Welcome to the Full Moon in Leo, which is exact this morning at 9:53am PST. This one is a whopper, and you can expect some rather sudden endings and radical shifts in direction as we move through this lunar cycle. The Sun is in Aquarius, so our conscious awareness is fully aligned with the needs of the community. In Leo, we are focused on the needs of the self. In this Full Moon, we celebrate our own gifts and talents, where the generosity of existence itself feeds us in return for the bright light that we shine into the world. And in the spirit of release, as every Full Moon generates, we are letting go of ways that we are either too filled with self to honor and serve the community well, or the opposite side of the same coin, where we struggle to feel deserving of shining our own light brightly.

Leo is ruled by the Sun. It is a fixed fire sign, which brings with it both a sense of dynamism, movement, creativity, and fiery self-expression. But the fixed quality adds a potentially problematic stuckness. Think of the Sun’s fire and warmth. If left unchecked, the Sun might be so enamored of its shining, that it burns for its own sake. Aquarius reminds Leo that the beautiful sunlight that only they can generate is ultimately designed to shine its warmth on everyone, all over the world.

There is a tremendous amount of complexity in this lunation, and it starts with the recent Conjunction between the Sun and Pluto. That was only a few days ago, and so we entered this mansion with our deepest shadow open at the bottom. Pluto holds all that which is hidden and disowned, and the Sun is our conscious awareness itself. Sun and Pluto together allows us to see more of that which is usually shrouded in darkness. In this way, this Full Moon has the ability to generate some powerful moments of release that are ultimately transformational, because Pluto’s alignment with death tells us that we are also moving through a simultaneous rebirth.

The second aspect of this Full Moon that has my attention is the Great Eliminator angle being held open between Uranus and the South Node. The South Node is our past, and all the patterns and habits that have us in their grip are held there, until we are ready to let them go. Uranus is the agent of fast change, and when he’s involved in something that is ready for a shift or pivot, it is likely to come as a surprise. This energy peaked two days ago, so the sudden change in direction may have already occurred, it certainly did in my life as we moved through the first few days of this week. Trust me that by the time this lunar cycle is over, many of you will experience some out of the blue endings, pivots, and/or changes in direction. Be flexible and fluid as you move through this lunation, and the rest of the cycle.

Another Inconjunct is featured in this Full Moon, so making adjustments and changes to the path we are on is also being driven home by the Leo Moon holding this 150-degree angle with Saturn. The Great Teacher is definitely in the room, and he is helping us. Through the wisdom gained in the past few months of karmic lessons, we are more able to drop something, and move in a new way. There is a tremendous amount of empathy, forgiveness, and concern for others in the Pisces mansion, it is where first learned that we are one with all. Leo is the one place in the zodiac where we must value ourselves above all others. But in a Full Moon in Leo, the challenge to us is to find a balance between the gifts we bring, and that which we receive in exchange for sharing our gifts. This transit says that we have learned a thing or two about forgiveness, compassion, and the needs of all, to help our inner Leo soften or find balance. Again, for some, this is about letting go of grandiosity, arrogance, and the myopic self-focus of loving the spotlight, while others must find the courage and strength to step into the spotlight more. You probably know which camp you fall into.

The personal planets – Mercury, Mars, and Venus – are also lining up in some interesting ways. Mercury and Mars are very close together in the sign of Capricorn, which sets us up to feel in congruence with our how we are thinking about what we desire (Mercury), and the embodied choices needed to make those desires manifest in form (Mars). They are both in a Square with Chiron and the North Node in Aries. Squares are the geometry of conflict and obstacle, so our minds and bodies are likely to bump into some wounds that need to be addressed (Chiron) before we can move forward (North Node). And remember that Uranus/South Node Inconjunct; the lessons of the lunar cycle can come up out of nowhere and knock you on your ass. I am not calling this Full Moon a whopper just to be hyperbolic.

The only gentleness and points of hope in this Full Moon come from a lovely Trine between Venus and Jupiter. Any positive transit that involves the planet of love and the planet of abundance lights us up with confidence and optimism. But also, Venus has just moved into Capricorn, so our hearts are grounded, and we are in emotional territory that allows us to be responsible and focused on the things we are creating. Jupiter in Taurus says the world is our oyster when it comes to manifesting things of great abundance and prosperity. This lunation has a lot of friction and complexity to combat, but it is also in the mix that we can tap directly into the joy and love that is our birthright.

Leo and Aquarius describe how community is designed to work. In Leo, every individual is invited to find out who they are, what their gifts and talents are, and celebrate their individuality in an epic manner. In Aquarius, each and every one of those individuals knows their role in the community, and not one human being is left out, or not cared for. This is the promise of the Age of Aquarius, and I will remind you once again of something that I say often, from my whole chest. Our world functioning well depends on each human being that makes up the collective to be fully self-actualized, and contributing their gifts in service to others. When enough people are living in this sort of alignment, we will have Peace for Humanity at last.