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LEO NEW MOON - 23 July 2017

7/20/2017

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Picture
Exact at 10.45am BST, 5.45am EDT
 
This is the first of two Leo New Moons in the next month and it certainly has some fire and passion to it! New Moons are a time of new beginnings when we leave old patterns and anything that no longer serves us behind in the dark of the moon and plant seeds that will gradually blossom and grow over the month ahead. This can take the form of setting intentions for ourselves, or it can happen quite naturally because the New Moon is such a potent time and has the power to set an energetic ball in motion that takes us for a ride. Whatever we are focusing on around the time of the New Moon will have a tendency to take form and grow as the month progresses. This particular New Moon is in Leo, which is a fire sign, and if we visualise fire it starts as a little flame and very quickly spreads, given the right conditions, so that it becomes a raging fire. If we don’t tend to it carefully then it can very easily burn out of control. As such, fire signs are very enthusiastic, infectious, lively, courageous, creative, forceful and possess a tremendous zest for life. This is certainly the flavour of this particular Moon, as not only is it in Leo but it is also joined by Mars, who has just moved into Leo. There is a sense that anything is possible with this Moon and that we could have the drive and motivation to courageously step outside of our comfort zone.
 
Leo is a very creative sign which encourages us to take control of our own destiny and shape it out of the strength of our will and passion. With the New Moon in Leo we could imagine ourselves as a blank slate, or a piece of clay that we can mould in any way we want. Leo wants us to allow our special and unique nature to truly shine! This is certainly not the sign of the wallflower; it is the sign of creative actualisation which brings a sense that we are masters of our own destiny and can become anything we want to be. While Cancer symbolises the formation of the ego, or a sense of self, borne out of our childhood experience, Leo represents the full expression of that sense of self. Thus, self-expression is part of the Leo experience and can take many forms, such as painting, acting, performing, singing, dancing and the many other forms of creative expression that exist, including procreation. Children come under the Leo banner, as they come from the womb and are very much our creation. Leo also represents the inner child who is very playful, uninhibited, spontaneous and likes to have fun. During this Moon it could be good to nurture that child within us and focus on following our bliss; listening to our heart and doing what brings us the most joy. If we do that then we will doubtless be moving in the right direction!
 
Mars has just entered Leo and is sitting right next to the Sun and Moon for this lunation. Mars is the planet that acts on our desires and represents our motivation and drive. He is the action planet! He is quite at home in Leo, and encourages us to get off our proverbial behinds and do what really, truly brings us joy! There is something quite passionate and impulsive about this Moon and so we could have some quite strong urges to take control of our destiny and create the life we truly want for ourselves. This is the kind of energy that helps us do the things we have always wanted to do but never had the courage to actually make happen. It could make us much braver and willing to take a risk, so when we set our intentions for this Moon we should aim high and be willing to follow through on them, because there will be some force behind them! Leo rules the heart and with Mars in Leo we are encouraged to act from our heart and follow its desires. The heart is so much more intelligent than the mind!
 
Uranus is also forming a challenging aspect to the Sun, Moon and Mars during this Moon, although it is an out of sign aspect, which means it isn’t quite as strong. However, it has been very strong all week long, so it is still very relevant indeed as we will have already been feeling its effects. Uranus can make us feel like we want to bust out and do something completely different and will make us far less tolerant of any restrictions we may be feeling at the moment. This is the planet that urges us to break out of our safe, predictable routine and step outside of our comfort zone. This Moon could be the time for us to make necessary changes in our lives and to step away from any situations or states of being that we have outgrown or which have become limiting, restricting or oppressive. We could well be braver and bolder than at other times, or it could simply be that we can’t take any more and we have no choice but to make changes!
 
