The New Moon in Leo on the 2nd of August 2016 occurs just hours after Mars re-enters the sign of Sagittarius, the sign that it went into retrograde in on April 17th. Mars entered Sagittarius on March 5th and then retrograded back into Scorpio May 27. Mars has been direct since June 29, but there are several important dates that mark other parts of the Mars retrograde storyline to note for this month. The first is this week, with Mars re-entering Sagittarius, next is August 22, when Mars leaves shadow (by entering the same degree of Sagittarius that it was in on the 17th at the start of the retrograde), and the 24th, when Mars will form a conjunction to Saturn, who it has been hovering close behind for the last few months.
(Top image: Randy Gallegos)
The New Moon in Leo is interacting closely with the Mars-Saturn dynamic, with both the Sun and Moon (New Moons are when the Sun and Moon are conjunct) trining Saturn in Sagittarius. Mars will have just re-entered Sagittarius, with some unfinished business to take care of that calls back to what was unfolding on a soul level March 5 – May 27 of this year. Collectively, we saw a lot of violence and tension (Mars) and the question of how the government (Saturn) should respond – cracks in the system were revealed and there was potent despair around the questions this brought up: why and how is this part of our society? On a personal level, we dealt with themes around vitality and responsibility and how we are acting in accordance with a higher vision, or not. The structure of relationships shifted, and alliances of shared vision/shared plans shifted.
Growing pains could be another way to look at it : while Mars and Saturn are in the sign of Sagittarius, which relates to expansion of consciousness, aligning with greater opportunities and higher knowledge, Saturn is the planet of boundaries, containers and restrictions, and Mars has been in a balsamic relationship to it (approaching the completion of a cycle relative to Saturn). In this way there has been an increased awareness around what has to go and what is no longer functioning or serving a purpose. If done responsibly and consciously (versus defensively, impulsively, unconsciously), letting go and moving on from old baggage – is incredibly vitality-producing at this time. This will be difficult though, when there is resistance, such as if what is needing to go is something that has provided structure and meaning in life, even if it was negative and simply familiar at best.
(Image: Masumi Hara)
This would be a time to consider what beliefs you hold about reality or how life is going to play out for you, and if you really want to continue believing those things. Continuing those belief patterns requires no effort – changing them or letting them go does. For example, Layla Martin, who writes and makes youtube videos about “epic sex and legendary love”, had numerous failures in the realm of relationship as well as sexual trauma in her earlier life. She may have stopped growing at some point and adopted the belief that she would never find love or that no one is to be trusted, but she vigorously investigated relationship and Tantra and paved out a new reality for herself. If you watch some of her videos, you may notice that her strategies and teachings involve effort and work, things that people often shy away from when possible. Yet she has alchemized a lot of that work by undergoing it herself and finding ways to translate it to others inspirationally. There are certain modes of responsibility/efforting that yield greater richness and enjoyment of life, and that is one of Saturn’s major lessons. The relationship between Saturn and this New Moon resonates with this storyline of some kind of personal experience of failure being a starting point for expansion and a process of self-actualization. Keep in mind that wherever you struggle the most, you are also set up to alchemize lead into gold, if you will not believe the lead at face-value or as something static and unchanging. A vision that things could be different, and the seeking of answers or solutions to our problems, is what sets us free. In the case of Saturn, this process is not instantaneous, but involves disciplined and applied effort over time. The yield and gravity of that effort is far more of a foundation than any quick fix would have been.
The New Moon being in the sign of Leo and trining Saturn suggests that this is a time we can creatively envision what we want to manifest. There can be an emergence of creativity that lends itself to solving present problems or obstacles, (if effort is applied.) With Saturn in Sagittarius, if something seems impossible or simply too overwhelming/massive to attempt, the first step can easily be posing the question “How can…(endeavor) be more accessible?” or “What do I need to know to be able to (reach my vision)?” in prayer. The answers will start to unfurl from there, and likewise those answers are blocked off behind the gate the consciousness has already decided not to peer inside. The New Moon can hold some proclivity toward laziness, but you will be riding a more activated flow of the New Moon if you are venturing into some new territory that holds the potential for failure. That would mean that you are playing with life and taking risks, versus not embarking on challenges at all. For your New Moon prayers and manifestations, think big, and recognize that there will be tangible steps and procedures (Saturn) along the way that will activate your original purpose.
