Early Sunday, the New Moon in Leo makes a dramatic entrance. August is one of the most active months of this year astrologically, so it’s fitting we start off with Leo energy.
The New Moon falls at 12º34’ Leo, in the second decan. This is a place where we feel good. Progress is happening, or at least feels possible. There’s clarity and direction and promise. A creative, dynamic space.
This is supported by the Sun and Moon moving away from a sextile to Mars, the challenging guy, and into a sextile with Jupiter, the supportive guy. It might feel like we’ve made it through something and life is looking up.
There’s more going on, though, that adds complexity and challenge.
Mercury is about to station retrograde at 04º06’ Virgo just after midnight on August 5. Over the next weeks, Mercury will move back to 21º24’ Leo, then station again and move direct.
Mercury first reached 21º Leo on July 16, when we entered the pre-retrograde period, sort of a preview. Mercury stations direct August 28 and leaves the post-retrograde review on September 11.
The space between 21º Leo and 04º Virgo gets a lot of focused attention over these weeks.
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While we tend to see the most delays and disruptions during Mercury’s backward, or retrograde, motion, the full time period before and after is worth looking at. We’re already in the preview. We’ll soon enter the retrograde itself. Then the sequence closes with a final direct review.
Mercury retrogrades affect thinking and communications. Has your thinking felt a bit slow in the last weeks? As if you couldn’t quite keep up? I can relate. While it’s true quite a bit has been going on, I still felt as if my brain just wasn’t working as well as usual.
This isn’t surprising. This particular Mercury Rx moves from my 12th house to cross over my Ascendant, Pluto, and Moon before going back. It’s personal.
Where is the span from 21º Leo to 4º Virgo in your birth chart? This is an area you want to pay attention to through mid September.
Having Mercury station retrograde on the heels of the New Moon slows things down. As a fixed sign, Leo is not generally speedy. Adding in the retrograde invites us to create a New Moon experience that embraces peace and quiet.
Leo is creative, dramatic, and playful. This middle decan can feel triumphant, successful, and validating. These are all sensations we can cultivate and appreciate during this New Moon even while taking things slowly.
We’re also reaching a hinge of the Celtic year, the festival of Lughnasdh. Many will celebrate this festival of first fruits, also known as Lammas, this weekend along with the New Moon.
Astrologically, the four Celtic festivals fall when the Sun reaches the 15º in the fixed signs. Lughnasadh, named for the many-skilled and triumphant god Lugh, falls at the Leo midpoint on August 6.
At this time in the Celtic year, we enter the dark half of the light half of the year that began at Bealtaine. We celebrate the abundance of the land while recognizing that autumn is coming. We are thankful for early signs of what we hope will be a wonderful harvest.
In ancient Ireland, this was a time for great fairs with horse races, feasting, and the celebration of marriages. Over the centuries, the focus has shifted into quieter gratitude as we celebrate the good things in our lives.
The Sun and Moon moving from sextiles to Mars into sextiles to Jupiter does more than bring in lots of energy. The luminaries are also triggering what will become the focal aspect pattern of the coming weeks as Mars and Jupiter meet.
The importance of Mars and Jupiter at the New Moon is emphasized by the fact that the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter are all parallel at 21ºN. This longitude-based connection brings additional emphasis to the coming Mars–Jupiter zodiacal conjunction.
What do Mars and Jupiter together signify? Jupiter strengthens Mar’s conviction of being right and on the side of the good. We can feel emboldened to act on our beliefs. If we’re already engaged in a course of action, Jupiter’s presence can make it bigger, through convincing us we are on the right track.
This combination of certainty and action can be either good or bad. We may see news stories about people doing things we don’t agree with at all, who feel strongly supported by their own principles.
Jupiter can also simply make anything Mars does bigger. Again, this can include actions we support as well as those we do not.
Over the course of history, we see doctrines and beliefs that supported terrible actions. For example, when empires expand their borders by taking over other lands, they usually have some political beliefs or ideas that justify what they’re doing.
This is one way Mars and Jupiter strengthen each other.
Another archetype of Mars and Jupiter is the champion, someone who reaches incredible goals through a combination of hard work and tenacity (Mars) and strong personal belief and commitment (Jupiter).
I see Simone Biles as an amazing example of what a champion looks like. Her achievement this past week and over the course of her career is incredible, especially after she stepped out of competition three years ago to protect herself and then had to build back up.
She is currently recognized as the greatest gymnast of all time, and one of the greatest athletes as well. As I thought about Mars–Jupiter, she immediately came to mind. Then, of course, I was curious about her birth chart and the chart of her final singles performance in Paris.
There are many signatures in her chart that point to her strength, tenacity, flexibility, and even a sense of destiny.
For today’s essay, I’ll just note that at the time of her final performance, the looming Mars–Jupiter conjunction was conjunct her Moon, opposite her Pluto, and trining the Uranus–Jupiter conjunction in her birth chart.
Several currents come together at this Leo New Moon.
The New Moon itself invites us to celebrate who we are and what we create.
A slow Mercury about to retrograde reminds us to double check our plans, commitments, and communications. We’re entering a time of personal reflection and self examination. This retrograde includes a conjunction between Mercury and Venus on August 7 and Mercury’s meeting with the Sun on August 18.
At the same time, there’s a rising energy represented by Mars and Jupiter. This will dominate the middle weeks of August, including squares from Mars and Jupiter to Saturn, as well as Venus in Virgo moving in to create T-squares with Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
It feels important to dedicate time during the New Moon to a slow focus on our inner lives and creativity. We have a brief window in which to gather our energies, refocus, and center.
Soon the pace of life and of change will pick up. Before August closes, we will undoubtedly experience more unexpected events that change our view of the world and what is possible.
Let’s make the most of this New Moon while we can.
Denisse
Thanks for your insights! Maybe the retrogrades will help us all (wishful thinking?) slow down and not react to the surprises that are surely to fall in our path!
RisingMoon
This is what I am hoping! And also slowing down enough to question and not believe all the hype 🙂