he Lunar Occultation of Pluto in 2012-2013

by Robert Wilkinson
Theres a lot of buzz going on about the Moon supposedly occulting Pluto numerous times
throughout 2012 into 2013. Is this actually happening, what does it mean, and if it is happening, what
will be its effects?
First, an occultation of a planet is a fairly common occurrence. Technically, its the eclipse of a star
or planet by another heavenly body. That means any time another body gets between the Earth and
a planet or star that planet or star is occulted. So it would work the same way an Eclipse works.
There are countless occultations that occur each year involving a large number of celestial bodies.
Second, we had Pluto occultations in 2011 involving a high magnitude star which allowed
astronomers to view Pluto and get information from the event about the planet. In March 2012 Pluto is
occulted by its satellite NIX, and both Pluto and Charon (its satellite) will be occulted by the same star
in July and September. So Pluto occultations are fairly common. The trick is to figure out what an
occultation of Pluto means, if anything.
Third, this is a Pluto occultation by the Moon. That would imply it involves the Moon blocking some of
Plutos energies so we cant see them. But we cant see Pluto with the naked eye anyway! So
something we cannot see is being partially blocked by our Earths Moon, shutting down something so
that other Plutonic energies can be seen. As Pluto is one of the three outer invisibles, you can
assume that it works invisibly, or not evidently to our usual senses.
At this point, Ill go to an outside reference. I looked up quite a few websites using search terms for
Lunar occultation of Pluto, Moon occulting Pluto, Pluto occulted by the Moon, and so forth. I
found only two astrological sites referencing this phenomenon, and both quoted the Uranus square
Pluto statement made in The Mountain Astrologer, which did NOT reference any Lunar occultation
of Pluto.
It seems the primary source for this information is an astrological article linking it to the Mayan
Calendar and the alleged December 2012 galactic alignment, which incidentally does not happen
then, regardless of rumors to the contrary, at least not from an astronomical standpoint. However, the
article does throw a lot of historical events into the proverbial mixing bowl and comes up with some
glamorous pronouncements. As you know, I believe that just about everything being stated about the
December 2012 galactic alignment and the Mayan Calendar is like perfume you can smell it, but
you should not swallow it!
As much as I have a hard time with the supercilious narrow-mindedness of most astronomers when it
comes to astrology, I found one astronomical source that addresses the claims of that article. The
quoted material of the first line is what the astrologer stated about the occultations. The second line
through the end was the astronomer's response. For your consideration, heres the statement and the
response:
March 16th 2012, A lunar occultation of Pluto occurs today. This is the first anywhere on Earth since
January 19th 1935. They will occur every month now from today up to [sic] August 17th 2013.
Now is as good a time as any to point out that Im just copying and pasting from Ms. _______s
website.
Anyway, I looked into this. Im not sure what software shes using, but I was using Starry Night Pro.
I started out in my default location of Boulder, CO (USA) and didnt see any occultation. I then went to
France, Iran, a few places in Russia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the UK, Benin, Egypt, Venezuela, China,
Australia, Chile the closest I saw any approach was about 15 of Pluto to the moon. That means it
misses it about a quarter of a lunar diameter, and that was from the Falkland Islands. Finally I tried
the south pole, and Pluto gets within 6 of the moon (0.1). Close, but no cigar.
As far as I can tell, this claim is simply false, unless someone can give me a different location where
this happens. (Again, I did this via simulation in Starry Night Pro.)
Now, whats cool is that after March, the occultations do actually start to take place as seen from
Earth, about every 27 days or so after that. Those of us at my latitude in Boulder, CO wont be able to
see this until January 10, 2013, at about 6:30 PM, though at that time theyll be about 11 away from
the sun. And, the occultations will stop around the August 2013 timeframe for those of us in the
higher latitudes in the northern hemisphere.
And then this did occur back in January 19, 1935, again from the South Pole, and it just missed
occulting Pluto on February 15, 1935.
So while this claim is partly/mostly correct, Im not sure what the significance is supposed to be. Its
not like it happens on December 21, 2012.

