Full Moon in Leo: Whole Self Shine

In order to fit in, you must be ENTIRELY YOURSELF.

And the more yourself you are willing to be -

embracing your quirks and your differences,

but also integrating and appreciating

the parts of yourself you don’t like all that much -

the easier it will be to find your place.

That, my love, is the message of every Full Moon in Leo.

Subscribe! Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Pandora | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn

Mentioned:

Nari Anastarsia’s Cosmic Reading Cards: Activation Cards for the Soul are an amazing tool for self-reflection.

Make Magic:

You’ll find the questions for every 2022 full (and new) moon in the book

New and Full Moon Rituals for Entrepreneurs and Changemakers,

co-authored with my friend and fellow witch Leslie Tagorda,

host of The Savvy Luminary podcast.

Transcript: Full Moon in Leo - Whole Self Shine

Natalie Miller: Welcome to Mind Witchery. I’m your host, Natalie Miller, and I’m so glad you’re here. 

Hello, darling. Welcome to another astrological episode of Mind Witchery. As you know, I love astrology in that it gives us a symbological way of looking at the world. I love how it evokes new and different perspectives for us, for ourselves, our lives, who we are, and how we fit into the collective. 

And I love doing lunar episodes for you all because the lunar cycles are a fabulous reminder of the ebb and flow of bigger energies in our lives. I love talking about lunar cycles because it helps us to counter a little bit, to balance out the very, very linear thinking that permeates our cultures in this moment, you know. We’re really often thinking in terms of past, present, future, a line that’s forever moving in one direction. And lunar cycles help us attend to a more cyclical, seasonal way of thinking—and I love that.

So, a quick reminder about the significance of the Full Moon. The Full Moon is a moment in which the Sun is directly across the sky from the Earth’s perspective from the Moon. So, the Sun is fully illuminating the Moon. The Sun and the Moon are in opposing places in the Zodiac. 

So, a Full Moon is bringing us fuller perspective. It’s asking us to see things from different perspectives. It’s inviting us to consider a more expansive and comprehensive perspective. That is always true and, for the Full Moon in Leo, that is extra, extra much true—because the sign of Leo ruled by the Sun is the most self-centered sign. 

We think of the Sun as the center of the solar system. And if you’ve ever known a Leo [laugh], they are excellent at taking center stage in their lives. Leo is fixed fire, so it’s the fire element, and it’s the fixed modality. So, it is a spotlight. It is a kiln, an oven. It is a bonfire. It burns bright and hot and very centralized. 

So, in this moment, the Moon is here. The Moon in Leo is very dignified. I think of a regal posture, sort of a chin held high moment for the Moon in Leo. The Moon has just been home in Cancer. So, Cancer is the sign right before Leo. The Moon has just been home, has just been reconnecting with that which is most nurturing, and so it’s moved into Leo fully resourced.

The Sun, meanwhile, is in Aquarius. So, if Leo is self-centered and is very concentrated, Aquarius is most able to see things from different perspectives. So, the sign Aquarius is fixed air—air element—and fixed modality, and so there is a restlessness with Aquarius. Aquarius is always looking for the next way to be, a different way to see or understand something. 

So, the Sun in Aquarius is interestingly challenged, Aquarius being the opposing sign from the Sun’s home. Our Sun’s home is the sign of Leo, and so the Sun in Aquarius is far from home. It’s in a Saturn-ruled sign, and that need to see things from different perspectives adds a little more expansiveness to the Sun’s feel here.

So, the Sun in Aquarius is out-of-the-box. It’s unique. It’s quirky. It’s surprising. It’s full of contradiction. It is, as Ani DiFranco sings, “Thirty-two flavors and then some.” Try 64, 128 flavors. 

So, I love thinking about the Leo-Aquarius polarity as highlighting for us a way of reconciling individuality and collectivity—so, individuality meaning each of us is different; and collectivity meaning our differences altogether comprise the collective. 

So, here’s the way I love to describe this phenomenon. I want you to think about a jigsaw puzzle with 1,000 pieces. I am a puzzler, I love doing puzzles, and 1,000-piece puzzles are my favorite. They’re challenging, and they’re fun, and, yeah, I love them.

So, when I have a 1,000-piece puzzle, each piece is completely unique. There are no two pieces that are the same. There are 1,000 pieces, each of which has its own contours, its own colors and shades and textures, and by assembling the 1,000 pieces, I make the whole puzzle. 

