Wow. As the title suggests this moon is a big DEAL. When the moon is in Leo, she brings us a boost to our ego with a spoonful of optimism. She asks us all to take on and embody our magic, our essence, ourselves. This energy helps you own who you are in wholeness, light and dark, as a mind, a body, a soul, and a heart combined to make a powerful, rich and incredible human being. YOU are incredible, a gift, a piece of magic and divinity. Dance in your being. Trust in it. Bring forth the witch and alchemist within. Believe in the magic you of who you are and use your uniqueness to take action in this world. You are here to help create and manifest a better world for all.
This Eclipse is a part of the larger Leo/Aquarius cycle we have been moving through for a year or so. This cycle has consistently brought to the surface the dichotomy of the ego and the collective, our individual needs and the needs of the others, our personal confidence and the empowerment of the group, our privileges that come at the cost of someone’s oppressions. The struggle between the greed of the few and the collective call for an equal and viable future is present almost everywhere we turn. And may I say, perfect timing dear universe.
Settling into this powerful energy, I pulled two cards. I smile at their reveal as I'm greeted by Temperance and the Magician. Perfect alignment. We are at our most powerful when our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits are aligned. From this place, we are able to use all of the tools we've been gifted from the universe and those we have developed for ourselves. We are able to experiment, mix them up and shake them out in all kinds of different ways with confidence. This is how we create miracles, art, progress, love, and innovative possibilities. How incredible could life be if we gave ourselves the power to actually stand in and stand for the tools that live within us AND others? This is how we make a lasting impact on the world.
This moon isn’t all smooth sailing though.
Our powerful, sacred moon in Leo will be opposing our dear planet of love and beauty - Venus sitting in Aquarius. Oppositions pose a challenge and like all challenges, this one offers a wealth of wisdom. This opposition is a challenge to seek alchemy through love, granting us a beautiful chance to balance our individual confidence and self-assurance with our love and duty to care for the collective. So often we live in dichotomous mindsets, believing that these aspects of life are fundamentally opposed (introvert vs extrovert for example), but going a bit deeper it is clear that these two important puzzle pieces fit together. For nothing you do as an individual is yours alone and anything we do as a collective affects us as individuals. We are in a constant dance and conversation between the two and they feed one another.
Venus in Aquarius reminds us how much we gain from one another, from sharing, growing, learning, seeing, hearing, and struggling together - this IS love. There is so much joy in being with other beings and allowing yourself and others to be exactly as they are without interruption of judgment. Being in opposition to the Moon in Leo, we may find our egos at odds with this kind of thinking and instead, we may be tempted to turn towards unhealthy competitive, comparative, jealous, insecure, or even vindictive thoughts, actions, or emotions.
If that happens, use this energy as an opportunity to become present to these compulsions and catch them before they take root. These kinds of ideas come from living in an individualistic culture. Confidence, magic, the work we are called to do, accomplishments, growth - these things are not finite. We do not need to feel inferior because others appear to have more or less of these things in their life at any given time. For one, it’s a cycle - we all get our highs and lows. For two, you have your own journey and the universe has plenty in store for you, all you have to do is grab hold. When you operate from emotions like jealousy, insecurity, greed you bring everyone down with you. When we are not complete and whole with ourselves, we are not truly present to others and it hurts our ego and takes away the opportunity to be in connection with another.
So how do you build yourself up, embody your wonderfulness without turning into an ego monster? How do you get out of anxiety, insecurity, and inferiority in the presence of others? Venus in Aquarius shows us the way through detachment. It does everyone a disservice when we get mad or disappointed in our people just because they don’t act or say or do exactly what we want or expect of them all the time. Detach yourself from such expectations. People are people, just as you are. You can’t meet everyone’s expectations all the time either. Things don't always have to go your way, and thank goddess they don't for that matter. Allow yourself to dance with life and the people you share it with instead of trying to control or manipulate the world to fit your exact view of what you want it to be.
It takes practice. But with it, I believe we can truly allow ourselves and others to be. When we don’t throw our judgments, expectations on one another, we free ourselves from our own about ourselves. Ever heard the saying, 'what you say about others you are really saying about yourself?' Our insecurities about ourselves are extremely present when we are judging another. What if you let that go? What if you focused instead on the badass that you are, the growth you wish to manifest for yourself? What if you focused on what you love about the people of this world and took it upon yourself to be a part of their growth? We are in this together. There is room for us all to bloom and thrive. It is up to us all to empower ourselves and others.
Let's be done with shame and unhealthy competition. Let's create a world of equity, love, support, harmony, and opportunity FOR ALL. We can only accomplish this as a collective and it starts with our personal growth. Remember the wise words from 2nd wave feminism, the personal IS political. The personal IS the collective. Own your badass self and support others in owning themselves.
Welcome to the age of Aquarius bitches.
Blessed Full Moon!