So it would seem that: A) While there are numerous occultations of Pluto in the coming months, there
is not one in March; B) They wont be seen from very many places on Earth; and C) It has nothing to
do with the Mayan Calendar, December 2012, or much of anything else. So please dont change your
work or play schedule simply because Pluto is being occulted or someone claims that 11:11
sometime in December marks something important. It doesnt.
(As for other Mayan Prophesy nonsense being thrown around the internet, please reference several
article in my archives about the subject. Its NOT what most are claiming, as I found out from true
experts on the subject who are Mayan.)
Finally, I will note that there are many Lunar occultations of planets this year. Jupiter is occulted every
month from June on, and we also have occultations of Mercury, Venus, and Mars, as well as some
very bright stars. So its NOT a rare event. In astrology, when the Moon occults a planet its
nothing more or less than a conjunction.
The Moon conjuncts Pluto (and every other planet) each month. Again, its nothing to worry about,
and merely indicates that as a result of a celestial alignment, something is being obscured so that we
can see other things in the field while that planet is obscured, and/or eventually see other
manifestations of the occulted planet come forth. And of course, the Moon puts the focus wherever
it is, so pay attention each time it conjuncts any celestial body, since it focuses the nature of those
energies.
This year, when the Moon conjuncts Pluto, it will also square Uranus just before the conjunction. So
each time the Moon occults Pluto it triggers the Uranus square Pluto effect. That will be positive or
negative, depending on our inner relationship to those spiritual indicators.
It will throw the voids into Cancer and Libra, showing the qualities we need to demonstrate to bring
balance to whatever situation presents itself during the time those aspects are at work. And of course,
these conjunctions and squares will most impact those with planets or sensitive points between 5-13
degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, while bringing gifts and special/unique circumstances
to those with planets or points around 19-23 Pisces, 19-23 Gemini, 25-29 Libra, and 25-29 Capricorn.
Anyway, thats what I found regarding the Moon occulting Pluto and all the other planets. If you know
something that can constructively contribute to this subject, please feel free to comment. Otherwise,
dont sweat the times the Moon occults Pluto. Its just a conjunction.
Copyright 2012 Robert Wilkinson
SIGNATURE

THE VOID OF COURSE MOON

Anyone reading who is seriously interested in living their life according to divine timing and
planetary cycles needs to know about the Void of Course Moon (VOC). Not only can knowledge
of these lunar phases save you money and time, they can also help you to see that, as was
stated in the Bible;
'There is a time for everything under the heavens'.
THE VOID OF COURSE MOON
The Moon is a barren place, basically it is a satellite rock of the Earth, the Yin to our pulsating,
energetic, living Yang. The Moon has no light of its own but receives the reflected light of the
Sun. Therefore the Moon is said to be reflective or passive. On a day to day basis, the Moon has
been noted by astrologers to impart its nature according to the planet whose sign it occupies.
This is further modified by the planet it is, or next, makes angular contact with. Thus, if the
Moon is in the imperious, regal, theatrical sign of Leo and making its next aspect to Mars,
empirical observations show us that one can expect that period to be dramatically emotional.
This is an assertion arrived at by the observation of planetary correspondences and practical
experience. The Moon, because of its pull on the tides and all other bodies of water, has
correspondence to our emotional moods. When placed in the exuberant, dramatic sign of Leo

