In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon will occur at 6:49 a.m. on Sunday, August 8. This New Moon finds the Moon and Sun conjunct (0°) at 17° of Leo. To further clarify how this New Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 17° of Leo in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with that house are going to be most influenced by this New Moon’s presence.
New Moons always provide us with an opportunity for a new emotional start in the areas associated with the sign. This time, we are focused on Leo. The higher expression of the sign includes being self-confident, proud, big hearted, loving, idealistic, loyal, and a good leader. The lower expression can be associated with being self-centered, behavior that is based on a need for attention, and a tendency toward being overly dramatic.
Normally, the annual Leo New Moon is a time when we want to shine our light out into the world and even receive some recognition for what we have to offer. However, for most of August and all of September, we have 5 out of 10 planets and the asteroid Chiron in retrograde. Whenever we have so many planets in retrograde, we refer to this as a “retrograde season.” It’s a time period when we all may feel inclined to turn our attention away from the external and spend time focused internally.
At the time of this New Moon, we can take advantage of this retrograde energy to internally explore our unique gifts and how we may want to eventually share those with the world. Doing this inner work is reinforced in many ways during the time of this Leo New Moon. For example, the New Moon is in a trine (120°) to Chiron. This supportive energy will help us shine light (Sun) on any emotional issues (Moon) that might be causing us to feel vulnerable (Chiron). Chiron is currently in Aries and is also retrograde, so we may find we are courageously able to take action (Aries) toward healing (Chiron) our inner issues (retrograde).
This New Moon in Leo is in a wide conjunction (0°) to Mercury, and Mercury is in an opposition (180°) to Jupiter. We may find that we are thinking a lot about many different topics. However, for those who don’t work with the urgings from all the planets currently in retrograde, all this thinking might be expressed externally in form of excessive talking. The expression “running off at the mouth” comes to mind. Unfortunately, this felt need to talk too much could be harder to control than one might think. The energies around the time of the New Moon are going to be pretty volatile, so it will be important to make sure that we aren’t unconsciously reacting to external events. We should all think through our choices carefully before speaking or writing, and we also need to take responsibility for our own thoughts and feelings.
Also, the Leo New Moon is in opposition (180°) to Saturn, and both the New Moon and Saturn are squaring (90°) Uranus. Once again, this grouping of planets forms a planetary configuration called a t-square (right triangle) in which Uranus is the “focal planet” (i.e., the Sun, Moon, & Saturn are all squaring Uranus). As we discussed in the last Moon Update, Uranus is the planet associated with change. With Uranus being the focal planet of this t-square, in sum (a) unexpected events are likely, (b) change will either happen by choice or will happen to us, and (c) resisting the changes will only make matters worse. As has been the case for the last month or more, change is inevitable. It’s up to us to consciously choose how we will deal with the expected and unexpected events that are occurring now. Given all three signs involved in the t-square are fixed signs (i.e., Taurus, Leo, Aquarius), we should have the energy and determination that we need to forge ahead with those changes.
Saturn’s opposition to the Leo New Moon and its involvement in the t-square (see above) tells us that we need to slow down and take a mature, responsible, disciplined approach to what is happening. Saturn represents the structures in our lives. Given the ongoing square between Saturn and Uranus, it is likely that one or more of the structures (personally or at a societal level) may need to change to make room for something new. Saturn’s energy also tells us that those changes may involve boundary setting. This could include setting healthier boundaries with others, but we also might need to react respectfully if someone in our life sets limits with us.
The time around the Leo New Moon is very active astrologically. Rather than overwhelm you, I’m going to try to whittle down all of these astrological aspects into some general advice regarding how to navigate this time period, in addition to what I’ve mentioned above.
- As we have discussed in the last few Moon Updates, the summer months are a time period when Uranus is very active and changes are going to happen in our lives. For many of us, these changes are designed to bring greater freedom into our lives. However, this may require making some difficult choices because we can’t be free if we are over-scheduled, over-worked, over-stressed, etc. We may have to let go of something in order to feel that increased freedom.
