Leo NEW MOON 2017   

By Tracy Cook

Many years ago I studied lunar phases with Robert Buz Myers.  It is my hope that he would be proud of my work today.  Blessings to you, Buz! 

What is a New Moon?

A new moon is the beginning of a 29-day cycle.  Technically, when you look up in the sky you only see a thin section of the moon illuminated.       

And the not so technical point of view?

Well, similar to farmers and indigenous people, who have used the eight phases of the moon for eons, astrologers also utilize the different phases of the Moon.  Certainly on the New we know it is time to plant seeds.  But the other seven phases are equally important.

Where should my focus be during this next 29-day cycle?

When we draft a chart for the new moon we can get a sense of the energy that will be up for processing for the next 29 days. 

Okay what is this cycle about?  Passion, love, heart and what gets us up the morning.  And apparently most of us don’t know because we are getting two Leo New Moons this summer.  Let’s get this first one right. 

 

 

Sabian symbol:

 

Blood Rushes To A Man’s Head As His Vital Energies Are Mobilized Under The Spur Of Ambition

 

https://cafeastrology.com/sabiansymbols_degreemeanings.html

 

 

 

Leo New Moon

July 23, 2017

5:54 am  (EDT)

0 Leo 44

Supermoon Again

 

Welcome to our fourth Supermoon in a row.   As we discussed last month, Supermoons (coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979) mark a full or new moon that is close to earth.  According to Nolle, there is a little extra gusto to these moons.  And Nolle has found a tie to earthquakes.

 

26 April 2017  – New Moon Super Moon
26 May 2017  – New Moon Super Moon  (Closest Moon of the Year)
24 June 2017 – New Moon Super Moon
23 July 2017 – New Moon Super Moon
4 November 2017 – Full Moon Super Moon
4 December 2017 – Full Moon Super Moon

 

You can read more about them at the link below. http://www.universallifetools.com/2017/01/super-moons-meaning-spiritual-micro-moons-2017/ 

 

 

Button your seatbelt……

 

We are having two Leo New Moons this summer.   August 23 is the first moon and it arrives at the 0/1 degree of Leo.  The second Leo New Moon comes in on August 21^st at 28/29 degrees of Leo and it will be a total solar eclipse.    Here are the stats on the August 21^st eclipse.  It is big especially for America (from Wikipedia)

 

The August 2017 eclipse will be the first with a path of totality crossing the US's Pacific coast and Atlantic coast since 1918. Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country's independence in 1776. (The path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the US.^[10])

 

 

 

The fact that we are getting two Leo New Moons and that the second new moon is a total eclipse should send a message to all of us that it is time to get our Leo on!   And if we don’t get it on during the first 29 days we will need to do it again in August.  Everything we access and learn now during this Leo Lunar cycle will help us later in the second round.   And by the way, it will be impossible to ignore or sleep walk through this cycle.   Don’t even bother. 

 

If I have not gotten your attention, let me remind you of something—Leo rules your heart, your passion, the thing that gets you up in the morning, it rules your creativity, the fire in your belly, Leo is after all a fire sign, the romantic, the dramatic and theatrical part of your soul, in short the thing that makes you feel alive.     This is Leo.    And we’re getting it twice.   One can assume we are getting it twice ---because we need it.

 

 

Mercury Retrograde

 

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this Leo New Moon we need to take a moment and focus on Mercury retrograde.

 

The day after New Moon, Mercury will reach its shadow point. Let’s take a minute and ponder Mercury retrograde in non-astrological language. 

 

Pretend you and Mercury are riding in a car on a road trip and the day after New Moon you and Mercury see a roadside attraction.   Let’s call it Fred’s Fish Shack.  You point it out to Mercury and say, “Oh, that looks interesting” but Mercury keeps driving and along the way you see various attractions until August 12 when you come upon Mary’s Pie Shop and this is when Mercury says, ‘Hey we’re heading back to Fred’s fish shack”  and so you turn around  and you drive back on the road you were just on until September 5 when you arrive once again at Fred’s Fish Shack.  Now Mercury takes a breath and the two of you turn around and head back for Mary’s pie shop, and where you arrive on September 19^th.  

 

As you can tell from our little road trip analogy July 24 until September 19^th will be a lot of the same road over and over again.  This is how all Mercury retrogrades work.   However there is added  fuel to this road trip, Fred’s fish shack is the same location of Leo solar eclipse (i.e. the same degree of Leo).    This is extraordinary.  There is no reason on god’s green earth for the solar eclipse to be the same degree as Mercury’s shadow point.    Do you think Spirit wants to get our attention?   Do you think the issues that the solar eclipse may bring need our attention?  Do you think the issues around Leo’s heart will be up for us to consider during this retrograde and will inform us for the next Leo New Moon?  The answer is of course, “Heck, yes!”    Even though the retrograde does not start until August 12^th, we should all pay attention to the roadside attractions or the things that that start coming up in our view beginning July 24.  What has got you fired up?   What is going on with your love life?  How is your creativity?  How is your artistic side?  How are you playing?  Who is playing with you and who is blowing you off?  How are you connecting to joy?   How are you connecting to your inner-star?  Are you projecting your real self and how are people responding to it?    How are you bold?  How are you a leader?   

