Mid Summer's Approach & the Leo New Moon with its Ample Aspects

Leonine energy encourages us to know the creative spark that lives within, and to let it shine brightly through who we are and what we offer to the world. It wants us to connect with the song our spirits long to sing, and to share this part of ourselves with chutzpah and aliveness, bringing all we’ve got to its expression. Leo inspires us to tap into the expansive heart of our own creativity, allowing ourselves to be moved by the force that only we can bring, gifting this part of who we are to life, and with every ounce from start to finish. Here to be seen, recognized, and acclaimed, Leo reminds us that the world is indeed our playground, and it is here that we leave a mark through our unique self-expression. And if it means taking a risk in this arena, Leo is all for it, and we are asked to do this full stop.

Reminding us that play is just as important as work and celebration a human birthright, Leo doesn’t shy away from being silly, frolicsome, even downright ridiculous, for it knows we are here to delight in life’s gifts in all the ways we can, and that our hearts our mollified by this simple endeavor. Using merriment as its currency, Leo is quick to elicit a chuckle or induce a whole gaggle of giggles, reminding us that levity feeds the spirit, and the more fun we have, well, the more fun we have. Experiences of bliss and ecstasy remind us of what we’re capable of while in this human form, yet chase them we must not, for this will only ensnare us in an entangled mess of hedonism and debauchery, Leo’s certain shadows. Yet experiencing the healthy versions of these is key, and when we know how to do just that, we weave the joy and lightheartedness into what may otherwise become heavy, mundane, or just plain hard, tapping into the mirthful flavor that uplifts our hearts and is able to carry us through the more challenging times we inevitably experience as humans.

Caring for our inner children is a true Leonine task, one that allows the parts of ourselves that weren’t nourished in the ways they could have been to be reclaimed and integrated. Doing this allows us to operate as optimally-functioning adults who are in touch with, and indeed lovely grownup expressions of, the little ones who are still within us and come through the beings we’ve become even now.

Mercury, who is retrograde from July 17th-August 10th, appears to move backward in the sign of Leo from 15°33’ to 4°25’. Here, we are meant to pause and reflect, especially when it comes to the creative spark we’re nurturing, that we know we’re meant to share. Perhaps a project is needing to be put on hold until we have more time, inspiration, or clarity, or we’re shifting our voice or view in order to bring it forth in the way we know it wants to be brought to life. Maybe we are being called to ensure that experiences of joy and merry-making are integrated into our regular lives, and we need to schedule things like this more often than we have been as of late. Perchance our inner comedians are wanting to make an appearance, and we’re meant to write our first bits or skits to facilitate this process. And it could be that none of these things are true in the slightest, but I trust you get the point nonetheless.

Pluto in Aquarius opposes the New Moon, and we are being called to retrieve those parts of our karmic, epigenetic, and true selves that have been vaulted and hidden all these years so they can actually show up as part of who we are, allowing us to shine as our most authentic and true selves. The more genuine these aspects of who we are actually are, the more important it is that we allow their presence so that the Leonine shine we gift to the world is radiant and clear in all the ways it can be. If it’s not authentic and we continue to secret away our truth, what we bring to the world will not be resonant in the way it otherwise could be, most especially during this cosmic time, and we’ll continue searching for others who can see the best in us when we haven’t chosen to even do that for ourselves.

Saturn and Neptune in Aries both form a trine with the New Moon from the sign of the Leader and the Pioneer, giving us more ferocity and boldness when it comes to sharing our gifts with the world, yet we must ensure that we are willing to do the necessary work to show up as our best, as well as to dissolve old facets of who we once were so this can truly happen. Saturn, aka Father Time, always wants us to embody our wise human selves by doing the hard work necessary to shift old habits and patterns we’ve outgrown, especially now in the parts of our lives where we must develop courage and boldness, necessarily facing what we may have been putting aside because it suited us to do so or it just wasn’t time. This is especially true when we’re asked to do the heavy labor required to heroically be who we came here to be and share the creativity and expression we know we must. If we are willing to do what the Cosmos asks of us in this regard, we will most certainly be able to rely on our ability to do what is challenging when things get uncomfortable, facing our fears as we must, letting this be a catalyzing experience that begets results, bears fruit, and transforms us into the elders we know we can be.

Neptune always asks us to let go of both old versions of ourselves and outdated visions of our lives, and when we’re willing to release who we once were in order to be who we’re becoming — again, fiercely and boldly — we are able to create lives we know are worth living, even if we wouldn’t have recognized ourselves five years prior. We are timeless, ageless beings who necessarily forget our spirit nature when we come here, yet Neptune always reminds us that we are so much more than just our minds or bodies, and surrendering limiting beliefs, ideas, and identities is required if we’re to truly be our most authentic selves. We can only do this if and when we dare to face our deepest fears, transforming and releasing them to reveal what we always knew we were capable of.

Uranus just transitioned into Gemini, where it will be from July 7th-November 7th, 2025, and then again from April 26th, 2026 until May 22nd, 2033 with a brief interlude in Cancer in 2032. This is perhaps the most unpredictable placement of them all, for Uranus brings change to our doorsteps and events that may occur, “all of a sudden” or “out of the blue.” Yet the shifts that Uranus brings are meant to connect us with what is most authentic in ourselves, the part of us that is completely, unapologetically who we are and nothing less. Any and all parts of us that are still operating out of social, familial, karmic, or epigenetic conditioning must be addressed in order to meet this transit well. In Gemini, the quickest of signs, we are invited to words and ideas, quotes and expressions, information and data that points us toward who we are, inspiring us to remember our truest, most real selves. Gemini encourages us to stay open to possibilities and to all of the ways the universe communicates with us and through us, shifting our capacities to listen and heed its guidance, as well as to share ourselves in the ways we know we must. Though Uranus may shake us to our core, we are invited to stay open to the universe’s messages and memos that may have us pivoting or shifting how we’re expressing ourselves moving forward, both for our own good and that of the whole.

Now, if you’re still with me, I commend you! This was quite a lot to write, and I’m sure it was equally that to read. We have ample time to absorb the Cosmic play, especially where all of the planets are involved, and knowing how they aspect parts of your own chart will help that much more. In the meantime, may your Leo New Moon be blessed in all the ways it can be! May you dance your heart out, creatively express yourself in the ways you know you must, play like the inner five-year-old has been begging you to, experience the joy that is your innate nature, and celebrate being a divine being having a human experience in all the ways that truly delight you. There is only one Leo New Moon in 2025 — may you have a superb one.