July 2022: Tarot spread for the new moon in Leo

Plus some journaling questions, an astro-tarot forecast and an exploration of the the Sabian symbol for the July 2022 new moon in Leo.

The July 2022 new moon falls in the sign of Leo. The bold and dynamic Leo archetype infuses us with a passionate zest for living. It is the archetype of the fiery creative who is confident and unafraid to stand in the spotlight. But this infectious dynamic can also succumb to its shadow aspects of overbearing pride, drama and arrogance.

Spiritually, the Leo archetype teaches the principle of creative manifestation. Clarity of thought and focussed energy, which points to the spiritual principle that your beliefs about life tend to shape your life. You can see this spiritual principle at play with a regular gratitude practice. When you cultivate an active gratitude practice, you tend to experience a shift in your life and circumstances. And while your life may not change dramatically, your outlook to life can certainly shift.

This Leo moon asks us to focus on and ground into home: where we lay down our roots, the people we consider family, and more importantly, this body that we inhabit, which is our earthly home. It asks us to question how we can create a sanctuary, a meeting place, for ourselves and the ones we love. It invites us to nest and nestle and draw on our sources of comfort — heaven knows we need it after the clusterfuck the last few years have been!

Astro-Tarot influences for the July 2022 new moon

To throw some more light on the July new moon astrology, let’s take a look at the astro-tarot influences of this lunation. The Leo new moon falls in decan 1, which is represented by the 5 of Wands. This is to be interpreted in conjunction with Strength, which is associated with Leo.

The imagery on the 5 of Wands makes me think of conflict and cross-purposes, and while these often are inter-personal, they are also, often, internal. Confusion, internal strife, and the many opposing voices that take up residence in our heads are often what contribute to our inability to step up and take decisive action. Added to this is the diversity of opinions we are exposed to on a daily basis — from “the best” morning routine, to what an “ideal” work day should look like, to often opposing views on what makes for a good life. So much so that we often don’t know what it is that we want, until we’ve chased down a goal only to realize that it doesn’t really fulfill us. Any wonder then, that we may often feel stuck and unsure of what our next move should be?

This Leo new moon gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on where it is that we are headed, to examine if our actions feel inspired and joyful, or if we are just going through the motions because we believe that is what is expected of us, or worse, because that’s what “everyone” is doing.

This new moon offers us a chance to tune out the noise and listen to our hearts. Either by checking-in with ourselves and trusting our initial yes or no, or by taking a digital detox for a day — if you’re brave, a weekend or even longer — and seeing what floats to the surface once the FOMO (fear of missing out) has had a chance to subside and we aren’t being barraged by everyone else’s opinions, likes, dislikes, and lives.

Doing this requires a certain amount of groundedness, an ability to gain control over our impulses, and the quiet confidence to trust our inner responses. Gaining control over our impulses, in particular, requires a willingness to experiment, to try and fail and tweak until we slowly begin to gain self-mastery. Know that this is a spiral path we walk. That even if we aren’t fully successful during this cycle, we will have other opportunities at other times. And trust that once the seed has been planted, it will begin to emerge when the time is right.

What I’m trying to say here is that if you’re not entirely successful at going without your devices for a day, trust that just beginning to ask the questions will set you on your journey of coming back home to your own personal truth.

Sabian Symbol for the July 2022 new moon

The Sabian Symbol for Leo 5 degrees is An Old Fashioned ‘Conservative’ Woman Is Confronted By An Up-To-Date Girl.

This symbol reminds me of all the changing trends and ideas we see around us, and how, if we are not careful, they can send us on quite the tailspin. As an example, when I was growing up, a job was seen as just a job — the thing that puts the bread on the table. There was no glamorising of work culture. Our busyness wasn’t a badge of pride. Slowly, that changed. The hustle became cool. Working while on vacation became the norm. Answering work emails on the weekend a measure of our commitment to The Firm. And now we are back to promoting the value of rest and leisure.

So what’s the “confrontation” about, you ask? Lynda Hill explains in 360 Degrees of Wisdom: The Sabian Oracle, “This symbol speaks of being prepared to integrate the conservative and the new, the young and the old and the tried-and-true with the more innovative. You may find yourself faced with choices around these issues. Although both camps hold promise and reward, it is the best qualities of both that is the proper compromise.”

Tarot spread for the July 2022 new moon in Leo

Here’s a tarot spread to tap into the energy of this new moon.

1. Where do you feel confused or stuck

2. How can you shift your perspective

3. What arises from this change

4. Mamma moon says: This is always an encouraging message

If you share your spreads on Instagram, please use the hashtag #moontarotstories or tag me @moderngypsy.in so we can connect with each other.

Journaling questions for the Leo new moon

Not a cardslinger? No problem. Here are some journaling questions for you instead. Cardslingers would benefit from journaling to these too:

What would it mean for you to come home to yourself?

What practices would support your homecoming?

As you think about implementing these practices, what thoughts arise?

How can you replace any unhelpful thoughts with kinder words?