Now, here is the trick. The whole puzzle consists of 1,000 pieces and, at the same time, the whole puzzle consists of one single piece. And I’ll tell you what I mean. 

As many of you know, I have an adorable little dog named Kevin—Kevin Miller. And when Kevin was a puppy, he really loved to eat puzzle pieces. So if by chance, a piece fell on the floor, or if by chance, someone left a chair pulled out from the puzzle table so he could jump up, he would most definitely find and consume a puzzle piece. 

Now, when one has assembled 999 pieces of a 1,000-piece puzzle, and one piece is in Kevin Miller’s belly, the entire puzzle—the whole puzzle—is in that piece. The collective cannot be whole without that one individual piece. 

This is—I just get so excited thinking about this idea. This is an idea that has set me on fire for my entire adult life. In order to be what the collective needs most, you must be completely true to you. I want to say it again. In order to fit in, you must be entirely yourself. And the more yourself you are willing to be, the easier it will be to find your place. 

That is the message of every Full Moon in Leo. So, I love it, and I hope that you let that move into your ears, and straight into your bones and your veins and your arteries, because we all need to be living that.

OK. So, this particular Full Moon in Leo has two things going on with it. One is that, finally, finally, all of the planets are direct at the time of this Full Moon, so no one is in retrograde motion—meaning that there’s a nice momentum building. There’s a nice momentum building. 

And, my goodness, the beginning of the year—January, especially—we had Venus retrograde. We had Mercury retrograde. Rather than starting the kind of January 1st New Year by diving right in and swimming off, we started in a place where there was like not a lot of forward momentum, and perhaps you felt that. 

The Lunar New Year that came on February 1st with the New Moon in Aquarius—it’s the Year of the Water Tiger, my friends tell me—the lunar year had way more of a forward-moving, let’s-get-going kind of vibe. I hope that you’re feeling that. So, that’s definitely happening here.

Here’s the other thing. There aren’t a lot of aspects—meaning there aren’t a lot of geometrically significant relationships among the various planets, save one. Mars and Venus are conjoining one another. Mars and Venus are together in Capricorn. Mars and Venus are also opposites. 

Oh, my gosh, I just had [laugh]—do you all remember the Paula Abdul video for Opposites Attract? It has like an animated cat in it. [laugh] That just flashed into my mind. Oh, my gosh, that is such a Leo-Aquarius moment, actually, that bizarre video. And I bet if you are also of a certain age that, as soon as I said that, you could see the scene from the video. 

So, Mars conjoining Venus is Opposites Attract. Mars likes to go. Venus likes to chill and hug and chat. Mars likes to separate and to distinguish, and Venus loves to connect and resonate. And, so, when these two planets conjoin, sparks fly, and there’s a little extra passion, a little extra intrigue. There’s a little extra fun.

Mars and Venus are conjoining in Capricorn—Capricorn—the sign of what we’re building. Capricorn is a building sign, and so it’ll be great to think about infusing a little more fun and passion into whatever it is that you are building. 

All right. So, I’m going to give you now the questions—reflection questions—for the Full Moon in Leo. And these questions are all collected in a book that my good friend Leslie Tagorda and I wrote for you. 

The book is called New and Full Moon Rituals for Entrepreneurs and Changemakers. It’s a pretty amazing book, I have to say. We talk about creating lunar rituals. We talk about the significances of all of the Moons of 2022. And the questions—the self-reflection questions—for this Full Moon and all of the Full Moons are collected here. So, I’m going to talk about them, but if you would like to have them as a reference, grab the book.

OK. So, here’s the first question. What quirks and differences are you ready to fully embrace and show off, remembering you are a vital piece of the puzzle? Your uniqueness is key to our collective wholeness. So, what are you ready to, first, embrace in yourself and, second, start to show off a little bit? How are you different?

OK. Number two, this question gestures towards two things: number one, that Leo is a very playful sign and, number two, that we have that Mars and Venus conjunction happening. Where are you having the most fun in your life and work? Like, what is most fun? What is most exciting? What is lighting you up or pinching your butt? Where’s the spark? Where’s just the enjoyment? 

Wherever that is, at this Full Moon, you need to know that is key to whatever it is that you’re building, to wherever it is that you’re going. That is a vital—literally vital—like a life-bringing piece for you. 

OK. Number three, this question gestures to the Leo-Aquarius opposition—remembering Leo is self-centered, sovereign, shining like a royal; and Aquarius is always looking for a little more perspective, always wanting to ask, “What else is out there?” So, here’s your question. Who have you been admiring lately? Who have you been admiring? Who has been catching your eye? Who has been inspiring you?

