New Moon in Leo 28th of July

It’s Leo Season Darlings! Summer is in full swing, Lughnasadh is almost here, the plans laid in early spring are ripening now, coming to fruition. Ok, it may not look like you thought it would (it rarely does). Likely you are feeling frustrated by the challenges in your way. This new moon brings an opportunity to level up in terms of manifesting and aligning with the path that serves your highest purpose but there is work to be done (sorry, not sorry).

Leo rules the 5th house. Our creativity and the expression of it. Sometimes I think we get stuck on the word ‘creativity’ linking it only to the arts. Everything you put your energy into is you being creative, it is the use of your life force energy. Whatever lights you up and sparks passion. Sure, this could be in your art but it could also be in the way you connect with others, the way you love, (love and the expression of it is fire energy) form ideas, question your experience, heal old wounds. It can be in the passion you bring to your work and definitely in your play.

Ruled by the Sun, Leo energy is your self, your way of being the world, your vitality and where you apply it. Leo’s are bold, shiny, strong often stubborn and sometimes perceived as arrogant, something many of us fear being accused of to the point of playing it small, especially women. We are not doing that anymore. (the difference between confidence and arrogance is evidence, you can find a little rant on that here) It is how we use our energy that is important here. Something many of us question and doubt especially when we are faced with challenges and blockages. This new moon asks us to look at how we react to those moments, centre ourselves and ask how we want to act. Who do we want to be? What energises us? What do we feel called to do with that energy? What triggers are being highlighted and how would we rather respond to them? This is a leaping off point. Yes leap but do not do so blindly.

In Tarot, Leo is represented by the strength card. A maiden seemingly taming a Lion. I love this representation as it speaks to strength being both the lion and the maiden who can direct his energy. Sometimes we must be both. There is a sense of choosing how to act with this moon, consciously choosing the path we want to walk. Yes act, but from a place that will truly serve. This is where the work will come. By work, I of course mean shadow work. The Full Moon in cancer and the waning phase over the last 2 weeks will have highlighted the areas needing to be released. This will be seen in the emotions that have come up. The things that have vexed and upset you. Ask yourself why they came up. Where did they come from? Something not going the way you had hoped? An old pattern coming up? A relationship dynamic? Self-doubt and limiting self beliefs getting in the way of moving ahead? Fear? These areas are the ones now asking for a bit of that fiery Leo energy to be applied. Also, I want to point out here that strength doesn’t look the way we were taught it does. Strength is in persevering. In allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. It is in being honest about our fears, where they come from and pushing on anyway, even if it is with shaky legs to begin with. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is found in being afraid but doing it anyway.

Be prepared for unexpected changes to come up with this New moon. They may feel like set backs but it is how we respond to them that will hold the power for huge change and shifts in who we want to be. There has been conflict between the path we are on and the path we want to be on. This New moon offers an opportunity to look at the blockers to us getting there and burning them away. You will likely find that you had the power to do so all along but an old feeling of how things ‘should’ be done was holding you back (I loathe the word ‘should’ I have been working on removing it from my vocabulary, you can find a piece on why here). Embrace the creative nature of Leo and choose action especially if that action is to lean into play.

Speaking of action Leo is ruled by the element of Fire. Fire is passion and life spark energy. It is also the art of transmutation, turning one energy into another. This is important to remember when dealing with unexpected and frustrating changes. They are opportunities for transformation. Now is great time to work with fire in any of your practices. Fire gazing, manifesting by burning wishes and burning away what no longer serves, harnessing Solar energy by grounding beneath it and soaking it in will all serve you this New Moon. The next month has ‘game changer’ energy written all over it and that energy is fire, summer and The Sun. It speaks of being brave now leading to abundance of success in a short space of time. All the more reason to start as you mean to go on with this new moon. Listen to your creativity, what do you feel called to do? What lights you up? What do you want more of in your life? As challenges arise, keep an open mind and an open heart. Doors not meant for you close for a reason.

Elsewhere In Astrology

This New moon is happening in a trine with Jupiter. Lending a sense of enthusiasm, expansion and confidence (apparently more confidence is required). Jupiter is Zeus, sky daddy himself. look out for opportunity to expand into spaces cleared. The breadcrumbs a long the way that align with what you say you want. This is particularly important in areas that require bravery. If it unnerves you a little bit because it is something you want but you are talking yourself out of it due to self-doubt and old fear, run with it. even if it is in small steps to begin with.

