the new moon at 21’31 leo is exact on friday august 14th, 2015 at 7:53am PDT. with the new moon in the sign of the sun- we have a lunar month unfolding that is focused on our expression of creativity, passion, confidence, self-Love and enjoyment of life! this new moon is exceptionally potent as it is conjunct the asteroid eros- whose name is the root word of erotic. the erotic encompasses more than just sexuality- it is about the fire that burns inside and it is ultimately about passion for life. as the only sun-ruled sign, leo is very much in touch with this inner passion and fervor and with eros on the new moon we have a huge call to own our desires, passions, creativity and originality in new and deeper ways.
the new moon is highly aspected- with one of the stand out aspects being the sun and moon’s conjunction to retrograde venus. on saturday the 15th we have the sun/venus conjunction- which marks the midpoint of the venus retrograde cycle we are in that began on july 25th and ends on september 6th (for more info on venus retrograde read my blog posted here- https://www.divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/venus-retrograde-on-regulus-a-changing-of-the-guard/). this 44 day journey of venus behind the sun is akin to innana’s journey into the underworld. we are being asked to dive deep into our psyches and review our past to understand our relationship with self-worth, self-value, self-Love, money, relationships, sensuality and sexuality as it expresses itself in our lives today. venus retrograde is journeying into the underworld to help us find the gold we seek which will illuminate something for us and ultimately help us to heal our relationship with something (within or without). this is a time to reevaluate things- as venus rules value and worth and when she is hidden behind the sun we are able to use the sun’s Light of consciousness to really see what it is we cannot see about ourselves or karmic situations in our lives.
when retrograde venus is conjunct the sun it is called her inferior conjunction which coincides with the beginning of a new phase of evaluation or a new course of action taken (loosely quoting erin sullivan) as a result of all that we have realized or experienced (internally as well as externally) during the first 1/2 of venus retrograde (since july 25th but also since june 21st when venus first entered her shadow). a sun/venus conjunction is also called venus cazimi- which means in the heart of the sun- a time when the Light of the sun/conscious self can illuminate deep gifts but also shine a Light on dark shadows that need to be faced around venusian themes. remember that on the sun there are no shadows so when venus is in the heart of the sun it can illuminate any hidden shadows we have and let us know very clearly where our values, desires, passions and needs are or are not in alignment with our Higher Selves. venus/sun conjunctions occur every 9 1/2 months- so the chart of the conjunction can give insight into what is being seeded in Love, money, values, self-worth and relationships that will unfold over the next 3/4 of a year. a new moon chart typically only speaks to the upcoming month- but because venus is conjunct the new moon there’s a longer term cycle being highlighted right now. the key to working with this consciously is being aware of what you set into motion right now- creativity, fertility and destiny are calling! but conscious creation, conception or evolution is much preferred to Unconscious, yes? :)
another really important aspect configuration in the new moon chart is the sun/moon/venus alignment linking up with the uranus/chiron semisextile. this very long term outer planetary transit began in 2009 and lasts until 2021 and it is subtle but powerful. we have uranus- the rebel, revolutionary and Great Awakener in the first sign of the zodiac and we have the chiron, the Wounded Healer, in the last sign. uranus provides insights, bolt out of the blue awarenesses and incites us to take action in our lives and embrace change- while chiron shines a Light on what is wounded within us and what needs to be faced, owned, fully felt in order to be healed and possibly let go. uranus and chiron together provide major openings for awakening and healing- and with both lined up with this new moon conjunct retrograde venus this is amplified tenfold. the sun, moon and venus are trine to uranus- bringing a freedom and liberation energy that can help us break through old karmic patterns and tap into amazing evolutionary energies that can help us to be done with toxic patterns/karmas once and for all! yet at the same time the sun, moon and venus quincunx chiron- bringing us face to face with wounds and pain we have to FEEL before we can heal. we have to own our shadow issues with pisces- enabling, addiction, denial, avoidance, codependency, playing the victim or the martyr. we also have to own our shadow issues with leo- narcissism, pride, selfishness, thinking we have no shadow and being run by our desire nature in unhealthy ways. the Highest expression of this new moon lining up with uranus and chiron is to use the new cycle being seeded as a time to face what we need to face and bring the Bright Light of consciousness to the darkest places within us that cannot see the Light.
