New Moon in Leo
Monday July 28, 2003 11:53pm PDT
5º 46'

More than any other sign, Leo rules a strong relationship with Ego. In most spiritual circles there is a sense of suspicion and negativity around the concept of Ego. But Ego is a whole lot more than selfishness, narcissism and self-aggrandizement. It is the Self, knowing the self, in all its complexity and beauty. The more we know about who we are, the more our actions become infused with an awareness of their effect. So basically this is the New Moon to put some energy behind the idea of knowing yourself better, and becoming responsible for the energy (negative and positive) you output everyday.

Leo's most evolved form is a very adult expression of ego development that disavows self-aggrandizement and acts from a deeply compassionate heart. The Dalai Lama comes to mind. It seems we rarely witness this kind of selflessness in our leaders. Most of what we see is Leo's immature, narcissistic side, which constantly demands attention and affirmation from outside itself. With Venus (relational skills), Mercury (communication skills), Sun (ego needs), Moon (emotional needs) and Jupiter (grandiosity and exaggeration) and all in Leo, this is the perfect New Moon to look deeply at how much of what you say and do, is done to appease an inner need for attention, recognition and a feeling of specialness. True self-esteem is built by developing a calm center from which all decisions are made and all actions are undertaken.

Our culture suffers from an intense attachment to the cult of personality and an inability to embrace values of humility and modesty. We also have a very unhealthy relationship with the process of aging. There is little acceptance of the beauty and wisdom inherent in growing older. This is an especially hard issue to tackle on a Leo New Moon. It calls up all kinds of fear around becoming old, ugly, frail and useless. Try reading stories about older, wiser women and men and then imagine yourself at 70, 80 or 90. What will you look like, what will you wear, how will you be spending your time, what will our world look like and how will it receive or reject you? Hopefully this exercise may inspire you to commit some of your time and talent to the elders in your family or community.

Our world also suffers from Leo's other terrible trait—a very warped relationship to power. Leo is the sign of personal power, another bugaboo word! What exactly does that mean? In our world it usually means power-over, which expresses itself in everything from caring only about personal gain, having excessive influence over others and exerting one's own desires upon others, to war mongering, exploitation and land grabbing. Sound familiar? America has its natal North Node (where the nation is evolving) in Leo in the 8th house (issues of world power and control). Certainly our nation's behavior over the last three years has shown a very warped relationship to power. This is the New Moon to redefine personal power as a means to engender communal empowerment, coexistence and upliftment. Starhawk refers to this kind of power as power-with. I define this very evolved expression of Leo as true leadership. When we know ourselves, we know our gifts, and this makes us feel a tremendous responsibility to share our talents in an effort to make life better for everyone around us.

On the other hand, Leo wants us all to understand that our lives are one big canvas and we get to fill it with whatever we want. So dream a little…all right, dream a lot. The way of Leo is big, big, big! Think, "big-budget Hollywood". Consider what your life would be like if you embraced the risk-taking romantic that lives inside of you, buried deep beneath the weight of all your worldly responsibilities. Pick one area of your life and give it over to this part of you. You'll be amazed at what can happen!

Leo rules creative self-expression and represents the artist in each of us. This is the New Moon for increasing your creativity. The New Moon in Leo is all about discovering your personal aesthetic and finding the right modus operandi for expressing it. Those of you who are artists can use this New Moon to start a new project or initiate a new direction in your work, build a stronger belief in your own vision, or bolster your ability to handle the vast amount of rejection most artists face at one time or another. I know, some of you are sitting there saying, "Well I'm not an artist, what does this have to do with me?" Just look at the clothes in your closet and the things you buy to accessorize your home. We all make aesthetic decisions every day! Leo increases our sense of what makes us special.

This is also the New Moon for romantic love. With Venus (love and relationship), Mercury (communication skills), Sun (energy), Moon (emotional needs) and Jupiter (big, big bliss) and all in Leo, and Mars in Pisces, there is no excuse for not diving into the arms of your lover. This is going to be one of the most romantic Leo New Moons in a long time. So don't waste it!!! When it comes to love, Leo loves romance; full-blown choreographed romance. If you are just not getting enough attention from your partner, or you are lonely and looking for love, this is the New Moon to create a powerful ritual to invoke and invite romance into your life. For those of you who have a partner, make the ritual a love-fest and pull out all the stops: candles, wine, roses, anything to awaken the senses. For those of you who wish to invite love into your lives, do the same while envisioning "Mr. or Ms. Right" being right there with you. You can make love show up in your life with clear intention and a strong desire to love and be loved.

