the new moon at 10’58 leo will be exact on tuesday august 2nd 2016 at 1:44pm PDT. this marks a new lunar cycle that focuses on solar fire, creativity, passion, self expression and fully anchoring into and living one’s Light! with the ruler of leo (the sun) in leo- the solar energies are heightened and expanded in both positive and not so positive ways. positively we can align more deeply with our High Hearts, self Love and self confidence. we can emanate out a radiance and Unconditional Love that heals and awakens ourselves and the world around us! yet the shadow side of leo is narcissism, needing lots of attention and validation and focusing on fulfilling our own desires often at the expense or detriment of others. checking the shadow side of leo in the coming lunar cycle (particularly while the sun transits leo through august 22nd) is key right now as we want to make use of the illuminating consciousness this new moon has encoded within it rather than waste its energies on pursuing Unconscious or ego-driven desires.
the most powerful aspects this new moon makes is a trine to retrograde saturn in sagittarius and a quincunx to retrograde neptune in pisces- triggering the saturn/neptune square. if you have not seen the blog i wrote about this potent transit that began fall of 2015 and carries us throughout 2016 you can find it linked here- https://www.divineharmony.org/cosmic-insight-divine-harmony/divine-harmony-astrology-blog/saturn-square-neptune-spiritual-crisis-spiritual-mastery/. in summary this aspect pits root chakra against crown chakra, reality against illusion, Truth against lies. this is a transit where we need to take the rose colored glasses off and SEE REALITY as it is first and foremost before we can ever truly manifest what is possible. a big way this has been manifesting is in politics as people are starting to see the schemes and shadow dynamics playing out behind the scenes. yet this is also playing out in our personal lives- everyone has some area of life right now where they are being asked to wake up and smell the coffee. can you see where this is playing out in your life? and if not can you see where you might be choosing to bury your head in the sand?
what exacerbates this square is the fact that neptune is conjunct the karmic south node (and the ruler of the south node right now to boot!). this will be exact in november right around election time in the USA- heralding a questionable election with the shadow energies of illusion, deception, confusion, denial and avoidance of reality coloring things. i love neptune and pisces but the south node tends to illuminate the shadow side of things and highlights where we keep on playing out old karmic patterns ad nausea. with the new moon quincunx neptune and the south node there is a call to step out of victimhood, addiction, deception or denial (shadow pisces) and into a place of sovereignty, accountability and mastery in our personal and collective lives. we can only be deceived if some part of us is not wanting to fully see the Truth and be fully awake. so being willing to face those parts of ourselves that are asleep or pretending to be asleep so they don’t have to face the cold hard Truth of reality (within and without) is key right now.
this new moon is trine to mars who is approaching saturn (the exact mars/saturn conjunction will be on august 24th). with the will, warrior and drive still in his backend shadow- going over the last degrees of his recent retrograde journey- we are still wrapping up lessons that began in february around right use of will, drive, desire, sexuality and anger. mars in sadge can be a warrior for the Truth and trine to the new moon we can harness this energy to align with a total and complete commitment to SEEING THE TRUTH and FACING REALITY in our personal lives, relationships, spiritual communities, politics, collective situation and more!
the other major aspect configuration this new moon makes is a square to mean black moon lilith and juno in scorpio who are both opposite ceres in taurus. on may 29th lilith and juno aligned and they will do so again on september 11th. in my weekly astrology forecast for the first lilith/juno conjunction i wrote the following:
this is a potent alignment of the Goddess of partnership, marriage and commitment with the fierce Dark Goddess who governs equality, passion, power and sexuality. juno/BML is in effect until september as juno is retrograde so after going direct on 6/22 she will ingress back into scorpio on 7/7 and align with BML one more time on 9/11. juno’s retrograde journey is interesting as in june she will dip back into libra and station direct at the 29th degree- a very karmic degree that speaks to completions, endings and letting go. in addition she is transiting through the via combusta also known as ‘the fiery way’ which spans 15 libra to 15 scorpio. this potent part of the sky relates to the stars that are located in the scorpion- with the midpoint of the via combusta (where juno/BML are) being in the mouth of the scorpion which is an intense place to be considering the scorpion is the lowest frequency animal that represents scorpio energy. with juno’s underworld/retrograde journey transiting through the fiery way and coming to a standstill at the karmic 29th degree- there are definite major karmic completions going on in relationships right now. whether significant relationships are ending for good or longtime karmic patterns of relating to others is what is ending (or both)- there’s some deep stuff to navigate in the realm of relationships. fear of or addiction to intimacy, misuse of or repression of sexuality, shared power vs power control dynamics, jealousy, possessiveness, obsession and operating in relationship from a place of ego need (i want this- fill me up!) rather than Higher Self awareness is up for us to address big time. with juno traversing with BML we have an interesting juxtaposition of the Goddess of commitment and the Dark Goddess of freedom and independence. with both in underworld scorpio there can be big shadows up right now around fear of engulfment (BML shadow) or fear of abandonment (juno shadow) and the things we do to avoid feeling all the emotions that arise when either of this are experienced. pay attention to your emotions, passions and desires right now and do an honest self check in if they are running you or if you are running them, or if you are shutting them down altogether. there is a deep journey being navigated around these themes in the coming 4 months!