with this very leo new moon, we can use the sun energy to purify. this is a good time to look at our needs for gratification- food, money, sex, attention, love. where are we being run by our desire nature in unhealthy ways? where are we putting the need for pleasure above the need for integrity, honesty or personal growth? yet at the same time the point of this new moon in leo is not to become an ascetic! we are spiritual beings having a human experience. if we were meant to deny our bodies needs and desires then why didn’t we just incarnate as light beings? the tantric path (which encompasses so much more than sexuality) is all about facing our desires and becoming embodied in our experiences. we learn how to sit with things we desire and not clutch at them, and we also learn to sit with things we are repulsed by and not run away from them. this new moon can be a time to check in our relationship to pleasure and enjoyment of life. overdoing it and being a glutton/over spender/sex addict can be just as unhealthy as going to the other extreme and starving ourselves or walling ourselves off from the sweetness of life. the key is to see where are our desires (or lack of desire) sourced from? are they sourcing from an inner wound that feels like a hole we can never fill- and so we keep overeating, overspending, having too much sex, or spend too much time online- all in the hopes to fill this inner emptiness? or we are on the other end of the spectrum and instead we shut down our desires and needs because of fear of deeper intimacy and vulnerability with ourselves and others? really sitting with these questions and feeling into where our wounds are is key- as we cannot heal what we cannot feel, and we can end unhealthy or toxic patterns in our lives if we don’t get to the Source of where they came from.
i have recently been doing a lot of reading about, studying and understanding shame. robert august masters and brene brown have been my go-to sources (the former writes amazing books, the latter has great ted talks out- so google them). shame is one of the most toxic emotions and when we live from it and do not work to heal it it impacts our ability to be intimate, be in relationship and be vulnerable with others. venus governs self-love and self-worth and shame is a polar opposite energy. shame tells us we are worth nothing and that we do not deserve love. leo is a sign of self-love and sometimes people with lots of leo in their chart can overdo that and tend towards narcissism. yet chiron’s tense aspect to the sun, moon and venus in leo in the new moon chart can bring up deep, ancient wounds and pain around shame, self-worth, self-value and ego (from childhood or past lives). if we undervalue ourselves and think we are worthless or if we overvalue ourselves and think we are better than everyone else- both are coming from a wounded expression of ego. this new moon seeks to find the middle point where we can own our shadow without letting it define us, where we can face our shit without wallowing in it and where we can embody our Light without hubris.
the sabian symbol for this new moon is ‘a carrier pigeon fulfilling it’s mission’. blain bovee specializes in the sabian symbols and he says that this degree is about gathering information and then bringing that information back home, allowing it to settle and then letting it form into some kind of complete understanding. with the new moon occurring a day before the sun/venus conjunction that feels apt- as sun/venus can bring a new kind of understanding or awareness about our relationship to venus and how we want to relate to her moving forward- which can lead us to a more complete understanding of ourselves, our desires, our needs, values and Loves.
this degree also has symbolism connected to a sense of purpose, destiny or mission- so it’s important that we pay attention to any Divine guidance we get right now. important messages can come in- yet we must remember that with chiron quincunx this degree we don’t want to confuse the message with the messenger. the finger pointing to the moon is not the moon itself- and there may be lessons for us right now about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater but also not thinking that the messenger of the Divine is the Divine him or herself!
the star sparks meditation for this degree is deep and insightful. i have posted the full text at the end of this write up but the part i want to point out here is this: “If you can see through yourself and others, and empower the same thing in everybody, no difference, you are on your way to a different journey altogether. For the Christ spark which you are so attuned to and sensitized within will be freely amongst us as the one place we all have most in common. And when you see it there in somebody else, you will get it that what looked to be an isolate and specialized existence was offering all the waters of the world. And now you are the Living Waters in free circulation.” this is one of the Highest expressions of leo- realizing the Divine Christ spark within. yet the shadow side of leo is to think we are the only one who shines so bright, or we are more enlightened or more awakened than others. the lesson really is learned when we can see the Divine spark in everyone- even if they cannot see it in themselves or even if they are choosing to live in the dark. this is not about turning a blind eye but is more about seeing with all eyes (the 3rd included). as elias lonsdale says “these are very deep waters we have gotten ourselves lost inside of”- and this new moon and sun/venus conjunction can shine a Light on the path and help us to find our way to the surface of the waters, if we so choose.
the new moon is also square saturn, which ties into the dominate karmic signature of the entire venus retrograde journey. when venus stationed retrograde on july 25th she did so conjunct jupiter and square saturn- triggering the jupiter/saturn square that was exact on august 3rd. throughout venus’ retrograde journey (including front end and back end shadow- for more on this read my venus retrograde blog) she will cojoin jupiter 3 times and square saturn 3 times- making this a defining signature in her underworld journey. in the new moon chart jupiter is just minutes away from the exact degree that venus was when she stationed retrograde (0’46 virgo). the new moon is in the morning and jupiter’s exact trigger of venus retrograde degree will be in the evening at 5:09pm PDT. to add to this jupiter is in super aspect with the royal fixed star regulus- they align by degree and declination. for more info on regulus’ precession into virgo read the blog linked here- https://www.divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/regulus-into-virgo-the-meek-shall-inherit-the-earth/ but in short regulus is heralding a new paradigm of masculine/feminine balance in the world. there’s a collective piece to this but also a personal piece- and we each can get insight into our own personal piece at the time of this new moon (so pay attention and listen to the Divine Message being sent your way). the importance of august 14th and 15th because of the new moon, jupiter trigger of venus retrograde degree and the sun/venus conjunction can not be overstated. huge things that have been seeding are about to be fully set into motion. this can play out as inward experiences or outwards ones- but make no mistake they are highly significant.
