“Half Moon as Falling Star,” chalk pastel by Maria Theresa Maggi
The moon is new at 23 degrees Leo of the tropical zodiac at 2:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time on August 16, 2023.
Leo is the fifth sign of the tropical zodiac and the second fire sign. It is also a fixed sign that brings in growth through karmic will and experience. Leo energy presides over the imagination and energy of childhood, of our love affairs and of the spark of our creative impulses, especially those that are performative. Leo is ruled by the sun itself. As the primary light of the solar system, the sun rules the creative spark of our being and how that evolves over the course of our lives.
All the other planets revolve around the sun, which gives its life-giving light to all of them, including the moon. Since the sun is at home in Leo, it’s easy for Leo energy to grab the center of attention quite naturally. Wherever Leo falls in your chart this new moon it’s the area of life where you are being asked to shine, and to have the courage to open your heart. The word “courage” shares the same root as the word for heart in French, which is “Coeur,” so being brave literally means that we must put our hearts into where Leo leads us.
Often with Leo, following what we are passionate about can also lead to self-absorption. But the sun and new moon in Leo have just each met with Venus, also in Leo, before they met up to start this new lunar cycle.
Venus is still traveling retrograde in Leo until early September, so this Leo new moon has an important theme of love remembered or love revisited. While this can certainly involve romantic love and lovers, it also extends to our style of intimacy and our experience of beauty with our children or family or anyone we love, our creative partners or even how we approach a performative or artistic craft, skill, or venture. And instead of the usual Leo self-absorption, Venus retrograde asks that we focus on the effect our passions or our emotional courage or lack thereof might affect those we love.
We also might revisit our childhoods, or have to face ways we are behaving childishly. Venus in retrograde has counseled this new moon that it’s important how we pursue our desires. The way we follow our desires can have a ripple effect in our lives, for good or not so good. How do we approach intimacy? If we’re only thinking of it as one thing, perhaps it is time to see that the person we want to be close to has their own set of desires and what feels good to them is key to satisfying intimacy, not just what feels good to us.