The warmth and grace of the Leo Full Moon shines brightly in the heavens on January 25, reaching her exact opposition to the far-seeing Aquarian Sun at 9:54 a.m. US/Pacific. The air is tinted with ambition and the drive for excellence, as we locate a more full-throated expression of who we are, or might be.
Pluto has entered Aquarius at the same time as the centering powers of the Sun on January 20, helping us more readily notice what is falling away to make space for new life, whether in our inner or our outer world.
Learning to flex in new ways, instead of running along the same old storylines, is one potential written into our very energetic and motivated skies. The Sun’s January 20 to February 18 journey through Aquarius will likely test our adaptability toolset, reminding us all that life grows strong through challenges in order to thrive in Earth’s flux and flow. An unusually long-lived archetypal waveform of Mercury conjunct Mars crests in intensity from roughly January 21 through February 1, generating an active mind and an argumentative mouth. However, pressure on Mercury-Mars from the unhealing wound of Chiron (exact square January 25-26) just might bring the impetus to cut free from cycles of repeating hurts, if we take a disciplined pause to look more deeply into our quarrels and not be simply possessed by a thoughtform or belief.
Venus will join the high energy of Mercury conjunct Mars in ambitious Capricorn (January 23 - February 16), bringing her harmonizing influence and creativity into the mix. Venus in Capricorn’s practicality supports the formation of new alliances and new agreements, if we can also allow her creative powers to break through our habituated responses and thought patterns.
Full Moon in Leo
The word “zodiac” comes from the Greek word zodiaion meaning “little animals,” since most zodiacal constellations are named for various animals. The constellation of Leo stars in January’s Full Moon and is named after the lion, reflecting Leo’s qualities of courage, ferocity, theatrical flair and its fiery, regal nature. The Leonine Full Moon opens her enormous jaws on January 25 at 9:54 a.m. US/Pacific to roar about our ambitions for excellence, success and honor, shining a light on where we feel confident or are suffering a lack of confidence.
The lunar high tides of emotion could spill out to stimulate other faculties, and we may reckon with a good deal of mental agitation, bouncing back and forth between confident action and a paralysis of uncertainty about our abilities. A very extroverted inner figure may want to come out to play, and if this is an unfamiliar expression of self, we might pay attention to what this strange impulse points towards. Perhaps we want more freedom to define ourselves and less confined by the expectations or rules of others. Or maybe we are unable to contain a desire to express ourselves and to share more vulnerability with others. In a different vein, the compulsion or drive may be less about calling attention to ourselves, and more about calling attention to a problem in our family or a social cause in the world which we are drawn to champion or further.
Sun in Aquarius
Sun Conjunct Pluto
Pluto Returns to Aquarius
The drive for progress and evolution of individuality and collective belonging is rising up in the Soul of the World as shakti-powered Pluto rumbles back into the sign of Aquarius. This Leo Full Moon is nearly coinciding with the January 20 ingress of Pluto into the humanitarian sign of Aquarius, a boundary it breached in March 2023 for the first time in over 200 years. We might reflect back on any significant events from last summer, and notice if anything similar is churned up while Pluto is in Aquarius from January 20 until September 2, when Pluto retrogrades back into Capricorn.
We might gather some useful information on what this shift in cosmic evolutionary emphasis could usher into our lives over the next 20 years.
The centering power of the Sun helpfully conjoined Pluto right at their mutual ingress into Aquarius (exact January 20), shining his high-powered spotlight on Pluto’s qualities, which are often destructive but ultimately revitalizing. This week therefore provides an excellent opportunity both for noticing who or what has grown stale in our lives, and what tantalizing new shoots of life are emerging. There is no doubt that Pluto's demands can be quite overwhelming, but the philosopher Nietzsche, himself born with the Sun opposite Pluto, exhorts us: “If we possess our why of life, we can put up with almost any how.”
For those of us who will be called to our limits by Pluto’s journey through Aquarius, it’s important to dig deep for the why of life, the meaning which keeps us true to our own becoming. In the near term, while the Sun journeys through far-seeing Aquarius until February 18, many of us will also need to hone our ability to go with the flow, to remain flexible through unexpected events and circumstances.
Mars Conjunct Mercury
Mars Square Chiron
Mars Trine Uranus
Information could arrive abruptly, after all. Mercury is in an extraordinarily long dance with the aggressive energy of Mars (roughly from December 24 through February 6, exact on January 27) in the no-nonsense sign of Capricorn. This particular archetypal waveform will crest in intensity from about January 21 through February 1. As aggravating and short-tempered as this combination can be, it may also help us break up old thoughtforms and habitual thinking which have us so entranced. In particular, with the unhealing wound of Chiron making a dynamic square aspect to the Mercury-Mars conjunction (exact January 25-26), we might become quite tired of running along the same storyline, the same old argument, the same dynamic which keeps us repeating old hurts. The sky story is energetic and motivated to achieve, so taking a moment for mindfulness and stepping back from arguments to sincerely ask: “Why is this so important to me?” could yield surprising answers—whether that is seeing through the habits of mind that cause unnecessary strife, or realizing that there are actually much greater concerns needing our attention.
