She is wild and warm, fierce and fiery, loving and loud, playful and powerful, confident and curious. The leo archetype invites us to connect to the core of who we are, the authenticity of our nature, to the parts in us that are ready to express, and to our ability to let our own voice inspire other voices to roar out of their cave and share something meaningful with the world. 

Bright, passionate, and creative, the Leo vibe is here to unleash something in us that is waiting to be brought into the world. With this zodiac sign we are reminded to play, to dance, to make love, to make art, to walk barefoot in the hot Summer sand, and to ride the waves of oceans and emotions. 

Leo has a dominant character. Perhaps a new moon in this sign invites us not to become dominant necessarily, but to find and define that which is dominant in us, and bring it to light, let it bask in the sun, let it be seen, and root our intentions within the supportive soil of our strengths. 

My relationship with astrology is not rooted in faith. I’m not an astrologer. I’m not a believer. Everywhere I look I see that faith becomes dogma, so when I turn to astrology, or tarot, or any magical, or spiritual, or philosophical system, it’s not about believing in it, but about exploring the stories, toying with the art of it, learning about myself and others through archetypes, and making magic with a lighthearted approach. The world is serious enough. When it comes to being a witch, I like to keep it whimsical. I relate to the sacred in secular ways. 

Leo has a playful paw that wants the untamed, unconventional, unapologetic parts of us to light a fire and burn the constraints of faith, and the way that religion and other systems have been limiting our vision and oppressing our perspectives. The lion in the heart roars with desire to free the feral in you, and let it run naked in a sunkissed meadow. Literally and/or metaphorically. 

Leo moves us through the peak of Summer, stabilizes us in the bounty of the season, and invites us to sit on the throne of abundance with all that comes to fruition during this time of harvest. 

In this archetype we find our generosity, and the generosity of the land, of the sun, and of the people in our lives. Like the sun that governs this sign, there’s a powerful ability here, in this moment, to share, to shine, to give, to provide energy for those around us. 

What are you offering feely from your heart? 

What is flowing through you in such a way that it effortlessly pours out of you into the cup of the collective?

Leo loves being loved. This part of us wants to be adored and admired.

How can you give yourself the kind of love that you need during this lunar cycle? 

As you move through this next lunar cycle, how can you offer loved ones the kind of love that they need, while keeping your integrity, your boundaries, and your own needs met? 

We are called into the cave out of which leaders emerge. The cave of the heart is where we listen, learn, and practice, where our desire leads us to go deeper, where we sweat, cry, and commit to something greater than our own desires, where we burn the bullshit and breathe authenticity into being, and become ready to lead our own way, and support others on their journey. 

Leo is the royal ruler, carrying us into a conversation that teaches us to trust ourselves, and become a helpful guide for our own lives. 

This is the time of the lion’s heart. We’re invited to tap into our courage, to rise to our greatness, to spark a pleasurable scene, to sparkle in the eyes of the cosmos, to drip life’s honey and lick it too. The lion’s heart is big and beautiful. And you are a glorious expression of it. 

During the first week of this lunation we are breathing with the lion in the sun, with the ways in which we are individuated; a person in the center of their own lives. With Leo we are present within that which makes us who we are – call it ego if you want. Ego is not a bad word. Ego is limited, problematic at times, and centers around the self, but ego is an important, necessary part within the system that we are. 

What makes you you?

How can that which makes you distinctly yourself bring value to the world?

As the moon continues its journey of waxing and then waning, the sun will move into virgo; the archetype of order and discernment, of structure and service, of health and harvest.

What kind of intentions will you set in the beginning of this cycle that moves us through our personal power and into service rooted in discernment and structures that support you and more than you? 

Roar your brightness into form, and have a glorious new moon, darling one!

If you are seeking to ritualize this new moon, the latest Season Somatic Ceremony is for you – a mythopoetic exploration, and a set of embodied rituals, as well as prompts for journaling or to spark conversation. Details are here.

Image at the top - Art by Hadas Harpak