Those of you who tend toward the Leo drama-queen specturm of emotional expression, beware, with all these planets in Leo, the temptation to be an enfant terrible will be almost irresistible. This is a very good New Moon cycle to take a hard look at your own emotional patterning; especially if you suffer with mood swings. It is possible to love deeply, feel deeply, and create deeply, without wreaking havoc in your own life and the lives of those around you. I have been writing a lot about depression since Saturn moved into Cancer, but Bipolar disorders are nearly as prevalent, and just as crippling. So if you find yourself being held hostage to periods of serious lows and manic highs, it is time to seek treatment. By the way, bipolar disorders were once thought to only occur in young adults and adults. But now there is a tremendous amount of evidence for childhood bipolar disorders, which are often misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD. If you want more information about childhood bipolar disorders, you can visit www.bpkids.org a wonderful online resource for parents.

One last Leo issue. Leo often gets hooked into the importance of keeping up appearances; how we look, what we own, what we do, become, for many people, the definers of self. More than anything Leo wants to be noticed and appreciated. But the goal here is not to simulate a fashion model or movie star. The idea is to allow your appearance to reflect the beauty inside your heart, soul and mind. Healthy lifestyles are extremely important, and right now obesity is one of the greatest health problems in America. So if you need some inspiration to get in shape and feel better, this is the right New Moon start a diet and exercise program. Some of you may just want to experiment with a new hairstyle or try a new look. This is good time to indulge a little, by gifting yourself with healing treatments for your body. Live a little and treat yourself to something special.

So enjoy this beautiful, fun and creative New Moon cycle!

©2003 Lisa Dale Miller

The Moon is in the sign of Pisces the Fish today, symbolizing our need for understanding and our tendency toward compassion. Like the Fish, we are surrounded by a sea—but ours is a sea of consciousness, feelings and spiritual subtlety. Accordingly, we may feel more spacey, less grounded. Yet, Mars is also in Pisces now, so we can also feel free-floating anger, without being able to find its source. Day by day, until the end of the month, retrograde Mars comes closer and closer to Earth, pushing us to take action.

We begin the work week with a relatively stable Moon in Taurus. Venus, the key planet of Taurus aligns with the Sun today, giving us a much-needed reprieve from the intensity of the past days. Unfortunately, this Sun-Venus conjunction is square the Moon’s Nodes, so we might not let ourselves feel okay about letting down our guard. We truly can enjoy life now, but there is a background, an existential angst that just won’t let go. Enjoy what you can, but don’t judge yourself too harshly for what you cannot control.

The Moon is in Gemini all day, symbolizing our need for variety and diversity. We may not be satisfied until we’ve heard all sides of a story. In fact, we are easily distracted. Venus, which has been tracking close to the Sun for the past few days, now reaches conjunction to Jupiter, which in turn will align with the Sun tomorrow. Traditionally, this is a good aspect, creating good will, optimism in love and pleasant experiences. The only pitfall is the tendency to overindulge.

August 28 - Pluto goes direct - repercussions from actions undertaken when Pluto was last stationary on March 23 are now in the foreground. After simmering just below the surface for the last few months, more information from that time should be explained if not exposed. The combination of Pluto stationary and Mars' closeness to the Earth can make this a dangerous time with terrorism, wars, violence, weather and earth related activity. Pisces also rules moving bodies of water including rivers, streams and brooks indicating more damage to or from those areas during this Mars retrograde. Hopefully, the country will get back on track in late September when both Mars and Mercury go direct. Take precautions with equipment and driving, as there is a greater likelihood of accidents.


http://www.crystalinks.com/pluto.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/plutonews.html

August 27 -  Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in more than 60,000 years. This is a once in a lifetime event that will not occur again for thousands of years. Mars is the fiery, red planet that in astrology represents strength, courage, action, direct energy, passion, knives, blood and war.

At the same time Mars will be conjoining the planet Uranus. Uranus is astrologically known for its rebellious, opinionated, excitable, disruptive, changeable, innovative energy. If you know any Aquarians just think of their basic traits. Now you see what I mean! The intensity of these two dynamic planets will have a strong effect on the earth and all that inhabit it. I believe we will witness matters around the world coming to a head that have been dormant for sometime. People might find themselves more tense, moody, excitable, angry, explosive and plain old - acting out. Change is in the air for sure! This period could bring to a head many political issues that are waiting to explode. We need to be aware of the Earth's eco system in terms of floods, earthquakes and fires. Mars and Uranus just love to stir things up, all to create a new beginning in a quick, dynamic way.

