The Leo New Moon – it’s NOT just about You!

Leo New Moon:

Leo 17̊ 24ʹ
(2nd Decan of Leo: Sagittarius Decan)

August 9, 2010 – 11:09 p.m. EDT
August 10, 2010 – 3:09 a.m. GMT

I always think of the New Moon as sharing essential qualities of the Fool card, as it’s a time both of endings (or a break from the old) and of inspired new beginnings. There’s also a slight edge, a wild-card feeling to it, the energy of something spinning into manifestation. It’s not quite stable, so it can make you feel a bit dizzy! It also seems to nudge our impulsive streak, the urge to take that leap of faith into the wild blue yonder.

In general, the New Moon is prime time for thinking about what old habits you’d like to slam-dunk into the trash can and what new and exciting things you’d like to coax into birth. Since the new moon kicks off the waxing (increasing) cycle of the moon, it’s one of the best times to take positive steps towards manifesting anything you want to grow and flourish. It’s a seed time: what you plant now can result in a large harvest later on. Many people feel it’s important to write down their goals and desires just before the New Moon. If you’re more visually oriented, a simple vision board adorned with photos that represent these goals can be substituted.

This New Moon falls in the sign of Leo, more specifically the Sagittarius or 2nd decanate of Leo, which is ruled by Jupiter. What this does is amplify the effects of a normal Leo moon. Jupiter tends to enlarge or expand things, which sometimes is wonderful and sometimes is just too much of a good thing. So think of this New Moon as being in hyperdrive!

Spotlights everywhere!

All Leo and fifth house activities are highlighted now: creativity in general, theater, the dramatic arts, and all forms of entertainment, anything involving children, play, gambling, and most importantly at this time, the opening of the heart. This Leo New Moon, as it ties in with some of the current intense planetary shenanigans (more on that subject below) is linked with a need for all of us to crank it up a notch and become the compassionate, heart-centered beings we’re truly meant to be.

Actually, we’re not going to have much choice in the matter. One of the reasons Leo seems like such a larger-than-life sign is that it’s dealing with major issues, with the expression of who we are at our essence, our core. Some of the pressure we’re feeling is because we know (in our hearts, where else?) that we’re not really aligned with that core, that we’re doing things we’re not meant or called to do and that now is the time to open up to what makes our heart sing. External pressures are strong and feel limiting, but the New Moon in Leo is telling us we need courage and commitment (Leo is a fixed sign, possessed of great determination and stamina).

This New Moon will most likely be felt most by those with planets or important chart angles at around 17-18 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). It will also emphasize the house in your birth chart where 17-18 degrees of Leo is located.

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is A chemist conducts an experiment for his students. One of the key words for this symbol is alchemy. This symbol works on several levels. The chemist teaching his students relates to those ancient and arcane arts and spiritual principles that have been passed down from teacher to student through the centuries. The chemist takes center stage (shades of Leo here – he’s ‘performing’ an experiment) to demonstrate scientific principles to his students. By combining two or more substances, a totally new substance can be produced. Even though the chemist has undoubtedly conducted these experiments many times, there’s always a chance for new and unexpected results, a new creation. Of course, there’s the possibility of an explosion, too, if things aren’t handled properly.

This symbol illustrates the inherent creativity of the Leo archetype and the responsibility to take it seriously as well. By experimenting with the building blocks of life, we need to make sure that we’re not damaging that which sustains us. We need to make sure that we’re not grandstanding or showing off in our mastery of universal forces. Wise use and intelligent stewardship of that which is entrusted to us is indicated here. It’s also a bit of magic: we all become the sorcerer’s apprentices and dream of the new worlds we can usher into being. Some of the world’s greatest inventions have come from people who aren’t afraid to just play around!

A few words on the past month or two:

Hands up, all of you, who have been stressed out of your gourd for the past few weeks. (Yeah, I thought so.) A series of extraordinarily intense astrological aspects has been pressing down hard on all of us. Remember those cheap and cheesy horror films where the heroes were trying to make their escape from an enclosed area, only to find that a moving wall was inching its way towards them, threatening to crush them to death? Only a miracle, it seems, can save them. That’s how many people are feeling right now. The pressure is enormous and the stakes are high.

Without going into too much astrological detail, for much of 2010, and since June, particularly, we’ve had an unprecedented array of tension-producing (a/k/a a rock and a hard place) aspects affecting the celestial weather for everyone, but people who have their sun, major chart angles or other sensitive points in approximately 0-3 degrees of the Cardinal signs, (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) may be feeling the heat most right now.

