What Does Void of Course (VOC) Moon Mean?

On October 25, 2023, a rare celestial event will take place: the Moon will be void of course for over 3 DAYS (75 hours), between 11:53AM CEST until October 28 at 10:23PM. This means the Moon will not make any aspect to any of the 7 traditional planets — in addition to this unusually long trip into the void, the first aspect the Moon will make after this will be… a lunar eclipse. To understand what this exceptional void of course Moon means, how to prepare for a VOC Moon in general and for this intense week in particular, let’s take a deep dive into this fascinating astrological phenomenon!

Fist of all, we need to talk about “aspects”.

A Question of Angle

In astrology, a Void of Course Moon (also known as VOC) refers to the phemonenon where the Moon doesn’t make any aspect (conjunction, sextile, square, trine or opposition) to any planet. An aspect refers to an angle formed by one planet to the other: for example, if the Moon is at 26° Taurus and Venus is at 26° Leo, then the Moon is said to make a square aspect to Venus because they are exactly 90° away from each other. The orb of an aspect doesn’t have to be exact, for example in this scenario, if the Moon is at 22° Taurus she is still squaring Venus — the aspect isn’t exact, but close enough that it is still considered a square (see example charts below).

Chart on the right: exact Moon-Venus square. Chart on the left: Moon applying to square Venus.

There are two types of aspects: the first one is “applying”, and the second one is “separating”. If Venus is at 14° Leo and the Moon moves between 0-14° Leo, then the Moon is applying to a conjunction with Venus (= she is moving towards an exact aspect). Once the Moon has passed her conjunction with Venus and is moving away from her, she is separating from this aspect (ex: if Venus is at 14° Leo and the Moon at 16° Leo, then the Moon is separating from that aspect). It is to note that the fastest moving planet from the two is doing the application or separation. For example, between Mercury and Jupiter, Mercury is the fastest moving planet, so Mercury will be “applying” or “separating” from any aspect to Jupiter.

Chart on the right: Moon applying to conjoin Venus. Chart on the left: Moon separating from a conjunction to Venus.

The Moon is the fastest moving planet of all, and she usually makes multiple aspects to the different planets in the span of a few days — as she goes around the zodiac in 27 days 1/2. The significations of the Moon are therefore deeply connected to her capacity to reflect and transmit the light of the planets — like a messenger, she takes the significations of the planets and reflects them back to us. It is therefore highly unusual for her not to make any aspects to any planets for a prolonged period of time. In astrology, this translates to a special meaning. The term “Void of Course” refers to this: the course of the Moon, her habitual trajectory is disrupted when she doesn’t make any aspect — like a messenger travelling from one person to another, she is suddenly lost and “running into the void”, into nothing. What does this Void of Course state mean for the Moon in astrology?

One Void of Course Moon, Multiple Definitons?

Over the course the history of astrology, several definitions of the void of course Moon have emerged: there isn’t just one! This is due to the fact that several different parameters can help determine when the Moon is “running into the void“: the first one I’m going to discuss is the modern (20th century) one, where the Moon is considered void after completing all of her aspects in a given sign. For example, if the Moon is at 24° Leo and no other planet is at 24° of any sign sign (even if she conjoins the Sun just 9° away at 3° Gemini), she is considered void. Under this definition, the Void of Course Moon is a very common occurence, happening at least at dozen times a month, several times a week. I believe this to be incompatible with the effects of a void of course Moon, which were thought to be thorougly negative and an affliction in the tradition, unsuitable to begin anything.

Another definition of a VOC Moon is one given by William Lilly, where the Moon isn’t separating or applying to any of the 7 traditional planets within at least 12° (which corresponds to the orb of the Moon), regardless of sign boundaries. You can see an example chart below:

Chart on the right: A VOC Moon according to the modern definition: the Moon is less than 9° away from a conjunction with the Sun. Chart on the left: Moon separating from an opposition to Mercury. Her next aspect is more than 25° away, an opposition to Venus in Leo.

I believe this is more of a suitable definition relative to the status of the Void of Course Moon as an affliclition, as it is a more significant, less frequent occurence that also exemplifies the “feral” and “running into nothing” situation of the Moon.

For a more detailed explanation of these two phenomena, your can read Shuly’s fantastic article of the VOC Moon here.

The final definition of the VOC Moon — and the one that interests us today — is the Hellenistic one, the “strictest”: according to ths definition, the Moon is Void of Course when she doesn’t complete any aspect to any of the 7 traditional planets within 30° (an entire sign) or more. This is a rare occurrence that happens only a couple times a year at most, and is quite spectacular as it lasts over two days. The Void of Course Moon we get between October 25-28, 2023 is quite exceptional as it is the longest of all this year, lasting a total of 75 hours. The VOC Moon is thought to bring special effects into our realm — let’s talk about them, and how you can best prepare for it.

The Effects of the VOC Moon

When VOC, the Moon is thought to be “feral”, like a wild beast aimlessly running into the wild. According to William Lilly, when the Moon is aspecting to a planet she is thought to be more “human”, but if she isn’t she becomes wilder, more anmilastic… This reminds me of The Fool tarot card, a wandering, free-type figure (often with questionable hygiene) accompanied by a dog (also present in the Moon tarot card). The Fool is free from societal expectations and lives by their own rules, without a purpose or destination. This card can represent freedom and a lack of constraints, but also a form of madness or worrying carelessness that can become unnerving.

In traditional astrology, a VOC Moon is thought to be an “affliction” — the Moon is affected by this and cannot perform her role as usual. It was not recommended to start anything of importance during a VOC Moon, as the most probable outcome would be that it would not lead anywhere — nothing would come out of it. This is why I do not recommend starting anything of importance at that time, like beginning an important project, asking someone for a favour, applying to something that matters to you.

Joan Quigley, the astrologer of Ronald Reagan famously recommended that he mails his tax returns while the Moon was void of course… so that nothing would come out of it!

As for how you are feeling or your moond when the Moon is void of course, it’s common to hear that it can leave you feeling tired or lethargic, like you cannot accomplish anything — it’s best to take it easy and to not plan anything too stressful or tiring. However, I’ve observed another phenomenon for some people: when the Moon is void of course, they get a lot done, are very energetic and active. In my experience, this can bring a level of tension and irritation, and sometimes feel like despite the efforts deployed, not much was accomplished. After all, the Moon is feral and akin to a wild beast: while energy levels may be high, they do not usually lead to the most productive outcome on the long run!

This VOC Moon is even more special, since the aspect that will mark the end of her course into the void will be… a lunar eclipse! This lunar eclipse echoes the earlier solar eclipse that took place on October 14, and will be the last eclipse of the Scorpio-Taurus axis. Eclipses are intense, tiring times that can lead to quite a lot of strain — I recommend doing an eclipse cleansing ritual at this time, and to not make any important or sudden decisions as eclipses are liminal, highly confusing times.

To learn more about eclipses, the lunar nodes & how to stay in synch with the Moon & her effects in your own chart, I created a course and guidebook to help you navigate these themes! They include eclipse cleansing rituals, the history & astronomy of the lunar Nodes, how to use them for interpretation and prediction and a detailed interpretation of each Nodal placement by sign & house. Get them now! 🤍👇