In addition, the planets Venus, Jupiter and the Sun will be in the sign of Virgo opposing Mars and Uranus. Think of it as two opponents facing one another. There is bound to be a confrontation that needs to be addressed. Let's take that thought to your day to day life, and the world at large. How can that apply? Go within and look at your intimate relationships, business connections and your day to day events. The answers are there.

August 27: New Moon at 4 degrees of Virgo

We like to think that creativity comes in flashes of
inspiration and that all the elements then fall into place.
But art and beauty are not always effortless natural
processes -- hard work is required. During this new Moon,
creativity blossoms in very logistical and systematic ways.
You'll formulate new systems that will make expressing your
heart's desires and impulses much simpler. You'll be able
to see the root cause of your feelings, allowing you to
nurture an instinctive, beneficial cooperation between your
emotions and your actions. But Virgo can also be a stress-
causing influence, so watch out for impatience or
intolerance.

Those of you born under the mutable signs will be
especially influenced by this new Moon. Take note if your
birthday falls within the following ranges: Geminis born
between May 23-27, Virgos born between August 26-30,
Sagittarians born between November 25-29 and Pisceans
born between February 22-26.

August 27: Jupiter into Virgo

Jupiter, the planet of luck, changes signs once a year and
spends about a year in each sign. A benevolent influence,
this planet brings optimism and hope to our search for
answers -- and when it's teamed up with industrious,
pragmatic Virgo, those answers are within our reach. With
Virgo's organization and Jupiter's encouragement, growth
of the mind and the spirit can be exponential. Have you
been thinking about going back to school or taking a class?
There's no time like the present! Go pursue those
intellectual pursuits while the stars smile on them.

August 28: Pluto Direct

Pluto is retrograde nearly 40 percent of the year, but the
Plutonian influences really tend to flaunt themselves when
Pluto is stationary and about to go either retrograde or
direct -- as it will this Thursday. Issues that lie beneath
the surface might come up during this time. On a literal
level, you might have to deal with a leaky pipe or backed-up
drains; on an emotional level, old feelings might suddenly
surface, so be prepared.

Authority issues may grow unavoidable during this time
period as well. Try to hold your tongue around your boss,
lest you dig yourself into some sort of trouble. It's the
same idea with other authority figures -- if you're pulled
over for speeding, save the snappy comebacks and accept
the ticket.

Pluto is named for the Roman god of the underworld but
shouldn't be feared. Pluto rules the cycle of life, of which
death is only a small part. Rebirth and rejuvenation are also
important Plutonian aspects. This is a wonderful time for
personal archeology; Pluto governs the resurfacing of lost
items, so digging up history will be easier than usual. It's
also a good time to retreat for a while and freshen yourself
in body and in spirit.

August 28: Mercury Retrograde in Virgo

It's time for another Mercury retrograde! At some point,
every planet except the Sun and the Moon appears to be
moving backward from our perspective on Earth; when this
seemingly unnatural motion occurs, our lives tend to become
more challenging. Mercury rules communication and transportation,
so these two areas are most influenced during Mercury's
retrograde periods. Conversations might be more difficult,
as crossed signals and unclear meanings confuse normally
straightforward discussions. Still, with a little caution
and consideration, you'll get your point across.

Similarly, be prepared with a back-up plan when you're
traveling. If your flight gets canceled or your car won't
start, remain calm and make the best of it. Who knows -- you
might meet a fascinating new person in the airport lobby or
at the bus stop.

Be sure to also remember that this powerful energy can be
used in positive ways. Especially under Virgo's organized
influence, a Mercury retrograde is a very good time to take
care of general tidying, so take a look at your to-do list
for any activities that start with 're': renew, repair,
review, renegotiate, research, etcetera.

August 29: Jupiter Opposes Uranus

The planet of luck and the planet of revolution team up --
a very auspicious combination indeed! Historically, Jupiter
in opposition to Uranus is associated with scientific
discovery. On a personal level, it means it's a great time
to launch into the future with a good plan. You'll be seeing
things in new ways, and if you keep your mind and your eyes
open, whole worlds of possibility can become apparent to you.
Invent and innovate -- make use of the astrological sense of
unstoppable positive progress.

General Daily Overview
The Moon enters practical Virgo at 6:26 am EDT, followed by the New Moon at 1:25 pm EDT. This New Moon is especially propitious, for it joins Jupiter, who has also just entered Virgo after being in Leo for a whole year. This slow-moving shift means less showy times. We become more concerned with learning what is right instead of acting first and regretting it afterward.
We each can consciously make a wish about what we want in the months ahead. If we visualize our future with intent, we just may get what we ask for. 8)