Leo New Moon: August 16
The New Moon at 23°17 Leo at 5:38AM ET on August 16, comes just after the peak of the Venus retrograde cycle inviting us to seed the insight we've gained from this arduous journey into our intentions for the second half of the year.
The Sun is associated with fathers in astrological symbolism, and its circular glyph demarcates the bounds of the acknowledged and protected world. The Leo rule of kings evolved into the select public citizens with privileges and responsibilities under the law. For most of human history, children who did not receive their father’s last name were not considered part of the family, and, by extension legitimate society. They were outside the web of relations to safety and inheritance. The shadow of Leo reveals that the benefits of inclusion have always been conditional upon adherence to a code of conduct and allegiance to a figurehead.
The Sun brings enlightenment and the Venus retrograde in Leo from July 22-September 3, has been shining a light on the dark caverns of our heart where we have not been met with acceptance. The parts of ourselves that were not welcome at our dinner tables, cherished by our elders, or shown off to the neighbors. We naturally develop the attributes that we’re praised for when we’re young. Children seek validation and positive reinforcement. What’s encouraged matters as much as what’s discouraged, especially in relation to gender, sexuality, creativity, appearance, and profession. Parents ask that their children make them proud, and another shadow of Leo is the shame that comes from not meeting expectations.
As the Sun’s opposite, Saturn traditionally represents outsiders, sketpics, and heretics. Those who live on the margins of society. The unwanted and dispossessed: disowned by their families, excommunicated from the church, and otherwise repressed by the structures of our system. Those who are disenfranchised and exploited due to their status as not belonging. Rejection breeds rebellion and invalidation eventually leads to confrontation.
The first half of the Venus retrograde asked us to evaluate whether the standards we were inculcated with when we were younger are still our true values. The Venus cazimi at 20°28 Leo at 7:15AM ET on August 13, in a square with Uranus in Taurus, was a turning point in the cycle. The midway milestone of Venus’ exploration of Leo’s underbelly. Uranus is pointing to where we’re not being authentic to our own internal truth.
The Sun’s square with Uranus at 10:34 PM ET on August 15, is inciting us to break free from inherited feelings of inferiority. Parents may project their own sense of personal failure onto their children. This insecurity may not abate, no matter how hard we try to make others happy, if we are not in alignment with our own authentic truth. For everyone who did not measure up, this lunation is inviting you to let that sh*t go.
Leo is about the courage to live from the heart. Leadership requires vulnerability because owning your vision publicly opens you up to critique. It's easy to feel unrelatable if people don’t resonate with your radical honesty, but Uranus welcomes our wonderful strangeness. Divinity is endlessly seeking wholeness and we are called to widen the circle of our understanding about ourselves with each passing year. As each of us grows in awareness, society as a whole expands its purview to include more of humanity in all of its diverse glory.
The Leo New Moon wants us to celebrate ourselves. Uranus forces us to acknowledge that what makes us unique is the very thing that sets us apart. We’re encouraged to own our flair and without getting caught up in egoic comparison or competition.
Mars in Virgo trines Uranus at 9:53AM ET on August 16, facilitating mundane movement and adjustment in order to realize our emerging vision. Mercury stations retrograde at 21°51 Virgo at 3:59PM ET August 23, at the start of Virgo season.
The overlapping retrogrades of Venus and Mercury link the reimagining of our public persona with an ordering of the finer points of our private lives. Leo is the leader and performer, and Virgo is the support staff that helps run the campaign and pull off the big show. Explore the connection between how you’re sharing your light with the world and the nitty gritty details of work and finances.
Take a moment on the Leo New Moon to consider how the small stuff can support the broad vision for what you’re actualizing through the end of the year.