When the Sun shines in Leo, we are reminded that our life journey is about learning to be our authentic selves and to shine our heart light in the world.
July 22 -August 22 – The Sun Shines in Leo
2:30 AM PDT (9:30 GMT) The Sun moves into Virgo August 22 at 9:39 AM PDT (16:39 GMT)
The Sun rules the Leo archetype. The Sun and Leo instruct us to look first to our Sun sign to identify the nature of the energy that holds the key to our heart and connects us with the light that we find most nurturing and are destined to share. Our heart opens with our own unique configuration of zodiac impulses that make up our soul identity, define our values, needs, desires, perspective, and life purpose.
Our inner sun gives us the light to develop self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-love. It is our responsibility to awaken our inner light and learn to live from heart consciousness. Life continually tests our ability to speak, act, and relax in our own truth. Cultural programming, childhood wounds, and the need to feel comfortable (and safe), be accepted, and feel loved can (and do) influence us to compromise ourselves. The Leo Lion teaches us that if we connect with our heart, we have the power to define for ourselves what works for us, and thus to maintain self-integrity and honesty even when challenged (which is often!)
August 2 – Leo New Moon
1:44 PM PDT 20:44 GMT
The darkest star-filled nights happen at the New Moon, when we see no Moon at all. Rising and setting together, the Sun and the Moon share information about their current archetypical expressions. Leo awakens us to the reality that we are co-creators on planet Earth and that we humans play a pivotal role in bringing love and light to the planet. The Universe has its Divine Plan, but we are the ones who must carry it out. Without our special contribution, our part of the plan goes missing. Leo’s intense light seeks to illuminate our way out of victimization and negativity, which only serve fear and sabotage efforts to transcend duality. One of our most basic jobs is to free ourselves from the inner conflict of duality so we can experience unity consciousness.
At the Leo New Moon, Venus in Leo helps us love our own light. Mars re-enters Sagittarius a few hours before the New Moon, instilling us with bravery and passion to take a stand for what we feel is right and to act from our own truth. Neptune in Pisces nudges us to be silent, listen to, and trust our inner guidance.
August 13 – Saturn Goes Direct
at 10 degrees Sagittarius.
Saturn has been retrograde since March 25. (Saturn turned retrograde at 16 degrees Sagittarius and will reach 16 degrees again November 11.)
We have had almost 5 months to (1) examine and re-define our beliefs about ourselves and our life, (2) align our goals with reality, (3) clarify our priorities, and (4) set realistic boundaries around our own energy and what we wish to accomplish. When a planet changes direction, its energies and messages are intensified. On and around August 13, take time to be with yourself to reflect and review the above. Clarity will make it easier to move forward. Both discipline devotion are required. We each have a lot of work to do. We need internal discipline to connect in oneness with the Source that we are serving on Planet Earth. When we serve Love, we get support and assistance from the Cosmos. Enjoy playing in the arena of the Big Game.
August 18 – Aquarius Full Moon
2:26 AM PDT (9:26 GMT)
The Aquarius Full Moon reminds us that we are at the beginning of the Aquarian Age. It sounds good to think that we are entering an era of equalitarianism, collaboration, justice, and global consciousness. But ‘entering’ a new era doesn’t mean that things automatically change for the better. We have to learn, choose, and be able to create with the new energies. To do so we have to extricate ourselves from fear-based belief systems and structures that formed, feed, and keep the old in place. Radical shifts in consciousness are required. We can’t just talk about oneness and believe it is a good idea. We have to actually perceive reality beyond duality. Our awareness has to compute unity and sacredness everywhere.
Full Moons illuminate the shadow side of the current polarity pair. Leo’s dark side is being domineering, self-congratulatory, and self-absorbed to the extent of being oblivious of others’ needs and value. The Aquarian blind spot is mental absorption in lofty ideals and forgetting to upgrade one’s own personal consciousness. The doorway for both Leo and Aquarius is through the heart.
