Full Moon in Leo

Full Moon in Leo, Sunday February 5th at 6.28 PM

“I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.” Madonna (Leo extraordinaire).

As the orbital positions of the moon around the earth, and the earth around the sun, shift gradually over a synodic, or lunar, month, the moonlight we see here on earth changes. The waxing and waning of the moon’s light is described by four major phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. The moon doesn’t shine, it reflects the light of the sun. And a full moon occurs when 100% of the moon's face is lit by sunlight. This happens when the sun and the moon are totally aligned on opposite sides of the earth. The climax of the lunar cycle – and indeed all its phases – is a beautiful illustration of the relationship between the sun, the moon and the earth, and how it affects what we see and experience on here.

This full moon in the fixed, fire sign of Leo speaks to this relationship of sun-moon-earth more so than any other sign. Leo is ruled by the sun, and, in astrology, the sun represents the self and our way of being in the world. Self-expression, brave authenticity, courage and creativity are core themes here (like Madonna said). The moon, on the other hand, represents our emotional world and inner landscape. When the full moon is in Leo, it illuminates firstly if we are showing up in the world (are we hiding our light; our true selves; our talents, for example?), and then how we are showing up in the world.

Leo, because it rules the heart, is all about living from the heart. In his book ‘Living from the Heart’, Nirmala, a spiritual teacher in the Advaita tradition of nondual wisdom, talks about consciously moving our awareness from the mind and body, and into the heart. “Since you are almost always aware of your body and your mind (because awareness follows your body and mind around), you come to the mistaken conclusion that you are your body and your mind. You fail to recognize that what you are is the empty, spacious awareness that the body and mind appear in. You assume, since they are almost always here, I am the body and the mind…This mistaken identity as the body and mind creates all of your suffering.”

Nirmala goes on to say that: “The key is to allow awareness to flow from the Heart…The important thing is where your awareness seems to be located. Because of the strongly imprinted tendency to look from the head and through your thoughts, you may find at first, that you are looking into your Heart,… if only for a moment—just look or sense from your Heart. What is that like even if it only lasts briefly? Does your awareness open up and expand? Do you sense things in a different way? Most people find that their awareness becomes softer, wider, and more open.”

This moon is inviting us to drop down into our hearts and to see how that feels. To simply sense. How does it feel – however briefly – to exist from this place? And what would our lives be like if we lived from the heart? Spoke from the heart? Lived boldly and courageously? What does your unique heart-centred life look and feel like? When we live from the heart, we live from love. Love is another very important theme of this moon. Of course, the heart and love are intrinsically linked. It’s where we feel love.

A square between Venus in Pisces and Mars in Gemini may highlight how love is showing up in our lives, particularly through intimacy and sex. Leo is very much about love: it rules the fifth house of romance, sex, self-expression and pleasure so this square has the potential to highlight our authenticity in how we create and express pleasure of this nature.

Self-love is so important here too. Self-love is nourishment. Through a healthy Leonine filter, this feels like belonging. Again, we have this connection of the self to the earth. The sense of belonging here and now on the earth. Again, this is a heart-centred feeling. One where we are not separate from our planet and its people. One where we experience an innate sense of interconnectedness. This is where we can really lean into the Leo-Aquarius axis (Leo represents the self and Aquarius the collective.) that is lit up by the full moon.

During this full moon, the sun and moon, (opposed across the Leo-Aquarius axis) are squaring Uranus in Taurus. Uranus represents rebellion and innovation. So, during this heart-led inquiry, we may experience an unexpected insight or gain a new perspective on the existential questions above. This may feel uncomfortable initially but could act as a catalyst to action; action that could lead to a bringing forth of our authentic selves into the world (Taurus represents the earth).

How to work with the energy of this full moon in Leo? It’s all about really getting in touch with our heart. Nirmala’s book has exercises for heart-centred awareness and is available for free here: https://endless-satsang.com/free-spiritual-ebook This meditation on from Breanne Jenay on Insight Timer about “opening the heart, getting centrered, and living more from love” https://insighttimer.com/breannejenay/guided-meditations/heart-meditation-opening-the-heart-breathe-with-bre And simply doing something which brings you joy; pleasure and delight is also another wonderful way to work with the energy of this full moon in Leo.

Image credit: James Eades on Unsplash

Lynsey Allett3 February 2023