Remember for a moment, when they are most true to themselves, they are resonating most strongly with the collective, and so they are glimmering with a little piece of you. That’s a little piece of you that you are seeing in them. 

I would love to invite you to reach out and tell that person, “I see your shine. I appreciate your difference. I love how you stand out.” So, in that way, taking that individual person, and reminding them, “Your individuality connects me to you.” Beautiful.

OK. A change of tone with the next question. Think about a moment that wounded your pride. Hmm. Sorry, that was really fun, wasn’t it, and then we got to this thing. But, listen, again, the Leo-Aquarius opposition—and oppositions generally—want to see the whole picture. 

So, think of a moment that wounded your pride. How has that experience helped you to be more fully yourself? How did that moment that really shook your self-confidence, how did it actually get you to ground and center more fully into yourself?

Last question, what are you passionate about building next? So, when you look at your various projects right now, what is the one that is most sexy to you, is most exciting to you? What’s the one that really lights your fire? And then how will you nurture that flame? Here in 2022, we all have a lot going on. We all have a lot going on. So, how will you be sure to focus energies into this particular place?

So, in these Full Moon episodes, there’s another practice that I am incorporating. Remembering that the Full Moon is a moment of expanding our perspective, I’m in each of the Full Moon episodes incorporating some kind of further perspective-expanding element. And, so, today, I’m going to share with you a card, an oracle card. 

So, I love this set of oracle cards. They are called the Cosmic Reading Cards: Activation Cards for the Soul. These are the creation of Nari Anastarsia, and I love them. I love them. There are 36 of them, total, and the images are beautiful, and I highly recommend. I’ll definitely link to them in the Show Notes.

So, I pulled one of these cards and, of course, the moment I looked at it, I just—I had that full body, yes, this is exactly what we need. So, here’s the card that I pulled. It’s number 34, unconditional love. And can’t you see how perfect this is? For a moment in which we are to embrace our quirkiness, for a moment in which we are to really allow ourselves to be fully and wholly ourselves, oh, I love it so much. 

So, here’s part of what Nari Anastarsia writes about unconditional love. She says, “To have unconditional love is to first love yourself entirely. When you can completely love yourself with all your imperfections, you will have greater love and compassion toward others.”

And I just want to pause there and say, remember that question I asked about who are you admiring lately? Saying like, hey, they’re showing you actually who they are, but also an element of who you are too. That’s why you connect with them. I love that. 

And this moment with Nari makes me also realize we need to look at who is bugging the shit out of you? Who is irritating you? Who is triggering you? And what is it that you see in them that you haven’t fully accepted in yourself? 

I think there is a moment here at the Full Moon in Leo where, in the process of embracing our quirks, our differences, we might also embrace the parts of us that are scary. We might also integrate and find love and appreciation for the parts of us that we don’t like all that much. And how could you find those parts? Well, just look out into the world. See who’s annoying you. They’re right there. 

OK. I’m going to continue reading from Nari Anastarsia. She writes, “Conditional love is to love with conditions, expectations, attachments, fear, and judgments. Love is given and received freely as long as the conditions of the love contract are being met. When others fail to meet the requirements of the love contract, love is lost, and replaced with issues of fear, distrust, and doubts.”

So, what I’m hearing here is that key to our courage, key to our ability to step into the spotlight, key to our ability to shine brighter so more people can see is unconditional love for our whole selves. That, my love, is a lifelong project, and here is a window of time where we have extra support in it.

All right. Happy, prosperous Full Moon in Leo. May you stride out into the spotlight, head held high, all 128 flavors of you, and shine. We are all counting on you to be fully and wholly and weirdly yourself. Our wholeness, our heart depends on you being you. As always, thank you so much for listening. Bye for now.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Mind Witchery. To catch all the magic I’m offering, please subscribe to the show, or if you want a little bit of weekly witchiness in your inbox, sign up for my Sunday Letter at mindwitchery.com. If today’s episode made you think of a friend or loved one, your sister, your neighbor, please tell them about it. We need more magic-makers in this troubled world. 

Like all good things, this podcast is co-created by stellar people. Our music is by fabulous DJ, artist, and producer, Shammy Dee. Our gorgeous art is by the sorcerers at New Moon Creative. Mind Witchery is produced in conjunction with Particulate Media, K.O. Myers, executive producer. And I am Natalie Miller. Till next time. 

End of recording