The New Moon in Leo on August 9 (August 10 in the Eastern Hemisphere) is unusually rich with symbolism for making creative changes in our lives.

It falls on Monday, the beginning of a new week, named in honor of the Moon. It’s in a lovely trine to Ceres, a symbol of the cyclical nature of life. And its relationship to the cardinal T-square – or, more precisely, its lack of relationship – suggests that we can get out of an endless feedback loop and into an entirely different way of being and doing.

The Sun, symbol of the heart and who we are at the core, is in his own sign of Leo, where he shines the brightest. The Moon in conjunction with the Sun reflects your heart back at you, allowing you to see your unique gift to the world and to appreciate your creative mind. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a creative person, you create through your mind. This is an awesome, wonderful thing – the best trait of the human species. The true heart of the lion is not selfish and greedy, but radiates love and abundance for the well-being of everyone around him.

The T-square, meanwhile, is raging around us full force, with Jupiter and Uranus in tight opposition to Saturn, Mars, and Venus, all square Pluto in Capricorn. We’re facing the same old challenges, spinning our wheels and feeling exhausted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

This New Moon offers us an opportunity to set all of that aside and focus on something else. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to go play and leave all your cares behind for a few hours. Or you’ll suddenly hear the joy and laughter of children, and it will bring you to that place, if only for a moment. If you have a creative outlet, put your whole heart into it and be amazed.

If there is any relationship at all between the T-square and the New Moon, it can be found in the space opposite the Pluto at the apex. That space is in Cancer, and Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Why not let something new into that space? What we focus on is what we attract. So, however temporarily, allow yourself to focus on something entirely different at this New Moon. Then watch to see what pings back.

The trine from the Sun and Moon to Ceres in Sagittarius suggests renewal through seeing the bigger picture. Although each of us is a complete individual with unique talents and gifts, we are conduits for the “mind of God.”

If relationships are your hardest challenge, you’ll have some additional support from Venus and Saturn, who are the strongest players in the T-square right now. Mars is in his detriment in Libra, and all of the outer planets except Saturn are retrograde. Saturn is not only direct but exalted in Libra, and Venus is in her own sign and also “receiving” from Saturn. This tells me that romantic commitment is possible, as is redressing imbalances in relationships.

Mercury, meanwhile, is in his own sign of Virgo, although as many of you know, I’m a proponent of making Ceres the modern ruler (or at least a co-ruler) of Virgo. He’s slowing down, in preparation to turn retrograde on August 20, and the only aspect he makes in the New Moon chart is a wide square to Ceres. I’d say this is a reminder to pay attention to details but not to get lost in them. Otherwise, you risk missing out on all the fun.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 17°24′ Leo is a teacher of chemistry, with the keyword INSTRUCTION. One of the objectives of astrology is to help us use the invisible energies of the cosmos to our benefit, but first we must understand how they work. We’re learning now, as we watch events unfold from one of the most dramatic astrological configurations of a lifetime.

As a good friend of mine is so fond of saying, “It’s all a learning experience.”

Wishing you all the courage of the lion,
Pat

P.S. This is definitely the time to write your abundance check!

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in the early 1920s. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.