There is a sense of excitement that comes with Uranus squaring Mars, the Sun and Moon, but it could also make things feel quite volatile, unstable and insecure. We could feel strong urges to express our true self and our emotions, even if it may seem a bit out of character, or shocking. We could also be the recipient of someone else’s temper or shocking behaviour. It is quite likely that we will feel a bit rebellious or impatient and we could feel overwhelmed with the sense that we need to make changes and we need to do it now! We may feel passions, desires and even anger coming out of the blue and demanding expression. Anything that we have been holding in could come bursting out, as we have a strong urge to get everything off our chest. It is far better to get everything out into the open, rather than having it bubbling away under the surface! This is an ideal time to be completely honest about whatever has become intolerable to us, and we may have no choice in the matter anyway! Note that this energy has already been with us all week and peaks today, Thursday 27 July.
 
Pluto and Jupiter are also working up to a challenging square aspect that will be exact on August 4th. Pluto is the planet of soul, power and transformation while Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion, so we could feel urges that come from the depths of our souls urging us to transcend our own limitations so that we can really blossom and grow. This aspect could also make us feel a bit claustrophobic and acutely aware of where we feel a loss of personal freedom and are being held back from moving forward with our lives. We could feel powerful urges to spread our wings and fly and to break free of any restrictions, real or imagined. Much like the Uranus aspect, we will very likely be quite intolerant of anyone or anything that seems to be holding us down or curtailing our freedom in any way. Jupiter also represents beliefs and philosophies, so it is quite possible that we will experience a metamorphosis of our beliefs and faith during this time. We could also experience some rather extreme beliefs coming from other people, or we may be forced to stick up for what we believe in and trust the power of our convictions.
 
The Sabian symbol for the New Moon, at 1° Leo, is “Blood rushes to a man’s head as his vital energies are mobilised under the spur of ambition.” As Rudyar says, “Leo depicts rising of energy from the heart to the head, a “mentalisation” process. However, this process is a potentially dangerous one.” This could mean that we feel things “coming to a head” and experience some kind of explosion as whatever has been suppressed come bursting out! This could be a very good thing, as what is in our hearts comes bursting through to our conscious minds, or it could also be destructive. We have all experience that explosion in the head at some point or other! Combine this with the Sabian symbol of Mars, at 2° Leo: “An epidemic of mumps” and we have a sense that the fire could indeed spread out of control, or that whatever is in our hearts during this time has the chance to take hold and multiply. There is something infectious about this symbol, and it brings an image of thoughts, feelings or ideas spreading like wild fire!  I think we just need to set those intentions and see where they take us!
 
Certainly this is a passionate New Moon and it seems like a really good one for setting some heart felt intentions based on what we truly want for ourselves. It might be good to contemplate what constitutes us following our bliss and what brings us our greatest joy. It does seem like we may experience a sense of certain situations becoming intolerable, so that we have no choice but to make a change. Uranus could well bring some epiphanies that seem to come out of the blue, giving us some insight into what needs to change and how. Mars gives us the courage, passion and motivation to actually make things happen, rather than just dreaming about what we might like to do. It could also make us a bit impulsive and reactionary, leading us to take risks we wouldn’t normally take. This Moon doesn’t feel like it is going to be particularly comfortable, but possibly that is a good thing!  Leo wants us to truly shine and express our own special, unique gifts, and I sense that this Moon will make us all too aware of what is stopping us from doing just that! We just need to remember the greatest gift of Leo and keep listening to our heart. It will never steer us wrong.
 
Much love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
 Picture: Winds of Freedom by Mona Davis

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July 9th, 2017

7/6/2017

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Picture
CAPRICORN FULL MOON – Sunday 9 July, exact 5.06am BST, 12.06am EDT
 
