On February 19th at 7:53 am PST the Moon and Sun will be in exact degrees across from each other, forming the Full Moon in sidereal Leo, in the star of Magha. Magha is the mighty star of kings, ancestors, and lineage. It is the part of us as the Lion or Ruler where we must tap into our predecessors and gain wisdom and insight from the past. It is ruled by the Pitris, the godfathers of mankind and who are said to be the original ancestors for us all. In this star we are interested in preserving the traditions and cultures that have shaped us and in embodying the qualities of leadership, pride, loyalty and integrity that a good ruler possesses. In the sign of Leo, we may make our stand bold and fierce, showing others how and where we are in our power. The shadow side of this is a self-importance or arrogance that does not take into the account the greater social good.
With the Sun recently moved into Aquarius, we are actually finding our power through humility, hard work and new paradigms and systems right now. This Full Moon reflects the opposite pole of behavior and values that is being illumined, so as to help balance our inclinations in this new Sun cycle. We have not been overly powerful, or are putting a greater emphasis on the social good and how to make our actions work for all people. We are in need of standing firm in our own beliefs, power and status to claim back some of our Self. This will happen in a different area of life for each of us, depending on our rising sign and which house, and therefore area of our life, Leo inhabits.
    The Sun is joined Mercury, although not in close degrees, but we can see how our communication has been overshadowed and also emphasizing that which is best for all and the world community, as opposed to ourselves as individuals. This gaze across to the Moon here will show us how we need to communicate to others our individuality and power, not just express it in emotional or fiery ways. Leo is also a perpetual teacher, wanting to share what we know sometimes before we know it very well. This reflection on the Moon might encourage us to speak up on a social issue that we have been quiet and brooding over.
    Venus has just passed by Saturn, and we will start to see some of the pressure and responsibilities of our romantic relationships begin to ease. We have been perhaps enjoying some more spiritual or belief-driven connections with others as of late, but when Venus moved into exact conjunction with Saturn at the end of the past week, after Valentine’s day, the pleasure really began to fold into pressure and duty. Saturn can help us commit, but it does so out of a place of fear rather than joy. Jupiter’s tenure in Scorpio can help us look at ourselves rather than just the other person and their faults and shortcomings, but it does not help the lack of fun Saturn brings to the party.
    Mars is now in his own sign of Aries, offering us courage, strength and action, although it can be fiery and curt, getting us into arguments and fights if we are not careful. The Moon is just moved out of his gaze for this full moon, so perhaps our tempers will settle a little and we can find true power that is connected to a higher vision and a lineage of truth.
Happy Full Moon. Hare Ohm.

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The New Moon in sidereal Capricorn is on Monday, February 4th at 1:03 pm PST. This sets off a cycle of Effort, Tenacity, Utilitarian Action and taking care of External Responsibilities. We tend to feel the pressure and weight of the external world when the Moon is in Capricorn, as a result of the rulership of Saturn. The pressure is a facet of Time. Knowing we have a limited amount of it, we have to push ourselves to do the hard work to get things done and secure ourselves. It is a fear-based work ethic in many ways, as opposed to one born of enjoyment in the tasks at hand, or discipline for the sake of strengthening oneself.
The Moon and Sun are in Shravana, the star listening. In Shravana, we are able to hear beneath the surface of things. It is a very spiritual star, ruled by Vishnu and indicating his rule over all three realms. If we allow the chatter and clatter of the outside world to fade away, we can even hear the primordial sound of Ohm itself.

Mercury is quite close, within four degrees of the Sun and Moon and will add an extra emphasis on communication. All New Moons are excellent times for drawing within and meditating or chanting, but this one in particular chanting will be quite beneficial. The south node, Ketu is in the sign of Capricorn, but at 1 degree, it is preparing to move into Sagittarius in March. Therefore, in many ways, this New Moon is an opportunity to take a new step forward in this area of our lives. Ketu has inhabited this house for a year and a half and has caused a particularly challenging past year for us as Mars joined it over the summer and early fall. This was a place we were actively avoiding, and yet Mars was blowing up for six month in 2018 and we have been closing out our last karma with this place in our lives for the past few months.

Venus in Sagittarius is moving in on Saturn slowly, causing us to be happiest when committed in our spiritual practice and to be seeking the same ideals and beliefs in our partners. On the 18th of February, we will see the two in exact degrees, which can put a damper on our sense of happiness, as Saturn brings fear and pressure to our sense of enjoyment and our relationships. It may give us the inclination to commit to others, but again, coming from a fearful place of awareness of time and pressure to be responsible.

Mars is almost out of Pisces, the next day after the New Moon, Tuesday, Feb 5th, Mars will move into his home sign of Aries. We will all step into our more courageous and disciplined selves, and we will also find that our actions take an abrupt turn towards selfishness and we may become a bit short with our temper. This will be especially true when the Moon joins Mars on February 10th. The tension will be eased the night of Feb 12th (PT) through the end of Valentine’s Night on Feb 14th, with an exalted Moon in Taurus, the sign of pleasure and beauty and food, and with a dristhi from Jupiter in Scorpio, offering some depth and intrigue to the romance.

Happy New Moon! Hare Ohm.