angstoic.com Astrologer, Ang Stoic
Greeting Fellow Travellers,
It’s Leo season again, a time when our intrinsic need to shine and command attention comes to the forefront. Since the Sun dignifies Leo, it is the brightest month to explore the profound connection between self-respect and the respect we seek from others. Observe how those around you reflect your innate desire to be noticed and appreciated. Notice what you’re putting out there and how your instincts pick up on how it’s being received, if at all. Be mindful of how you interpret and respond to others’ feedback.
However, Leo also brings forth the darker aspects of our nature—pride, vanity, and the compulsion to dominate. We must balance radiant self-expression with a keen awareness of our ego’s vulnerabilities. This period illuminates our duality—the capacity to bring warmth and light while recognising the shadows we cast. Leo season challenges us to wield our regal presence and creative power responsibly, ensuring our quest for validation does not blind us to our own and others’ needs. Ultimately, it calls us to embody true integrity, where our brilliance not only illuminates our path but also guides others towards collective growth and honour.
As always, the influence of Leo season is nuanced by other cosmic dynamics. We will delve into these further, especially noting the moon’s synodic reset in the mid-degrees of this glorious fixed-fire sign occurring in just a few hours.
THE LEO NEW MOON
Around the New Moon, the moon is in its darkest phase, plunging us into the depths of our psychological landscape and unearthing the core of our self-worth and identity. As this phase magnifies our intrinsic desire to be cherished and validated, it also brings to light the unsatiated deep-seated needs of the inner child and childhood imprints that drive our behaviour to feel seen. What deep-seated fears or insecurities to feel special might surface during this time? How can we use our unmet childhood needs to lift our understanding of self-worth?
At the most personal level, what becomes most pronounced in our lives is the psychological legacy of our parental relationships. We may reflect on where we have been either excessively praised and adored, leading to an insatiable craving for attention, or neglected and deprived, resulting in a desperate quest for recognition. Are we truly cognizant of how these early experiences shape our current need for approval and our desire to be great?
At this juncture, we are confronted by a primordial urge to delve deep into the shadow aspects of our ego. The Leo Moon’s energy can manifest as a compulsive need for the spotlight, where the quest for admiration becomes a facade for deeper insecurities. Are we willing to face these insecurities head-on? This behaviour often masks a fragile self-esteem, rooted in unmet childhood needs.
The psychological work during this New Moon involves radical introspection and integration of these fragmented parts of our psyche. Can we reconcile with our inner child, retrieve the missing pieces of our youth, whose longing for unconditional love and acceptance remains unmet? We might journey down memory lane, picking up clues on how to better provide our present selves with the validation and affection we seek from others, fostering a resilient and authentic sense of self.
Creativity is the key here. Leo, like the Sun, creates its own material. Leading up to the lunation, we must accept that we need to let go of parts of ourselves that seem cringeworthy, outdated or inauthentic. Some honest self-reflection and humility are necessary if we are to shed the layers of our pride that no longer serve our true essence. We need to come up with brand-new material, produce something that steps us onto a more genuine and creative expression of who we are. What aspects of your identity are holding you back? Which old patterns or beliefs are stifling your inner light? This phase calls for a fearless release, a purging of superficial acts, and a renewal of our core creative spirit.
It is only by understanding and integrating these early influences—the unconscious patterns of the needy inner child screaming for attention—that we can transcend the compulsions of our ego. Hence, this lunation is an opportunity to remodel our external performance (our dance) for validation into a profound internal affirmation. Are we ready to embrace the entirety of our being, balancing our vibrant need for expression with a grounded sense of self-worth that does not hinge on external applause? This New Moon in Leo thus becomes a portal for deep psychological transformation, leading us towards a more integrated and self-sustaining identity.
As powerful as this urge may be, however, it is subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes, and these are indicated against the context of the prevailing placements of the planets:
THE CANOPY OF STARS AND OTHER PLANETARY PLACEMENTS
Every lunation is subject to the complex web of energetic impulses it sends and receives, intricately woven through the planetary alignment against the backdrop of the constellations. While Leo reigns as the king of the zodiac, it acknowledges the diverse influences of all the other celestial entities. Each planetary placement contributes its unique flavour to the cosmic weave, influencing and being influenced in return. This interconnectedness creates a dynamic interplay of energies, where Leo’s iridescent regal light must pay homage to the myriad impulses of its celestial counterparts. Let us delve into these planetary alignments and explore how their interactions shape and nuance the majestic Leo season:
Venus in Leo and the Yods of Cosmic Recalibration
Venus at 29º13′ Leo sits at the apex of a powerful yod, formed by a quincunx from Pluto retrograde at 0º35′ Aquarius and another quincunx from Neptune at 29º38′ Pisces. These critical degrees indicate profound stress, demanding a recalibration of our cultural values—a pressure both uncomfortable and necessary for our evolution. This configuration has already been influenced by Mercury, who will turn retrograde at 4º06′ Virgo within 24 hours of the lunation (August 5), revisiting this apex on August 15. With the influence of Regulus, the kingmaker star, these weeks signal the throning, dethroning, and possible rethroning of significant figures in our lives.
