Moon into Leo: Shining Like the Sun

Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon
Eastern Standard Time

Monday, February 6
Moon enters Leo 8:24am

Strength ©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 8:35am
Moon trine Uranus (Aries) 12:01pm
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 2:23pm
Moon inconjunct Chiron (Pisces) 3:30pm
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 11:34pm

Tuesday, February 7
Moon trine the North Node (Sagittarius) 3:49am
Sun (Aquarius) conjunct Mercury (Aquarius) 4:02am
Saturn retrograde in Libra 9:03am
Venus (Pisces) inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 2:59pm
Full Moon in Leo
Moon opposite Sun (Aquarius) 4:54pm
Moon opposite Mercury (Aquarius) 5:42pm
Moon semisextile Mars (Virgo) 10:14pm

Wednesday, February 8
Venus enters Aries 1:00am
Venus (Aries) inconjunct Neptune (Pisces) 4:29am
Moon sextile Saturn (Libra) 11:42am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Virgo 12:32pm
Moon opposite Neptune (Pisces) 12:50pm
Moon inconjunct Venus (Aries) 1:36pm
Moon inconjunct Uranus (Aries) 4:09pm
Moon trine Jupiter (Taurus) 6:45pm
Moon opposite Chiron (Pisces) 7:33pm

The Moon entered Leo this morning, striding onstage for the final dress rehearsal before tomorrow's Full Moon performance. Her opening contacts with Neptune and Uranus are strong and flowing, so expect abundant intuitive messages today. Awkward aspects with Jupiter, Chiron and Pluto add some edge to this last rehearsal. Things might be a bit rocky, but that only guarantees a stellar performance.

Tomorrow, the Moon opens the day by flowing fiery energy into the North Node, our path in this life. The Sun and Mercury join forces, sharpening our mental acuity to a fine point. Brilliant ideas form easily, innovation is in the air, but remember the trickster is about too––don't get too wedded to any one model.

Another reminder to step carefully arrives as Saturn stations retrograde in Libra. For the next months, we need to walk our talk, be impeccable with our words, and follow through.

These are always good ideas, but with Saturn retrograde, chickens might come home to roost rather quickly for those who pursue manipulative and shady paths. Venus awkwardly inconjunct Saturn is just one more reminder to stay true to our brightest visions.

Then the Full Moon! This Moon in Leo, sign of the heart, of the light we're meant to shine forth, of our courage and joy, is surrounded by aspects that point to creative inspiration combined with the power to manifest.

This Full Moon illuminates our heartfire, letting us know whether it's burning high and bright, or needs some passionate, playful fuel.

Each opposition surrounding this Moon calls us to balance personal creative vision with the good of our communities. With the Full Moon in Leo, it's vital we are part of that balance. At this Moon, we're not called to self-sacrifice, but to bringing our juiciest, most authentic self on stage.

As if to emphasize this, Venus enters Aries early Wednesday. Our relationships, finances, and creative lives surge forward. We're ready to set the world on fire. An awkward contact between Venus and Neptune reminds us not to move too quickly, while urging us on to action in alignment with our dreams.

A flowing sextile with Saturn closes this Moon transit through Leo, giving power to our ability to manifest. Wednesday afternoon, the Moon enters careful, detail-oriented Virgo. While she shines forth in Leo, we listen to our muses, vow to take action on our heart's desires, and make it so.
    

Moon into Cancer: Coming Home

Saturday morning through Monday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Three of Cups ©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Saturday, February 4
Moon enters Cancer 1:04am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 1:06am
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:44am
Imbolc: Sun reaches 15 Aquarius 5:22am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 6:54am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:22am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 5:07pm
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 10:00pm

Sunday, February 5
Moon inconjunct Mercury (Aquarius) 4:17am
Moon inconjunct Sun (Aquarius) 7:12am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 6:01pm

Monday, February 6
Moon trine Venus (Pisces) 4:29am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 7:30am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Leo 8:24am
Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 8:35am
Moon trine Uranus (Aries) 12:01pm
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 2:23pm
Moon inconjunct Chiron (Pisces) 3:30pm
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 11:34pm

The Moon moved into Cancer very early this morning, shifting from the bright, airy connections of Gemini into the slower, deeper movements of her home Water sign. If you woke this morning from dreams of ancestors, nurturing, food, warmth, mother, then look to the Cancer Moon.

We also reached astrological Imbolc early this morning as the Sun reached 15 degrees of Aquarius. Today, as the year turns toward greater light, Aquarian insight is available to us along with Neptunian visions: The Moon's first contact was a flowing, Watery trine with Neptune newly arrived in her home sign of Pisces.

Yes, I wrote "her" for Neptune. The name is a male god, yet Neptune's energy has many feminine, yin qualities. In many cultures, ocean deities are female. The glamour, the lyricism, the dreaminess, the easy contact with emotions and the subconscious––these are yin and feminine, although of course men have and experience them too, just as women have the fierce drives of Aries.