A square between Mercury and Uranus creating conflict which is where the challenges I mentioned before are coming up. Mercury is communication, work, commerce and technology. Uranus is that expansive, bolt from the blue energy which rules Aquarius. An opportunity not only to think outside of the box but to the blow the box apart is being met with resistance from how we communicate what we want and how we work. This is going to bring up blockages. Blockages that exist to be overcome but can feel disheartening. This is a chance to lean into that courageous maiden, taming the lion. Do the work to stay centred. Lean into your self care and grounding, remind yourself of who you are, what your aiming for and choose your words and actions carefully. Easier said than done but this is a chance to turn over a new leaf in areas surrounding work and expansion.

There’s a lot of Mars energy around as he squares Mercury (creating more conflict) but is sextile Venus (a positive connection) and conjunct Uranus. This speaks again to the need for acting from a place of love and looking out for expansion all the while facing blockages in terms of communication and work. Mars is Aries god of War. We each have a warrior within us. He is a Divine Masculine aspect. But is yours fighting from the right place? Does he fight for love of for fear? The Wounded Warrior fights for ego, to protect us from what hurts our inner child (and inner teen by proxy). He cares more for being right, for being in charge of our destiny even though that is exactly what stops us from reaching it. He picks up and wildly swings his sword in the face of anything that challenges our ego. A healed warrior fights for our highest purpose, he creates space for our feminine attributes to exist. Things like allowing ourselves to feel and be, to create, to walk a path serving our highest self, not from a place of ego. The work of healing our inner warrior involves (shadow work yaaaaay!) looking at our triggers and asking why we feel the need to pick up the sword in the first place. What is he fighting for? Does he even know? Have you ever questioned or given instruction to him or is he just there? the term ‘pick your battles’ comes to mind. Not in a sense of backing down, or being the bigger person (which is often encouraging us not to fight at all) but to consciously choose if the battle is the right one?

The ongoing North Node, Mercury, Uranus, Mars alignment adds to the ‘game changer’ feeling. There is a sense of being able to change ones destiny. The North Node represents our goals in this life. Uranus offers catalytic change energy, Mars the drive to act (even go to war) and Mercury bringing the conflict. Again with the bullshit, thank you Mercury. The challenges we are facing now and how we face them will impact our life long goals so tread consciously, do the work and act from the place you want to be in future (simple right?)

Finally, adding to that game changer energy is the annual ‘Lions Gate Portal’ This is where Sirius (our spiritual sun) aligns with The Sun. This alignment began on the 26th of July, peaks on the 8th of August and ends on the 12th. This brings massive power to our manifestations. If there is anything you want to ask for use this New Moon to ask for it and focus again on the 8th. Be brave enough to ask for whatever you want without watering it down. Picture yourself living your life the way you want, as the best version of yourself. What do they look like? How do they move through the world? What helped them get there? What helped them overcome the challenges you are facing now? Then write these things down, ask for what you feel you need to step into that person with ease. Ideally, burn them in a fire.

To Sum Up

The New Moon in Leo is a time for manifesting alignment with the path that better serves us. The last two weeks have shown us how we feel about it our current path vs where we want to be. The challenges arising show us where we need to do more work. This could be in terms of accepting doors not meant for us and trusting in the path, it could be in how our relationship dynamics are currently and where we want to enact change. It could be showing us where our fear holds us back. Now is the time to face this with courage. Leo reminds that courage is not the absence of fear but feeling fear and doing it anyway. Use the element of fire to transform the frustrations into gifts. Ask for anything you will need in overcoming these obstacles and be willing to embrace change. You could use my basic new moon ritual.

This is a pivotal time for us as a collective. The work we do for ourselves, supports our communities in doing the same and ripples out into the collective. We are being called to look at we react rather than act, centre ourselves and choose how we want to face these challenges. Move from the place we want to be not where we used to be. This will involve doing the work in terms of identifying where we are playing small, where we allow ego to rule and why we want what we want. This is powerful time for making big change. As humans we don’t embrace change easily, but we could. The change that we choose, even if it terrifies us, is where we will find out power and highest purpose. Follow what you called to do, what lights you up? Ask for more of that.

There is conflict abound. This is good as it shows us what we want and how to ask for it. However we risk being clumsy with it. Make space for play, self care and creative expression. This is a time for action but acting from the right place. Practices that will support you are: grounding, any practice that involves fire, dance, play, shake it off, embrace your inner lion/lioness, journaling (this is also a good way to manifest what you want. Just be sure to write it down in present tense) and of course shadow work.

As we move through August and the harvesting season things are going to shift and change. Be sure they are moving in ways that support you by being brave enough to ask for what you want now and prepared to fight for it later (from a healed place please). There is so much space for expansion.

It’s time to step into your power, onto your right path and live in the way you want not how you were conditioned.

Be the Lion and the Maiden who Masters him.

Happy manifesting Darlings.

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