Venus in Capricorn
Venus Trine Jupiter
Venus Sextile Saturn
Indeed, the Jungian analyst M. Esther Harding suggests that conflict is the beginning of consciousness. When we define consciousness as the capacity for presence to something, we can appreciate Venus’s connective weave through the cosmos. Her social arts and graces are boosted and buoyed by a trine to benevolent Jupiter (exact January 28) and supported by a sextile from the firm hand of Saturn (exact January 27). Venus is more inclined to be practical during her trip through Capricorn (January 23 - February 16), and can help us forge new agreements with ourselves and others, smoothing the process of making new alliances or renewing old ones. As exciting as this long-term combination of Mercury and Mars may be, there is a chance for conflict to move in a generative and regenerative direction, if we make a generous space for conscious awareness to bloom.
Full Moon in Leo by Moon Sign
The Moon represents who we are before we even think about who we are. She represents our instinctual self, and she describes our deepest vulnerabilities, as well as our most profound capacity to connect with others. Full Moons amplify energy and emotions, and this one spotlights our ambitions for excellence, success and honor, as well as the state of our self-confidence.
Let’s see how the Leo Full Moon impacts your own Moon placement!
Aries Moon
Issues around creative control could emerge for you under the Leo Full Moon. Whether you’re just feeling sensitive to others hampering your style or expression, or you actually need to assert your boundaries, it’s a chance to experiment with how you express confidence in yourself and your works, Aries Moon.
Taurus Moon
The Leo Full Moon could bring you the perspective to reconcile any problems in how your home life and foundations interface with your aspirations to achieve or contribute something to the world, Taurus Moon. It could be especially helpful to reimagine the identities you use to belong to the world (e.g., child, worker, partner, etc.)—is there a role that could use a different emphasis?
Gemini Moon
Intuition could prove to be either a friend or a foe to you under the Leo Full Moon. Resist the temptation to pin a narrative too soon on any circumstances you may perceive, and let events play out until you can verify what your intuited information means, Gemini Moon.
Cancer Moon
Hold yourself sweetly, Cancer Moon, if you have to be more direct about conflict than you are typically accustomed to. The Leo Full Moon would like to help you shift up an outworn relationship to vulnerability and will offer up a few gifts along the way.
Leo Moon
This is your Full Moon in the new year of 2024, Leo Moon! This lunation points towards a need for independence which affirms your own sense of self-worth. Don’t be afraid of loneliness as relationships evolve—rather, you have an opportunity to clear some space for those who are a better fit.
Virgo Moon
You may quite frankly be in a bit of an ass-kicking mood, Virgo Moon. If the limits of your patience have been tested lately, you might find that it’s time to draw the line under the Leo Full Moon. If you can avoid getting caught up in self-righteousness and stay more objective, you stand a chance of preserving what’s worth keeping while eliminating whatever needs to go.
Libra Moon
Something new is brewing in your cauldrons of creativity, Libra Moon. The Leo Full Moon would like to encourage you to lean more into your intuitive side, to give it its proper place amidst all the planning and scheduling. Freedom of Soul expression is as important as structure for creating your success.
Scorpio Moon
The Leo Full Moon may provoke a contemplation on the limits of your energy and capacity to move mountains at will. Your mind may be on fire to solve this problem, but try reaching out to others, Scorpio Moon, for needed perspective and a helping hand.
Sagittarius Moon
Your lifestyle choices may be what’s most prominent under the Leo Full Moon’s influence. Your attachment (or non-attachment) to material items, status symbols and your pace of life could be the hot topic fueling your perpetual quest for freedom, Sagittarius Moon. Taking a moment to reflect on whose hamster wheel you are running could be beneficial.
Capricorn Moon
It could be hard not to tell us what you really think, Capricorn Moon, but it could be impolitic to do so. A little self-restraint could go a long way to recruiting others to your cause, and making time for reflection on successful communication strategies under the Leo Full Moon can bring some breakthroughs in how you collaborate with others.
Aquarius Moon
Hidden tensions may become more apparent under this lunation, Aquarius Moon, as you search for good will towards others and hope that others might treat you fairly, as well. Even if you must face some hard facts, grace is available under the Leo Full Moon, if you do the work to meet others halfway.
Pisces Moon
Attending to all the small things is a strong suggestion of the Leo Full Moon. The big picture will still be there once you pass through the devil that is in the details, Pisces Moon.
