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 On
Friday, August 18 at 7:56 pm (PDT), the Sun and Moon meet at 26 degrees
Leo. The Sun and Moon line up in opposition to Uranus, the planet of unexpected
change and opportunity. This may be a time when new people come into your
life or when a sudden shift in consciousness takes place. It's important
to stay grounded and centered around this time as Uranus can sometimes
have a destabilizing effect. Pluto, Saturn and Mercury make a T-square this Full Moon, lighting up the possibility for communication difficulties
and intense, transformative conversations during this time as well.
Leo
Moon: Share Your Love
In medical astrology,
Leo rules the heart, the organ responsible for delivering blood, oxygen
and nutrients throughout the body. Since ancient times, the heart has also
been associated with the emotion of love. In astrology, part of the spiritual
path of the sign of Leo is to express love and to share creative gifts.
In recent studies done by Dr. Bernie Siegel, the author of Love, Medicine
and Miracles, found that expressing and sharing love dramatically improved
the healing rates of his patients. We may eat the most optimal diet and
take the best herbs and yet if we aren't able to give and receive love,
we may feel spiritually and emotionally ill.
Learning to open the heart is one of the most difficult aspects of life.
Not only is it difficult to say what we feel to others, it is also difficult
to know when and how or even if we should express our love to others. Often
in our culture love is confused with sexual intimacy and many of us allow
our boundaries to be crossed in order to connect with others. Developing
the ability to be openhearted also means creating firm boundaries against
people who are not healthy in our lives. Sometimes this can feel like a
tightrope walk where we are trying to maintain balance in precarious circumstances.
Ultimately it is essential to find a few people in our lives who we absolutely
trust and with whom we can share our feelings and our heart. These allies
can assist us when we are going through emotional and physical dis-ease.
They can act as a support system to bring us back to health. Developing
these relationships strengthens our own vitality and power.
Leo
Moon: Sharing Our Gifts
Not only
is this a good time to work on opening the heart and developing boundaries,
it is also a wonderful time to develop our gifts and to share them with
the outside world. In a recent interview, Dr. Bernie Siegel said, "I
think when you look at healing a life and peace of mind; we're talking
about getting back to living your life. Having a contribution to the world."
During this
Leo New Moon is a time to explore what it means to have a contribution
to the world, what special talents and gifts we have to share. Through
expressing these unique abilities, we come into touch with our core power
and strength. When we channel these gifts, such as making music, managing
a business, doing healing work or writing poetry, we access the divine
within. We access the part of us that is sacred and holy, and shine this
part out into the world. This light acts as a beacon to lift other people
up and to encourage others to develop their own gifts.
Leo
Moon: Tending the Heart
Along with
opening the heart and sharing our gifts, it is also helpful to tend our
physical heart during this lunation as well. In Chinese medicine, the
heart organ refers to emotional as well as physical factors. When the
heart is not in balance, one can develop symptoms such as poor circulation,
depression, speech problems such as stuttering, a confused mind and a
loss of memory. There are numerous foods that help strengthen this organ
system and also protect against heart related illnesses. Whole wheat,
oats and brown rice are all wonderful for calming the mind and nourishing
the heart. Foods with a lot of silicon in them such as cucumber, celery,
lettuce and oatstraw all improve calcium metabolism and strengthen heart
and nerve tissue. Herbs such as hops, mugwort, scullcap, valerian and
chamomile are all relaxing and protective of the heart as well.
Conclusion
This Leo
New Moon asks us to take a three-fold approach to health and healing.
It asks us to develop our ability to extend compassion for ourselves and
others. It asks us to develop and express our unique talents and gifts
to world, and it asks us to tend our own physical heart so that we can
enjoy optimal health. Through working in a multi-layered manner, we help
to heal the body, mind and spirit and come into better harmony and peace.
Good health to you!
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