Sometimes known at the Thunder Moon, this is a powerfully transformative Full Moon that has the potential to bring some hitherto repressed energy to the surface so that it can be purged and transmuted. Pluto is very much involved in this Moon, which could make our emotions very intense indeed and force us to be very honest with ourselves and others. The recent T-square between Pluto, Mars and Jupiter is waning now, but all three planets are part of this Full Moon which means that whatever came up for us in the last week or so could resurface, demanding release. There is something very empowering about the energy of the T-square, because while it can bring up rage and some rather extreme emotions, it also brings the potential for empowered (Pluto) action (Mars) that emanates from the depths of our souls (Pluto) and has the capacity to transform our relationships (Jupiter in Libra) and help us grow. If we harness its potent energy and are willing to be self-reflective we have the chance to make some profound changes in our lives. Full Moons do tend to bring anything that has been bubbling away in the background of our consciousness out into the open, but this one also has the T-square behind it! This energy brings to mind a vision of something that has been stuck in a blocked pipe for a really long time and is suddenly released!
 
The Sun is currently in emotional, nurturing, sensitive Cancer, forming an exact opposition to the Moon in responsible, disciplined, cautious Capricorn. The key to making the most of a full moon is to find the balance between the energy of the two signs, as we often have a tendency to veer too far in one direction. Capricorn represents our conditioning from our parents and society and the standard of conduct that we have been expected to adhere to in order to “fit in”. This conditioning can end up feeling like a straightjacket and can cause us to feel guilty or ashamed if we stray from what our parents or those in authority have deemed acceptable or “morally correct”. In order to feel loved and accepted by our parents or society, we learn to tow the line, behave ourselves and supress and repress some very natural emotions which then go on to become distorted because they don’t have a healthy outlet. Capricorn is a very hard working, disciplined sign that knows all about the “shoulds and shouldn’ts” of living in the world, but is has a hard time allowing itself to feel vulnerable, which is where Cancer comes in. Cancer urges us let go of the need for control and to open up, express and release the natural emotions that we may tend to hold back, suppress, repress or control because we have somehow been made to feel that they are unacceptable. Sometimes things have to get a bit messy, and sometimes it is better to actually show our vulnerability rather than trying to pretend we're ok, or that we don't care.
 
Cancer represents the need that we all have to find emotional security from within, rather than seeking it from anything outside of ourselves, such as family, career, friends or intimate partners. In its negative state it can cause us to become dependent, needy, moody and insecure, demanding that those around us provide us with the sense of emotional safety and security that may have been lacking in childhood. Obviously this can cause problems in our adult relationship! Capricorn represents emotional maturity and taking responsibility for ourselves; it reminds us that we have chosen this life path, including the family and society we have been born into in order to learn specific lessons on a soul level. In this deeper sense we are ultimately responsible for it all! Capricorn is the energy that urges you to “pull yourself together” and encourages a “stiff upper lip”. Of course this is not good if taken to the extreme, as I mentioned earlier.
 
Capricorn is the part of us that has the capacity for self-reflection, but taken too far it can bring depression. It also represents that part of us that can be quite cautious or even fearful, but again, this often stems from our parental conditioning. Parents who were overly conservative, fearful or judgemental when we were young will produce adults who are filled with shame, guilt and fear and a sense of futility. Capricorn symbolises the need to find a sense of authority that comes from within, rather than feeling the need to have control over people or our environment, or to give others too much authority over us. Capricorn represents the government, school, parents and the rules and regulations of society. Cancer represents our inner life; the home, family and the clan we belong to.
 
Pluto is sitting right on top of the Moon in Capricorn during this lunation, urging us to find this sense of personal authority and power from within, while Mars is encouraging us to act on it. This is not the kind of power that disempowers others in order to feel powerful, but true power; the kind that comes from the depths of our soul and empowers all who come into contact with it. Pluto tends to have a detoxifying effect on the sign he is in, and in the case of Capricorn he is currently making the power structures of the world more transparent, exposing the rot and helping the world to see them for exactly what they are. The energy of Pluto destroys in order for something more appropriate to take its place. It is the principle of death and rebirth. Any corporations, governments, institutions or power structures that have become corrupt, outdated and are preventing further growth will need to be changed, transformed or even eliminated during Pluto’s 20 years transit through Capricorn.
 