 

All of this will be up for us to ponder and explore for the entire retrograde and for both 29 day Leo cycles. Please note that on July 25 Mercury will move into Virgo and the actual degree Mercury turns retrograde (Mary’s Pie shop) is 12 degrees of Virgo.  So, after the 25^th our critical eye will be up.  We will have trouble seeing the big picture because our attention will be drawn to the micro.   Everywhere we look we will think, “Well that could be done better.”  And yes, for sure, we are probably correct.  But then the question is how can we help make it better?  How can we serve?   Mercury who rules our thinking and brains will ponder, “How can I help?”  Also with Virgo our insecurities show up.   Watch how much you think or say, “I’m not good enough” or others tell you that something about you is not right or broken or needs to be fixed.    This is part of the reason Mercury is sending us backward.  He knows our thinking may need to be fixed or at least adjusted.  Not because someone tells us but because it is part of our heart’s journey.   And above all remind your brain the power of self-love.   If we fill our day with many tasks that is fine but ask yourself how those tasks reflect on your own self- value.      This is also part of the heart’s journey.   

 

New Moon Chart

This Leo New Moon has Mars conjunct the Sun & Moon and the Sun/Moon are in a wide (out of sign) square with Uranus.   Let’s look at Mars first.   Mars the warrior in Leo is a warrior for the heart!  He is brave, daring and will slay any dragon that gets in front of his passion.   For 29 days we can’t hide from our passion.   Even the people who feel they don’t have passions will be surprised by the energy that comes up with them in perhaps the oddest ways.   For example, someone asks about a weed in your garden and you become incensed that’s not a weed it is a special herb and you worked hard to keep it alive.  Next thing you know you are building a sign for your yard “Medicinal Garden” how dare someone marginalize something close to your heart.   This is how passion reveals itself.  We sometimes have to get rubbed wrong.   We will all be feeling our dramatic nature even if we try to suppress it (good luck on that one)  and we will see it in the news as well.  Amazing rescues or acts of love and bravery.   However, we will also see the other side of Mars in Leo.   He can be a brute.  He also doesn’t share well and the Sun is bigger than Mars and that conjunction bugs him.  Watch for bullies.    For 29 days passions may surface and spur on goals and fire us up.   Great.   But there could be some passions that are just out of our reach.   Our hearts could be worked up, our passions are flowing but something is just not enough.   As if we are missing the horsepower to get it done.   This will be magnified during the Mercury retrograde.   What do we do when we feel ‘so close’ and yet so far?   We should slow down.   Go back to the drawing board.  Refine our heart’s desire.  We should all take care to not be impulsive.   Watch the snaps.  Watch the driving.   Watch the jerks. 

 

Back to Sun/Moon square Uranus.

 

We have been dealing with Uranus in Aries since 2010 globally think “Arab Spring” when it started.   The last time Uranus was in Aries was 80 years ago so it does not come up often and this pass of Uranus in Aries will wrap up in 2018-2019.    It is all about breaking out, breaking free, honoring what is true inside of us.  Not true for our family.  Not true for our friends.  Not true for our bosses.  Not true for our spouses.  But true for you, true for me, true for us, individually.  What is that truth or direction pulsating inside you?  At this point having been in Aries for seven years, we should have a pretty good idea what Uranus is about but if we are in the dark, every planet or new moon that gets into it with Uranus cracks us open a bit more to understand where we need our liberation. 

 

Where do we need to be a pioneer?  Where do we need to be unstoppable?    Wherever we feel ‘off’ is an opportunity for us to go deeper into changes we need to make.   For 29 days as we pursue our joy, fun, passion, love, heart and power up our energy we may have blow back.   Is it from family or friends?  Is it from our body?  Is it from our work?   Is it from our schedule?  Whatever it is will help shape any changes we need to make.  This is the gift of Uranus.  Even if it doesn’t always look like a gift.   And we should all be adaptable.   

 

And a Bit More on Uranus

Because the Universe has a keen sense of humor—Uranus’s annual retrograde will take place smack in the middle of this dramatic Leo lunar month.  Oh, sure, let’s bring in the clown car.   Uranus turns retrograde on August 2 at 28 Aries and will turn direct January 2, 2018 at 24 degrees of Aries.  This is an annual retrograde and usually brings some chaos but at this point we are kind of getting used to the cuckoo.  