Essentially, it’s like the universe pulled the Tower card

Rotting structures collapse, lightning strikes & we all fall down, without regard to status, wealth or importance. Major change and world-altering events will become the norm. It will lead to far – reaching changes, which at first might be quite uncomfortable. When so many of the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, with Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto currently retrograde) are involved with each other and as the faster-moving inner planets (particularly Mars) trigger them, we’re bound to see the results in our world.

With Saturn in Libra, relationships are tested to live up to their highest potential; if they don’t, changes may need to be made. Uranus and Jupiter together in Aries sound the clarion call for freedom and advancement. Pluto in Capricorn, which squares the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Aries and the conjunction of Saturn, Venus and Mars in Libra, will bring up issues of power and control vs. freedom in our relationships, rattle the status quo to its foundations and bring down powerful institutions that are not operating for the good of all. We are all going to have to learn to work together in this new world.

At first, this will all seem very stressful as we learn to adjust to new realities. All this is meant to take us to a higher level, to help us engineer truly revolutionary changes in ourselves and our environment. It’s ultimately leading us to higher ground.

Thank you, Mel Gibson!

I was thinking, while writing this, that we should all thank Mel Gibson. Why, you may ask, should we thank Mel Gibson? Because he’s been the early warning system, the canary in the coal mine for 2010. Many of the powerhouse aspects slamming us now are reflected in Mel Gibson’s natal chart, making him more likely to react when this configuration hit full-force. He’s been acting out just about all the planetary patterns that are front and center right now, and it’s not very pretty.

Not only does he have a lot of issues, as can be seen from stressful aspects in his birth chart, but these issues are being mirrored right now by astrological aspects that are influencing all of us. He’s been under tremendous pressure and must feel like he’s being flayed alive (don’t forget the kinds of movies he’s been making lately). The end result – well, we’ve seen it in all the tabloids. Relationship and sexual issues, control/power themes, emotional instability, abusive patterns, a rigid belief system that does not allow flexibility of thought, and an inability to deal with the shadow side (thus projecting fears onto women and various ethnic and religious groups who are not-Mel and thus the scary Other).

Whatever you may think of Mel Gibson’s ongoing psychodrama, his being triggered by current planetary energies reminds us that we need to take a good hard look at how we all are “acting out”. People around us may seem to have gone totally gonzo, and there can be quite a bit of nastiness born from frustration and anger. Whatever hasn’t been resolved – be assured it will show up on your front step, disheveled, angry and ready for a fight. It wasn’t buried, just repressed, and man, is it pissed off! Just remember that everyone is under pressure.

Note to Leos and Aries: No, it’s NOT just about you! (As Carly Simon sang many years ago: I bet you think this song is about you.) But no–this is everyone’s tune. It’s a collective event: we’re witnessing the death of the old world and the beginning of the new. Right now we can’t really see clearly because we’re in the eye of the storm, but years from now there’s no doubt that many will point to this time as one of the pivotal moments that helped influence the course of the 21st century. So take heart (there’s that new moon in Leo again): we’re all embarking on a vast transformative journey right now.

I drew 3 cards for this New Moon:

1. Ace of Pentacles
2. Strength
3. 3 of Pentacles

This combination brings in the Leo element (the Strength card). I have always liked the one meaning I learned for this card years ago:

That it can reflect Saturn/Pluto aspects in astrology (which ties in wonderfully with Saturn in Libra squaring Pluto in Capricorn, happening right now in a solar system near you!).

There’s a need to develop self-discipline to tame our instincts, which can erupt in frustrated explosions of excessive pride, rage, or even violence, if not dealt with properly. We learn crisis management techniques, and are tested to see if we’re up for the challenge. We develop inner strength and discover our value, which is reflected in the other two cards here, the Ace of Pentacles and the 3 of Pentacles.

This tells me that this new moon is very much about manifesting something new in our lives. It’s about energy that can be used for creative activity. Possibilities abound here. We’re asked to be of service, to offer up our abilities and do the work to manifest what we want to see. Strength as the center card reflects the heart as being central to the functioning of the body, activating our life force.

The two pentacles cards show that once we’ve tamed our inner demons, hard work and dedication will take us far towards achieving our goals. Since Pentacles refer to things of this earth, it shows we’re all undergoing growing pains through this process. We need also to support the planet we live on and be aware that hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other events illustrate graphically that our earthly home re-creates itself anew every day.

Valerie Sylvester

Valerie Sylvester – has written 15 posts on Tarot Elements.

Valerie Sylvester is a Professional Tarot Reader, keen astrologer, creative writer and lover of all things metaphysical. She's also a warm, charming and delightful woman. If you would like to book a private or public venue Tarot reading with Valerie, she can be contacted via Tarot Elements.