We are almost a third of the way through his stay in Capricorn right now, and it definitely feels like we are at boiling point. The patriarchy (Capricorn) is under threat, as people have quite simply had enough and are standing up in protest (Mars/Pluto). It is resisting the necessary transformation (Pluto) so it is fighting very hard indeed to maintain control, which is probably why everything is so extreme right now. Balance is desperately needed (Jupiter in Libra) for growth to occur. Capricorn is the animus (masculine), while Cancer is the anima (feminine), and the pendulum is swinging too far in one direction as it tries to find the necessary balance.  As above, so below.  As within, so without. What is happening on the world stage is merely an outer reflection of what is going on within us all. The changes we seek in the outer world must also be resolved internally. All that we dislike in the powers that be must be faced within ourselves to, for they are merely symbolic of the shadows we all have as a collective.
 
On a personal level, Pluto and the Moon pairing up could cause some very intense and possibly ancient emotions to come rising up from the depths of our souls and psyches, which could make us very aware of how our shadows are ruling the show! As the Moon in Capricorn rules our emotional conditioning, Pluto has the capacity to make our old, crystalised and outworn patterns, tendencies and habits very obvious indeed and to help us purge them! Mars in Cancer may have been causing us to act and react from a very subjective, emotional place recently, causing us to be a bit defensive, or reactionary, or to express anger in quite an irrational way. Cancer represents emotional patterns and ways of relating that stem from childhood and, combined with Pluto, Mars could be helping us discover old anger, rage and impulses that have their roots our childhood. Any tendencies or emotions that have been repressed or supressed for whatever reason could have come surging  up in recent times and could do so again during this Full Moon!  Pluto and Mars do cause rage, but this rage can help us to act on urges that come from the depths of our soul and could be very useful, so we should use the energy for empowered action!
 
The Sabian symbols tell a tale, that’s for sure! The Symbol for the Moon, at 18° Capricorn, is “The Union Jack flag flies from a British warship” and Rudyar speaks of “power can easily be misused under the pretext of preserving “law and order.” Justice and compassion must balance social power, and especially the power of privileged groups.” The symbol for the Sun, directly opposite at 18° Cancer, is “A hen scratching the ground to find nourishment for her progeny” and Rudyar speaks of one having to “feed them with social substance gathered from the “the ground” of his community, and to watch with concern over their unfoldment”. There is a sense of having to take action in order to secure of the well-being of future generations and of things being built from “grass roots”. The symbol for the midpoint of the two symbols, at 18° Libra, is “Two men placed under arrest”, which speaks of “the breakdown in the constructive relationship between the individual and society, and the expectable result…. The individual whose actions introduce unacceptable principles into the established order runs the risk of being “punished” or re-formed according to this order”. There is a story forming here! The hen scrabbling around doing whatever it needs to in order to take care of its young,  versus  the misuse of power of the warship, and then in the middle is the refusal to conform to the powers that be and the consequences that ensue.  
 
This Full Moon definitely packs a punch, that’s for sure! One of the greatest gifts of Capricorn is integrity and this is something we should all strive for during this time. We also deserve it from others, including the powers that be. The New Moon in Cancer started the ball rolling in terms of developing more awareness of our childhood conditioning and the emotional patterns that are a product of it. Over the course of the last two weeks we have become increasingly aware of how these old habits and patterns infect our lives and affect our adult relationships. As things come to a head at this Full Moon we have a chance to purge, transform and transmute these patterns, as anything that may have been suppressed comes bursting out into the light of our consciousness. Capricorn is a big fan of authenticity, as it involves us being “real”. This Moon invites us to step into an emotionally mature, empowered and authentic place, taking full responsibility for our part in anything that might come up. Whatever does come up during this time is a gift, because when the unconscious is made conscious it is no longer roaming around in the shadows, so it loses its power over us.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Photo: God’s Fireworks – Ms Ladyred on Flickr
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    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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