LEO FULL MOON - 23 / 24 January 2016

Sunday 24 January exact at 1.45am GMT, Saturday 23 January, exact at 8.45pm EST.

This Moon continues with the energy of the Pluto, Uranus and Black Moon Lilith T-square that has been so prevalent for most of January, causing breakdowns and breakthroughs and forcing us to face the shadows in ourselves and our relationships. Of course, Full Moons also have a tendency to bring to a head whatever may have been simmering below the surface over the course of the past couple of weeks; bringing them out into the light of our consciousness. This Moon will be no exception, as it is in the expressive sign of Leo, a sign that is not exactly known for holding back what it is feeling! Leo represents our inner child and so we are encouraged to express exactly how we are feeling without the filters that we adults place over our expression sometimes. Children just say what’s on their mind, without holding back, and naturally follow their bliss. They are true to the calling of their hearts, because they haven’t learned to guard them yet. Leo actually rules the heart, and so this Moon calls us to honour our heart’s true desires.

The Sun is in rebellious, innovative and unconventional Aquarius, opposing the Moon in expressive, playful and dramatic Leo and so we are asked to find some balance between the energy of the two signs rather than veering too far in one direction. Aquarius encourages us to release ourselves from anything that is preventing us from growth, including our parental and social conditioning, which is a powerful process indeed. Only when we strip away who we thought we were supposed to be can we find out who we truly are! As Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, is such a big player at the moment it is quite likely that we are dropping outworn patterns like flies and facing the truth of ourselves and our reality rather than just “putting up with it”. Leo represents our will and encourages us to take control of our own destiny, finding our true purpose in life. Aquarius, however, urges us to align our own, unique and special gifts and purpose with some kind of social need, so that we are not just serving ourselves. This Moon asks that we let go of whatever is holding us back from finding our true path and nature and to find the courage to follow our hearts. This is a time of massive growth, when we are being forced to be very truthful indeed, as uncomfortable as that may be!

The Pluto, Uranus and Black Moon Lilith T-square continues, although we are now getting used to its energy somewhat! We are currently being asked to face our shadows and own the parts of ourselves that we would usually prefer to hide under the carpet. This is a time to honour the darker aspects of ourselves and be very truthful with ourselves and others. Honesty seems to be the catchword in recent times! With the Dark Goddess in Libra, the sign of relationships, we are finding that holding back our truth for the sake of keeping the peace is absolutely impossible. There is a deepening occurring which is quite profound, based on absolute honesty that strips away the veils of illusion and leaves our relationships with others far more real and true. Some relationships are falling away if they are holding us back from finding our truth, while others are experiencing a breakdown in patterns of relating and a restructuring of relationship dynamics. The old ways of relating no longer apply. The rules are changing and we are finding our way in the dark as we contemplate what it really, truly is that we want from our relationships rather than what culture and society dictates we should want. This is the time to find out what works for us, and us alone. Everyone is different.

Pluto and Uranus want us to completely release ourselves from anything and anyone that is not a reflection of our inner truth and what we are here to do. Pluto in Capricorn demands that we live authentically and with integrity and won’t allow us to simply be safe and secure if we are living a lie. Pluto will happily destroy anything that prevents us from growth on a soul level, especially if we are resisting it. Uranus is the Great Awakener, which will also blast away anything that might be holding us back from growth, whether that be our patterns or the circumstances in which we are living. In Aries he simply demands the right for us to have the freedom to be absolutely ourselves and to find out why we are here and what we are here to do. Combine this with the Black Moon Lilith energy in the sign of relationships and we have the potential for some real soul searching and utterly truthful relating, not to mention the possibility for the structure of our lives and relationships to experience a serious shake up if we are not being true to ourselves. This is a time to truly face ourselves, even if we don’t like what we see in the mirror. It could be a very unsettling time, but we must trust that we are being guided in the right direction.

During this Moon we also have Mercury retrograde joining Pluto for the second time, bringing the potential for some very deep, honest conversations that really get to the truth of the matter. In the same token, it provides the opportunity for us to know our soul’s truth and to heed the urges coming from depths of our being. This aspect combines Pluto, the planet of power, transformation and the soul (or our deeper self), with Mercury, the planet of our conscious minds and thought processes. This combination could make it hard to ignore our deeper truth, that’s for sure!  In the meantime, Pallas Athene is sitting right next to the Sun during the Full Moon, and has been there since the weekend. It was exact on Monday the 18^th. This brings the potential for some wake-up calls and sudden change and disruption in our lives. Pallas gives us a higher understanding of whatever we are experiencing at the moment and also helps us to understand what processes we need to go through in order to make the necessary changes, however challenging and difficult they may be and however they may upset the status quo. Basically, she helps us realise what needs to change and how to go about it, although her energy can cause quite a lot of stress if we resist the need for change in our lives. Better to just go with the flow!

All of this is happening under the umbrella of the Jupiter North Node conjunction which is so prevalent throughout the first half of this year. Jupiter is pulling us forward on our paths and helping us to grow and heal. We are being asked to let go of being the helpless victim of our lives and to take responsibility for our stuff so that we can move forward and realise our full potential. The potential for some deep healing is great at the moment, but we have to be willing to do the work on ourselves.

This Moon definitely seems to be asking us to truly express our truth and follow our hearts. We know in our hearts what is right for us and it is very important that we listen to that wisdom, even if it seems to completely upset the status quo. Towing the line simply for the sake of peace and security doesn’t seem to be an option anymore. Not if it involves sacrificing our truth and integrity in any way. Anything that involves compromising who we really, truly are, whether it be a relationship, job or simply being stuck in our old patterns, will find itself under an enormous amount of pressure to change during this time. The rules of the game are changing and we have to adapt and shift rather than resisting. Something amazing awaits us on the other side of all of this – we just have to be brave enough to make the leap!

Much Love

Amy

xoxo

Picture: “Follow Your Heart” by Amanda Cass