For six months there will once again be issues around independence, or a ‘don’t tread on me’ type of energy.  Warriors who feel their space is cramped.   Every “No” we hear will bring out our warrior.  It does not mean we will actually go to war but we will think like a general every time “No” comes up and we will decide “Worth going to battle over or Not worth going to battle?”    Those with Sun in Aries born between April 14-18 know exactly what is going on.   Word to the rest of us---give them space!   And for anyone with planets between 24 and 29 degrees in cardinal signs  (Cancer, Libra & Capricorn) you will be experiencing a lot of raw and disruptive energy.   Some of it so big it may feel hard to manage.  Breathe, take every day as it comes.  Look for inspiration it will come in weird unusual ways.   Again, breathe.

 

 

Jupiter & Pluto

Two days after Uranus turns retrograde Jupiter squares Pluto for its third and final time at 17/18 Libra & Capricorn.   Oh Spirit how you want to challenge us this cycle!    The first rounds of Jupiter and Pluto took place on November 24 and March 30 and now on August 4 we are at the final round.  Go back to those dates consider what was going on for you.  Perhaps whatever it was will culminate in some way at this date.     Jupiter is blustery and in Libra it wants justice perhaps at all costs.    Pluto in Capricorn wants power and the status quo.  Perhaps at all costs.     What if justice sets the world on fire?  What if being fair causes loss?  What if holding onto the status quo puts people in harms way?    Personally watch out for zealots.   Try to be measured.  Try to take things bit by bit.   Globally there could be righteous zealots trying to force us to do things their way.  There could be wildly disruptive energies.  See if there is a whirling Dervish in the news creating all kinds of strom und drang.   The centrifugal  force will be great.    We should all tread carefully.

 

Aquarius Lunar eclipse

A couple days after Jupiter squares Pluto we have the full moon, which will be a lunar eclipse in Aquarius.  It takes place August 7, 2017 at 15 Aquarius 25.  Whatever energy comes up around the 4^th will inform this full moon.    The Sun in Leo is asking us to look at our leaders not just globally but perhaps in our work environment, our charities, our churches, it does not matter where we are we will be aware of leaders.   How are they showing leadership but how are they doing it with the group in mind?  That is the important question.   The tribe needs a leader but they must hear from the group and properly synthesis the information into actions that make sense for the group mindset.   Egos and pride could bring out an ugly moment.     Again, this is another opportunity for us to be light on our feet and make sure we are not following just anyone.   Listen for the ring of a real nickel.  Or cut to the chase:  listen to the heart it rarely takes us down a wrong path.   

 

In conclusion:

Astrologers have been talking about this summer for some time.  It is not anything that should be feared but more to the point we should prepare to do battle.  Not necessarily with another warrior but more likely the person in the mirror.  Living our truth is not for the meek and we are all being called to do it for 29 days and then again next month for 29 days.  No escaping  the heart so listen to it. See you at the next Leo New Moon.

 

 

 

 

Have you friended TracyAstroSalon on FB?  Why not? 

 

https://www.facebook.com/tracy.astrosalon

 

 

The 8 phases

 

 

Leo New Moon

0 Leo 44  

July 23, 2017

5:54 am EDT

 

 

New moon: Plant seeds, make calls, activate, start projects.   Activate something that will ideally lead you to more.  This is the phase where INTENT is critical.  Even if the results are not immediate, the intent is there.  You may not have all the answers or road map but you should put out your Intent.

 

This focus:  Where are your passions?  What makes you feel alive?  How can you plant seeds that speak to your heart, your creativity, your dramatic and daring nature?    How can you put the shy wall flower away for awhile?   Perhaps that is not serving you.   Where do you need to be bold?  And what is YOUR truth.   Find it. 

 

 

Special focus

 

7/24: Venus opposes Saturn: Love and Money get serious.  Responsible about money & love.

7/24: Mercury trine Uranus :  Brainstorms that are brilliant.  Creative thinking.  Novel ideas go far.   Break out thinking.

7/25:  Mercury enters Virgo

 

Crescent Moon Phase

July 26, 3:43 pm  EDT

 

 

 

Crescent:  We will receive information, we will research a bit more, perhaps get feedback on stuff that we planted on new.  Perhaps get some information that will help down the road on a seed we planted a while ago.  We can collect some data now.  Even if you think you are not getting information, stop, and re-look at everything.  Who called you?  Even the silliest things, when they come up during Crescent are note worthy.  A parking ticket?  An argument with a spouse?  A refund check from the phone company?  All of it needs to be considered a message from the universe.  How can this information help you?

 

Focus on: What are learning about fine tuning?  What are you learning about details?  What are you learning about your schedule and your T0-DO list?  What are you learning when you see the trees but not the forest?  What are you learning about your daily life?  How is your diet?  How is your hygiene?  And what are you learning about your perfectionism?  

