It’s phenomenal what heat can do to us, isn’t it?
Heat can activate us, it can slow us down. Heat is transformative, transfigurative, transmutative. Heat helps organisms to grow. But too much of it can dry them out, even burn them to a crisp. We glow with heat. It’s an inner light that radiates outward; versus a colder light that is reflected upon our surface. Heat indicates vitality, even in a fever. It’s a fighting chance.
Heat can be a generative force; expanding, propelling us into a new form. As summer in the northern hemisphere reaches its climatological zenith, the sun moves into radiant Leo. I always think of Leos with open arms, whether they’re spinning on a dancefloor, accepting applause, coming in for a hug, or pulling you along for the ride. There is always room for more within the circle of a Leo.
As the fixed fire sign, I also think of Leo as the hearth. A stable fireplace roaring and glowing to warm and nourish the family around it. While Aries starts the fire, Leo keeps it burning all night long. It is during Leo season that we celebrate the first great harvest of the year (Lughnasadh), and access an astrological and numerical portal for manifestation and abundance. There is a “full circle” feel to Leo season, from harvest to new seeds, and yet the fire keeps burning underneath it all.
Where in your body do you feel heat now?
In what ways are you melting? In both surrender and in overwhelm?
What places could use a little more heat, or a little less?
Tomorrow’s New Moon in Leo—peaking at 10:54am PST—brings us another powerhouse lunation. As a new moon, it’s time to clean your altars, clear your “to-do” lists, and clarify your desires. Projects begun in the next weeks will get an extra boost of confidence and drive, especially those launching by or around 8/8. The sun and moon will trine Jupiter, offering further expansion and good fortune, even as it moves retrograde later in the day until November 23. This retrograde will offer us the opportunity to reconcile with our spiritual selves. It’s a time for introspection and reflection on how we accomplish our goals and who we believe ourselves to be, spiritually; a real “come to Jesus” if you will! Here’s hoping that a number of folks in our greater collective feel this impulse and follow it to its inner source.
In addition, Mercury will be square Uranus during the new moon adding the possibility of unexpected change and opportunity or the tension associated with impulsiveness. It will serve to maintain an open mind and be adaptable to circumstances. Remember Jupiter is on your side, opening doors and giving you some breathing room. Revisit your goals, consider all of the new information you’ve accumulated until now, and renew the vows to your dreams.
Leo is a master of living by example. Although they may not be initiators, Leos are undeniable leaders. This energy may have us needed to put our emotional world front and center, to be seen and feel heard. Balance this need with also being the hearth for those to gather around and find camaraderie with.
How can you bring your circle into your plans and build your dreams together?
FOR THE BODY
Leo rules the spine, back, muscle of the heart, and cardiovascular system
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Bring out the bling! Wear gold and yellows to radiate that inner warmth.
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Stoke the fire within by eating light, dry and aromatic foods seasoned with cayenne pepper, mustard, cloves, ginger, cinnamon or garlic. If you're feeling overheated, bring yourself back into balance with melon, root veggies, valerian root and lemon balm.*
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Get your blood pumping with a dance party (I prefer these solo so that I have FULL access to my dance floor, but we all know the more the merrier.)
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Work with calendula oil for its incredible anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial properties. It's great for soothing the skin, for healing wounds, and working with scar tissue.
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*I am not a doctor nor registered dietician. Please consult your PCP to make sure that any changes are correct for you and your body.
During the zenith of the New Moon in Leo, the Sun and Moon will be in Gate 31.4, the Gate of Influence that says, “I lead.” The line indicates how one leads with success. In Line 4, this directs us toward our intent. Gate 31, also known as the Gate of Democracy, is in the Throat Center, so this is natural leadership through voice and action. When expressed through Line 4, its success is based on how it is perceived; understanding that in order to lead, one must be trusted and supported by their constituents. And to gain this trust, the intent is most successful when it clearly serves those who it represents.
Where do you feel the power of leadership within yourself?
How do you respond to leadership outside of you and how does that relationship serve you?
What is the Lion's Gate Portal?
You may have heard folks talking about the Lion’s Gate Portal (oooh! aaah!) on social media or in astrological circles. Simply, the Lion’s Gate Portal is the time of year when the star Sirius aligns at its closest with the Earth, and each year it just so happens to fall around the date of 8/8. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius has been historically viewed as our spiritual sun. There are some modern astrologers who equally associate it with memory and shadow, but nonetheless during the Portal we have the combined influence of the sun and Sirius pressurizing the Earth into evolution. This is why many folks consider it to be an auspicious time for manifestation. The number 8 is associated with the bridge between the material and the ethereal, abundance and wealth, as well as the Strength card in Tarot and the 8th House of power and transformation in astrology.
In the same way that we can feel a “shadow” of the effects of retrograde planets for weeks around the the transit, we may begin to feel the increasing energy of this alignment tomorrow as it ramps up to August 8th. This week, clear out the stagnant excuses and rewrite the narrative of your year in a way that empowers you. Use the New Moon in Leo to stoke the fire and get cookin’! Whatever you step into during this time, whatever baggage you can leave behind, will propel you that much further along your journey. You are here for a unique and transformative purpose, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. You have Helpers.
August 1st, is the sabat of Lughnasadh/Lammas in pagan circles. Lughnasadh marks the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, and celebrates the first harvest, specifically of corn and grain. Often a ritual cutting is followed by offerings of such to the Celtic deity Lugh, in gratitude and to ensure a long harvest season. Fairs, marriages and other celebrations with food, drink and dancing would follow, which precedes our Euro-American tradition of County and State Fairs in late summer. It’s a celebration of a successful growing season, but not the end, an acknowledgement that there will be work to do tomorrow to keep us on the right track.
This weekend is also the celebration of Muharram, the beginning of the Islamic calendar. As I am a white woman of Euro-Christian-Pagan descent, I’m not here to teach you about Islam. However, as a Jupiterian woman with a Sagittarius stellium, I love the intersection of philosophies and faiths. I find Islam, like many modern iterations of religions, to have its issues and complications, but the tenets to be beautiful. As the beginning of the Islamic calendar, Muharram is a sacred month of prayer and reflection second only to Ramadan. It is a time when warfare is forbidden. Muslims are encouraged to look within and after themselves to “prevent wrongdoing” and find peace. I see this as a relevant meditation when we are in the energy of leadership.
It's that time again!
August Office Hours are open and ready for you to take a seat. This is not a full reading of your chart, but rather a no-pressure sit down and get the answers to the questions that have been the pebble in your proverbial shoe. Whether you've already had a reading with someone else, or just discovered Human Design and want to know more about how learning your own can serve you in your own life, there's no informational gate-keeping and no BS. I'm an open book for you.
As always First name / my dear friend, I hope that this resonated with you. If it did and you want to share the Moonsletter with others, feel free to pass it along! And if you're reading this and you haven't signed up, join here!