because the saturn square energy is there- we are being reminded that we need to address what is NOT working first before we can find and anchor into what is. saturn in scorpio is a heavy karmic transit that forces us to face our shadow, own our shit and do our inner work. saturn is only in scorpio for one more month (he moves into sagittarius for good on september 17th)- so this last full lunar cycle with saturn in scorpio is huge. i shared on a blog and on Facebook that if we have been doing our saturn in scorpio inner work since he entered this deep, intense sign in october 2012 that right now we would be doing the final pieces of that work that will result in us finally getting our PhD in transformation and evolution (which has been a long time coming- maybe even lifetimes). yet if we have been avoiding facing our shadow, not doing our inner work or in complete denial about what is toxic and needs to be addressed in relationships, financial situations, our psyche and health or more- then this summer can be crazy intense. you can think of the coming month as a time to shit or get off the pot so-to-speak. the new moon square saturn reminds us that what we want to grow must first be pruned. it’s also a reminder that the Brighter the Light, the darker the shadow. as i said above- leo is ruled by the sun and on the sun there are no shadows. but we have more than just a sun sign- we have many pieces to our chart and to our personality. and if we are solely stuck on only seeing our Light and denying or ignoring our shadow then this new moon and upcoming lunar cycle can bring a pop in the bubble (which can be the absolute best thing for the Spirit- but not so much fun for the ego).
clearly this new moon packs a punch. i am personally very excited about. opportunities to own our Light and shadow, move towards greater integration and live from a clear, open heart are possible this coming month. of course this process will take work and there can be times it’s not all that fun (hard aspects from chiron never are). yet as elias lonsdale so eloquently says “If you can see through yourself and others, and empower the same thing in everybody, no difference, you are on your way to a different journey altogether.” the potential to be on our way to a different journey all together is huge at this new moon and sun/venus conjunction. it is up to each of us to get very clear about what direction we want to head in and what we are willing to leave behind in order to grow. but lest you over focus on what you think you need to let go of outside of you- we’d all do well this upcoming lunar cycle to focus on what it is time to let go of WITHIN. since the outer reflects the inner, if you want real change you must address the Source. call it in with consciousness and let your destiny unfold!
~divine harmony
p.s. i titled this blog ‘enchanting the Light and dark into Union’ because the new moon in leo brings Light but the chiron and saturn tense aspects highlight the shadow. venus speaks to relationship and before we can have a healthy outer relationship we must heal our inner relationship- between masculine and feminine, Light and shadow, within and without. the phrase ‘enchanting the Light and dark into Union’ was written by jesse e ayani in her books ‘the brotherhood of the magi’ and ‘the lineage of the codes of light’. both books are amazing and highly recommended if you want to activate the next level of your Soul’s awareness and purpose.
elias lonsdale’s meditation for 22 leo
STAR SPARKS
Leo 22 An alligator swims slowly through a swamp
These are deep waters we have gotten ourselves lost inside of. They are tricky. At any and every point, you can get sucked under into oblivion. Most of us are lost in these frequencies. We can barely stay with any kind of confidence or strength inside. We tend to become the waters, to merge into their impossibility underneath.
Yet there are those who know this way. They have been prepared for situations just like these. And they know how to slip by the borders of consciousness and to uncover those paths that would not even be there unless somebody tracked them closely.
When you are granted the most badly needed of internal navigational feelers and you know what you can do with them, your ultimate challenge begins. Can you see through the consuming appearances that you are the one who’s got it, others around here need it, and you can call the shots? Can you pierce the illusion of the separative self at this crucial juncture?
If you cannot, and it is very hard to accomplish, you will be condemned to success. You will have the Midas touch. Whatever you do, will succeed, will prosper, will glow. And you will hardly recognize how trapped you have become inside the illusory wasteland of your own wishes come true.
If you can see through yourself and others, and empower the same thing in everybody, no difference, you are on your way to a different journey altogether. For the Christ spark which you are so attuned to and sensitized within will be freely amongst us as the one place we all have most in common. And when you see it there in somebody else, you will get it that what looked to be an isolate and specialized existence was offering all the waters of the world. And now you are the Living Waters in free circulation.