On August 14th we have a New Moon in the sign of Leo. As a archetype Leo is about self-awareness, self-expression and creativity. Dramatic; well coiffed and regal, Leo is not easily ignored. As with all the fire signs, Leo has a sense of special destiny and so with this New Moon we are being required to become self-conscious of our own special destiny.

A supportive trine to Uranus in Aries ups the ante on the already potent energy of this New Moon. Uranus is the rule breaker, the genius, and the unknown factor in this equation. All that can be said when Uranus is in the picture is to expect the unexpected. So even the self aware Leo in us can be surprised just how this New Moon will change our lives.

In a close conjunction to the New Moon we have Venus retrograde in Leo. Venus is moving closer to her inferior conjunction to the Sun (August 15th). The planet Venus cannot be seen in the evening or morning sky because she is so close to the Sun. Ancient cultures deemed this time as Venus’ journey through the Underworld. While in the Underworld she sheds all she has and is, taking off layers of herself until she is nothing but bones. Once she conjoins the Sun she starts to put on new ‘clothes’ in her journey out of the underworld to become at this time, the morning star. So when this New Moon occurs she is truly ‘bare bones’. And so we have the opportunity with this New Moon to evaluate the structure or our values, our relationship to self and our relationship to others.

The closest aspect to the New Moon by far is an inconjunct to Chiron in Pisces. Inconjuncts are crisis producing aspects. The key word of an inconjunct is irritating. Chiron is the archetype of ‘the wound that will no heal’ and in Pisces the wound is the most ancient and all encompassing wound, the wound of separation from source. Leo is the sign of personal, conditional love and Pisces is the sign of unconditional love. It will take a mental adjustment on our part to allow these two kinds of love to function in our lives simultaneously. Leo wants to be adored, and when they are not, often they cut off from the offender. Yet this New Moon requires us to foster a sense of compassion for all life, even those life forms that piss us off!

We are truly at a time when forgiveness, transcendence, and compassion are required. Let this New Moon plant those seeds of Love in your heart, free of the layers of who we think we’re suppose to be, and safe in the knowledge that we are who we were born to be.