15.08.23: New Moon in Leo

Aug 16

"But love said, "If you bring forth what is within you What you bring forth will save you but if you do not bring forth What is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you".

- Kae Tempest’s “Grace”

I know, the quote sounds a bit dramatic but so is a New Moon in Leo. And dear friends, I can already tell you, this letter is going to be a long one. But I am here for the depths and I guess, so are you.

So fasten your seatbelts and prepare your popcorn for the cosmic songs that are about to unfold with this New Moon. Ready?

Astronomically speaking, a New Moon occurs when the moon is at its closest to the sun in its orbit around Earth. We can't see it from our earthly perspective because the side of the moon that is being illuminated by the sun faces away from us. That explains the darkness of this time.

Astrologically speaking, a New Moon is a time of retreating into our inner world, inviting what we long for, and setting intentions for a moon cycle that is about to start.

It's like the moon is holding its breath in the sky and offering us a period of introspection to call in what we truly desire in our lives.

The general questions to ask today are:

What was my personal theme of the last lunar cycle (which started on June 17th) that is closing now?
What is it that I want more of in my life?
What do I deeply miss and would like to invite into my life?
What is it that I want to see more of unfolding in the next 4 weeks?

This New Moon occurs at 23 degrees and 17 minutes of Leo on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at 5:38 AM EDT.

So let's have a closer look at the archetype first.

LEO: THE BIRTH OF THE CONSCIOUS SELF-IMAGE

If we believe that the 12 archetypes of the zodiac are a representation of the evolution of human consciousness, then Leo is the moment when the self becomes conscious of itself.

I am always drawn back to the “mirror stage” when thinking about the archetype of Leo. In his work psychoanalyst Lacan describes that children pass through a phase – generally between 6 and 18 months – in which they look into the mirror and realize it's them. So an external image of their body, reflected in the mirror they look in, produces a psychic response that forms the mental representation of an “I”.*

Just imagine for a second that there was a time in infancy when we had no conscious self-image. Like we were everything, and everything was us.

And then, suddenly, we look into a mirror and we become conscious that there is a world that evolves around us, that we're individuals.

As Lacan puts it, the “mirror stage" established the ego as fundamentally dependent upon external objects, on "an other”.*

LEO: WHEN FEEDBACK BECOMES A CONDITION TO SURVIVE

Leo knows that the time has come when he has to present himself to the world. From the protected realm of Cancer's womb, he makes his way to the external. The solar child is born. The bird is being kicked out of the nest.

The Leo moment is the most insecure moment of the whole zodiac. He can't help but wonder: “How is the world going to receive me?”

Out of this insecurity, Leo might fall into a shadow of overdoing things, craving for validation and applause.

Practically this can be seen in this video where the “Still Face Experiment” which was developed by Dr. Ed Tronick in the 70s is explained – Trigger Warning! (Experiment goes until minute 3:21).

The experiment shows that as humans we need reaction to develop a healthy sense of self, we need feedback from outside. Without exception.

With a lack of resonance though, Leo can fall into the shadow of manipulating people into the applause or doing the clapping himself.

LEO'S MEDICINE: CREATIVITY AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE SELF

In the conscious spectrum, Leo is truly in love with himself shining his solar light bright into the world, inspiring others. The funny thing is: The applause he's relying on comes then naturally as a manifestation of his inner grace.

There's an inherent creative force that dwells in Leo: bringing art, ideas, music, or words into expression. Being the creator of his own universe, so to speak

To understand that creativity in any form brings us closer to states of true happiness, to the divine. And I am not talking about the fake definition that society gives about happiness but about true happiness. Moments when we can shed the masks and share what's really alive in us.

A state where the inner world is reflected in the outer world authentically. Where you feel connected to yourself and you're ready to be the channel for the divine force that moves through you.

The New Moon confronts us with the following questions today:

How am I bringing out my creativity in my day-to-day-life?
What creative potential am I holding back and why?
When do I allow myself to play like a child and be silly?

URANUS IN A SQUARE WITH THE NEW MOON IN LEO

Now comes the exciting bit because Uranus is in the game.

Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius. It's the crazy one, the weirdo amongst the planets. Whenever Uranus is in the picture, something disruptive is about to happen because there's one thing Uranus dislikes most, and that's structure.

When planets “square” each other, it means that they are 90 degrees apart and form a geometric square in the zodiac. In Western Astrology, this aspect is interpreted as a certain tension with a potential waiting to be released.

So, what does it mean when Moon and Uranus are in a tensed aspect to each other?

Well, if you thought, there's already drama ahead with the Leo New Moon, let's welcome the Master of Desaster, Uranus.

I am trying to say: Bumps on the road ahead. You might get uncomfortable. And that's the purpose. Things might break apart suddenly, people leave your life and unexpected opportunities arise. The medicine? Embrace the chaos.

