Drylands in the heat of the sun king’s reign. Fire on the mountain, distant but whipping nearer, tinged with wild promise like the crack of a rodeo clown heyoka’s lasso. The end of the dog days and into the hungry roving of the summertime lion. Grief like a thirst that must be quenched. This is body made of stars for this heavily aspected Leo new moon.
This new moon is easily one of the most potent portals of the year 2023. Retrograde Venus remains the beams of the Sun (Cazimi occurred on Sunday), aligned with the Moon as well as Black Moon Lilith. This whole cluster is square to Uranus, quincunx Neptune and Pluto, and trine and sextile, respectively, to the Moon’s north and south nodes. All of which is to say: our deepest struggles around confidence, self-belief, optimism vs realism, and the stories we tell ourselves vs the stories that we are actually able to embody are coming to the surface to be held and renewed. Venus is Leo is of course about love - but as she retrogrades across the lion’s den she teaches us that a prerequisite to loving someone else is learning to love oneself for real. Warts and scars and patchy mane and all.
It’s harder than it looks. Relearning to love oneself means shining the light of loving awareness on all the pieces of you that somehow you came to believe were unacceptable, unloveable, needing to be hidden in the dark. It means opening one’s well of grief and feeling big feelings - not blocking them out with screentime or pure maintenence.
For so many reasons, this has been a hot and smoky summer. It doesn’t take much to deduce that some of our fellow earthlings (or the spirits they play host to) like it hotter than hell. My heart literally beats for Maui this week, envisioning safety and restitution in full to all the ohana who have lost so much so fast.
But even on this strange and changing earth, we belong. You and your sovereign self are more needed than ever before. Indeed, we have come here to give our lives to solving the great puzzle of purpose and peace. We live to share love beyond love with those who we meet and come to know deeply. We have the tools we need to win, deep inside our selves.
Leo is the ruler of the chest and heart, and Venus is the ruler of the anahata heart center. It’s time for us to take courage, and to pierce the thick membrane that keeps us from feeling our feelings in full vulnerability. Let the grief and pain wash over you and cleanse. Fire, for all of its destructive power, is an essential part of the cycle of renewal, clearing and preparing the ground for future bloom and blossom. We are the renewal.
As the moon goes new today, love yourself more fully than you ever have before. Love your darkness. Love your wounds. Love your indomitable spirit. Love your love. And make your leap, taking what is yours. We are all hidden emperors, secret royals, lions meant to walk with pride. Close your eyes and put your hands over your heart. Feel it. Weep, and laugh, and roar.
With a fierce love
Samu
PS: I am open again to taking natal chart, synastry, electional, astrocartographical, and all kinds of other readings. After a little hiatus as I took some big leaps in my career, I’m excited to open back up to this calling. Testimonials and past writings can be found at bodymadeofstars.com.
All readings are offered on a sliding scale, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
All readings are offered on a sliding scale, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.