Waning Moon in Leo

This morning's Moon leaves behind a flowing trine with Jupiter and Uranus but has not yet reached the Sun, leaves behind an edgy inconjunct (angle of adjustment) with stern Pluto, and flows energy in sextile with Mars in balanced Libra.

The New Moon arrives tonight, but not until 11:08pm EDT ... and that feels like forever to this Leo Moon, singing I Just Can't Wait to Be King!

Remember, we remain in the last hours of the waning lunar cycle, the balsamic phase. The time is not yet ripe for New Moon wishes and intentions, for stepping into our resplendent, passionate Leo selves. Patience is not a Leonine virtue, so today could be challenging.

The shadow aspects of Leo include a self-important pride that resents any perceived lack of attention, and can lash out in dramatic fashion against those who should be more appreciative. Venus, planet of harmony and relationship, is conjunct Saturn and square Pluto now, so we're in a time when our close relationships are under review, and feeling pressure to change or release any not serving our highest good.

Today's waning Leo Moon, feeling challenged in relationships and, also, perhaps out of sorts and out of balance, might embody an exiled king like Lear, old, worn out, bitter at the losses he's suffered, and unwilling to see how his own attitudes and actions contribute to his suffering.

As we near the gateway of this passionate New Moon in Leo, our chance to come into our true heart and burst forth in a glorious expression of our creative passion, we want to avoid foundering on the shoals of false pride. Today is a good day to remember that one of Leo's gifts is playfulness. Leo loves to laugh, big rolling guffaws that come up from the toes and get everyone else laughing too. Leo loves the delight of children in bright colors and creative play.

Caroline Casey is a playfully creative and irreverent astrology and activist who understands the interplay between power and humor. Her book Making the Gods Work for You: The Astrological Language of the Psyche offers insightful, balanced and fun ways to understand and work with the very big energies that come to us through the planets. I find myself recommending this book a lot these days and use it often myself. If your inner Lear needs a jester, you'll find one here!

Tonight at 11:08 is the New Moon in Leo, an opening in the midst of a time of cosmic change when we can fully embody and express our unique and wonderful selves. Astrologer Lynda Hill works with the Sabian symbols, images channeled for each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac. Her new post uses those symbols to explore the intricate patterns of this New Moon, a great resources for understanding its possibilities and power.

Today, bend Leo's creative passion to a last effort to release whatever we need to let go, avoiding wounded pride and emotional drama, sensing just over the horizon the New Moon gateway.