January 25 12:54 PM EST
This full moon marks a major turning point. It is our first full moon since Pluto has moved in Aquarius (on January 20), and it is being majorly impacted by Pluto in Aquarius. The full moon, at 5 degrees of proud Leo, is opposed by Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius. The sun at 5 degrees Aquarius is conjunct Pluto.
On March 23, 2023 Pluto entered Aquarius for the first time in more than 100 years. It stayed there for three months before retrograding back into Capricorn, where is has been camped out since 2008. So between March and June 2023 we had three full moons while Pluto was in Aquarius, but NONE of them were closely impacted by Pluto.
Now, with this full moon in Leo, we have Pluto in close opposition. So it is a ‘trial by fire’ experience! We are off to the races with a lunation that majorly features Pluto. If last spring’s 3 months of Pluto in Aquarius were akin to “dipping our toes in the pond” then this is a full blown cannon ball off the dock. We are IN it now. And while Pluto has one more brief retrograde back into Capricorn (between September and November 2024) before it fully commits, we can consider this the ‘final warm up’ before the full time ingress into Aquarius on November 19th, after which time Pluto will remain in Aquarius until 2044.
There is no more time to stall or pussyfoot around important decisions. Pluto demands that we face what is in front of us. Even if it is challenging. Or perhaps, especially if it is challenging. It is only by facing our fears, shame, doubts, insecurities, and ‘bad’ habits that we can allow and invite grace and healing to help us transform them. When we stay in denial and refuse to take accountability for our choices and actions, then we just kick the ball further down the road and add obstacles to our journey. The truth of being human is that we have to face ourselves at some point, during this lifetime or another. So we are forever at a kind of crossroads where we can continue with the status quo propping up whatever kind of masks or armor or stories we have created to help us get through day. Or we can break those cycles, face some uncomfortable truths, and turn over a new leaf.
Pluto is always urging us to do the later: to face our fears and break through, transform. Leo, however, sometimes has a different approach. In its highest vibrational state, Leo and its ruler the sun, are symbolic of living true to our most authentic, innocent and heart-centric selves. Leo thus can be the “highest” state possible for living, where simply by being ourselves, unadorned with artifice, and shining our light, we uplift and inspire all those whose lives we touch.
At the lower vibrational end of the spectrum, however, Leo can come to symbolize all of the masks we wear to try to get our needs met, usually subconsciously. We become attached to these ‘personas’ and insist on being seen by others in a certain way. At some level, we believe our identity and our very life itself is dependent on them. The sun, after all, is the life giving force of our entire solar system. When we are in this state, we have essentially shifted our energetic ‘allegiance’ away from our “true self” to our egoic personality with its many preferences, demands, and grievances.
So in this sense it is precisely our own very specific and unique egoic personality structure that is actually what stands in the way of our “true self”, our innocent sun self, coming to the fore and shining its light in the world. And this egoic personality structure is what needs to be seen, acknowledged, and lovingly surrendered and transmuted in order for us to be our most authentic, highest expression in the world… The expression of us that can make the most healing, positive, loving and transformative impact on the world.
This is what this full moon in Leo is about. Indeed, that is a very big part of what this whole upcoming 20 year period of Pluto in Aquarius is all about. Pluto will be OPPOSING Leo for 20 years, and challenging our egos, our self-importance, our way we think we need to be seen by others. It will be pushing us to surrender who we think we are so that we can remember who we REALLY are: a piece of the whole.
Aquarius represents ‘the group’, and humanity as a whole. This full moon, and this upcoming Pluto in Aquarius chapter, is an invitation to take off the mask and move to a new level of our individuality and authenticity. This new level does not mean our personality “disappears”, but rather that our ATTACHMENT to being special, or being seen a certain way begins to ease. And our sense of being motivated by the needs of the collective, and the communities to which we belong, begins to outweigh our desire for personal glory.
So during the 2 weeks when this full moon is active, we may very well catch a glimpse of the part of us that we are lovingly, gently ready to surrender, the part of us that “needs to be right” for example. And we can at least begin the process of inviting this shift. Usually it does not happen overnight! But all that is required is gentle self-honesty, and the genuine desire for change. Then we can surrender to our higher selves, our guardians, spirit, God, whatever you wish to call it – for assistance in this process. And we will be met. This is the TRUE bravery and courage of Leo: the ability to acknowledge our imperfections and hold compassion for ourselves (and others) as we go through these profound transformations with both humility and dignity.
With all three of the inner planets (Venus, Mars, Mercury) currently in pragmatic Capricorn, we are very well positioned to at least begin to see where we can shift things. Capricorn is straight-forward and economical. In truth, the sooner we see what we need to see and shift what we need to shift, the more ENERGY and POWER we have to move through the world. Propping up our egos takes a lot of effort!
Capricorn is all about being practical- and at this level- what could be more practical than reclaiming our power and energy from old programs and scripts that we don’t need anymore. Pluto is the ruler of the realms of energy and power, and we truly can experience a whole new level of power, authority, and autonomy in our lives when we shift from an over-reliance on our ego. But that ego death can feel like the worst thing in the world. So remember that being gentle with ourselves in important. Pluto may demand integrity, but there is no agenda for harshness or suffering. We can can avoid that by simply continuing to take one step after another in the direction of what we know is right as we face decisions in the moment.
Saturn and Neptune are both moving slowly through psychic Pisces. Saturn in Pisces is an important 3 year aspect that is very significantly occurring concurrently with the halting transition of Pluto from Capricorn into Aquarius. Saturn rules BOTH Capricorn and Aquarius (Aquarius is also co-ruled by Uranus). In Pisces, Saturn expresses itself in its most lucid and transcendent way. Saturn is associated with form and the laws of karma and manifestation. So in Pisces it takes us all the way to SOURCE, and the deepest laws of nature and metaphysics. Saturn in Pisces is a reminder that what we see on the surface level of life is the tip of the iceberg, and much of the work of creating form and bringing situations into manifestation occurs at the energetic level. So in order to have the experience we want in the world, we have to be in right flow and reciprocity with life at an energetic level.
These are all also very important lessons as we make the transition from relying on our ego and fleeting needs and desires to ‘steer the ship’ in our lives, and towards a way of being in the world that is more inclusive and collective-oriented.
Jupiter and Uranus are both in Taurus, at 6 and 22 degrees respectively. At 6 degrees of Taurus, Jupiter is forming a T-square to the sun and moon at 5 degrees Aquarius/Leo. Even in harsh aspect, Jupiter rarely afflicts. However, it can exacerbate and exaggerate things. So once again, we could be getting the message loud and clear now how certain parts of our persona or default patterning are ready to be left in the past. Remember, we can bid them farewell with love and sensitivity! But Jupiter simply encourages us to let go and move on to bigger and better things. It can also help us gain a glimpse of how BIG and wonderful life truly CAN be on the other side of these adjustments and transformations!
So while there is some “rocking the boat” energy present with all of these big Pluto movements, and lunations, its important not to hold fear around this process and rather recognize that what’s on the other side truly can be better, more liberating and empowering, than whatever we have been trying to create and hold on to in the past. If we feel we simply don’t know what to do or where to go next in our lives, we can surrender to Pluto in Aquarius and ask to be guided on a path that helps us shine our individual light (Leo) in a way that is in the best interest of our soul growth AND contribution to the collective (Aquarius). Spoiler alert: they will always be one and the same! Our true soul growth desires will always be beneficial (at an energetic and not necessarily literal level) to the collective. Simply by remembering this and holding this intention we can start to pivot and shift in whatever direction is highest and best for us in the present moment.
*artist unknown
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