When I think about the really Uranian moments of my life, the moments when suddenly the rug was pulled under my feet and things happened that I have never been able to imagine, it was freakin' frightening, yes.

BUT, let me also share with you: When I think back on the people, places, jobs, and opportunities that have been taken away suddenly, in retrospect it was a blessing. The bad news is that we only realize this after some time. Deep breath.

The questions that Uranus wants to bring into the game are:

What does divine inspiration mean to you?
In which areas of your life can you ease a bit more into change?
How are you suppressing your weirdo?
What can you learn from the energy of disruption?

LILITH CONJUNCT THE NEW MOON IN LEO

Generally, Lilith is interpreted as a point in Astrology. Most astrologers assume that Lilith is the farthest point from Earth on the ecliptic of the moon, that's why it's called “Black Moon Lilith” AKA the cosmic bad bitch.

Based on the Jewish-Christian scriptures Lilith was Adam's first wife. It's being said that she was made from the same earth as Adam – and not from Adam's rib like Eva. Fighting especially for her sexual rights, she didn't earn much acceptance and left Garden Eden.

Still, god sent her angels and asked her to return to paradise. Nope, she refused and decided to reside in the underworld where she became empress of the night.

The mythology gives you a sense of Lilith's controversially discussed energy.

Now, astrologically speaking, Lilith represents our primal nature and the longing that dwells in our subconscious. It's connected to sexuality, to the wild part of our being, and the power of passion.

Wait a second, I can see a theme here unfolding around sexuality with this New Moon (Venus being in conjunction to the moon in Leo as well!). Bear with me for some moments to explain.

SEXUALITY: A COMMON THEME IN TAURUS, LEO AND SCORPIO

We're getting into deeper astrological waters but it's so worth staying with me on this one. And anyway, this letter will never be superficial. So, if you're still in here with me, you deserved some real clapping.

Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio – also called “fixed signs” form naturally what is called a “T-square” in Western Astrology. Meaning: Leo forms a square with both Taurus and Scorpio. (You can google it to see a graphic!).

The tension created by this square can be interpreted in terms of sexuality. I tell you how.

In Taurus, sexuality is interpreted as reproduction but also as a way to get to know your body (masturbation). In Leo, sexuality is seen as joy, eros, the life force that drives our creativity, and in Scorpio it's about deep bonding with another, a reunion of souls so to speak.

We start to understand that sexuality is something way beyond the poor definition that society gives us. Sexuality is the way we express our deepest desires, our creativity, and how we show our being to the world. It's our creative life force that drives our inner fire. There is a direct connection between creativity and sexuality.

First and foremost it's the intimacy we maintain with ourselves and then, with the world and (maybe) other humans.

The more we enhance the connection with ourselves, the more intimate we become with our own being – the more we can bring this into the world and connect deeper to others. Want more intimacy? Start with yourself.

Lilith being conjunct (very close) to the New Moon in Leo today, the message is:

“To express from your deepest core, you need to shed light onto your wildness, your raw parts that you might not want to touch. To connect to your wild animal.”

The questions to ask yourself today with Lillith's help are:

In what way are you connected to your sexuality, to your life force?
Do you hear the primal urges coming from your subconscious?
Where or with whom do you allow yourself to be wild?
What shadows are ready to be seen and expressed?

You see, both Lillith and Venus in Leo are certainly giving the Moon a leg up to step up and own the spotlight unapologetically.

HOW THIS FULL MOON AFFECTS YOU PERSONALLY

This New Moon occurs at 23 degrees and 17 minutes of Leo. Personally speaking, people with natal planets and points at approximately 19 to 27 degrees of the Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) might feel its effect strongly.

THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR WILDNESS

I was just going through my notes to see if I can find something inspirational to end this letter with and I've found a note I made years ago saying “It's a devotion to choose ourselves every day”.

But not just that, it's brave to choose ourselves. And it really IS a choice. Every morning when we open our eyes we can decide if we want to live a life that is directed by others, by society, or by our own hearts.

We can decide if we keep suppressing whatever is coming from our deepest core or make room for it, care for it as if it was a little baby in need of our love.

It's up to us if we bring forth what is within us or if we play small, tame our wildness for the sake of fitting in, not irritating anyone or falling outside the box of society.

And guess what? Very often when we decide to not give a fuck about what others may think about us, it's when we start to earn applause for our individual ideas and expressions. When the Leo grace shines naturally.

So maybe, this New Moon in Leo really asks us to drop into our hearts and express ourselves directly from there. It says: “My dear child, don't hold back anymore. The world needs your expression, it needs your wild uniqueness.”

With love,

—Karina

* University of Hawaii

**first image taken from GIPHY by @rupaulsdragrace

Karina Schönberger