and aspecting Mars, the planet of a passion and energy, we can expect events of a specific
nature. What are these? There are multifarious manifestations but lets just say that as sure as
2+2=4, the Moon in Leo plus Mars will equal emotional situations one cannot ignore.
It is what happens when the Moon is in a sign but makes no further aspect to any other
planet before changing signs, that skywatchers have noted coincides with a period of
instability. It is as if the Moon, with nothing to resonate with, loses its identity and becomes a
lonely wanderer. In ancient times as the Moon travelled through a sign, aspecting various other
heavenly bodies, they spoke of the Moon in her course - which is where the term intercourse is
derived from, meaning an interlude of lovemaking (or reproduction) within the lunar cycle. It is
also associated with the menstrual period being known as the Curse from the root; Cours. When
the Moon makes no further aspect before switching signs she is known as VOID OF HER
COURSE, more commonly referred to as Void of Course or VOC.
It is this period that is of the greatest importance when living your life in natural resonance with
the Cosmos and what you should know is that whenever the Moon is VOC, nothing that you set
out to achieve will come to pass in quite the way you expect it to. On the majority of occasions
nothing will come of it at all. This rule applies across the whole range of human experience
from the banal and mundane right through to the most important.
For instance, no astrologer would ever advise anyone to get married under a VOC Moon.
Likewise starting any venture under the VOC Moon would be foolhardy. Launching a new product
or business under a VOC Moon could potentially be financial suicide. Putting in an offer on a
property or accepting a deal would be fraught with problems. It is obviously impossible for me to
list all the possible scenarios that one could find themselves in so, I must concentrate on
ensuring that the fundamental meaning is thoroughly understood. So, to reiterate, the Moon is
said to be in an unstable phase when it is not aspecting any other planet before leaving
its sign.
The correlation is therefore and this has been proved to work time and time again that the
outcome will be wayward. For example, if you set out to call someone when the moon is VOC
either they probably will not be in. If they are, you may arrange or agree something that WILL
NOT COME TO PASS either at all, or as originally intended. Personally, I note that if I disregard
the VOC rule and perhaps make an arrangement unwittingly, the person will cancel, or I have to
cancel, or the arrangement is altered, someone is late or gets lost, etc. etc. If the appointment
goes ahead the result is never as intended. Haircuts may need to be done again or are just not
what you wanted, even with your regular stylist. Clothes purchased wont be used or not for the
purpose intended.
This week I took some clothes into the dry cleaners, I knew the Moon was VOC but I decided to
see what would happen for the purposes of this article. When I went to collect the clothes at the
date and time on the ticket, the shop was shut. When I returned the next day, they said they
had been forced to close due to illness in the family and they had no one to cover for the
counter. Nothing came of that ticket. Now heres the important distinction, something did
come of it, my clothes were drycleaned but I didnt get them back as I thought I would
when I left the shop in that VOC period.
On other occasions when I have inadvertently handed in clothes to cleaners within a VOC when I
have thought I needed the item back by a certain date in order to wear the dress, or whatever,
only to discover that the event has been cancelled. Sometimes I had simply changed my mind
about what to wear. On other occasions I have arrived back to find that the item is not dry
cleanable and they hand it back to me. I brought a pair of Jeans on a VOC they were great until
the zip lost a tooth just 3 weeks later. I couldn't return them and the replacement zip was not
cheap.
Against my advice a friend purchased a car under a VOC Moon. Unsurprisingly it has proved to
be nothing but problematic; it wasnt delivered on time; within a month someone had rear
ended it and the repairs took weeks longer than expected. Months later this friend lost her
driving licence for six months due to speeding and couldnt drive it at all! Although it sounds
very pessimistic, I know the power of a VOC Moon and I have no doubt there are a whole host of
other problems lying in wait with that car.
DONT LAUNCH A BUSINESS at this time. A company that launches a product under the VOC
Moon could find that the item just doesnt sell or it encounters problems of an unforeseen
nature. I have to say though that there also exists the possibility that the product will become

