the new moon in leo kicks off a brand new lunar cycle on saturday july 26th at 3:42pm PDT. this lunation heralds a major frequency shift from the first half of 2014 that involved one retrograde planet too many for my taste (and maybe yours?). if you felt like the first part of the year was slow moving, stagnant, stuck, confusing or murky- know that you were no alone! this month the planets have been going direct and/or picking up speed- so this new moon really kicks off a new cycle that is all about movement, action, change and forward motion!
new moons are times to plant seeds and set intentions – and with this new moon in fiery, creative, passionate leo we are supported in focusing on what we want to call into our lives romantically, creatively and spiritually. what makes this new moon incredibly benevolent and powerful is the fact that jupiter, newly in leo, is conjunct the lunation- so this new moon is essentially jump starting the jupiterian goodness that will bring opportunities, positivity, luck and growth into certain areas of our lives (for specific information pertaining to your sign- check the weekly horoscopes). a new moon conjunct jupiter says “whatever you desire- you will attain it!” because of this i HIGHLY recommend you call things in with consciousness and awareness- as we all will certainly reap what we sow.
a jupiterian new moon is a time to align with our visions and dreams and raise the bar for what we can accomplish. whether that involves travel, education, teaching, publishing, spiritual or material abundance- it’s all possible, we just have to hone our powers of will and intent and focus on what will make our Souls and Spirits most happy (we can waste this great new moon energy on more mundane things- but then we will be missing out!).
the sun/moon/jupiter conjunction is aligned with the asteroid amor- which is all about idealized, Divine, altruistic and/or unconditional Love. since leo is the sign of the heart and is connected to Love- we have a very powerful heart-opening lunation occurring. the positive side of the new moon/amor alignment is the capacity to tap deeply into our lower/personal hearts and access the portal to the Higher Heart energies. the lower heart is focused on personal love, pleasure and desire, while the Higher Heart is focused on giving, rather than receiving. the Higher Heart is most associated with agape- and if i needed to pick a sign affiliation i would say pisces. yet the shadow side of the new moon/amor alignment is the tendency to be like pisces- overly idealizing and fantasizing about what is not even real or True. in addition we can be so self-effacing and loving that we lack boundaries and put people on pedestals they will inevitably fall of off. i think the Highest expression of amor with this new moon is coming into a deeper sense of self-Love and Love/compassion for the world around us in all it’s many forms. it’s a great lunation to meditate on quan yin- the Goddess of Love, compassion and mercy. the one who hears the cries of the world and has chosen to stay on earth in female form (rather than ascend) in order to help all beings awaken.
now this sun/moon/jupiter/amor alignment sounds pretty benevolent and auspicious- and it certainly is in many respects. but there are a few other aspects to the lunation that adds texture and nuance to the picture- which we certainly cannot leave out. first of all the new moon conjunct jupiter and amor is square to mars, who just moved into scorpio the day before. mars is the will, warrior and drive- and when he is in his own sign of scorpio he is exceptionally passionate, intense, willful and dominating. with mars square the leo placements we have a push pull between our Higher Selves and lower selves, our needs to grow, Love and give and our own ego needs or shadow dynamics (like jealousy, possessiveness, anger) that are arising. amor is like agape- it is Love that is freely given. whereas mars in scorpio is quite possessive and often needs to learn how to let go of attachments without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
the good news is that mars is out of libra, the sign of his detriment- where he has been since late last fall. so mars into a new sign means new energy, vitality and direction for us all. but sun/moon/jupiter square mars can be very fiery and a tad to aggressive or combative- so we need to learn when to push and when to be patient, or we can get ourselves into trouble.
the other really signifiant aspect to the new moon is a quincunx to neptune in pisces. amor is already incredibly idealistic and altruistic- and when you add in neptune you get a double dose of the desire to save/heal the world around us. at best neptune can add more compassion, empathy and sensitivity to what we are commencing at the new moon- but at worst neptune can create confusion, delusion, deception and denial. seeing things for what they are, not just what they could be or should be- is key this week, as we don’t want to be building castles on the sand.
in the background of the chart we have some very sweet Grand Water Trine energy playing out between mars, venus and neptune- as well as mercury, saturn and chiron. the former is great for relationships and creativity, while the latter is great for communication, speaking, teaching and shifting of mental perceptions. all that water is lovely for emotional clearing, healing and expression- but it’s very different than the fiery new moon. fire wants to act, express itself and be seen- while water wants to sink down, feel and get into the depths that lie underneath. learning how to align both needs so they get met without one being suppressed and the other over expressed is important for wholeness and balance right now.
on sunday venus opposes pluto- commencing the Goddess of Love and beauty’s activation of the uranus/pluto square. mercury did this in the early part of the week during the dark moon and then venus follows up in the first week of the new moon. this points to changes, shifts, shake ups and wake up calls in our thoughts and feelings, daily lives and relationships. luckily the north node in libra (the sign of venus) is exactly trine juno- the asteroid Goddess of partnership and marriage- so we have the capacity to align with the Highest Path possible in relationships and commitments of all kinds. whether the Highest Path involves endings, or if it involves new beginnings- that is a question we each have to ask ourselves in a period of honest self-reflection. what i do know is that we have a major new cycle birthing itself with this new moon- so we want to be conscious and clear of what we are calling in and what we are willing to release so that we can clear out and make room for that which we are desiring. so take some time during the dark moon on friday and early saturday to find that inner clarity, and then set into motion what you want to realize in the coming year! this new moon conjunct jupiter activates the jupiter in leo transit that lasts until next summer. make it worth your while!
have a blessed new moon…
~divine harmony