Alchemy and the Shining Star at the Core of Your Soul
Oh, Leo! You are such a fast, fierce, fiery, fixed star. The Lord of Lammas, and the leader of the proverbial pack. In Leo season, we are asked to heed the call of our Hero’s Journey — a highly personal song only the individual can hear. At the Leo New Moon, our gaze naturally turns more inward in order to better integrate our heads and our big, lion hearts. At this Leo New Moon, an opposition from Pluto and the influence of four retrograde planets demands that we slow down and be present with and for this phase of our transformational process. So, let’s look at how to maximize the opportunities of this magical moment.
In astrology, each sign embodies the vibrational tone of a particular archetype. Remember, the energy of a sign is at its most powerful during its New Moon, when the New Moon and the Sun are conjunct in the sign. At this time, a sign’s attributes, concepts, images, and power are easier to see and access. A New Moon will always show us the specific tone we want to activate, achieve, and hold over this very short, very focused, and very powerful period of time. Everything comes back to that.
The archetype of Leo is complicated, for Leo doesn’t just have one. Oh, no, Leo doesn’t do anything as pedestrian as that. It has a couple of them. Depending on who you follow, Leo has up to four archetypes:
King
Creator/Artist
Hero/Superhero
Savior/Messiah
The typical dilemma we find when the Sun and the smaller planets move into any sign is learning how to access its archetypes within ourselves and then making whatever magic we need to actualize it at the next level. Ideally, every year, we tighten that up a little more and are able to exhibit greater and greater levels of mastery. During Leo season, because the archetypes are so big, that dilemma can seem insurmountable. And I am seeing that in a lot of clients right now. Because Leo rules aspects of magic, if we can stay calm and listen for it, we can expand to meet the needs of the moment with greater grace, ease, and confidence.
The actual alchemy of this—the process of turning more base elements into more golden ones—will differ from sign to sign and from year to year, depending on a whole host of factors. What I love about Leo is that it rules the magic of childhood: the ability to spontaneously turn anything and any moment into a source of wonder and delight. Let’s look at some of the other astrological factors (there are kind of a few) that will impact your ability to make magic this year and become the superhero both you and your community need you to be.
In astrology, the Sun represents our core strengths and our ego structure. The Moon represents our emotional world, our instincts, and our subconscious patterns. And Pluto symbolizes deep transformation, and the hidden aspects of our psyches and our souls. When I first started studying astrology, my teachers often said, “Pluto rules the gorgeous flower of your greatest gift and how it blooms from the fertile soil composted from your greatest wound.” (Thanks, Dorothy and Jennifer.)
Whenever Pluto is in play, you will find yourself working deep—or at least deeper—with very little expenditure of energy. But if you put in some effort and intentionality, it pays lasting dividends. When a conjunction between the Sun and the New Moon is in opposition to Pluto, we experience a radical, new understanding of the depth and breadth of our emotional, intellectual, and egoic needs. This moment will both show us the radiant essence of our wholeness and provide opportunities for deep and lasting personal growth and change.
This New Moon occurred on Thursday, July 24, at 12:11 pm PDT. Although the Moon moves swiftly and is out of orb – more than 8 degrees past the Sun/Pluto opposition – by July 26, the retrograde Mercury steps up and into that oppositional field. There it will remain throughout its retrograde and well into its shadow period. During that time, your entire mental and emotional operating system will get an upgrade. I know. I wish I was kidding. On the other hand, we are all long overdue. If you can handle the confrontations, by Labor Day, you will be functioning at levels you did not realize were possible.
Lastly, there’s Lammas, the first of the three harvest season celebrations that comprise the manifestation cycle that is the Wheel of the Year. At this time, the labors of love we have put into this year’s material and spiritual harvests are clearly visible and ready for reaping. Keep your head and your heart open, and the deep commitment to our communities and our individual selves will bring us together in the spirit of abundance. There is much magic here. Harvest. Share. Find new ways to move courageously with compassion, faithfulness, and truth speaking. In keeping with the spirit of Lammas, may your words be medicine and your actions be rituals in motion.
In closing, remember the dramatic relational emphases in the signs of the summer. Cancer is about the divine other: yourself in relationship to your nearest and dearest, your blood kin, and the families of your most karmic choices. Leo is about yourself in relationship with yourself, your true nature, and the shining star at the core of your soul. Leo season is about developing clarity, compassion, and the deep spiritual insight necessary for you to live from a place of greater alignment with the divinity of your nature. It is time for you to move beyond your limiting beliefs, old narratives, old identities, and unconscious patterns and into a new paradigm of love, freedom, and authenticity. Ask your Gods, Guides, Guardians, Angels, and Ancestors for help accessing the energy of Leo, and you can get there from here. And if you get stuck, call me.
We’ll figure it out.
Calendar
Below are some of the dates when your opportunities for wizardry, magic, and alchemy will be the greatest.
July 24
New Moon in Leo
July 30
Venus moves into Cancer
August 2
Lammas, Lughnassa
Tisha B’av begins at sunset
August 3
Tisha B’av ends at sunset
August 6
Mars moves into Libra
August 9
Lunar Lammas, Lughnassa (Gaelic)
Full Moon in Aquarius (also known as the Sturgeon Moon, Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Red Moon, Barley Moon, and Harvest Moon)
August 11
Mercury goes Direct at 4° Leo, Mercury Retrograde Shadow Period begins
August 22
New Moon in Virgo, Sun Moves into Virgo