wayward in another fashion, perhaps it will sell phenomenally well against all expectations. This
might not seem like a problem and indeed could even be seen as a reason to launch under a
VOC Moon but I urge extreme caution. The end result would possibly be that demand outstrips
supply, the company ends up with a terrible reputation and long term, nothing (or no good)
comes out of it.
What about a marriage that unwittingly occurred under a VOC Moon. Well I am sure there are
any number of couples who could regale us with stories of woe and anxious moments associated
with their wedding. However with VOC ones we would probably hear how guests were delayed,
flowers went astray, cars were in the wrong places, honeymoon tickets lost and so on. I havent
done any research into whether more people are jilted at the altar under the VOC Moon but
commonsense tells me that the majority go ahead, despite hiccups and dire warnings that
nothing will come of it. The problem being that although the VOC may not produce any
immediate effects, once officially married the fact that they were joined together under this
aspect sets the tone for the entire marriage.
Sadly many will fail but, with a near enough 50/50 divorce rate nowadays that may not be
entirely the fault of picking an inauspicious time for the wedding. What will be certain is that the
marriage will not live up to the expectations of one, or both, parties and will follow its own
unique course.
Is there any good that can come from VOC Moon? Well, if ever you want information to remain
buried or not really go anywhere, make sure it comes out during one of the VOC moon periods.
If you want someone who has broken up with you to change their mind, see if the 'Goodbye'
occurred on a VOC. If you are worrying about the outcome of something that happened whilst
the Moon was void of course be sure that it will not transpire as you thought, but be reassured
that negative events seem to happen in direct proportion ot the negativity of the person and
their expectations of them - so remain positive. In many cases this can bring a welcome twist.
Using the VOC knowledge in this way can therefore be empowering.
The best activities to undertake during the VOC moon are said to be anything that is considered
passive or restorative such as spiritual non-material concerns; prayer, yoga, play,
psychotherapy, rest, sleep or meditation. Personally I have always found parties, especially kids
parties, to be magical during VOC moons - but if you are a control freak beware, you may find it
stressful if your party entertainer is late or the kids are wilder than normal!
By now I can sense that you will be keen to know when these VOC moon periods occur.
Unfortunately, because of the periodicity of the Lunar cycle the times vary from day to day,
week to week, year to year you will need to buy a calendar or diary that lists them for your time
zone. Here is a site for Lunar planners in the UK and they mail to the US.
Here as an example a list of the timing for the VOC Moon (all in GMT) for the month of
December 2007:
All
03
05
07
10
11
15
17
19
21
23
25
28
30

times GMT
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at
Dec 2007 at

02.13 Moon enters Libra on 3 Dec at 06.02

14:49 Moon enters Scorpio on 5 Dec 2007 at 18:32
10:18 Moon enters Sagittarius on 8 Dec 2007 at 07:12
15:37 Moon enters Capricorn on 10 Dec 2007 at 18:52
23:58 Moon enters Aquarius on 13 Dec 2007 at 05:02
11:52 Moon enters Pisces on 15 Dec 2007 at 13:16
18:28 Moon enters Aries on 17 Dec 2007 at 18:54
19:34 Moon enters Taurus on 19 Dec 2007 at 21:39
06:07 Moon enters Gemini on 21 Dec 2007 at 21:15
20:26 Moon enters Cancer on 23 Dec 2007 at 22:19
13:18 Moon enters Leo on 25 Dec 2007 at 23:53
02:55 Moon enters Virgo on 28 Dec 2007 at 04:45
13:09 Moon enters Libra on 30 Dec 2007 at 13:38

So, for example we can see here that if you are out Christmas shopping don't buy gifts when the
Moon is VOC as the person will either return the gift, won't like it or it may develop a fault of
some kind. It may be that the shop simply won't have what you set out to buy, or at least not in
the size or colour you are looking for. So on the 15th don't shop between 11.52 and 13.16, sit
down and have a cup of coffee and lunch instead.

There is no VOC time on 24th December but on Xmas day in the UK (GMT timezones) if you put
the Turkey on it's probably best to have it all served up by 13:18!
Once you incorporate VOC's into your life, you'll find yourself more attuned to a natural flow and
rhythm that will save you time, energy and possibly some money and heartache too. It will
however, give you a new found respect for the Moon and her cycle

arlier on in this newsletter series we went to a great deal

of
trouble to describe the disruptive effects of retrograde
planets on
our daily lives. As if watching out for these annual and
semi-annual type negative astrological occurrences is not
enough,
there is another astrological disruption that we have to
watch for
and it occurs every two and half days. It is known as the
void of
course moon.