(Image: ‘Echelle’ by Ron Haselden at ‘Lumiere’. Photo by Matthew Andrews.)
Mars has not been free to roam – it has been a long stretch of resistance training and impatience in the face of issues that will only resolve themselves with time and consistently applied effort over time. It has required us to rally our vision and our bigger picture of the future if the discomfort of this present moment was great enough to propel us into a reconfiguration of what we are doing and how exactly we are going to get there. Until August 24th when Mars catches up with Saturn, dealing with disillusionment or anxiety about dreams being real or possible is part of the journey. It may also be the case that old causes we used to champion or fight for, whether personally or collectively, no longer have the same meaning to us. It might be time to let something go so that it may be recycled into the next phase. It could be that our greatest disappointments are the seeds for future creativity and Saturnian problem-solving: our heart is so greatly invested in the things that have broken us open & inspired us to search for greater meaning, even if it initially sent us far out to sea and for a while, and we couldn’t see how or when we would make it to the shore.
On the 4th, Venus leaves Leo and enters the sign of Virgo, and she will square Mars in Sagittarius on the 6th. This speaks to a tension between discernment and expansion/exploration, as well as the potential for conflict and passion in relationships. This transit it is helpful to get clear or organized on what you want/what you are offering, and to align actions and speech truthfully with that. Sagittarius, however consciously or not it is accessed can be candor or bullshit, and Virgo can be healthy and in alignment or totally avoiding its inner-work. This might be a time where you can get more clarity around what was unfolding on a soul level during March 5 – May 27, but with more discernment or fastidiousness to detail this time. It may not be about that time directly, but a matter of similar themes popping up and having a new frame of reference for how to analyze them/act on them. Venus-Mars squares are very activating within relationship, in synastry they tend to equate to really great sexual chemistry (but also a clash of wills). For you all this week, perhaps think about showing up and tending to details relative to what you value and care for in your life (Venus in Virgo), and see how that may open up channels of exploration and expansion (Mars in Sagittarius). It may come down to making a choice – moment-to-moment or bigger picture – about what’s healthy and natural for you, and letting this boost your vitality.
On the 7th, Mercury in Virgo will oppose Neptune in Pisces. For sensitive types, this would be a good transit for taking a plant/herb and meeting it in the dream time. On the mundane level, communication this week can be unclear and requiring greater clarification or articulation of concepts for there not to be extra misunderstanding. Compassion comes through clarity, and the universal (Neptune) is met through particularities (Virgo). Keep in mind that miscommunications are filled in with extra imagination this week – yours or another’s. This can be a moment of clarity regarding a past illusion as a deeper truth surfaces, just as easily as it can be a height of an imaginary conclusion. Intellectual and cerebral waters will be shifting, so take note and take care not to arrive somewhere in your mind and set up camp – ride the shifts instead.
Thanks for reading! I’m sending this out from Boise, ID where I’m passing through this morning for the wi-fi and cafe oasis. I’ll be on the road and then at Beloved (let me know if you’re going!) and back to my home base in Washington in mid-August. So I won’t be available for astrology readings until then, and I’ll announce when I’m back. I’m working on articulating my offerings more clearly (I can work with Mercury in Virgo on that) and defining what an Evolutionary Astrology reading really is. I’ll let you know! Blessed New Moon, have a great week, and let me know if anything resonates or if something interesting/mysterious occurs. Share with us what your lead is this New Moon and maybe what you imagine alchemizing it into.
~Sabrina Monarch
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