Leo Full Moon

Leo Full Moon — More Questions

"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him."

— J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit

This week begins with a Leo Full Moon (2:08 PM PST 13° Leo/Aquarius) that is highlighting distinctions between individual will and collective action. There are more questions than answers as we come to the culmination of the lunar cycle that began with a Capricorn New Moon (11:51 AM PST 28° Capricorn) on Sunday, January 18th. The heavy sense of responsibility remains an important element as the lunar cycle begins to wane. Maintaining respect for individual differences will serve us well as we begin to take in the immensity of the shifts that are underway. The Leo Full Moon suggests vulnerable egos and a temptation to retreat to defensive arrogance when we aren't feeling connected to a greater sense of purpose. Following some kind of established protocol may help to keep us somewhat balanced. Essentially, what is most needed here is some kind of basic plan that we can follow. Having a set of 'action steps' in place can help us to stay grounded and give us some hope of completing this lunar cycle with a degree of stability. But, of course, plans are always subject to changes based on 'the facts on the ground'. And we are quite likely to recognize the need to make quick adjustments this week if we are paying attention to what is happening in front of us. Nonetheless, setting an orderly set of intentions — at least the outline of a plan — can help us find a way to stay connected to our broader vision, goals, and higher aspirations and will help us to better navigate this week's challenges. Uranus stations direct on Tuesday, just in time to form an intellectually stimulating square to Mercury. The Mercury-Uranus square pushes our intellectual activity to intense levels, suggesting the potential for mental instability. However, there is a surprisingly stabilizing 'emotional quotient', helped by a Venus-Chiron trine, that can actually become a balancing factor this week. Venus and Chiron can open up a path to deeper empathy and broader understanding of what others are dealing with. With Uranus now direct in Taurus and heading back into Gemini, Jupiter in Cancer becomes the only planet still retrograde. Jupiter won't station direct until the middle of next month. The retrograding Jupiter can make it seem challenging to expand our sense of community. Once in Gemini, Uranus will begin to shift our focus towards connection and community but there will be plenty of restless uncertainty this month as both Venus (on February 8) and Mars (on February 27) will complete squares to Uranus while it is still in Taurus. These squares keep our attention aimed toward securing some sense of stability amidst the broader shifts in the landscape. It is especially important to be able to return to our planning — our 'action steps' and our broader intentions — keeping in our minds the things that we are actually trying to establish. We are offered deep connections to our past experience this week and can find remarkable opportunities to demonstrate what we've learned by applying that experience to the new environment that we are facing. By Friday of this week, Mercury moves into Pisces, bringing some promising but temporary intuitive understanding of a bigger picture and some increased capacity to Let Go rather than holding on too tightly to the past as it slips away. With awareness, over the next few weeks we'll begin to recognize a new sense of purpose 'rising out of the ashes' of that past.

Maintaining respect for individual differences will serve us well on Sunday as we begin to take in the immensity of the shifts that are underway. Following some kind of established protocol may help to keep us somewhat balanced. Patient communication is offered on Monday, helping to navigate a rather frustrating atmosphere. Having a set of 'action steps' to follow will be most helpful in staying grounded and avoiding becoming overwhelmed. There is a remarkably creative atmosphere on Tuesday. However, the creativity seems to be driven out of some sense of 'lack' — the need to make 'more out of less'. We're likely to face the challenge of just 'sticking with the plan' on Wednesday when we recognize the need to make adjustments. We are finding any number of intriguing 'wrinkles' that somehow need to be smoothed out. Thursday's intellectual capacity is truly 'off the charts', encouraged by the increasingly balanced 'emotional quotient'. For some, the growth and progress may feel somewhat painful — we may not recognize how much progress we are making until we are able to gain a broader perspective. We may be questioning the pace of our progress on Friday and wondering if others are really doing their best. Nonetheless, pressure is dropping, allowing us to find the thread of our previous planning that, at times, has seemed difficult to stay connected to. On Saturday, it is especially important to be able to return to our plans — our broader intentions — and remember what we are actually trying to establish. With awareness, we'll begin to recognize a new sense of purpose 'rising out of the ashes' of our past.