For this month of February I’m hearing astrologers using words like transition and preparation, and I agree. At the end of 2022, there was a sense we hadn’t yet completed that year.
With the retrogrades, we really did feel frozen in place. Tantalizingly seeing what this new year might hold but somehow not being able to move.
On that front, it’s been wonderful to shift into a time when all planets are moving forward through the zodiac. The asteroid Ceres stationed retrograde on February 3, signaling a late spring perhaps, but all the planets are in direct motion and will be until April.
Doors are opening. Yet there’s still a sense of waiting. Not so much being held back, as we were before. It’s more a feeling of gathering strength, checking resources, and surveying the terrain.
Now we find ourselves at the Full Moon in Leo. It’s time to check in with our hearts.
The Rising Moon Astrology Podcast is available on an expanding number of sites including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Castbox, TuneIn, and Pocket Casts. Listen in on your favorite and please leave a review.
Leo is the sign of the Sun. This is our star, the glowing fire that fuels Earth and our solar system. In our birth charts, the Sun holds our core being, something special and unique we each have brought into this life.
Depending on the sign and placement of our Sun, we might shine our light into the world brightly, with big energy. We may be quiet, uncomfortable in the spotlight, preferring to live a private life. We might be wary, unsure of how our uniqueness will be received.
But it’s always there. Our light. Our Sun.
Yet since this is the Full Moon in Leo, it’s the Moon, not the Sun in the sign of high summer. The Moon rules our emotions as well as our bodies. How’s your heart feeling these days?
The Moon has no traditional dignity in Leo. We find the Sun, ruler of this Full Moon, in Aquarius, the fixed Air sign that focuses on the needs of communities, not the individual. The Sun has no special dignity in Aquarius.
Each pair of opposite signs around the zodiac has qualities in common, and then key differences. Leo and Aquarius are both fixed signs. They want what they want. Purpose and goals are set and difficult to shift.
These are the two yang fixed signs, Fire and Air. There’s outward movement here, a desire to have an impact on the world, and a sense of mission, of something we must do.
In Aquarius, the mission involves serving the world at large. Creating and sustaining a vision of a better society. Bringing forward innovative, unique ideas that change how we live. Those with a strong Aquarian signature can be so convinced they have the answer, they miss that it is their answer, their own agenda.
In Leo, the focus is on personal creative expression. Bringing forth and giving form to the unique light we carry. Leo is inspired––on fire––sometimes driven to create. Those with a strong Leo presence can become so involved in their personal vision, they lose touch with the world around them. They can seem self-centered, unsympathetic to the plight of others.
The Full Moon has the power to illuminate where we are on this particular spectrum.
Are we allowing space in our lives for our own creativity? Are we aware of, and supporting, social causes important to our communities?
This is not about adding more items to overflowing to-do lists. It’s about balance, finding the right mix of inner and outer focus, personal expression and participation in the world, that makes our hearts sing. That balance will be unique to each of us.
The key aspect to the Full Moon is a square from Uranus in Taurus. The planet of radical authenticity challenges Sun and Moon: Is our current balance aligned with our personal values, our trajectory, our goals.
At first glance, Uranus might sound a lot like Leo: It’s all about us. Yet Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius, with great affinity for that sign. The Uranian question is not so much “What do I want?” but rather “What’s authentic for me? What am I called to?”
Uranus is happy to color outside the lines, strike off in bold new directions, and step outside society’s rules. Not for effect, but in search of the true line within each soul that calls to us no matter what everyone else has to say.
Following Uranus can be uncomfortable, yet our hearts long for what is truly meant for us.
Tonight, February 4, Venus and Mars reach their exact square, an aspect still active during the Full Moon. The check-in on how our hearts feel begins tonight, as yin and yang, feminine and masculine, face off.
Mars at 11º Gemini is moving forward, but not out from under the retrograde shadow. They’re picking up speed, but not moving as quickly as usual. Gemini is a tricky sign for Mars. This is the planet of action and Gemini is more about clever quips and slight of hand tricks.
Venus at 11º Pisces is exalted. Venus has a big retrograde this summer, but right now, is free and clear in movement. They love the creative and spiritual vibe in Pisces, happy to connect with beings throughout the cosmos.
These two in square could create some sparks. This could be spicy in good ways, but there may also be arguments. Pay attention to how you’re relating to others and what your heart wants.
All of us seek the right balance of independence (Mars) and connection (Venus). This is a square in mutable signs, so flexibility is possible. If tensions arise, track what’s happening for you personally. Carry that into your Full Moon experience, not as anger or irritation, but as insight, one more measure of the heart.
Another aspect for this Full Moon opens one more avenue for checking in.
The Sun at 16º Aquarius and the Moon at 16º Leo square the degrees of the last eclipse and the next one. The final eclipse of 2022 was the lunar eclipse of November 8, which occurred at the Full Moon at 16º Taurus. The first lunar eclipse of 2023 occurs at the Full Moon on May 5 at 14º Scorpio.
We find ourselves at the halfway point between eclipses, an excellent time to check in on changes we’ve experienced and those still underway.
There’s plenty to look for in our birth charts.
Naturally, we want to know where the Full Moon itself occurs. Then we add Uranus at 15º Taurus, then the eclipse degrees, very close to and opposite Uranus.
Loop in the Venus–Mars square, adding mid Pisces and Gemini. There’s plenty to consider.
Where are your Moon and Sun? Where do the four fixed signs fall? Do you have planets or points in the fixed signs? What about Gemini and Pisces? Where are your Venus and Mars?
We’re in a window of time that is highlighting the heart. How we’re feeling now and where our hearts want to go. What makes your heart happy?