New Moon in Leo

Opportunities
A heart-centered New Moon is being seeded on August 16th in
the expressive, passionate sign of the Lion(ess). This warm lunation is
conjoined to Venus, who, whilst still retrograde, has now become the Morning
Star. She rises ahead of the Sun, having conquered her transformative Underworld
Journey. Although she still has a way to go before going direct, the cosmic energy
is beginning to lift, and our hearts are singing out to us, beckoning us to align
more closely to what makes our souls feel more joy. After all, Leo is the sign
of the Inner Child. This is the playful, happy child that lies inside each and every
one of us, despite everything that we’ve had to endure.
Thus, the intentions that we set during this magnificent lunation should
be along the lines of doing something that allows us to express the Inner Child,
express our sacred and precious creativity, to express our most Authentic Self.
The Sun is particularly strong in the sign of Leo, where he has rulership. This
allows for his counterpart, La Luna, to shine brightly too, as a powerful reflection
of this bright Luminary.
And so, the qualities to enhance ever the next few months while this New
Moon grows in light are Self-Assurance, Self-Confidence, Self-Love And
Self-Belief. We are truly capable of anything, promises this New Moon. Strength
is very much on our side. This speaks to the image of the Strength card in the
Tarot, which happens to be ruled by - you guessed it - Leo.
What’s more, it’s the kind of strength governed by Love, as per Venus’s proximity.
When we have Strength mixed with Compassion, we have incredible power, and the
potential to truly alchemize ourselves. We can gaze into the jaws of the Lion –
our fears – with the greatest of kindness and the deepest level of care. This
care should be ultimately aimed towards our inner world, towards our perceived failings
and shortcomings.
The reason for this is because, for all the pride and magnificence of
Leo, it’s also a sign that tends to crave validation and praise for a job well
done. Can we give this validation to ourselves? Can we speak to our Inner Child
with encouragement? Can we help navigate the changes that are undoubtedly going
to happen with fierce grace? Uranus is angled to this New Moon via a powerful
square aspect – it’s partile, meaning exactly to the degree – reflecting the potential
for abrupt shifts of direction. It’s important to stay open to these changes,
seeing as they’re likely to happen beyond our control. Leo, as a fixed sign,
does like to be in the driver’s seat, so this may challenge our Ego just a
little. Yet, it’s in surrendering into the unknown that beautiful things have
the potential to unfold in the most unexpected of ways.
With all of this in mind, place your hand on your heart and ask her what
she wants. Is it love? Family? A creative direction? A home? Alignment with Inner
Self? Strength? Confidence? A more delicious life? All of these things, and
more, are fully available to us during this New Moon. What it takes is the
courage and confidence to not only ask the question, but to also trust the
answer and then follow it up with consistent action.