Leo New Moon Meditation for 2003:

Tending the Heart's Royal Fire

By Jean Hinson Lall

This month's New Moon falls in the sign of the Lion, the Sun's natural home. Leo follows Cancer, where we turned inward to find our emotional truth and sources of nourishment. Now the heart's fire is kindled and its warmth radiates outward to meet the heart of the cosmos. Out of "what I feel" emerges a sense of "who I am," my individual gifts and the power and confidence to express them. The concentrated fire of Leo makes a person focused and convincing (to him- or herself as well as to others!). Leo influences in the birth chart can help an artist give priority to cultivating and displaying her talents; endow a lover with the courage and style needed to court his beloved; and produce an imposing or inspiring leader unafraid of command.

Indeed, command is a serious concern of Leo, the royal sign. Interestingly, while Leo is associated with the monarchy, it is also the sign of the Child -- the divine creative potential in each of us and the tyrannical two-year-old we live with! To understand Leo, watch one of those imperious toddlers in full cry, then think of your favorite over-the-top historical monarch -- Henry VIII of England or Catherine the Great of Russia, say, or a Medici prince or Mughal emperor of your choice -- at the height of his or her royal career. Consider the ruthless exercise of power, the love of costume and ornament, pomp and show, the sexual licence and erotic intrigue, the excess in all things - behavior that is definitely out of fashion today, and might even be grounds for a clinical diagnosis of character disorder. But think, too, of how these masters of excess played their part in the building of nations, and how the artists they patronized and the cultural institutions they founded are still feeding us centuries later.

What's the link between Miss Terrible Two and Louis XIV? Both are struggling to master the fire that dwells in the human heart. The tiny child already feels the world-altering potential of that fire, which is his own spirit. He wants to claim it as a personal possession, but it is really given him in trust by the gods. Where our Leo is, we contact something grand and noble in our own nature and in the world, and we feel moved to erect a throne. The trick is to remember not to take the royal game literally. The ego is an actor who wears the royal costume, but is not the king. The King is what Jung called the Self, the archetypal foundation of our being which is not under our command. So a well-developed Leo uses her talent and charisma to play the role of leader, lover, artist or commander, but doesn't identify with it. She understands that in order to lead and inspire others, she must command her own nature and allow something greater than herself to shine through her performance.

We have more than enough Leo to go around this month. Besides the Sun-Moon pair, Venus is just entering the first degree of the sign, while Jupiter and Mercury are in the late degrees, having been in exact conjunction three nights prior to the new moon. The Leo planets are shadowed by Saturn in Cancer with its ongoing worries about lack of resources, emotional insecurity, and the logistics of houses and property. (I'm making plans to start my doctoral work in England - my grand Leo plan - and all the administrative and academic requirements were easily handled, but I'm tied up in knots over how to keep my household in Baltimore going while I'm away and where to find decent, affordable accommodations in Canterbury!)

Pluto in fiery Sagittarius supports the Leo Sun, Moon and planets, while Uranus and Mars in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius challenge them by opposition and quincunx. Neptune opposing the Sun and Moon challenges us to use the Solar power of Leo to serve and uplift those who need it most. As the Sun-Neptune opposition becomes exact in the next few days we may also see more open questioning of our leaders (notably President Bush with his Leo ascendant). Tomorrow, Mercury will move from Leo into Virgo and into exact opposition to Uranus, at which point unexpected information may come to light. With Mercury in Virgo we may find it easier to solve practical problems and carry out critical analyses.

Mars turns retrograde less than an hour after the New Moon and over the next four months will retrace its path through the first ten degrees of Pisces. We may see more probing into the causes of terrorism and more questioning of government policy regarding war and diplomacy. Mars in Pisces (now extraordinarily close to Earth) can immerse us in the quagmires and delusions of war or stir us to practice meditation, study energy medicine, write poetry or campaign for justice and peace. Combined with the congregation of Leo planets, this retrograde Mars could stimulate the creation of lasting artistic images and spiritual insights. Tend your heart-fire and watch for the warrior image in your dreams. Be ready to play your part.

Look for the Aquarius Full Moon August 11, 2003.