Plus an astrology and tarot forecast, new moon ritual, and herbal lore for the Leo new moon.
The July 2025 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.
The July 2025 new moon also brings into focus the ways in which we communicate and the power of owning your voice. This isn’t always an easy thing —to speak your truth. There’s a lot of anxiety that it can bring up, around how you are perceived; how your words translate; and what people may think of you. It can lead to fears of being “found out” or ostracized — neither of which is a rational fear!
You could also find yourself in a reflective mood at this time, teasing over a particular long-held belief or way of showing up in the world. Or perhaps, you may just need some time to rest or introspect. If that is the case, do honor that impulse.
Astrology and tarot influences for the new moon in Leo
To throw some more light on the July 2025 new moon astrology, let’s take a look at the astrology and 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 Daily Pause Oracle
A beautifully designed 40-card oracle deck to bring in some stillness, give you a word or an idea to reflect on as you go about your 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 imagery on the 5 of Wands indicates conflict and cross-purposes, and though these often are inter-personal, they are also, often, internal. “We each contain a diverse “internal family” of psychological parts,” Jessica Dore writes in Tarot for Change, “and when those parts are in conflict, we tend to feel stuck.” Often times, when you oscillate between decisions, seemingly unable to make up your mind, it’s your “internal family” that is in conflict — one part of you in opposition to another.
And while we may want to banish parts of ourselves and silence them, the fact is that it doesn’t really work; not for long anyway. This new moon may be a good time to gently notice the warring parts of your inner self, to look at things from different perspectives instead of getting stuck in a binary (either/or) framework.
Self-compassion is the key that can help us open up to new possibilities. Calling on our wise and gentle part to mediate, to hold space, to gently tend to the wild, warring, ferocious parts. Our wise and gentle self can help us to more closely align to our values, to what really matters to us, to perhaps come up with a solution or a shift in perspective that we may not have found had tuned in to its quiet voice.
It is this same inner wise self, with its reserves of patience and equanimity, that we must tap into during conflicts and arguments with family, friends, colleagues, or random strangers on the internet. It isn’t always easy, though, to be patient and wise in trying situations. But the more we try, the more we remember to pause before reacting, the easier, I think, it becomes to respond to situations more calmly. Because here’s the truth: when you approach a situation calmly, it is much easier to resolve it than if you go charging in, all cylinders firing.
With Saturn forming a trine with the moon, there’s a grounding energy at play during this lunation. While this slow moving planet is often associated with structure and discipline, it also rules the things that we must build over time — things like personal authority, deeper maturity, and better boundaries. And when we encounter parts of ourselves, Saturn’s grounding influence can help us anchor in our personal explorations and reflections.
Saturn’s grounding energy, combined with the energy of the moon trine Neptune, brings in some softness to our explorations. While parts work is best done with a therapist, I do think all of us have encountered the different parts of ourselves at different times, and there are many tools available to us to enter into dialogue with these selves. Neptune’s qualities of imagination and perception can help us as we embark on this work — if we are so called.
The moon also forms a beneficial sextile with Uranus, giving us a gentle nudge to break free from old patterns of thinking. To shake up our self-identity. To feel into new ways of being.
Tempering all of this is the moon’s opposition to Pluto, which can bring up some inner resistance. But with a trifecta of positive placements, and with Leo’s radiant and confident energy, we can gently move past the resistance. To feel it and move forward anyway. And as you reclaim the parts of yourself that long to be expressed at this time, trust that what’s true for you will resonate more deeply than any outmoded beliefs or ideas you could force yourself into believing.
Herbal medicine for the Leo new moon
Every new moon, I will choose a herb for us based on the astrology around the moon, using the Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana Ayales. I’ll include a bit about the herbal lore and some guidance that you can weave in to your new moon workings.
The herb that I chose for the July 2025 new moon in Leo is Mitragynia. Ruled by Saturn and Neptune, this rainforest tree has been valued by indigenous people in South East Asia to relieve stress, fatigue, pain and fever, and to treat wounds. The plant was revered among monks in Asia, who chewed its leaves during long periods of meditation, to assist with focused attention and positive energy.
Mitragynia represents our ability to adapt to situations and realities, granting us the power to break through the illusionary facade we often accept as reality, and thereby to overcome limiting and outdated beliefs. It can help us initiate subconscious healing from the numerous cycles of pain and suffering we have all experienced during our lives. Mitragynia invites us to seek out the parts of our habits, or our selves, that have gone unchanged, unnoticed, and stagnant, and to tend to the changes we’ve been wanting to make.
Note: I am not a herbal practitioner, and the herbs that I choose for us on each new moon are not meant to be ingested. If you own a copy of the Herbal Astrology Oracle, you can place the card on your altar. Alternately, you can find a photograph of the herb and paint or sketch it in your journal while you reflect on its healing properties and how they may resonate with you.
Tarot spread for the July 2025 Leo new moon
Here’s a tarot spread to tap into the energy of this new moon.
- The loudest voice: Which inner part is speaking the loudest right now?
- The silenced voice: Which part of self has been dismissed or ignored?
- The mediator: What wisdom or advice does the wise self offer to these parts?
- A new perspective: What new perspective is coming to light at this time? Note: Read this card is relation to the three previous cards.
- Mamma moon says: This is always an encouraging message
If you share your spreads on Instagram, please tag me @moderngypsy.in so we can connect with each other.
Ritual for the new moon in Leo
For this new moon, I have a simple, mindful letter writing ritual that flows from the tarot spread above. I hope it helps you integrate the spread better, and to tend to the parts that showed up.
You will need:
- A journal and pen
- A timer (optional). The one on your phone will do just fine
- A small object that represents your inner wise self (a crystal like clear quartz will work beautifully)
- A cozy, comfortable space and some quiet time
The ritual:
Begin by taking a few deep breaths. Hold your chosen object between your hands and bring them up towards you heart. Gently say to yourself:
“I welcome all the parts of me, the confident ones and the conflicted ones, the quiet ones and the loud ones, the bold ones and the ones that are afraid. You are all welcome here. You all have a voice.”
Pick the two inner voices that showed up in your spread, or if another voice makes its presence known, invite it to have its say. You will write two short letters, from one voice to the other. Trust what comes up without judgement or shame.
Begin by naming your parts, so you can address your letter directly to them.
“Dear [name your part], here’s what I want to say to you…”
Now step into the energy of your calm, wise self. Hold your object again between your hands, taking a few deep breaths.
Slowly read over the letters you’ve written, and then let your wise self come forward and write a response that sees and holds both parts with compassion. Begin with:
“Dear Ones, I see you. I hear you. Here’s what I want you to know…”
Once you’ve written your letter, take a moment and bring your hands together and place them gently over your heart or your belly, or where ever feels comfortable.
Whisper to yourself:
“All parts of me are welcome here. I aim to show up with kindness. To build a home within myself where all my parts can co-exist..”
If you like, carry the small object with you for the next day or two as a gentle reminder of the wisdom you uncovered during this ritual.
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