Sparkle & Be Bright, July's New Moon

New Moon July 23 at 2:46 am pdt 0.44 degrees Leo

This month’s New Moon is in Leo – the ‘sparkler’ of the zodiac.  Leo is about being bright, embracing the center of attention and leading fearlessly.  Leo is creative, generous and playful.  Leo can also be a braggart, a bully, and egotistical.  It all depends on what her motivation is.  When she comes from a grounded, heart centered, self-love place then being in the presence of a Leo is truly amazing.  It’s like basking in the warm sun after days of rain. However, if she is wounded and filled with self-doubt, she can be a horribly narcissistic person that drains energy from everyone around her.  With great power comes great responsibility. Leos wield great power. 
 
This New Moon in Leo is particularly powerful because it is at the very beginning of Leo, 0 degrees.  Which means, the next New Moon, will also been in Leo.  It is not uncommon to have two New Moons in the same sign. It happens once or twice a year. What makes these double Leo New Moons so unusual is that the second one on August 21st will also be a Total Solar Eclipse, that will be visible in the Pacific Norwest!  (Click here to see where you will be able to see the whole eclipse). In addition, the Full Moon on August 7th, between these two New Moons, will be a partial Lunar Eclipse.  Eclipses are like super power moons, they are agents of change.  We can begin feeling there effects up to 2 months before and after!  Truly, The Universe is really asking us, no demanding for us, to look deeply at what makes us bright, what makes us stand out and how we can make the world a better place by letting our light shine. 
 
Mars joins the Sun and Moon in Leo for this New Moon, giving it extra Leo energy and assertion.  Mars brings a sense of urgency, a need to initiate, to do and create.  Remember the key goal of Leo is to sparkle by our own individual self-love, being extra special just by being us.  The thing is we are all extra special.  It’s a scientific miracle that we are even here, that we were even born.  When we allow ourselves to be bright, it give others the permission to be bright as well.  Just think what a wonderful world we would live in if everyone loved themselves completely and unconditionally with all the broken pieces and the special gifts we each have. The journey to that place means we need to do our inner work.  We need to understand deeply who we are and why we do what we do so we can heal our wounds and the negative old patterns that hurt ourselves and others.  When we are able to do that work we shine from the INSIDE out. 
 
Mercury is in Leo too and having a great time with Uranus in Aries.  Both these planets are in fire signs, really stoking the fires of transformation and passion.  The harmony of these two together, can bring about quick-witted communication that is inspirational and creative and it is great opportunity for sudden insight or an ‘ah-ha’ moment.  Don’t squander this energy though, because soon, Mercury will be moving into Virgo (next week) and retrograde in the beginning weeks of August. 
 
Venus and Saturn are in conflict.  Saturn is focusing us on our duty and responsibility while Venus wants us to focus on enjoying ourselves.  This conflict can result in feelings of loneliness, self-pity and feeling like we are surrounded by bright positive energy, but cannot relate to it or tap into it.  It’s really an interesting conflict of energies since the theme of the New Moon is about self-care and enjoyment.  Saturn brings the responsibility factor.  Do your work.  Know yourself.  Heal your wounds.  So that your sparkle comes from the inside, not forced or false.
 
Venus and Chiron are also in conflict leaving us feeling like we are not being recognized for our contributions, particularly by loved ones.  We have to remember we cannot change other people, we can only change ourselves. By focusing on understanding and believing more completely in ourselves, others will begin to see our brilliance. Upon seeing our brilliance, they too will be encouraged to recognize and cultivate their own inner brightness.
 
Saturn and Neptune are also in conflict, making this a time of uncertainty and confusion.  When doing this type of work, it’s possible that our objectives may be unclear. This can make it difficult for us to make plans and follow through on them. The best way to deal with this is to make our lives as simple as possible. Bring our intentions down to the simplest purpose and practice self-care and nurturing. Make time for silence, allowing the dust clouds of change to settle around us so we can get a clearer view.
 
We get support from Neptune and Pluto who are in a good relationship, helping each other out and offering us a sense of naturally being able to let go.
 
Finally, Jupiter and Pluto are still in their deep, intense negotiation that began last fall.  This negotiation has been a tough one for a lot of people (our recent election is a good example of this working itself out on the world stage).  Jupiter is about expansion and therefore new life, beliefs and ideals.  Pluto on the other hand is about death, transformation and the use of power.  When these two get in the room we get fireworks, things simply cannot stay the same.  We may run into resistance from others especially if we are not being honest about our motives. Our goal may be to improve but others may not agree with us and work against us.  They may prefer our old, negative patterns because it serves them.  However, in the end, something new will be born and something will die. In the next month, Jupiter and Pluto will square off in the ring one last time, so it is possible, something that surfaced last fall, and again in March/April is likely to come to a resolution.
 
In summary, The Universe is asking us to be bright from a heart centered place.  To look deeply at what lies in our hearts.  How we feel about ourselves, our self-esteem and our self-worth. To heal our hearts so that our sparkle comes from deep within.  We are being given the energy to do this from the connection between the Sun, Moon and Mars and we are getting two New Moon cycles to do it.  Venus sets us on the path by being in conflict with Saturn and Chiron. Allowing our negative thoughts and feelings to rise to the surface to be seen and transformed.  Uranus and Mercury’s harmonious relationship helps us to find innovative ways to transform and heal those old beliefs and wounds.  Jupiter and Pluto give us the power necessary to let go of what needs to be released and to expand into our new self.  When the butterfly is emerging from its cocoon, it has to work VERY hard before it can fly, before it can show off its brilliant beautiful bright wings and sparkle in the sunlight.

​Be bright & sparkle, dive deep to ascend,
​Andrea