Plus some journaling questions, an astro-tarot forecast and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the new moon in Leo.
The August 2023 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 focused 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 new moon can also usher in a new cycle of change, encouraging us to release old patterns, blocks, and goals that may be going nowhere. That is the only way to let in some fresh energy and vitality — and this new moon definitely encourages that. What excites you? What feels vital and juicy at this time? Focus on that, letting anything that is holding you back from following those clues fall away to the wayside.
This new moon is also a good time to refresh our rituals. Our small daily rituals can anchor us, providing touchstones on which we structure our days. But it’s all too easy to let them fall to the wayside when things become chaotic, or for our rituals to start feeling stale. How can you refresh your daily rituals? How can you invite moments of daily magic into your days? Recommit to your daily rituals, or design new ones during this new moon cycle.
Astro-Tarot influences for the Leo new moon
To throw some more light on the August new moon astrology, let’s take a look at the astro-tarot influences of this lunation. The Leo new moon falls in decan 3, which is represented by the Seven of Wands. This is to be interpreted in conjunction with Strength, which is associated with Leo.
The Daily Pause Oracle Deck
I designed this beautiful, 40-card oracle deck to bring in some stillness, to give us a word or an idea to reflect on as we go about our day.
Supported by the four elements – earth, air, fire, water – and a carefully thought-out structure that connects the cards, The Daily Pause oracle will help you to listen to and trust your own inner knowing.
There’s no learning curve involved with using this deck. Just get quiet, shuffle the cards, pull one out, and reflect on the word you’re presented with.
The wands speak to me of fire. Of creative fire. Of what it takes to live our creative dreams. Our small daily actions — spending a few moments, or hours, on creative work; cooking a delicious meal; creating little spaces of beauty — are just some of the ways in which we live our creative dreams.
It takes courage to live our dreams. We need to lay down some ground rules. To set up some boundaries. To stand our ground when distractions and fears come a-calling. To remind ourselves of what is truly important, of what gives us life and vitality and joy. And we need to get creative with how we go after those dreams.
Some dreams may seem impossibly big. Others may not quite fit our lived reality. The circumstances may not be quite right, yet. Practical realities may dull the sparkle of our dreams. It can be easy to throw in the towel and declare that things are impossible. That we’ve been dealt a shitty hand. That life sucks or that we need to have things set up in a very specific way to be able to go and live our dream, that anything less just won’t cut it. That’s when the fiery wands can become destructive, metaphorically burning up everything in sight — dreams, energy, creativity, even our very life force.
It takes courage to find creative solutions. To work with the hand we’ve been dealt. To look for small victories in unexpected places. To look for new ways to do things, to forge our own path and our own adventure. And, I think it takes even more courage to accept that we cannot always have everything that we want, and that it’s ok. There are times when we have to compromise, to choose a middle path, take the more difficult way. It may suck, but it doesn’t mean that you are a failure. That’s just the way life works.
It helps to remember that there is no utopian world; that imagining an ideal day is just a creative visioning tool, not a promise that that ideal will come to pass. We cannot always get everything that we want all of the time; there are times when our dreams are thwarted, and though it is painful, we can always dream different dreams. Remembering this can, perhaps, be a source of hope and strength as we go forth in pursuit of our own creative dreams and callings.
Sabian Symbol for the August 2023 new moon
The Sabian Symbol for Leo 23 degrees is Totally Concentrated Upon Inner Spiritual Attainment, A Yogi Is Sitting.
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This symbol represents spiritual striving, the desire to connect with the Universe through meditation, yoga, or other contemplative practices. This is a beautiful thing, if we are able to balance the spiritual with the practical. However, this symbol indicates a feeling of imbalance, of putting some aspects of your life on hold while you focus on one specific area of current interest.
Not only can this lead to being misunderstood by others, but it can also lead to losing touch with more immediate, urgent matters. As Lynda Hill writes in 360 Degrees of Wisdom: The Sabian Oracle, “This Symbol can show the opposite polarity: Obsession with the body and physical fitness. As human beings, however, we are not supposed to concentrate solely on one or the other. We must strive to live equally in both…A sense of equilibrium is the key.”
Tarot spread for the new moon in Leo
Here’s a tarot spread to tap into the energy of this new moon.
1. Entanglements: Where/how do you feel stuck with your creative energy/goals?
2. Clarity: How can you re-imagine your creative goals? Use this card to think of out-of-the box solutions or ideas
3. Determination: How can you keep your creative fire burning bright?
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 August 2023 new moon in Leo
Not a cardslinger? No problem. Here are some journaling questions for you instead.
Where do you feel resourced and supported?
Where do you feel like you lack resources?
What resources do you think you need to feel supported in your endeavors?
Where do you need better boundaries, especially when it comes to pursuing your goals/interests/creative visions?
Where do you need to create containers — routines, structures, etc.?
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- Membership in this year’s Moonshine Coven + Lifetime membership in Moonshine Cafe (both on Facebook).
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- A full-length monthly painting tutorial (downloadable video + PDF walkthrough).
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- A new painting demonstration for the new moon (filmed live on Zoom so we can paint together + offered as a downloadable replay for those who can’t attend live).
- A new painting demonstration for the full moon (offered as a downloadable pre-recorded speed painting) with notes on how I’m engaging the current energies.
- A live activation gathering on Zoom in the first week of the month (also offered as a downloadable replay). In these gatherings, we read the content together, do Q&A, check-ins and draw a tarot card to establish our ‘coven work’ (optional) for the month.
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