The New Moon is Wednesday, July 31 at 9:11PM Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

Right at the cusp of July and August, this new moon encourages us to reclaim our power, joy, self expression and personal truth. It is not so much a time for new ideas and insights but rather a time to simply be in gratitude for who you are and to get really full of your own self love. Where is your life out of balance? Are you expressing your medicine out in the world?

We are entering a time of reset and re-alignment. Get a head start with this new moon and set some intentions for better self care, more balance, quality time to do what fulfills you, and a commitment to put more energy into your own purpose other than the purpose of others. Find your inner flame and breathe a spark of it into your own creativity, enthusiasm and well-being.

Blessings,
Lena

Astrological Notes:

Please note that the Astrological Notes cover the whole moon cycle from New Moon on June 3 until July 1.  Full moon info is contained within, below.

Leo New Moon Cycle 

New Moon
Sun in Leo ~ Moon in Leo 8º
Wednesday, July 31, 9:11 PM Mountain Daylight Time
(Thursday, August 1, 3:11 AM Greenwich Mean Time)

Full Moon
Sun in Leo ~ Moon in Aquarius 22º
Thursday, August 15, 6:29 AM Mountain Daylight Time
(Thursday, August 15, 12:29 PM Greenwich Mean Time)

Leo Moon cycle is grounded in creativity, leading with our hearts, and a strong urge for self-expression.  None of the rough edges of emotional intensity from passing through the eclipse window in a feeling-based sign, Cancer, (connected with family, nourishment, mother, home and ancestral patterns) will be rearing its head.  The Sun is no longer with the North/South Nodes and is in a warm, inspiring fire sign now.  Fire lifts our spirits and ignites action.

Venus is conjunct the Leo Sun and will magnify the pleasurable and sensual aspects of leading with our hearts.  Leo rules the heart and the spine.  Leo radiates warmth and the deep “I Am” presence rejoicing in their creative abilities.  Filled with pride for all that they are, they generously share themselves and the Spirit that radiates through them for all to appreciate and admire.  Leo is the power expression of fire and they can stand in the spot light with ease and grasp and wield the attention they receive. Leo is regal, the King of Beasts, a leader.  Only Leo is ruled by the life-giving Sun and this bestows vitality, strength and a great passion for life.  Leo, wherever it lies in your chart, will bring a quality of positive attitude, generosity, courage, determination, and a social warm-heartedness.  On the shadow side, watch out for that indomitable ego, pomposity, and impulsive judgment ~ not good qualities in a leader.  Arrogance can mask a ‘cowardly lion’ needing to disguise parts of the self that feel powerless.

We do have a Grand Trine in fire signs with Chiron, our healer/teacher at 5ºAries, Venus in Leo 5º with Sun/Moon fueling our Queen energy, and Ceres, a Mother Goddess and Keeper of the Grains, 1º Sagittarius.  Self-confidence, creativity, and inspired actions are supported. All you have to do is find your inner fire and channel it.

There is one caveat to the Grand Trine in fire signs as inspiring as it is, Uranus is squaring Venus (and Moon/Sun) kicking up restlessness, challenging authority, and wanting freedom to break out of the social mold, and roar from our wild place.  We may prowl around for some excitement in relationship.  Think twice about redecorating under this influence; eccentricity is high.  You can expect the Unexpected to the 10thpower.  Uranus brings radical change; with Venus involved look to your relationships as a focus for shake up and renewal.  Uranus is strong now because it’s at a standstill ready to turn retrograde.

Within minutes of the New Moon, Mercury stations direct stopping in order to begin to retrace its steps and regain the 4º Leo where it started.  Mercury retreated all the way back to 23º Cancer to give us time to process and reassess all the emotional experiences exposed by the fast-paced eclipse period.  By August 14, the fleet-footed messenger planet will be fully moving forward, that’s the time to launch your boat.

As of New Moon Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto and Chiron are all retrograde pointing a big finger towards the heart with the suggestion that we go inside, ask for guidance and learn to listen.  This time is not about crossing off the list, but about being present for what arises.  On August 11, Jupiter in Sagittarius 15º goes direct after three months retrograde, and on the same day, Uranus 7º Taurus goes retrograde.  Changes in direction like these mean that planet is moving s-l-o-w-l-y and will hover over these degrees for almost a month.  Now would be a good time for planning, reassessing, reorganizing, revisiting.

