The sign of Leo often gets a bad rap for being the “attention seeker” of the Zodiac. What people often don’t understand is that it’s not necessarily attention that Leo seeks, but rather acknowledgment. Leo wants to know that who it is and what it creates can be seen by others. It wants its creative abilities and its presence to be recognized. It wants to be known as a unique individual.
Leo shares what I call “the axis of acknowledgment” with Aquarius. Aquarius also wants to be acknowledged…but as a contributor to a greater whole. It wants to be acknowledged as part of a collaborative effort rather than being individually recognized for its solo contributions. Aquarius wants to be part of a group which stands out, not necessarily to individually stand out from the group.
The Aquarian paradox is that though it wants to be part of a greater whole, it doesn’t necessarily want to blend in with its peers or colleagues. What makes the collaborative inclination of Aquarius amazing is its determination to formulate a sum of extraordinary parts – it draws in eccentrics and eclectics who are willing to contribute their unique talents and abilities to the creation of something none of them could create alone and greater than anything they could produce individually. The success of the group depends on each person being their most unique and individual selves.
On this Saturday, 23rd January 2016, the Leo Full Moon is at its fullest phase at 5:46p PST (3.48°) and reflects the light of the Aquarius Sun. Therefore, the Leo Moon is reflecting the radiance of the Aquarian whole. Whether that whole is a team, a network, a social circle, a community, or humanity-at-large, the attention is coming from the needs and desires of the group. This 2016 Leo Full Moon is also occurring on a 6 universal day, numerologically speaking. This means that there is a focus on service and support, especially in matters of healing, health, and wellness on both the physical and emotional levels.
The brilliance of your communities, affiliations, and associations is being projected onto you, yet so are their needs and desires. As you receive their light (or darkness), it’s an opportunity for you to notice if your needs and desires are also being met and supported, especially on the emotional plane. With the light of your social and networking circles shining on you, the 2016 Leo Full Moon presents a powerful and possibly inconvenient question:
How well are your teams, networks, communities, and/or humanity serving and supporting you?
Are your colleagues encouraging you to shine your Light and share your brilliance with them and others? Are they trying to grab a piece of your spotlight or ride your coattails…or are they trying to get you to play smaller and not outshine them? Maybe they’re encouraging you to “join the popular crowd”, “be like everyone else”, or “follow their lead and be like them”…or maybe they’re celebrating and encouraging your uniqueness, individuality, and independence. The bottom line question is…do you feel good about yourself and your contributions to them when you’re in their company?
As this 2016 Leo Full Moon makes its presence known, you may be recognizing that there are people in your life who truly do want to see you move forward and upward…and there are people who don’t. Under the influence of a 9 universal year and a 1 universal month, you may be finding that it’s time to clear away whomever and whatever doesn’t align with the revelation and development of your individual brilliance so you can earnestly begin moving in the direction of your dreams. All of the associations and affiliations which do acknowledge your uniqueness get to be empowered. It’s up to you to assess and choose which associations and affiliations are healthiest and most healing for you at this stage of your journey.
This assessment of your circles is encouraged by the fact that there are three conjunctions transits in play on this Full Moon day. Though none of them are within 3° orb of the Sun-Moon opposition, they are important energetic influences…and two of the three involve retrograde planets.
Retrogrades are important because they provide feedback – their energy comes to us from the outside in, giving us an opportunity to compare our experience with the experiences of others as a matter of assessing where we stand for ourselves. Addressing the day’s retrograde-involved conjunctions…
- The first is Jupiter Retrograde conjunct the Virgo North Node (22°). This indicates a growing awareness of the pragmatic work which needs to be done in order to balance the idealistic emotional-spiritual service (or sacrifice or martyrdom) of the Pisces South Node. As more work and opportunities for growth and expansion are presented to you, remember you have free will. You can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to what is presented…just as long as you acknowledge the paths you may be choosing by saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Which path(s) do you want to walk, and are you willing to take responsibility for your choices?
- The second one is Mercury Retrograde conjunct Pluto in Capricorn (15°), bringing the current state of our societal structures, institutions, and traditions to your immediate attention. The thoughts and words of others could have a powerful influence upon you, helping you recognize where you have power and influence you can wield in the societal and institutional matters at hand. Pay attention to what is being said and done around you. These activities and communications may be revealing opportunities for you to establish yourself in positions of strength you didn’t know you had access to.
The third conjunction is Mars conjunct Juno in Scorpio (10-11°), with both bodies in direct motion. You may find yourself taking passionate and committed action(s) to assert your personal power as your emotions in one or more aspects of your life come to a head, “forcing” you to make choices to relieve the pressure. It’s important to note that your emotion-driven choices and actions are likely to reveal your emotional vulnerabilities at this time. With this conjunction trine Neptune in Pisces during this Full Moon phase, are you ready to open up and put your emotional truth and trust on the line in order to make your dreams your reality?
Again, none of these conjunctions directly interact with the Sun-Moon opposition, yet they play a role in how things shape up during this 2016 Leo Full Moon experience. Leo is all about how much you allow your creative energy to be expressed and how much you are allowing your unique expression of Light to be seen and acknowledged by others. This may be emotionally confronting for you if you’re not used to putting yourself and your one-of-a-kind creative brilliance on display. With the Leo Moon reflecting the Aquarius Sun, this is an opportunity for you to recognize 1) how others see or receive your self-expression, 2) how others want to you to show up for them and/or your collaborative effort(s) with them, and 3) how much your inner truth and your unique truth-rooted contributions to those collaborations are truly seen and recognized by others. As Aquarius is associated with technology, you may find that social media is a valuable tool for you in this regard – not only for promoting yourself and your interests, but also for researching your opportunities.
I can attest to these energy dynamics right now. After over four years of development, I finally have a hard copy proof of my first book. It still hasn’t sunk in that this dream is finally becoming a reality. As I shared the news with my family and friends, it was almost overwhelming to receive their encouraging and ecstatic responses – so much positivity and love! It’s always been difficult for me to see what others see in me – I tend to see myself and my life as work in progress, so it throws me for a bit of a loop when others see me as ‘Light in progress’ or ‘Light accomplished’. It’s slowly becoming easier for me to accept their celebrations of my creative expressions, though my inner perfectionist and workaholic still needs a little time and space to reconcile my reality with theirs.
Recent events also have me giving additional consideration of who I want to be for myself, how I want to contribute to others, and how I want myself and the Life By Soul brand to be seen by others. A book is a public entity, which means Life by Soul and I are going to be out in the world in ways we’ve never been out in the world before. I now get to explore how I get the book to the people I believe it can make a positive difference for in ways which align with Life By Soul and with me.
You may find yourself experiencing some thoughtful adventures in your own life journey today and in the next few days under the 2016 Leo Full Moon’s influence. Embrace these inquiries and pay attention to messages within you and around you without allowing the external world to define you. Also notice which steps you’re willing to take to make yourself known by others. This is your time to decide not only how brightly you want your brilliance to shine for yourself, for others, and possibly for the entire world, but also where and how your brilliance is best supported and encouraged to shine.
Thanks for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,
Grace
