On Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 at 5:38AM EDT, the Leo Moon met up with the Leo Sun giving us this month's New Moon - our annual New Moon in fiery Leo.
This New Moon is happening in our Leo natal house. Our natal Leo house is where we are meant to "shine" - this is where we create, take risks and are "recognized". This "recognition" doesn't mean everyone is going to love what we are doing (although they might!).
But it does mean the stuff we are doing will stand out.
Let's dive right in and unpack the chart!
We can see there is a PILE-UP in Leo and Juno has joined the Leo party. With all this uber Leo, there is alot of SELF-IMPORTANCE going on. For some, this can be a good thing - healthy ego, respect for self and others, purpose. But for others this can go too far - blind pride, arrogance, greed - and it will be very easy to slip into that second category!
We know we have Venus retrograde doing her back and forth through Leo this summer and at the time of the New Moon she is within a close orb of the Moon/Sun conjunction and they are almost exactly conjunct another female archetype making her way through Leo this summer - Black Moon Lilith.
Black Moon Lilith, the anti-Moon, speaks of the point in the Moon's orbit where she is furthest from the Earth. She is complicated. Represents many things through her biblical connection to Lilith and her-story of sexual liberation and pain that gets warped into something dangerous. I see her most easily as representing a part of our gestation - the Anti-Moon thing. A 'shame' our mother carried during her pregnancy that becomes part of who we are. So, with Black Moon Lilith in Leo we might be feeling all the ways that 'normal' Leo space where we are meant to shine, lead with our heart, be recognized and take risks has become warped.
We have the Moon and Sun together at 23 degrees. Venus is at 18 degrees. Black Moon Lilith is at 24 degrees. The New Moon is EXACTLY squaring Uranus in Taurus. The New Moon is trining the North Node, Eris and Chiron in Aries and sextiling Vesta in Gemini. The Moon is ruled by the Sun, as the Sun rules Leo, so the ruler of the lunation is doing everything the Moon is doing, just a wee bit slower. This "no where else to go" through disposition thing, makes the Leo New Moon (much like the Cancer Full Moon we had two weeks ago) EVEN MORE POWERFUL. The buck stops here.
Venus - and the summer of 2023 is all about Venus - has just met up with the Sun herself, starting a new solar cycle, so this New Moon is very supportive and echoing of that.
The square to Uranus is EXACT.
Uranus squares speak of disruptive change.
So, something comes or has come from out of left field from our Taurus house (collectively this will be about our values, resources, money, Earth changes and personally will be about all that plus your natal Taurus house theme) and forces/pushes new Leo house beginnings.
This 'disruptive change' has been in play all month and until the end of September when Venus squares Uranus for a final time and we move past this/have dealt or be finally dealing with whatever this is.
With the 'disruptive change' pulled into the New Moon in Leo story, and Black Moon Lilith - another disruptive archetype, because she's been shamed for wanting what she is entitled to be wanting (in this case in Leo this could be something like attention or appreciation or recreation or even love) and she is PISSED - playing a prominent role it is likely there is some situation here that is, yes, in some way LIBERATING, but it is coming through some kind of CRISIS.
The Moon's other aspects are all smooth/not jarring.
The sextile to Vesta speaks of important information/communications and conversations - the kind that get our brain buzzing and keep us up at night. A creative opportunity. The trine to Chiron speaks of healing old wounds - yes, we can take care of ourselves/be ourselves/stand up for ourselves - if we properly manage (ie don't hide from and also don't over-react) this New Moon beginning. The trine to the North Node speaks of a more independent, self-sufficient, courageous future. The trine to Eris speaks of honesty and says this won't all be pretty .... bows will be tied eventually, but not anytime soon ...
Keep in mind what's going to happen AFTER this New Moon because the New Moon is the Moon's last aspect in Leo.
Within hours the Moon is going to move into Virgo and apply to oppose Saturn and then on Thursday actually oppose Saturn - this is foreshadowing what the Sun is going to do in a few days. Our work/health/whatever we are fixing/doing is opposed by something/someone out of our control. Maybe this is our ego taking a hit. With Saturn in Pisces maybe we get sick or wet weather changes our plans. If we have been playing too much this will bring a reality check. Knowing this is coming, now, yes, and in maybe a bigger, or I should say more visible, way later through the Sun, we don't want to use the New Moon's liberating energies to go NUTS. Don't toss the baby with the dirty bathwater. Don't burn the bridge with Venus retrograde and Mercury about to be.
This is a PROCESS.
The Venus back and forth through Leo is one of this year's BIGGEST transits. She, as us, won't be covering new territory until October 7th and we've got Mercury walking degrees he/she will walk two more times, so straight lines are highly over-rated right now.
And with everything about to head into Virgo we are going to want to GET TO WORK and we could feel this pressure to get everything just so and make ourselves nuts because, again, the retrograde is saying THIS IS A PROCESS. We don't know what we don't know ... yet.
And Mars in Virgo is about to oppose Neptune which is also going to pull us off our game. We could be tired, get sick, go on a planned vacation when the timing feels off. We could drift off course with our purpose, face delays and changing obstacles. There isn't a fast track right now. And remember with Mercury in Virgo going to walk these degrees two more times, we are going to be doing quite a bit of whatever we are doing right now ALL OVER AGAIN.
Keep that in mind with whatever is starting. Leo is fixed fire and doesn't so much like twists and turns. Knowing so much action is about to be in practical, and mutable, Virgo, we can channel into Mars, who is already there and applying to his trine to Uranus. This says we CAN work with the disruptive changes. One step in front of another. Attend to one piece of the plan at a time. Keep things manageable. That's what we want to be asking ourselves. HOW CAN I MAKE THIS MANGEABLE? This isn't really the time for long term strategies because this thing is going to twist and turn on us. Stay nimble. Think small. When nothing else is working - clean a room, your inbox, a closet. Fix one thing that is broken.
