New Moon in Leo

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." Carl Jung

There are eight phases of the moon’s 29.5-day cycle, beginning with the new moon. The new moon – perceived as an absence of light on earth – becomes a waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and, finally, a waning crescent. Light builds from new moon to full, climaxes, then gradually wanes to the new moon. The new moon is an invitation us to turn inward; to look inside ourselves. This new moon is in Leo, which rules the heart (and the spine). This is an explicit call to look into our hearts; to look inside and awaken.

There is a beautiful, uncomplicated purity to Leonine energy. In its highest expression, everything is heart-aligned. Leo leads from the heart, dreams from the heart, creates from the heart. Living from the heart feels different. It involves an innate inner knowing, which is felt rather than explicable. It feels free, expansive and right. It lacks second-guessing and it lacks fear.

“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.’ Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences -- good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ‘ordinary courage.' "Brene Brown.

This new moon in Leo wants us to get in touch with what’s truest. To listen in to where we being called to next. Oftentimes with manifestation, intention setting and visualisation, we are asked to be super specific. Because Leo is so heart-orientated, this new moon wants us to connect with the feeling of what we want to call into our lives without worrying about the detail so much. If you want to call in love, for example, luxuriate in the feeling of love. How does it feel in your body? You can even talk to your love but stay in your heart (don’t get cerebral about it). Tell them you miss them and can’t wait to see them. This is about feeling and knowing that what you desire is already yours. About creating a feeling of exhilaration whilst being safe in knowledge that what you’re calling into your life is already happening.

Leo rules the fifth house, which is also called the house of pleasure. It is home to romance, creativity, sex, passion, self-expression and the inner child. This new moon supports bold, authentic exploration and enjoyment of all these different acts of creativity and expression. Pleasure is often derived from a creative act and it’s time to play! This is supported by the moon’s (loose) sextile – a harmonious aspect of 60° – to Mars and Jupiter in Gemini. The relationship between Leo and Gemini is playful. It wants us to experiment; to try on identities. Mars in Gemini brings passion and excitement to the mix. Jupiter in Gemini is about expansion; about exploring new ways of connecting with others. We can remain authentic while in play when we play from the heart.

How to work with the energy of this new moon? This is a harmonious moon, supporting us in receiving information through the heart, giving us access to our most authentic, brave dreaming and augmenting pleasure and play through exploration. We don’t have to think about any of this, we just need to tune in to our hearts. It is about calling in how you want to feel in your life. If you feel called to use a technique to work with this abundant heart energy, this heart activating meditation from Dr Joe Dispenza may be useful:

Activating and Opening Your Heart
I often receive questions from students about how to activate and open their heart. This is especially common for those new to the work. Here are some simple suggestions you can try:

When you first sit down (or stand, or lie down, depending on the practice) for your meditation, gently place your hands over your heart. Studies suggest that doing so activates the release of oxytocin, known as the “feel-good” or “love” hormone. You’re giving your heart energy, generating feelings of safety and trust – a great place from which to create.

Next, take a moment to sit with yourself before your meditation. Acknowledge your effort in showing up for yourself as a soul on your journey home back to source. As you evolve your practice and become more comfortable, my hope is you’ll feel love and gratitude for yourself – even before you begin.

With your hands still on your heart, ask yourself: What would it be like to be in my new future? If I really were in a whole new reality, how would I feel? What would be the consciousness of that reality – and what would that energy feel like? And, as you play it out in your mind, allow yourself to feel the feelings of that new future in your heart.

If you’re having trouble opening your heart, think of something, or someone, that evokes elevated emotions. For many people, this is their child or partner – or even a beloved pet. Think of whatever, or whomever, brings you feelings of love and joy. Ultimately, you’re teaching your body to feel these feelings ahead of a new experience. As you become more practiced at this, you can naturally, emotionally, connect to your intentional new creation.

Image credit: Alexa Fotos on Unsplash

Carl Jung quote from: C.G. Jung Letters, Vol. 1: 1906-1950 Hardcover – January 1, 1973 by C. G. Jung (Author), Gerhard Adler (Editor), Aniela Jaffé (Editor), R. F.C. Hull (Translator)

Brené Brown quote from: I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame

Joe Dispenza meditation

Lynsey Allett31 July 2024