Heart consciousness requires the awakening and communication between both mind and body/emotions, i.e. the heart can open when it is able to integrate awakened consciousness in both the upper/mind and the lower/feeling chakras. *(1)
The Will to Change
The current state of globalization — where resources, power, and money are controlled by a few for their benefit, leaving everyone else to sweat daily through the intense challenges of survival — is an elitist version of oneness. Obviously many of the other 99% have caught on to the discrepancies and the lies. It should be no surprise that people are angry. When people feel abused, exploited, controlled, and powerlessness, they seethe with anger, resentment, and revenge and too often resort to violence.
Aquarius tells us that the system can be changed by working together to create equitable institutions that serve and respect all beings. However, without the political will, commitment, and dedication to do so, the old will be destroyed through irrational acts fed by frustrated feelings of impotence and victimization.
The good news is that the higher frequency heart energies on the planet make it easier to wake up. But more light also means more awareness of our shadow, wounds that must be healed, and the realism that is needed to move into true heart consciousness.
Both Leo and Aquarius are fixed signs (along with Taurus and Scorpio). The ‘fixed’ quality makes them stubborn, determined, and stable. These attributes give us will power. Change requires the will to change. And this ‘will’ must be both individual and collective to transform societies and to create new structures. The Leo/Aquarius polarity pair call out to us to activate our honest heart-felt will to change — starting with ourselves! When we realize that our own negativity and anger contributes to our global problems, we can decide to be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem.
An upgrade in collective consciousness (created by the collaboration of many heart-centered individuals worldwide) must be forthcoming and sufficient. Structural change is required. Stop gap measures that avoid the fundamental causes of our global predicament won’t work. If our goal is not systemic change, the Uranian surprise and shock factor will step in to get our attention. We will be reminded that if we don’t take responsibility for our personal awakening and do our part in transforming society, the cosmic wildcard will deal us one blow after another in order to wake us up.
At the Aquarian Full Moon, planetary alignments facilitate reaching out to others to form working alliances. A key to the new consciousness is that we have to work together; we can’t make it alone. We are being supported to choose what is most meaningful and true for us, as we ground and implement metaphysical realities on Mother Earth.
Forgiveness Is Required — Exercise
One thing is for sure, forgiveness is required to release the past and let go of anger and fear. Here is an exercise that can create a breakthrough in consciousness and facilitate this inner transformation. Set aside some alone time to work through this heart-opening process. Start out by noticing that everyone, including yourself, your parents, and everyone else on the planet came in to this world with very limited consciousness and a truck load of karma to work out, challenges to face, and lessons to learn. In addition, learning how to survive in physical reality, without an instruction manual, is a heavy task.
It doesn’t take much to realize that everyone is under the influence of fear — sustained by oppressive patriarchal institutions, unreal beliefs about ourselves, the world, and the universe, and unhealthy living habits and addictions. Sometimes it seems like a miracle that we are able to function as well as we do. Perhaps it is indeed a divine miracle, and the miracle of life can be the source of hope for our awakening and our future.
In asleep consciousness, dysfunction, pain, and suffering run rampant. We all have had to guess what to do and have been blindly driven by programs and fantasies that made us do stupid things. Be as specific as you need to be to get in touch with the difficult reality in which we all live. Stay with this realization until you find empathy and compassion for yourself and others. When you can accept and bless yourself and others, you can forgive the past and move into the future with a hopeful and happy heart.
The only thing you can truly give someone is forgiveness. For the sake of giving, forgive. If you have an iota of refined mind, forgive, and forget it. Act from your grace, manners, and awareness, and trust the hand of God. You cannot understand and master the mind without this knowledge of yourself, your reality, and your spirit. — Yogi Bhajan
References and Footnotes
Austin, Stephanie, Leo New Moon — August 2, The Mountain Astrologer, August/September 2016, p. 91.
Austin, Stephanie, Aquarius Full Moon – August 18, The Mountain Astrologer, August/September 2016, p. 95.
(1) See Your Life Is in Your Chakras by Guru Rattana, Ph.D.
Wahe Guru!!!