Do you miss snow days? I really miss those magical days where it would snow and the school would close and I could stay at home. Often those days involved napping, some TV watching, and some time outside exploring the woods behind my parent’s house and looking for animal tracks in the snow.

Now when it snows I still have to show up to work. There is no magical slow down or time out. Life goes on like normal.

But what if I told you that there was a cosmic snow day? A time when the stars supported us in our need to slow down, nurture ourselves, and hear the whispers of our wishes and dreams.

That cosmic snow day is a Void Moon.

You may have heard of Void Moons before, but weren’t quite sure what they were exactly.

What is a Void Moon?

A Void Moon, also known as a Void of Course Moon, occurs as the Moon makes its final aspect to another planet before leaving the current zodiac sign. Let’s break that down. The Moon changes what zodiac sign it is in roughly every 2.5 days. As the Moon shifts from one sign to another, there is a break in the energy where the Moon is not making any aspects to any of the other planets (you may have heard the aspects called things like conjunctions, squares, or trines).

In astrology, the Moon represents our emotions. We can look to where the Moon was at the time of our birth to help us understand what we need to feel safe and secure, as well as what nurtures us and what form of self-care helps us refill our tank. But the transiting Moon, or where the Moon is on any given day, points to where the collective energy is in terms of emotions. A Moon in Aries may mean we feel energized or impulsive that day. A Moon in Virgo can see us cleaning up, feeling like we can’t get comfortable until everything is in its place. But with a Void Moon, the Moon isn’t making any aspects to other planets, and therefore the energy the Moon is reflecting to us is quieter and more reflective. 

This is why I call the Void Moon the cosmic snow day. Just like snow blankets the world around us and gives things a quiet stillness, a Void Moon dampens the energy we feel being reflected from the planets to the Moon and then down to earth. It gives us time to go inward and process everything that has been happening around us, instead of being active 100% of the time. I think astrologer Anne Ortlee says it best when refers to a Void Moon as a time where ‘the Moon isn’t working so you shouldn’t either.’

A Void Moon can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 days, depending on where the planets are in the sky.

How to Use a Void Moon

Since the Void Moon is like a cosmic snow day, it’s a time to rest, recharge, and recalibrate.

Because the Moon doesn’t have a lot of energy behind it (since it isn’t making any aspects to other planets) it isn’t a good idea to begin anything new during a Void Moon. Often if you do, you’ll find that you have to do things over again once the Void Moon period has passed. Important meetings or presentations that are scheduled during a Void Moon may pilfer our or need to be rescheduled. Pitches fall flat, food from your grocery store run turns stale, and critical connections are missed.

However, Void Moons are a good time for anything you do routinely or every day, finishing up on things you’ve already begun, and clearing out or cleaning up. They’re also lovely for napping, working with your intuition, brainstorming, and working with your more feminine side (think working with your creativity, journaling, and meditating).

When I’m planning my week ahead and see Void Moons on the calendar, I use this time for rest and downtime when I can (such as when the Void Moon period occurs on the weekend or evening). If the Void Moon is during the workweek, I make sure to not have any calls or meetings during those times, because miscommunications and last-minute scheduling issues can pop up otherwise. I also structure my work so that I can do research, brainstorming, or wrapping up a project during the Void Moon times. 

Void Moons as a Cosmic Permission Slip

Because in our society we tend to value productivity at the expense of everything else, we often find ourselves burning the candle at both ends and trying to tackle 50 things on our to-do list each day, and punishing ourselves when we don’t reach our unattainable goals.

As a recovering workaholic, I know exactly how hard it is to step away from that uncrossed to-do list and go rest. 

And that is why I love Void Moons so much.

If it helps, try thinking of Void Moons as a cosmic permission slip for rest and recovery. A time to step away from the pressure of the always growing tasklist and so you can turn to ways you can replenish your energy and fuel your soul. Whatever helps you center, ground, and fill your tank, this is a good time for it. You know that the Universe isn’t supportive of tackling new chores and tasks during this time anyway.

How can you know when the Moon will be void?

There are plenty of websites and books that list the void moons and I also release a weekly Astrology Forecast on my YouTube channel each week that includes the Void Moons for the week ahead and my suggestions for how to use their energy.