August 4: Lammas Leo New Moon
The Lammas New Moon at 12°34 Leo at 7:13AM ET on August 4, in a buoyant sextile with Jupiter in Gemini, offered an optimistic initiation into the deep work we’re doing in this sign over the next 6 months. Leo is home to a Mercury retrograde in August and a Mars retrograde in December. We can expect to have our motivation and desire drastically redirected over the next year.
Leo is the sign of the leader, and Lammas is the Celtic festival of the first harvest on August 1-2, when we celebrate our efforts coming to fruition. We have 6 weeks of solar fire left before we tip into the lunar time of year at the Autumn Equinox on September 22. Lammas is a celebration of abundance in the form of wheat and corn, and the preparation of more to come.
Lammas traditionally marked the Sun’s midway point through its home sign of Leo and the peak of generation. At the Leo New Moon, we honor the power of the Sun in all its aspects and the solar deities of Helios, Apollo, Sol, Sunna, Sulis, Arinna, and Aditi. The Sun’s movement is regular and reliable, it passes through one degree of the zodiac per day, we literally set our calendar by it. The vigor and motivation of great Sol are what make everything grow from the smallest kernel of corn to the mighty lion.
Ancient people differentiated between the specific qualities of the Sun. For the Greeks, the Titan Helios was the raw titanic power of Sol that could decimate and desiccate all lifeforms if given enough time. The shining one above, Helios, was depicted with a radiant crown driving a horse drawn chariot through the sky, demarking the regular motion of day into night.
The Olympian, Apollo, represented the light of the Sun and its creative properties as a beautiful archer who played the lyre. He’s a youthful creative musician who’s connected to the Muses and their divine inspiration for the arts. Apollo came to preside over the Oracle of Delphi and the psychic gift of sight and prophecy. During Leo season we’re asked to peer closely into our hearts to clearly observe what wants to move through us.
The God of revelry and fertility, Dionysys, was connected with the heat of the Sun that became trapped in grapes as they ripened into rich sweetness. A good wine pulses with the heat of the Sun and the flavor of the land. Dionysus Eleutherius was known as "the liberator" because his wine, music, and ecstatic dance freed mortals from self-conscious fear. Those who were initiated into his mysteries were believed to become empowered and take on the God form himself, but the transformation process could heal or cause trauma. There were no guarantees. During Leo season we feel the exhilaration of shining brightly and the fear of fully being seen. Sometimes people run from this to Dionysis but eventually that route leads us back to the truth of what scared us in the first place.
If you know your chart, take a moment to consider the Leo area of your life (not sure? Book a reading with your favorite astrologer). This is where we came to shine our personal light and live out our destiny. It's a place we’re encouraged to be consistent, steady, and creative. The Sun shines unceasingly and doesn’t question its purpose. The top grants lofty views, but it's easy to miss the details when you’re sitting on top of the world. Mercury in Leo tends to focus on what's in the spotlight and can be a bit myopic, which is why the best leaders surround themselves with the most intelligent and honest advisors.
Virgo is the vassal who provides the crucial information to secure the victory. The Mercury retrograde between Virgo-Leo from August 4-28, will have us reconsider our strategy and approach to what we desire to manifest. There is support for Leo in Virgo and you’ll gain a better understanding of how and why these two areas of your life have a symbiotic relationship by the Equinox.
New Moons are moments of intention setting. Luna wanes to emptiness before meeting with the Sun and a seed is planted. We won’t see the blossoming for 6 months, until the Leo Full Moon on February 12, but the Mercury retrograde coinciding with the Leo New Moon makes this lunation a little different. Consider what you feel called to do and create but stay open to that changing and evolving.
There will be a breakthrough at the Mercury cazimi at 26°36 Leo on August 18, just before the Aquarius Full Moon. Things will start to come together when Mercury stations direct on August 28, but the integration process will take several more weeks. Mercury does not depart Leo until September 9, which is when we will have clarity on everything that gets stirred up this month. May the findings bring illumination and insight into yourself and your Sol.