New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Leo

On Wednesday, August 31st at 11:04 pm Hawaii Time (-10) there will be a New Moon in sidereal Leo. The Moon and Sun are coming together at 15 degrees 17 seconds of Leo in the specific nakshatra, or star cluster of Purva Phalguni. Purva is “first” and Phalguni is “the reddish lady”, the woman who is ready to be plucked by love. Bhaga, the deity of pleasure and delight, is the god of this star and it is known for being a place of sensual desire, enjoyment, and excess, the lunar abode where we enjoy being Kings and Queens for a day (or if you are blessed with this star in your natal chart than for a lifetime:). It is right in the middle of Leo, the Lion and shows the side of leadership that revels in the perks, rather than executes the order of law or receives wisdom from past wisdom/rulers as the other two nakshatras of Leo offer.


Our theme we are working with now is Ourselves. We are very self-important and standing tall in our own skin. As this New Moon also correlates to an annular Solar Eclipse (visible from places around the Southern Indian Ocean, mostly in Africa), there will be quite the powerful punch to our identity and sense of self. The Eclipse will take place from 8:13 pm August 31st to 2 am September 1st Hawaii time, so again it will not be visible from here or anywhere in the United States, but the energy will strong for meditating, praying, chanting during this period. Solar Eclipses are a natural phenomenon that occur when the Sun passes through specific points on the ecliptic and is “blacked out” by the Moon. In this annular eclipse, there will just be a ring of fire around the dark circle of the Moon. Astrologically, this is a time of intense experiences while we effectively “black out” as well and are either confused/delusional or can have very transcendental experiences. Eclipses happen in cycles where two signs from the zodiac are keepers of the lunar nodes, the mathematical points in space that mark where the eclipses will occur when either a Full or New Moon occurs in that place in the sky. This eclipse cycle that began in January 2016 (first eclipse was in February) is on the Leo/Aquarius axis and here we have the emphasis on the north node, Rahu. Rahu brings an obsessive quality to our Sun/Moon in Leo, fixating our attention on this area of our life, and also on our innate Leo qualities of Leadership, Regality, Dignity and Self-possession. We will have a wake-up call here with a realization of how we can only be leaders if anyone else wants to follow us, and if we are only acting in our own best interest and pleasure, we are not likely to have a lot of people lining up to walk behind us. This energy will best be understand in relation to the house in your chart it falls...


If you would like to see how it will affect your chart and life, please sign up for my Newsletter and you will be instantly sent a FREE report on this Eclipse (as well as Saturn/Mars placement) for each of the 12 Vedic Rising Signs!


Meanwhile, Venus has just joined Mercury and Jupiter in Virgo and they are forming what is called a Saraswati Yoga in the sky. This is a Union of the artistry and beauty of Venus, the mental acuity, discernment and communication skills of Mercury and the inspiration, higher reaching spirituality of Jupiter. When these three planets join together it is a blessing and a boon. It is important to always note where these yogas take place, and in Virgo, Mercury is not only in his own sign but he also exalted. This usually means that our intelligence and ability to bring clarity to communication will be at its top performance, but Mercury just began his notorious Retrograde action on Tuesday, August 30th and we will be somewhat delayed and confused in our ability to get words and ideas out and receive them in. When Mercury goes Retrograde we are learning how to slow down, revise and relearn. It is an opportunity to think before you speak and to really mull things over rather than making snap judgements. When this happens and Mercury is exalted, we will feel perhaps even more frustrated because the inner expression of our intellect will be so strong and sharp and it will feel only delayed in the outer world. When Mercury is not in as strong of placement, it can be relief to take it slow since the intellect is not working quite as well anyway. Patience will be key. This is also an opportunity to take a break from the world of technology, since you will probably struggle with those communication tools anyway, and instead breathe in the natural wonders around you while you jog, hike or swim.


Likewise, we will want to tap into the qualities of Venus that bring us a desire to connect and find harmony with others, but in Virgo, Venus is debilitated. Her ability to find connection and beauty is impaired by Virgo's harsh critic and insecure prudishness. Being joined the exalted ruler will help us find our grace despite Virgo's tight grip on our happiness, but we will still feel the constriction. Jupiter, our planet of grace, fortune, beliefs and big ideals is also a bit wound up in Virgo's detail-oriented world of facts and ideas. There is not a lot of room for expansion when we are so busy focusing our minds on the nitty-gritty details of every little thing we want to believe in. This is a great time to take to our natural surroundings and our healthy habits. Jupiter in Virgo promotes healthcare as a belief and the ideal that if we take care of our body, we will prevent dis-ease in all areas of our life. Inspiration, Creativity and Brilliance might come in a very Virgo-like way right now, but embracing that and allowing control over outer things such as daily practices can help stimulate Saraswati's artistry and wisdom to flow like a river right through us.


Saturn and Mars are finishing up their tenure together in Scorpio, and Mars will move out and into Sagittarius on September 17th. Whatever final loose ends still need to be cleared up in this area of our lives will continue to come out in tiny spurts as we clean up the carnage from this epic battleground. There is not the same umpf here anymore, as we are trailing away from the exact conjunction on August 24th.


If we feel slightly low on energy now, it is not only because our energy is waning along with the Moon, but it is also due in part to so many of the planets being in either Virgo or Scorpio and both of these tamasic signs bring us a heavy feeling of too much stress, fear and anxiety. Virgo is too much intellectual stress and anxiety and Scorpio brings us emotional stress and fear, and at this point we are very much “over” Scorpio's emotional roller coaster! Take it easy, breathe, and find time to relax when you need to. Pranyama, breath control practices, can ease anxiety and Yin Yoga, especially with deep hip openers can relieve your body of some stuck emotions. Diffuse calming scents like lavender, and uplifting citrus scents like Orange in your home and get plenty of fresh air and exercise. New Moon's are always a time of lower energy and inner reflection, so take time to meditate and reset yourself as this powerful energy eclipses your innate personal power. Blessings on your New Moon and Solar Eclipse! Hare Ohm


If you would like to know how these transits affect your personal chart, you can go to:

Astrology Page

Book a Reading