The New Moon and Sun are also exactly conjunct asteroid Praamzius. A trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper belt named after a Lithuanian God of Time. His decisions were said to be inscribed in stone and offered no escape. He orbits the Sun every 279 years, so, conjunct the Sun here is both starting and ending a 279 year cycle. There is not much information on Praamzius online, but the God of Time thing got me thinking about the Fates - in ancient Greek mythology, the Fates, also known as the Moirai were the personification of DESTINY. They were three sisters, sometimes said to share one eye, whose job it was to be sure humans lived out their destiny according to the rules of the Universe. They assured we got our "lot" (meros, the likely root of Moirai meaning lot) - our piece of the puzzle/thread of the web we get to work with and the piece of time we need to weave what we came to weave.
The three sisters were - Klotho, the spinner - the keeper of the time of our birth and our life's important transitional moments. Lachesis, the alotter - the keeper of the present moment and what we are becoming. And, of course, Atropos, maybe the most famous of the Moirai and certainly the most feared because she was the cutter of the cord of life when we are complete. Chop.
I thought with this Lithuanian God of Time EXACTLY conjunct the New Moon, let's add the Fates/Moirai into the chart and see where they are. I was #surprised/not surprised to find one of the sisters EXACTLY conjunct the New Moon's other star player, chaotic change-maker Uranus!
You can probably guess which one!
Asteroid Atropos conjunct Uranus EXACT (23 degrees Taurus) at the time of the New Moon (23 degrees Leo), can be read as a death/end of circumstance creating the 'disruptive change' that pushes the New Moon new beginning.
You might also remember all the 23 degree New Moons we had back in 2021 after January 2020's 'wipeout/cementing of power' of 21-22 degrees Capricorn. To me, Atropos here now, is just reinforcing the importance of these times. A period of disintegration coming to an end. Stubborn obstinacy being fatal.
And, of course 23 is also the number of our calendar year.
In China, the Year of the Rabbit who (unlike the tortoise and hare story) calmly jumped from stone to stone and then GOT LUCKY (after doing her step by step, Jupiter in Taurus!) and found a log to get her across to the opposite shore - with Dragon's help of course (also I should say asteroid Praamzius's discovery in January 2012 was as the Chinese were celebrating their beloved Year of the Dragon).
In the iChing, number 23 is called splitting apart. The 5 broken lines are feminine yin and the top line is unbroken masculine yang which is hanging on for dear life. One more push by the yin (feminine energy of chaos) and the change is complete.
The yin energy, all those broken lines of CHAOS are overthrowing the last yang solid line at the top - it's the end of a cycle and change is coming. The things that used to make sense/support us are broken/changed.
Chaos has gotten a bad rap because as soon as something feels chaotic we feel the need to 'get a grip on it' (this could just be me:)) when 'going with the flow' allows life/the creative to do its work.
So, what comes next? Well, maybe 24 follows 23.
Hexagram 24 is called returning. It looks like the whole thing has been flipped around and that can be what it feels like.
Now we have 6 lines of yin. Everything is broken. Which sounds like a bad thing (and again this just might be me), but is really a space of 'anything can happen'. Yin is receptive energy, but not inactive energy. Receptive power is the space where stillness and movement meet. Great receptivity attracts great gifts and great blessings.
But, we are still at Hexagram 23, tossing our dice, playing the game.
Does 24 follow 23 or will 2 break through?
And this is all making me think of the Barbie movie, which I haven't seen, and its amazing synchronicity (and great success) with Venus retrograde. I think I have to do a post about that.
Anyhoo, for now, this New Moon from 23 degrees Leo will play out over the next month (and next six months) and especially over the next two weeks as she waxes. Set your intentions, but don't wed yourself to them. The Sun, ruler of this lunation, doesn't go retrograde, but alot of the supportive players are or will be.
Think, plan and talk but know that too much thinking, planning and talking can be counter-productive. Does the grass 'plan to grow'? With Mars in Virgo trining Uranus and all the Virgo coming - this is a time to concentrate on realities rather than potentials - with how to RESPOND to a situation practically rather than how to direct or manipulate it.
One thing we do want to be doing now, and setting New Moon intentions can help with this, is opening ourselves up to receive what we attract (Venus is retrograde so this will be connected to the past). Saturn is in Pisces. Limits are optional. Be patient. You are actually as old as dirt. Take your time. Focus as much on feeling as action. But don't sit idle. This is a fire New Moon and they are rare opportunities for fresh starts. Remember those yin lines of chaos. Receptive power is birthed through alignment with creative power/change not in opposition to it. Let's strive for a natural responsiveness that is based on our inner strength rather than outer show. What are your skills? Where is your lion/where are you intended to ROAR? Leo rules what we give birth to - our children, our creative projects. For many people, managing this well might simply be a matter of slowing the "f" down. Mindfulness matters and pays off. And, oh yes, Venus is retrograde, everything old is new again ... at least for now.
Clear a space. Wash your hands. Speak intentionally (and less) in the time leading up to and following this ritual to give your thoughts/words more juice. Don't share them. This is all about you. Let your heart (with a tilt toward change/chaos!) guide you, write your intentions down by hand in script on a blank piece of paper, speak the words out loud, sit with this as long as it feels appropriate, then burn the paper - release your attention from these things knowing your intention is known.
Life has heard you. Your thread of the web has shifted.
Know these things are already yours.
xo all
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