The Sun has already been travelling through Leo since 22 July, but only now does the Moon meet it there, making Leo the flavour of this coming month.

Leo rules! . . . ?

The Zodiac sign, Leo, is one of the Fire signs, radiant with passionate life. Of the other two Fire signs, Aries (Cardinal) tends to use life’s energy to drive off in its own direction, and Sagittarius (Mutable) dashes enthusiastically around the bigger picture of life. Leo (Fixed) radiates its life force out like the sun, the heart of the solar system, the heart of any matter, the heart itself in our body.

If you drop your shoulders and lift your breast bone as you breathe in, your heart tends to open like a flower, radiant and confident. Depending what your Sun-sign is, you would be radiating its best qualities, and move through life with that style. So the Leo Sun-sign would be radiating light and joy and playfulness, confidence, strength, positivity and optimism, in an easy, relaxed and generous manner. This month, we will be supported to try this out. Sounds wonderful - and it’s not easy to do! We receive the radiance of the sun from its surface, and Leo’s radiance can also be a surface thing, the centre of a person feeling a lot less confident than they look.

Leo people typically need a lot of positive feedback if they are to keep this up. And when they droop, as we all do from time to time, they tend to hide away, feeling that they aren’t up to other people’s expectations of them. This is when they need gentle and accepting friends who are prepared to validate them patiently until the low patch is past.

Own your growth - let go of the ladder

During the last week or two, you may have been feeling a building tension, culminating on 15 August. With this New Moon, that tension lessens, and we might feel our energy gradually flowing more freely, especially in our relationships, where we could have made some very beneficial discoveries (Mars across Saturn in Libra 15 August, and Venus leaving trine to Chiron and opposition to Pluto).

If you’ve had a disturbed or painful time with friend or partner, it’s time now to let the hurtful events fade. This month continues to support your growth and the healing of rifts, while shared warmth and love build a bridge between you. Take the learning with you so that your relationships benefit, but let the disturbance flow away as water under the bridge (New Moon sextiles Saturn/Mars).

The path appearing out of the mist . . .

Early August might have felt somewhat confusing, not being sure what life was calling us to do, not seeing how the improvements could possibly be made, a general confusion of purpose (Neptune squared the Nodal - spiritual - path). The best course of action was to trust in the oneness of humanity, to communicate through the arts and sports and spiritual creativity, not worrying if all that appears to have nothing to do with our everyday reality - and then prepare to move back into everyday life. As the confusion fades away, we begin to get a sense of seeing our path again through the mist.

The end of August brings a changed background atmosphere: the spiritual point of excellence (North Node) shifting from exploring wider issues to get a perspective on what needs to be done, to rolling up sleeves and getting stuck in! (North Node retrograding from Sagittarius to Scorpio end of August - it spends one and a half years retrograding through each sign.) It’s as though life has been encouraging us to see the truth and expand our thinking, and from the end of August, we are to take up shovels to shift what we’ve found. Each of us, in our own lives, may find the drive to ‘go-for-it’ again, but in a new way. October will bring the next step along this path of deep and responsible change (as Saturn goes into Scorpio as well, for a couple of years).

En-joy what you do

On a more energetic, active level, the end of August brings a greater drive to deal with important issues. In September, it will be easier to focus our intent on what has been revealed from hidden depths (Mars into Scorpio 24 August, Pisces Full Moon and Sun in Virgo connecting with Pluto on 31 August, and Mercury into Virgo 1 September), and workable solutions to problems will occur to those who are prepared to put effort in. With acceptance of the facts, that applied effort will be satisfying and enjoyable - a task isn’t necessarily a pain just because it’s hard work! But until the end August, the emphasis is on enjoying our chosen occupations (Mercury in Leo) ‘responsibly’ (New Moon sextile Saturn), and there is no need to let go of the positive attitude as the work gets underway. Let Leo rule for a while, with compassion!