THE 'VOID OF COURSE' MOON Picture credit: Robin Heath www.robinheath.info     Click here for current VOC dates and times.   Every few days, after the Moon makes its last aspect before changing sign, it is said to be 'Void of Course'. Time to let go, cease effort, take a break and don't 'push the river'. In Horary astrology, the VOC may indicate 'Nothing will come of the matter', and noticing the VOC Moon can sometimes help us to not make 'something out of nothing' when it's not necessary -:) The period of 'Void of Course' can range from a few minutes to many hours, and the quality of the aspect just before it occurs can be observed and felt to 'carry through' into the subtle 'hiatus' experienced during the 'Void of Course' period.   Traditionally, only the visible planets are used, and only the Ptolemaic aspects (conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition). This way of reckoning the 'Void of Course' can be extended to include minor aspects, outer planets and other bodies.   Knowing when the Moon is 'Void of Course' is useful in a simple but eminently practical way. Think of it as a hiatus, a time when 'nothing is possible just now', or 'nothing will come of this', and perhaps allow yourself to drop effort, relax, take a break and prepare for the subtle surge of new energy which occurs as the Moon enters a new sign. When things 'just aren't working', this simple information can remind you that sometimes 'discretion is the better part of valour', or that the most effective way forward is to simply stop what you are doing! This is one of the many Moon rhythms we can feel and attune to, and which support our sense of being 'held' by something greater than ourselves, universal in its capacity to remind us of the immensity in which we live.