The term VOID OF COURSE refers to the state of the

Moon when it is
between signs. You could describe it as a purgatory that
occurs
when the moon is out of phase. This moment lasts from
when the moon
moves from its last major planetary aspect in its current
Zodiac
sign and then moves into the next major planetary aspect in
the
next sign. When you are reading planetary calendars you
will often
see void-of-course annotated as VC or VOC.
Even though a void of course moon is not in theory an
upsetting
influence, it can be anyway. The entire event refers to a

time in
the moon's journey when it does not make any aspects to
any
planets. The theory is that if the moon is unable to make
any
planetary aspects then no events can occur. Also, in theory,
this
means that nothing much can happen while the moon is
transiting
from one major aspect in one sign to another major aspect
in
another. If the moon is not making any aspects, then there
will
not be a lot happening in your life either.
Still it is obvious that the moon void of course must have
some
kind of effect. The nature of the sign it is moving out of
versus
the one it is moving into can also reveal a lot about the type
of
events that we can expect. For example when the void of
course moon
is moving from ambitious Gemini to the emotional sign of
Cancer we
can likely expect progress to be blocked by emotional
events.
Perhaps the scariest and most perturbing thing about the
void of
course moon, or why people tend to want to do as little as
possible
while it is happening is that it does seem to have an
unpredictable

effect both on real life events and on psychological matters.

Depending what sign it is moving from and what sign it is
moving
into the effect of a void of course moon can be
inconsistency,
indecision, unreliability, delays, break downs, stalemates and
the
sudden disappearance of opportunity. This period of time
can be a
bit of a black hole in which answers seem to disappear
entirely and
all we are left with is strange questions.
There is one thing that the void of course moons is good for
and
that is for meditation, manifestation magic and finding
solutions
to problems. The reason that some astrologers believe this
is that
the void of course moons is a form of emptiness. It is a
time when
no aspects occur which is the ideal space psychologically
form
which a human being might be able to get some peace from
the every
day events that usual confuse and batter him with
information. From
this stillness springs the wisdom to know what to do next, so
some
astrologers will say that the void of course moon is a good
time to
marinate your ideas by brooding about them or pursue a
path of
creativity or healing.

However the majority of astrologers do see a void of course

moon as
a time to lie low. Like the Mercury retrogrades, the void of
course
moon period that happens to us every two and a half days is
not
necessarily seen as a blessing, but rather as a time to avoid
taking action. Perhaps the most beneficial way to make use
of a
void of course period is to use it to wrap up details, take a
break
from your usual activities, reading, relaxing, exercise, doing
housework and performing chores that do not require much
thought or
concentration such as housework.
In essence, a void of course moon is most unfavorable for
activities that require a great deal of attention to detail,
anything to do with communication including pitching
proposals and
confessions of love, anything to do with electronic messaging
such
as faxes and emails, getting married, going out on a first
date,
beginning a business, launching a lawsuit, making an
important
announcement, signing on the dotted line or buying any type
of big
purchase such as a car or a property. A void of course
moon is not
about "making it happen"; it is more about taking the time
to chill
for a bit.

Although the void of course moon does favor spirituality in

the
sense that it symbolizes a kind of stillness, it does not
favor
readings by psychics, tarot readings or any other kind of
divination.
The reason that these void of course moon periods take
every two
and a half days is because that is the average amount of
time that
it takes for the moon to pass through the sign. The
shortest amount
of time that a moon can be void of course is just a few
minutes.
The most difficult void of course moon periods last the
entire two
and a half days. This, of course, happens when there is no
opportunity for the moon to make any major aspects as it
moves from
its current astrological sign into the next.
These periods occur every two days and a half, which is the
average
time of the Moon's passing through a sign. They last usually
a
couple of hours, the range being from a few minutes to even
the
entire two days and a half period, when the Moon makes no
major
aspects to other planets from its current astrological sign.
Your best course of action during a void of course moon is

to take
it easy. There are all kinds of void of course moon
calendars that
you can access online so you can see when is the best time
to take
action and when to rest.
In the next edition of this newsletter we will take a look of
the
kinds of effects that can occur as the moon moves from one
astrological sign into another.

