A Leo New Moon of Breakdown and Breakthrough
Posted on August 15, 2023 in Configurations
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By Leslie Benson for ASTROGRAPH Horoscopes
On Wednesday, August 16th at 2:38am PDT the New Moon in Leo arrives with a mighty roar and a vivid wild-streak! The new lunar cycle begins in the fixed fire sign of Leo, at 23º17 of the sign, with Sun and Moon together making a nearly exact square to Uranus, and thus revealing unexpected new angles to our perspectives on life, relationships, and our own inner workings. Uranus is the Trickster planet of revolution, liberation, and unexpected surprises. Venus is also on her retrograde journey through Leo, and lies near the New Moon placement, turning up the volume even further on relationship, values, self-worth, and all the Venusian themes that have been in our mediations lately with her retrograde that started near the end of the previous month. With this concentration of astrological activity in Leo right now, we are all cordially invited to melt away any false concepts of self and step into the bold and authentic radiance of our divine creative expression!
If all of this weren’t enough heat and intensity, we also find, highly prominent in this New Moon, the feminine archetypes Eris and Black Moon Lilith. These can turn our awareness to the task of delving into the inner depths of psyche and shadow as we excavate to the core of our own undeniable inner Truth. And it is important to note that Mercury is also slowing down, preparing to move backward. Its retrograde station has not arrived quite yet, which happens on August 23rd.
Let’s take a look at this powerful New Moon in further detail. With all the retrograde action this month, things are sure to be a little topsy turvy, and add to the mix this Uranus square to the New Moon, and Retrograde Venus in close trine with Chiron, and we may feel at our edge and on our toes with the seismic shifts taking place. Eris is also greatly emphasized, being trined by the New Moon, which indicates that we are being tapped by the universe to explore our deepest intention for this lifetime, and proceed to act upon and embody that. Uranus has been on its long journey through Taurus since 2018, highlighting disruption, yet also innovation, in the realms of resources, land, food, and finance. Because Taurus and Leo are fixed signs, they signify where we tend to find more stability (and maybe also resist change) so that the shake-up influence of this potent Uranus square can feel a bit more jarring here than in cardinal or mutable signs. Ultimately, Uranus wants us to find freedom and be expressed in our own unique brilliance. The unexpected nature of Uranus in this New Moon, combined with Chiron, Eris, Venus Retrograde and Black Moon Lilith, may have the effect of shaking us awake to start looking at things from a whole new perspective. This, while disorienting, also creates opening for new pathways and potentials.
In another way of looking at this, with the luminaries perched in Leo, what may get illuminated in this shake-up are the parts of self that have been conditioned to hide their light under a basket, feel like an imposter, or hit upper limits of how much goodness we’re allowed to experience. Which brings us to Black Moon Lilith’s placement just one degree away from the Sun and Moon at 24º Leo. While Black Moon Lilith is usually framed around the archetype of cast-out feminine sexuality and power, I tend to extend this frame of meaning to apply to any part of self that becomes repressed in our psyche, and subsequently the process of retrieving those parts as a road to healing and integration of the Self. As the current shake-up illuminates the disowned parts of self, the invitation is to witness and tend to these places deep within us with loving care. This kind of process can be a powerful tool to engender healing, self-love, and coming into a more integrated expression of the radiant and creative beings that we all are!
All of this is happening against the backdrop of Venus Retrograde (which, if you haven’t already, you can read full details on here.) The importance of the health of our relationships, exploring the patterns that we find there, and doing the work of self-reflection and growth are all up in big ways right now. Ultimately with this passage, which started on July 22nd and goes through to September 3rd, we may see big and small shifts in our sense of connection with other, getting current in our values, and centering the conversation around beauty, self-worth, and self-love. Mercury Retrograde in Virgo will also overlap with Venus retrograde from August 23rd through early September, with Mercury stationing to direct motion on the 15th of next month, then recovering through to September 29th. Communication might feel more strained during this time, bringing even more grist to the mill for relational breakdowns, yet also breakthrough as we are prompted to slow down, get real, and bring our loving attention and mindful presence to this area of our lives.
At the time of this New Moon and in the weeks to follow we at TimePassages encourage you to set your intentions around the Leo themes of creative expression, bold authenticity, and embodying fiery passion. While there may be some turbulence in the mix, perhaps there is also deep wisdom and growth that we can lean into as we come to more deeply know and love ourselves and each other. In spite of the inherent difficulties now, or perhaps because of them, we wish you the biggest and most bountiful of radiant Leo blessings!
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Chart for the New Moon on August 16, 2023
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