so with this new moon triggering this intense dynamic- there can be major turning points in the saga of relationships and karmic patterns of relating. if we have been doing deep work and facing our shadows this new moon can be a time of integration of those shadows which will then allow more Light to come in, and ultimately will lead to deeper Union of polarities. the star sparks meditation for 11 leo (the new moon degree) by ellias lonsdale is perfectly symbolic for this (you can read the entire meditation below). he speaks to the split inside and to the deep thorn stuck in our foot that inhibits us from walking our path of evolution further. he says the path to healing involves ‘meeting up against the worst in oneself without resorting to any escapist propensities. only as we unflinchingly recognize what is stopping us and making us feel so fake can we begin to lift it from our energy field slowly, carefully, genuinely.’ this is the saturn/neptune square in a nutshell- facing the Truth without escapist tendencies. without denying, avoiding seeing it, or burying our head in the sand. this relates to us and our own shadow aspects but also to the shadow of others (partners, spiritual teachers, political figures and more).
with ceres involved we also have a focus on home/family dynamics. my friend michael o’reilly mentioned the juno/ceres opposition in his newsletter on neptunecafe.com stating that “this combination puts stress on partnership dynamics, especially where money and children are involved. financial arrangements between former partners and current situations may need to be re-negotiated. unconditional support for partners and children vies with territorial instincts and potential jealousy, especially from (july) 9th to 13th, and 21st to 24th.” we are now past the most intense part of the opposition yet at the new moon on august 2nd juno and ceres are only 13 minutes apart- so the energy is still with us quite strongly. with the new moon square both of these asteroid Goddesses, along with lilith, we are challenged to find a Higher Path in relationship situations in our lives (romantic, business and otherwise). one where there is win/win rather than losers OR perhaps one where we walk away and stop trying to find common ground with people who simply are not on the same wavelength as us. the lesson right now relates to letting go of the past while still holding others accountable by being a warrior for Truth.
one other thing to take note of in the new moon chart is the conjunction of the sun/moon alignment with siva- the hindu God of creation and destruction. siva (also written as shiva) is responsible for change- both in the sense of death and destruction but also and more importantly in the sense of destroying the ego. the new moon in leo is very much connected to the ego- personal ego, spiritual ego and collective ego. shadow work is an ego destroying process as the ego only wants to see itself in a positive Light and to truly see and own the shadow is a shattering experience. ultimately the journey of enlightenment is not really about destroying the ego- it’s about integrating it and having it be the servant not the master. staying in ego destroying mode simply splits the self in two- the good side and the bad side- and keeps us warring within and without. martha lang wescott says the asteroid siva is connected to ‘episodic, catabolic, breakdown/breakthrough processes that precede insight’. siva brings ‘destruction of density and fixated beliefs’ as well as ‘crises of death, stagnation and regeneration’. with siva on this new moon this is a powerful lunation to truly face your ego and be willing to have things fall apart around you so you can rebirth yourself in a truer, more aligned and integrous form. this is both personal and political, internal and external, individual and collective.
this is a powerful new moon to harness the solar fire energies and make them work for you/with you! the key is to ensure you are not harnessing your ego and thinking its your Higher Self ;) being willing to see where you are deluding yourself or where illusions are obscuring your ability to discern Truth and see life with clear vision is recommended.
‘as above, so below. as within, so without. as the Universe, so the Soul.’ ~hermes trismegistus (also known as thoth)
new moon blessings sent your way!
~divine harmony
STAR SPARKS MEDITATION
by ellias lonsdale
Leo 11 A boy removing a thorn from his foot
Paralyzed and numbed by something bugging the self from way back. Mobile and fluent in every higher broader stretch. Unable to land, to embody, to get down to it. Distracted greatly by all the strengths and powers which the self can access and move among without bumping into the shadow.
Living two lives at once. The one above, which most see, is delightful, charming, wondrous fun. A bright spirit sparks others with a grace and a presence that are irresistible. That smile, that gaze, that gift for articulation, and that way of knowing and acknowledging each one for what they can do are marvels of the shared life, treasures to behold.
The one below, which few suspect, is tortuous, heavy, held back hard. A dark history generates a repeat performance on inward frequencies. We are haunted, possessed, inhibited. Our core self is somewhere else altogether. And we miss them dearly. Every step we take feels false inside. What is missing seems to be what counts and what impresses others feels deep down to be a lie.
This split is intense. It is disabling. But there is a way through. It is not for the faint-hearted.
For the way through stands with learning the fine art of meeting up against the worst in oneself without resorting to any escapist propensities. Only as we unflinchingly recognize what is stopping us and making us feel so fake can we begin to lift it from our energy field slowly, carefully, genuinely.
What we are meeting inside ourselves is also reflected subtly on every hand. The greatest trap and pitfall is to use this fact to despair, to feel powerless and futile. As we awaken, we realize that we are clearing our field for everybody. This highly individualized struggle is also archetypally at one with the species in it’s pivotal blind spots and their working through.
We are privileged to be at the center of the world dilemma and we are empowered to work on ourselves and give what we come to into all.