Peace and light,

Blair
123-Astrology.com

PO Box 35-082, Shirley, ChriMany astrology enthusiasts become

overly concerned with void-of-course, without realizing potent lunar

aspects are often operative during a traditional void-of-course period. So, what is
really meant by void-of-course Moon? Traditionally, the Moon is void-of-course
from its last major aspect before changing signs until its next ingress (change of
zodiacal sign). Void-of-course periods last from a few minutes up to two days. But
what is a major aspect? Traditionally, the major, or Ptolemaic, aspects are those
based on the division of the circle by 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6: the conjunction,
opposition, trine, square and sextile. The problem is, there are lots more aspects
than just these few, and this short set excludes the potent and dynamic octile and
trioctile aspects of 45 degrees and 135 degrees.
The sidebar below (using an example taken from KhaldeaCalendar for June
2003, Pacific Time Zone edition) shows that a traditional void-of-course period
can be full of lunar activity.
It has only been over the past few decades that modern astrologers en
mass have taken much interest in void-of-course Moon. Other than for horary
work, void-of-course didn't become widely known and ultized in the astrological
community until the early 1970s, and during the mid-1970s makers of
astrological calendars and ephemerides incorporated Moon void-of-course periods
into their editions. Void-of-course Moon soon became a new-age catch-phrase,
vaguely meaning, Dont do anything important because nothing will happen or
work-out well.

Trouble is, constantly watching-out for Moon void-of-course tends to

fragment the rhythm and continuity of our activities. As discussed in Lunation
Planning, it is fruitful and effective to use the ordered and meaningful 29.5-day
Lunation Cycle to plan and organize our activities, projects and enterprises.
Within the larger frame of reference of the Lunation Cycle, daily aspects illustrate
the day-to-day scene with its minor stresses and enjoyments, its small advances
and delays. One of the most unproductive practices of astrology is that of merely
scanning an astrological calendar to see if the Moon is void-of-course, or if
Mercury is retrograde, before doing something. Void-of-course true believers
will even actively manipulate situations and avoid meetings during void-of-course
periods, never thinking their evasive, avoidant behavior may be self-defeating if
others dislike being put-off and manipulated. More importantly, because
important octile aspects can occur during a traditional void-of-course period,
failure to act at a crucial time when dynamic activity (symbolized by octile
aspects) is appropriate and needed could jeopardize the fruit of a whole cycle of
endeavor.

So, whats special about octiles? Octiles semisquares and sesquiquadrates

are no more special than other aspects. The significant thing of concern here is
that there are no logical grounds to disqualify octiles when determining void-ofcourse periods. Blind adherence to tradition and ignorance are the two main
reasons they have been disregarded. A rationalization arguing that octiles dont
make things happen would be groundless. Anyone involved with physics,
engineering, kinetics, electromagnetism, athletics and the martial arts knows the
importance of the 45 degree angle. Significantly, projectile motion-kinematic
equations show that the 45 degree angle is optimal for the projection of a ball, an
arrow, or any projectile. That is, a 45 degree angle maximizes the range of your
shot. An angle more or less that 45 degrees would not go as far. It naturally

follows that from an astrological perspective, octiles would be an optimal time for
taking well-organized, focused action.
In conclusion, while the reintroduction of "void-of-course" into modern
astrology was largely the work of a single diligent researcher/promoter, the
widespread exploitation of "void-of-course" is characteristic of a marketplace
astrology designed to at once create demand for the services of astrologers by
instilling fear into a susceptible public and to enhance the astrologer's sense of
self-worth and importance. The intellectual depravity of the current use of "voidof-course" is shown no where better than in its exclusive use of the Ptolemaic set
of aspects. Any intellectually honest astrologer who hasn't fallen victim to
pseudo-scientific thinking and self-validating, selective "observations" would be
hard pressed to see any validity or logic in excluding octiles from a determination
of "void-of-course" periods. Indeed, the only grounds for their exclusion is a
blind, unquestioning acceptance of so-called tradition, a mentality sadly typical of
astrological practice today.