Venus, at this apex, is crucial in our quest for peace and love. Her regal position demands a balance between self-love and the respect we seek from others. The quincunx to Pluto introduces themes of intersectional power struggles and deep social transformation, urging us to confront hidden motivations and our most selfish and sinister desires for individual control. As we are seeing, Pluto in Aquarius means that power is dispersed evenly among all, leading to its gross debilitation. Aquarius’ fixed air filter concentrates on equality, diversity and dispersion of power, diluting Pluto’s intensely coercive energies. Its retrograde motion signifies a period of heavy introspection, pushing us all to fundamentally dial back our approach to how we choose to engage one another on common grounds.
Neptune’s involvement, itself stationed in retrograde at the critical anaretic degree of Pisces, mixes in another profound layer of wide-reaching psycho-spiritual complexity. Neptune’s ethereal, dissolving influence compels us to release old ego boundaries and relinquish phoney or glamourised displays of grandiosity. This is the “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” degree. The precise sesquisquare to the Leo lunation serves to humble our Leonine pride, intensifying our awareness of how exhausted the bombast and fanfare have become, turning our attention to the need for genuine spiritual and emotional authenticity. This potent aspect dissolves illusions, urging a deep reassessment of our values and reminding us that true nobility stems from within, rather than from the incessant peacocking and fleeting allure of external validation.
Mars/Jupiter Conjunction and the Saturn Square
Building onto the horrid complexity of this lunation (and the ensuing Full Moon) is the approaching Mars-Jupiter conjunction at 16º41′ Gemini, becoming exact on August 14. This aspect amplifies our fervent drive (Mars) to speak up and assert our beliefs (Jupiter). However, Jupiter is in detriment in Gemini, where its expansive, philosophical nature is diluted into superficial soundbites and inconsistent, often incomprehensible stories. Gemini’s mutable air energy contrasts sharply with Jupiter’s need for depth and coherence, leading to potential scattering of focus and dilution of Jupiter’s benevolent qualities into trivial pursuits and nonsensical narratives.
While Gemini’s adaptability aids Mars’ drive and initiative, it can also scatter Mars’ focus, reducing its effectiveness in sustained efforts. This combination results in a vibrant, somewhat aggressive enthusiasm to state our case in principle, yet lacks the depth and consistency needed for meaningful impact.
Complicating this further is the tight square between Mars/Jupiter vs Saturn in Pisces, becoming exact on August 17. Saturn’s structured, disciplined nature struggles profoundly in Pisces’ mutable, nebulous waters, where its need for control and stability is continuously undermined and enfeebled. This problematic placement highlights Saturn’s vulnerability, as Pisces’ fluidity and lack of boundaries dissolve its authority. The square intensifies the tension, with Gemini’s scattered, superficial context clashing against Saturn’s unyielding but invisible demand for structure and focus. This configuration signals a perilous societal struggle, where our passionate crusade to assert our beliefs encounters significant obstacles. Getting through even this first of three squares will be a real test upon our personal and collective state of mental health.
Mounting Conflicts and the Ferocious Battle for Integrity
The current cosmic landscape highlights the mounting conflicts we face on multiple fronts—personally, domestically, and globally. The stars reflect the intense pressure we feel to defend our personal integrity and assert our beliefs. In every arena, our home life and marriages to the broader sociopolitical stage, the world appears more divided now than ever. From the tension in global affairs, the hostilities brewing in foreign relations, domestic political strife, or the morally provocative controversies seen in the Olympic Games, the sense of impending discord is palpable.
“No war is inevitable until it breaks out,” yet the stars warn us that our pride and loud proclamations bring us perilously close to all-out conflict. The Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini, with its quick-draw impulse to assert our opinions, runs headlong into Saturn’s cold-bucket-of-water soberings in Pisces. This planetary clash underscores the importance of taking a step back in humility, discipline, and a holistically realistic assessment of our actions. As we steer precariously through these turbulent waters, the need to balance our enthusiastic drive with grounded wisdom becomes paramount.
These planetary alignments emphasise the urgency and intensity of our current struggles. Our evolution depends on our ability to recalibrate our values and embrace a more authentic, spiritually aligned approach to our conflicts. Hence, this fiery New Moon in Leo becomes a burning-hot moment, granting us the seminal urge to seek deeper self-understanding and integration of our fragmented selves through the immediate response of those in our audience. Only by humbly acknowledging and addressing our internal inadequacies through attentive feedback can we hope to cultivate genuine peace, love, and understanding in our external world.
This fortnight’s horoscopes illuminate the profound potential within the heart of each sign’s inner child, finding the voice to express our child-like truth and to reinvent ourselves. They offer guidance on how to harness the New Moon to set intentions that strike a balance between true, self-assured expression and mindful humility, ensuring our path forward is both enlightening and empowering. I leave you with those.
Many blessings, and have an amazing New Moon xx
ARIES: Leo New Moon Reading
TAURUS: Leo New Moon Reading
GEMINI: Leo New Moon Reading
CANCER: Leo New Moon Reading
LEO: Leo New Moon Reading
VIRGO: Leo New Moon Reading
LIBRA: Leo New Moon Reading
SCORPIO: Leo New Moon Reading
SAGITTARIUS: Leo New Moon Reading
CAPRICORN: Leo New Moon Reading
AQUARIUS: Leo New Moon Reading
PISCES: Leo New Moon Reading
Are you feeling lost or uncertain about the path ahead?
Book a one-on-one consultation with Ang
and gain invaluable insight into your unique astrological chart, helping you navigate life’s twists and turns with confidence and clarity.
