Leo’s voice expresses whatever is loudest in you right now. It might be the beauty that you choose to keep engaging, even in the most difficult moments. Maybe it’s fear, and the courage of the lion roars through the worries, making pathways of confidence through the terror. Or perhaps nostalgia is nestled in your heart, and is beating strongly in your ear, drumming memories, and leaving messages of longing in your mind. Or maybe it’s a tenderness of broken dreams, and the shattered reality leads an orchestra of grief that fills the auditorium of your life with music you can’t ignore. The new moon in Leo unveils what is undeniably alive in us right now, inviting it to become a song.

What has presence in your life right now?

What has a power so potent you cannot unfeel it?

What reaches from the deep wildness in you, demanding your attention?

This new lunar cycle begins soon after Leo season kicks in, and so the sun will be dancing with the lion through the waxing and waning of this Summer moon, inviting us to keep listening for what is roaring in us. 

The Leo archetype is known for its confidence, the sunlight that radiates through its personality, the brightness with which it illuminates the space around it, the warmth that it spreads, and the vibrant energy it fills the world with. 

We’re invited to root into a deeper relationship with those qualities within us; to cultivate deeper trust in ourselves, to lean into our light and bring it into the world, to be affectionate and generous with our actions, to show up in the world with vitality and a vivacious authenticity. And at the same time, we are invited to listen to that which speaks clearly through us right now, to the music that plays in our lives at the moment, and to the stories told through this chapter in the world.

Not all that gains power in us helps us trust ourselves more deeply. When something is loud in us, it isn’t necessarily the voice we want to sing with. When we listen to what’s speaking in us, we may hear beauty, we may hear love, we may hear sadness so deep, it will drop us to our knees, we may hear something we think is too horrible to admit. There might be discomfort in the discoveries that we make. There may be things we need to refine, to redefine, to untangle, to unwind. Leo is strong and full of life, determined and unapologetic. Its ferocity might help us hold what’s most present, and keep on moving with whatever we’re dealing with. 

There is a hunger that is hard to satisfy in the belly of the lion. Drenched in desire, we keep moving, creating, and looking for beauty to shine a light on. There’s enthusiasm and excitement, a zest that sharpens the teeth that bite into life. It can feel exhausting to never feel satisfied. But Leo’s sun like energy can keep us recharged when we keep ourselves in touch with that which inspires us, attracts us, and pulls us into our passions. 

Leo’s life force is powerful, magnetic, and vigorous. No matter how hard things may be, Leo has the attitude of a champion. But they are also true to their feelings, and the feelings might be big. As the moon begins its new cycle, the brightness of Leo can help us get honest with ourselves about what we’re dealing with and how we feel about it, especially during this season in history. Globally, collectively, and personally, we’re all facing circumstances and situations that generate big feelings, not all of them steeped in beauty. This is not an easy, simple, time. This moon reminds us to consciously breathe into our vitality, and connect with the parts of ourselves that we want to lead with.

Leo is a leader. It’s the part of us that is in the driver’s seat. What parts of you are sitting behind the wheel right now? Are those the parts you want steering the ship of your life? The answer is not necessarily going to be straight forward, simple, or direct. It may provide a paradox, cultivate a complexity, generate a marvelous mix of questions, more than answers. 

The beauty of symbolic language is that it is deeply rooted in the unconscious, which links us to our wildness, lets us listen with our imagination, and gives us access to a wider understanding of ourselves and of the world. And so we get to listen with the heart of the lion, with the beast of the imagination, with the royalty of this archetype, which invites us into the part of our mind that makes conscious, deliberate, thoughtful decisions. 

It is empowering to remember that we have the ability to decide which parts we want taking the lead, to know our sovereignty, to root into our inner wise guide. And it might be helpful to remember that we are never fully in control, that the unconscious is more vast than the conscious, that there’s more unseen than seen, that there’s a wildness, a beastiness, that doesn’t always let the inner royalty call the shots. 

The play between the untamed and the sovereign is a core theme in the world of Leo. It’s a dance of nature and art, an artistic endeavor in the feral lands of inspiration with the threads that pull creativity into expression and attentive articulation. 

What are the natural, wild materials your life is saturated with at the moment?

What do you want to create with it?

What parts of you do you want to put behind the wheel, so that you can craft the life that you desire? 

I hope this gives you some things to listen for, to look at, to contemplate, to play with, as the moon begins a new cycle, and the brightness, strength, and generosity of Leo and the sun call us to connect to the powerful, radiant, giving energy of our hearts. 

Share this with a loved one. 

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May this new moon inspire your heart to make art, to be strong, and to stay open, even when, and especially when things are not easy. 

With all my heart,

Hagar