :
P1
Mon
Mon
Mon

Asp
Tri
Tri
Cnj

P2
Sun
PF
Lib

EXL
(V)
(X)
(S)

Date
10 Jan 2015
10 Jan 2015
11 Jan 2015

Time
10:45:27 am
10:46:08 pm
06:56:30 am

Zone
EST
EST
EST

Pos1
20Vi04' D
25Vi58' D
00Li00' D

Pos2
20Cp04' D
25Cp58' D
00Li00' D