 

 

Special focus:

 

7/26:  Sun conjunct Mars.  Expect some tension and flares.  Anger around pride.  Actions that are forceful and from the heart.

 

First Quarter Moon

July 30, 2017 

11:23am  EDT

 

 

First quarter: We do more actions based on the information that we just received.  Or we feel our instincts guide us on something.  We pursue again.  We make another call or we see someone. We mail something.  We stir the pot again.  This can be a time when we realize that the goals we planted on New need more action from us, perhaps actions that involve breaking away.   Are there people who say they have our best interest in heart but fear us growing away from them?  Maybe we need to get help from others not the usual suspects.  Some independence may need to be exerted.

 

 

Focus on:  How are your loans?  How are your taxes?  How are your shared resources?  How is your sex life?  How are you making moves that impact those areas of your life?  What moves are you making that speak of death and rebirth?  How are you making moves that access power or empowerment?   What is your controlling nature focused on?   Is it helpful?  

 

 

Special focus

 

7/31: Venus enters Cancer

8/2:  Uranus retrograde 1:30am 28 Aries 31 (see above)

 

Gibbous Moon

August 3, 2017

1:42pm EDT

 

 

Gibbous:

We refine our information.  We pick and choose, we discriminate, and we organize to be ‘Virgo’ like.  We sort through details.  Have we missed something?  How are we sifting through the information?  Go back and make sure something hasn’t been neglected.  Refine our actions. 

 

 

Focus on:

What are you neglecting that speaks to your inner CEO? Where are you a professional and have you been missing something about that part of your nature?  What are you neglecting that speaks to your industrial nature?  How are you neglecting the ability to Move UP the ladder?  Is there an inner beef?   How have you moved through insecurities?  Is there more work to do? 

 

Special Focus:

 

 8/4: Jupiter square Pluto 2:48pm  (see above)  17 Libra

 

 

Full Moon Phase

August 7, 2017

2:10pm EDT

15 Aquarius 25

 

Full Moon:  We make the needed adjustments on the things we planted. Usually emotions are up and running and for those people who perhaps did not utilize the new moon and the rest of the waxing moon, this is when emotions can get the better of us.  There can often be a big emotional break, for no other reason than to get back on track.   Some partnership will offer up some balance.  The moon is bright and full and there is no room for shadows, what is reflecting on you? 

 

 

Focus on:   Full Moon in Aquarius.  Who is your tribe?  Where are you like minded peeps?  How are you engaging in the collective minds process?   How do you join with others for a communal experience? 

 

 

Go to blog for full moon report.

http://tracyastrosalon.blogspot.com/

 

Disseminating

August 11

8:38am  EDT

 

 

Disseminating: Share information; find a teacher or someone who has more knowledge. Perhaps there was a big ol’ blow out on the full and one feels in need of support and help, this is the phase to reach out to one who knows more. This is when we find a rabbi or a minister or therapist who gives us more insight.   And of course, you too may be ready to teach and share your own information. 

 

 

Focus on:  How are you sharing your independence?  How are you sharing your purposeful nature?  How are you sharing your warrior?  

How are you sharing the ability to climb a hill look off in the future and head off for that thing you see?   How are you sharing a little bit of anger to get stuff done?

 

Special focus:

8/11:  Venus trine Neptune

8/12:  Mercury station retrograde 9pm  11: Virgo 38 (see above)

8/13: Sun trine Saturn

 

Last Quarter Moon Phase

August 14

9:14pm  EDT

 

 

 

Last Quarter moon:  Now we do the final adjustments to the seeds we planted on new. The final call, the final letters to send, we follow all the trails that came up that still make sense.  And we let the other parts lay fallow. It is a time of action but wise action.  It is a time for living  “The serenity prayer”

 

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change Courage to change the
things I can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.

 

 

 

Focus on:

What actions are you taking that speak to your finances? What actions are you taking that are assist you in building something from the ground up? What actions can you take that support your properties?   What actions can you take that focus on practicality? 

Special focus:

 

8/26:  Venus square Jupiter:  Money and values are in conflict with beliefs.  Where is the inner-know-it- all hurting love & money. Values are conflicted.   

 

 

Balsamic Moon Phase

August 18

5:50am EDT

 

Balsamic:   We let go.  By releasing we can prepare for the new. 

 

Focus on We release our thin skin.   We release our holding on tight to things especially our emotions and feelings?   How are we releasing our reactionary nature?  How are we releasing our snippy side?

 

 

Special Focus:

8/20 Sun trine Uranus:  Fun energy, playful, sparks.  Joy. 

 

 

2^nd Leo New Moon  August 21, 2017  2:30pm 28 Leo 52 EDT