We do have a pesky T-Square involving an opposition of Mercury in Cancer to Pluto in Capricorn with the dwarf planet, Eris, sister of Mars, challenging both.  Eris instigates discord and rebellion against injustices and bad behavior from the powers that be, for example the people of Puerto Rico taking to the streets and taking the country into their own hands.  If you haven’t been balancing your home and work life or have avoided letting go of those worn out patterns still playing out from decades ago, Eris may arrange for a confrontation to clear the air.  Eris really doesn’t care if you think you have your life all figured out. She’s out to reveal spiritual truth.

New Moon is devoid of air signs indicating a lack of mental perspective, adaptability and ability to communicate and negotiate compromise well. So you will want to compensate for this by being aware of the imbalance.  Also when fixed signs are predominant like they are here, the wise one bends and acquiesces when meeting ‘an immovable object’.

Between the Moons, we have Lammas, the midpoint of summer and fall, when the Sun reaches 15º Leo on August 7.  These cross quarter days of the Sun marked ancient celebrations of the planting calendars to celebrate fertility, harvest and abundance from the Earth.  The veil between the visible and invisible worlds is thinner then. Take time to honor Gaia, the source of your food, and the abundance in your life with ritual, song, journeying, dance and feasting.

AQUARIUS FULL MOON

Thursday, August 15, 2019 
Sun in Leo ~ Moon in Aquarius 22º
6:29 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Once again Venus is aligned with the Sun – exactly! How fortunate we are. Sociability is high, social skills and aesthetics are valued, personal magnetism is strong.  Venus is actually merged with the Sun at this time as she makes her underworld journey from morning star to evening star reappearing again in late September near Equinox in the sign of Libra.  Venus and Mars are both making their underworld journeys ~ how intimate.  They will approach in Leo, meet and join in Virgo, and then reappear in Libra ~ Venus as evening star and Mars as morning star.

Aquarius Moon in its fullness is a cry for freedom.  Not the kind of freedom to do anything we want, but the freedom to be just who we are without judgment and restrictions, to express our unique non-conforming selves.  More than that, we need to be free of our old belief systems so we can live in the free zone of ‘not knowing’.  In that paradox zone, where we are open, but have no idea how, when or where life will unfold, is freedom.  This requires a great deal of faith in quantum creativity, and is required for the shifts in consciousness we are called on to make at this time.

As the power sign of the element of air, Aquarius is rational, fair-minded, inventive and unconventional.  It’s that Uranus ruler that can link them to higher frequency forms of creating and manifesting, and they are frequently brilliant and intuitively connected. They have a natural trust that because they create for the good of all with humanitarian motives that the quantum field will support them ~ and it does!  Aquarius is an agent of social change and is progressive in outlook, generous and philanthropic as well, but the negative pole is often played out by the ‘rebel without a cause’ or the fanatically minded who like to tear down what exists or block change without offering constructive alternatives.  There are Aquarians ruled by Saturn, the traditional ruler, and those ruled by Uranus, the modern ruler.

The Leo/Sun develops the unique, personal ego of each one, but it’s only preparation for the more transpersonal partner in this axis, Aquarius, that dedicates that ego to serving the group, the collective or an ideal. You might consider this Full Moon as a prelude to what begins in 2020, which is a shift in emphasis from planets in Capricorn to planets in Aquarius.  Saturn moves into Aquarius March 2020, Jupiter moves in December 2020, and Pluto moves in January 2024.

The Leo cycle is here to remind us to love large and have the courage to live from the heart.  Create and be generous with your inner light.  Be a love machine, a poet – as Uranus squares Mercury (fully moving forward now at Full Moon) you might surprise yourself at your inspired voice. Luckily we have Chiron trining Mercury in fire signs so we’re supported to use our thoughts and words for passion and enthusiasm rather than enflaming drama and ego.

Remember what the Maharishi said in his final days to his followers: ‘the purpose of Life is to bring God Joy!’ – just what Leo has in mind for us.

All times in Mountain Daylight Time, MDT

• 08/23 Sun enters Virgo 4:01 AM MST
• 08/30 Virgo New Moon 6º 4:38 AM MDT
• 09/13 Pisces Full Moon 21º 10:33 PM MDT