Dusty 'Sunrise' at core of galaxy; image by NASA/JPL-Caltech
New Moon @ 10 Leo 58'
Aug 2, 2016
1:44 PM Pacific
4:44 PM Eastern
August’s New Moon in tropical Leo might feel like a welcome relief from the tension and seriousness of recent, past lunations. Leo correlates with a strong desire to play and cultivate joy. The subjective nature of Leo relates to the shaping of a consciousness attuned to the demands of the immediate experience. But like any New Moon, this is a moment of inner attunement in light of the conscious anticipation of new potential. In other words, the collective energy is low and directed toward conservation but ready to expend energy in new expressions.
Leo’s extroverted nature extends this New Moon’s manifestation outwardly and its fiery element helps to vitalize and nourish willpower to renew any lost enthusiasm. Carrying the rulership of the Sun, Leo’s signature at the start of August can help you to revitalize and begin a process of recovering purpose, strength, presence, and gravitas. The Sun, the central star of our solar system, has a gravitational force that is rather demanding, to say the least. With the power of a star, this Leo New Moon carries tremendous force which you can use to build up confidence and sanity.
The past two lunations, involving contacts with Pluto (an object symbolic of archetypes antithetical to the Sun), can have the effect of dampening personal significance. Plutonian events can mitigate willpower as they dredge up an awareness of harsh realities beyond one’s control. That may have been a subtle or significant experience over the past month for you. In the awareness of the shadow, the ego can often feel frightened or overwhelmed in the face of such powerful inner truths. If you’ve felt that way recently, focus your attention on this lunation as a source of motivation and self-definition.
Saturn’s trine to the New Moon from Sagittarius promises that effort and hard work (begun now or from past efforts) will accelerate progress toward certain goals and objectives. Saturn invites us to channel this building enthusiasm in directions that have practical applicability and that can help us grow in new directions. This fits well with Saturn turning stationary direct on Aug 13, which will bring to an end a period of consolidation and adjustment of priorities. Uranus in Aries, though far from a close trine, aids the building energy through the formation of a loose grand trine.
This is enough to help you to get excited about something, to breathe new life and energy into things that have been neglected or stagnant. Fire energy creates the impetus and motivation to continue moving forward, to keep thriving in the face of adversity. Two quincunx aspects to the New Moon from both Neptune and Pluto also amplify a sense of purpose and direction. To get to where you want to go now may require some seemingly awkward adjustments, and it may not come easily, but there is some magic with this New Moon that can help you find the stamina or determination that you need.
New life is being put into motion at this lunar beginning. Never underestimate the life force--the will to live. It moves through us biologically as well as spiritually. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, it moves far beyond your body, shaping the experiences throughout your daily life. If you desire something, know that the life force will see to it that you have the opportunity to attain it. With this Leo New Moon, perhaps you simply need a reminder of the joy and playfulness that is an essential part of our human experience. And also, if you make the effort, you can find stability and purposeful direction in your life. Let loose and allow yourself a moment to shine in some way; trust that the Sun, the central star in the solar system, will hold things together (at least for a while).