A Leo aspect of human nature

Leo shines so brightly there is no room for hidden agendas. Everything of that person is seen in the Light, and if we are tempted to judge what shows, there may be a need to check our own shadows and see if something of what we judge is not lurking there inside us. Leo is ruled by the Sun, which is so huge, the earth disappears in a size comparison.

It’s not easy being a Leo person - somewhat larger than life – and when they are down, they tend to hide away with the sense that it’s just not OK to be less than fully radiant. They tend to radiate what they can, which is largely personality. Other people either like them, or don’t, but Leo can’t be any different. These sentences are about pure Leo, of course, and no one is purely any one sign, so in fact there are many varieties of Leo-sun-sign people.

This New Moon in Leo

The month following a New Moon in Leo is likely to be about being oneself regardless of outer pressures. But, in real life, it’s a good idea to be at least aware of our surroundings, so that we can adjust our behaviour if we choose. That way you can avoid unnecessary difficulty if you wish. You might prefer to simply express yourself without stint, but then it would be important to use the world’s responses as personal feedback. Difficulties can promote wonderful growth, but only if we accept our experiences as belonging to us.

(I find myself often saying all this in different ways, but it really is the first major step in any spiritual path. It is essential not to blame the outside world in any form - parents, bosses, government, weather, finances, family – for how our lives are, but to accept moment by moment experience as simply the path our spirit treads in the physical world.)

As Venus in the New Moon chart is in harmony with Saturn/Mercury and Uranus, we are likely to be facing the necessity for independence in relating. Not to say that we should be separate from others, but purely that we need to be in good relationship with ourselves – in touch with our own needs, and prepared to supply them. We must be individual before we can safely be inter-dependent. Without our own autonomy, we slide into over-dependence which can only lead to disappointment and loss. This New-Moon-in-Leo month is a good time to air our individuality, against the backdrop of family and world events,

This is not an easy time – but it can be productive

Last week and next week, the planetary pattern is describing a bit of a tight place that we are going through. If you are dealing with difficult issues right now, you might assume they are the reason for this feeling. But even for those whose life is running smoothly, there is likely to be a strange sense of tension and emotional turbulence that is difficult to pin down.

You may be finding yourself in complicated situations, with pressures from inside and out, pushing and pulling you in different directions at the same time. (Astrologically it’s a combination of many factors - Mars in Gemini squared Saturn on 10 August, then Uranus on 18 August, and opposes Pluto as it moves into Cancer on 26 August.) Mars energy is in Gemini in the chart, which can make communication a bit punchy, so we need to be aware that we may be putting more energy into our words than we mean.

On the down side, the square to Saturn in early August may have shown as trying to get something done perhaps before the best time for it, so that mistakes happen, and things have to be re-done; the square to Uranus on 18 August could be sudden errors through not paying enough attention, again going too fast, a sudden loss of enough energy to follow through, or thinking of something else at the time. On the up side, both these times could have provoked new appraisals, providing opportunities for inspired new solutions and speedy results.

Mars moving into Cancer (25-26 August until mid-October) brings our focus to home, family, and generally taking care of things – hopefully taking care of ourselves too, because we may find ourselves feeling emotionally needy. Mars’ opposition to Pluto at this time emphasises our tendency to blame the world out there for our problems. Having a moan about difficulties can be a natural step towards accepting hard situations, but we need to avoid getting into self-pity. Cancer represents the neediness of a baby balanced by the protectiveness of a mother, so there is often an instinctive aggression towards an assumed hostile world, with an attitude of fight or flight. Correcting that assumption brings to Cancer a gentle, sensitivity to real needs, and a tender caring for the suffering of others

Communicating kindness

25-26 August could bring events that we have difficulty understanding, or talking about coherently. Mercury, shifting from Virgo to Libra, will be at odds with (square to) both Mars and Pluto, aiming for the balance point between suffering and the need for acceptance. It could feel like knowing something’s wrong, but not knowing what that is, or what to do about it. Perhaps whatever is brewing is not yet complete, more needs to happen before we can know. We need to practise ‘not knowing’. The best way to handle those moments is to stay quiet while asking inwardly for the most helpful words or acts. With Venus helping from the beginning of Leo, a kind approach will bring warmth and humour into potentially aggressive relating. Venus continues in Leo until 20 September, so we’ve plenty of time to discover the joys of kindness.

The next spiritual step on the path

South Node Leo to North Node in Aquarius becomes South Node Cancer to North Node in Capricorn.

For the next year and a half following this New Moon, the spiritual direction (the Moon’s Nodes) shows a path from Cancer childhood towards Capricorn adulthood, from neediness towards supportiveness, from emotional sensitivity around others’ needs towards the practical ability to do something helpful. In each case, we need to retain what we are coming from, in order to develop in a rounded, valuable way. Without the memory of childhood, we miss the delicacy in adult relationship; without remembering the feeling of need, we would not understand the need for support; and without emotional sensitivity, our efforts to help would likely be inappropriate.

The emphasis of this step on the path will show us where emotional connection can give the meaning in life that makes achievement truly fulfilling - rather than simply aiming to possess or achieve for their own sake. The beginning of this 18-month long step is introduced by Venus on the South Node in Cancer in harmonious connection with Uranus. So we need to remember how to remain in empathy with others while not getting embroiled in their emotions, using our sensitivity for the greater good, which includes our good. If we act with anything less than this, we will end up feeling hurt through misunderstanding events, and others’ behaviour, as antagonistic to us.

Just at present we are on a huge learning curve about how to live authentically and sustainably with our surroundings, and each change from one lesson to the next is bound to present another sheaf of unknowables. Let’s just do the best we can - with love.