- As we have also talked about during the last two Moon Updates, part of this may involve clearing out the old energies to make room for new beginnings. Pluto continues to be an active player this summer, and it is supporting us in clearing out anything that has outlived its purpose (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, physical possessions, relationships).
- Even though we may not be happy about some of the shifts occurring in our lives, personally and/or globally, it will be very helpful if we can trust that whatever changes are happening now are meant to support our soul’s growth. This includes humanity’s evolution as a species. There are lessons to be learned, but some of those lessons may not be clear until later. We need to have faith and trust.
- And one final note: Luckily, Mars is squaring (90°) the Nodes at the time of this Leo New Moon, so we may feel ready to take action (Mars) that uses the wisdom we’ve gained from the past (South Node) and apply it to those new things coming into our lives (North Node).
Only a few days after the New Moon (Wednesday, August 11), Mercury moves into Virgo, where it will remain until August 31. Mercury’s ruler is Virgo, so it’s both comfortable and powerful in this sign. We may feel inclined to mentally analyze everything by looking for what is wrong and/or needs to be fixed or healed. Although that type of analysis can be helpful, we need to be careful because the lower expression of this placement can include being hyper-critical. We can either internalize the criticism or we may project it outward toward others. This isa good time to consciously choose the higher expression of Mercury in Virgo, which includes using our analytical abilities while being humble and focusing on service. Virgo loves to clean and heal. Therefore, this would be a good time to clean our homes, offices, or even our bodies (e.g., clean up your diet). Details are easier to deal with now, but we do need to be careful not to lose sight of the big picture. But overall, it’s a good time to analyze a situation and determine what is practical and realistic.
Then on Monday, August 16, Venus will move out of Virgo and into Libra, remaining there until mid-September. Venus is the ruler of Libra, which means Venus feels right at home here. Relationships will be very important to us. However, we may feel a bit emotionally detached. We like the idea of relationships, but we aren’t as keen on being emotionally vulnerable within them. But everyone has a greater potential than usual to be charming and diplomatic. It’s a good time to work with others toward compromise. Unfortunately, any interactions that are not gracious will be more difficult to handle than usual. We prefer to keep things pleasant and gloss over any interpersonal problems, even if there are issues that really do need to be dealt with. This can also be a time when we approach our finances in a very balanced way.
Overall, this Leo New Moon is a time when we are being asked to deepen our ability to approach everything and everyone from a heart-centered place. We often can tell if our ego is in control because we will react rather than act. This heart-centered place includes respecting that everyone has a right to their opinions and beliefs, even when they radically differ from our own. Taking the “high road” will be easier if we take advantage of the many planets that are currently in retrograde. They are providing us with the encouragement we need to turn inward so we can process all the changes we have been going through and the intense energy that is swirling around many of us. Astrologically, this is a volatile time for humanity. Many of our personal and societal structures are rapidly changing. We all need to take time to process what is happening, because some of us may feel like we are living in a “world turned upside down” (from an English ballad & the musical Hamilton). In sum, the heart-centered focus of the Leo New Moon reminds us that we will survive better when we work together toward common goals while still respecting the rights of others living in our territory on the savanna.
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THIS BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BY
- Anne Reith, Ph.D. (AnneReith.com)
- For information about Dr. Reith’s downloadable ebooks and meditations, feel free to visit her online Store
SOME INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
- The Mountain Astrologer (magazine)
- Various online sources (e.g., www.cafeastrology.com)
REMINDER
- New Moons and Full Moons often influence us for the 3 days before and 3 days after the actual event.
NEW MOON
New Moon at 17° of Leo
- Sunday, August 8, 2021, 6:49 a.m. PDT
- Sunday, August 8, 2021, 9:49 a.m. EDT
- Sunday, August 8, 2021, 1:49 p.m. GMT
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By Anne Reith, Ph.D.