Today's energies are strongly in this Watery, yin arena. The Moon stands in challenge to the quick-acting, direct Uranus, while flowing energy with Jupiter in slow, sensual Taurus as well as with healing Chiron. Opposing Pluto, we experience opportunities for transformation that, floating in this visionary space, might feel easy to sense but tricky to articulate.

newborn lamb

Imbolc is the time of the goddess Brighid, triple goddess of the hearth, of poetry, and of smithcraft, which the ancient Celts saw as transformation at work.

I invoke her today with Stephanie Pui-Mun Law's Three of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot, perfect for this day of the Moon, Neptune and Pluto.

At Imbolc, the ancient Celtic calendar shifts from the dark half of the dark half of the year (from Samhain to Imbolc), into the light half of the dark half of the year (until Betaine).

One reading of the ancient meaning of the word "Imbolc" is "in the belly" and we enter a time now when yang energy begins to stir, arising within the womb of winter stillness.

With the Gemini Moon, we gathered lots of new information. Now, we sit with it. We reflect. We feel. We allow. Tonight, the Moon makes an awkward aspect with the North Node, signalling that adjustments are needed in our path forward. Tomorrow, that same aspect with the Sun and Mercury tells us to slow down, notice where things are not comfortable, and adjust. A connection with Mars, retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo, gives us the precision of insight we need.

Early Monday morning, connections with Venus and Saturn offer creative energy just before the Moon steps into Leo's creative fire. As we enter the week ahead, we may find that our time in reflection and stillness gives birth to new passions, new play and new ideas.

While the Moon is in Cancer, we cultivate stillness, allowing time for feelings.
    

Moon into Gemini: Sleight of Hand

Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Wednesday, February 1
Moon enters Gemini 2:15pm
Mercury (Aquarius) semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 2:38pm

The Greatest Show on Earth

Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 5:54pm
Venus (Pisces) opposite Mars (Virgo) 6:41pm
Moon semisextile Jupiter (Taurus) 7:47pm
Moon square Chiron (Pisces) 9:40pm

Thursday, February 2
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 7:04am
Moon trine Mercury (Aquarius) 9:41am
Moon opposite the North Node (Sagittarius) 12:37pm
Moon trine Sun (Aquarius) 5:01pm

Friday, February 3
Moon square Mars (Virgo) 10:24am
Neptune enters Pisces 2:02pm
Moon square Venus (Pisces) 3:03pm

Saturday, February 4
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 12:07am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Cancer 1:04am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 1:06am
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:44am
Imbolc: Sun reaches 15 Aquarius 5:22am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 6:54am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:22am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 5:07pm

Ahhh, the Gemini Moon begins this afternoon, beguiling us into a world of intriguing ideas, scintillating conversations, enlivening connections, flirtatious engagements and tricksterish fun. With Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in Aquarius, the outside-the-box trickster in each of us peeks out, ready to play. Never forget, though, that creative play is all about deep learning.

Mercury gets edgy with transformative Pluto this afternoon, and Venus opposes Mars. These sounds like not-fun––more like challenge and work, actually. With Mercury and Gemini, fun is more about risk than safety. Where can we push the boundaries? Where is the new perspective? Mercury is the patron of thieves as well as merchants and loves question like:

"Which is the greater crime, to rob a bank or to own one?" 

(... a tricksterish quote often attributed to Marx, from Bertold Brecht's Threepenny Opera, Mercury at work again.)

Nouvelle Experience

With Venus and Mars opposite in Pisces and Virgo, we're called on to balance heart and hands, soul and body––to keep our soft-focus, peripheral vision open to magic and mystery, even as we work steadily away at the task before us.

Thursday, the Moon continues her changeable path through Gemini, making her own awkward connection with the Plutonian alchemist as she flows energy with Mercury.

The Moon is opposite the North Node today, but Gemini doesn't sit still. Is she really opposite? Or conjunct? Or both at once? The day closes with the waxing trine with the Sun, a time of seeing our New Moon dreams begin to take shape. With all this mercurial energy about, that shape might look nothing like we imagined. Have fun with it anyway!

Friday, the Moon squares both Mars and Venus, bracketing the entry of Neptune once again, and for good and all, into Pisces. The Gemini Moon reminds us to keep our eye on the ball (Where did that rabbit come from? Was that the Queen of Hearts?) as we enter a new world of dreams and visions.

The Moon's transit through Gemini ends early Saturday with a happy trine to Saturn in Libra, a reminder that while some paths are quirky, full of twists and turns, we can still live our dreams and make things happen. Then, she moves into her Cancerian hearth to celebrate Imbolc.

By the calendar, Imbolc happens now, with the Gemini Moon. Astrologically, Imbolc is the moment the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius. As we celebrate this time of transition, feeling the stirrings of life in the stillness of winter, we remember that Brighid, the goddess associated with Imbolc, is a triple goddess of the forge, of poetry, and of healing. She contains all the energies we experience now.

With this Gemini Moon, we celebrate sleight of hand, here-today-gone-tomorrow, word play, quick-change artists, and transformations that happen even when we're looking somewhere else.