February 12: Leo Full Moon
"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." -Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail
The Full Moon at 24°06 Leo at 8:53AM ET on February 12, in an electric square with Uranus in Taurus, seeks personal freedom and liberation for all people of Gaia's green earth. As spiritual teacher, Marrianne Williamson, observed, we are powerful beyond measure, but it is often our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. This Leo Full Moon arises from within the darkness of Aquarius season and asks us to shine brightly our light.
The God of the Underworld, Pluto, entered Aquarius in November 2024, bringing with it the rise of repressive dictatorship and political oligarchy. The wise water bearer knows we are all subject to the rules and structure of society, but they are supposed to be implemented in an unbiased fashion. Yet abuse of power comes as no surprise. Pluto represents the shadow of whatever sign it inhabits, and experiences of domination that make us feel trapped. Pluto in Aquarius over the next 20 years warns of abuse through technology and structural repression, especially through tightening oversight, destroying social supports, and failing to upgrade eroding mechanisms.
The Sun entered Aquarius and conjoined Pluto on January 19, so this energy was seeded into the presidential inauguration and will define our political experience over the next four years. Mercury followed on January 27, highlighting our awareness of how deep and broad this problem is. Aquarius season is ruled by Saturn in Pisces which is in a trine with retrograde Mars in Cancer at the Leo Full Moon. Mars in retrograde motion means there has not been the usual capacity to respond or defend ourselves. The warrior responds to attack and defends the vulnerable, but we won't have that kind of wherewithal for a while yet.
Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer on February 23, so if you have been absorbing the blows and sitting with a sense of powerlessness and despair, there is now a sense of change on the horizon.
Mercury and the Sun square Uranus on February 10-11, the planet of rebellion and the spirit of the French Revolution, asking us to search our conscience and consider our moral responsibility to take a stand for what is right. The Sun is the creative energy of the universe that focuses our attention on a worthy goal and inspires us to strive towards greater self development and actualization. As the divine source of life that dwells within each of us, the Sun is both our potential for awakening and our individual duty to evolve our soul through the uplift of the collective. Uranus inspires rebellion from the status quo and gives us the capacity to break the chains. The Leo Full Moon squaring Uranus wants us to overthrow the shackles of tyranny and stand up to the repression of facism through art, creative resistance, vibrant leadership, and authentic self expression.
Uranus has been transiting Taurus since 2018, but will move into Gemini on July 7, activating a new phase of technological innovation and social revolution through communication. This shift will only last until November 7, but it's part of what makes the Summer of 2025 so wild! Uranus will return in 2026 for good, so this initial transit is meant to help us get ready. Uranus is a primordial sky God of the cosmos, but the planet's significations are more popularly connected with the Greek myth of Prometheus, the fire bringer.
Prometheus was a Titan, of unwavering strength and will, who had the gift of prophecy and forethought. He was a member of the original, more ancient, gods before the Olympians, and committed the ultimate act of disobedience against the new order. Prometheus transgressed against the command of the king of the gods, Zeus, by stealing fire and bringing it to humanity for their betterment and uplift.
Without fire, humans had no way to warm themselves or cook food. They dwelled in a primitive bestial state with no way of evolving past survival and struggle. Prometheus took pity on humans, and objected to the cruelty of Zeus, and brought people an essential tool for development at great expense to himself.
Fire is a building block of life, a powerful and dangerous element, and it is necessary to human survival and evolution. But fire also represents the light of reason, the ability to learn and develop intellectually, to become more godlike through en-lighten-ment. What Prometheus gave to humans was more than just the capacity to heat their houses and extract essential nutrients from food, both of which were incredible gifts. By uplifting their status, he gave them the opportunity to move out of bare survival, but the potential to evolve themselves spiritually through wisdom.
The gods wanted to keep humans in a lowly servile state, and were outraged that Prometheus would share such a powerful tool. For his transgression, Zeus condemned Prometheus to eternal torment. He was bound to a rock and each day an eagle, the bird of Zeus (and the US), would come and peck it out. The liver was considered the seat of emotions, and in particular is connected with fear and anger, and the bird would eat his liver and then fly away. But because Prometheus was immortal, each night the organ would grow back and his skin would heal up again. Only to be pecked out the next day again. Prometheus is an original Christ figure who suffered bitterly for the good of humanity.
Uranus transits are associated with awakening movements in which we realize that what we once believed or took for granted, is not actually true or as it seemed. Prometheus endless torture represents the cycle of life and reincarnation where we make the same mistakes over again until we make the connection between cause and effect. That "aha" moment that leads us to the next stage of development. There is no silver lining to the pain we go through that excuses abuse, but there is meaning and learning through the process if we are able to focus on how we respond.
Leo is connected with VIII The Strength card in the tarot Major Arcana. The imagery is of a young woman with an infinity sign over her head gently caressing a lion as if it were a beloved pet. Traditionally warriors slayed lions and dragons as symbols of their own strength and bravery, but this card offers us a different path. One of friendship and embrace. The Strength card bridges us into our individual power and divine source of energy to take necessary action. By summoning the courage to face our fears, and looking the lion in its beautiful face, we don't need to fight with them anymore.
The reversed meaning warns what happens if we don't step into our strength. Humility is considered the opposite of arrogance, which is an expression of Leo overcompensating for underlying insecurities. There is a difference between divine expression and the ego's agenda. True humility isn't about playing small. It's about occupying the space that the divine wants you to take up in the world, whatever role that takes, and doing it joyfully and unabashed. The shadow significations of Strength are deposism, abuse, and discord. If we don't claim our power and shine our light–someone else will try to take it.
Many people feel bad about themselves so they support policies and presidents who seek to harm other people, but that will not ultimately remedy the original issue of feeling like a failure. Win or lose, Leo is proud to show up for the righteous battle. I hope this lunation inspires you to do just that.
Below is an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr's Letter for a Birmingham Jail on civil disobedience written in 1963 that speaks to the quandary of the current moment we are in:
"Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregated a false sense of inferiority.
One may well ask, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: There are just laws and there are unjust laws. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
Go well, my friends, and do what you must, knowing that you are loved.