Sometimes astrological events come thick and fast – and this Full Moon in Leo is one of them. It follows hot on the heels of Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius and that makes it a busy week in astrological terms. We tend to think of eclipses as the mot powerful lunations – and indeed they are – but sometimes the more ordinary lunations are startlingly significant – and this month’s Full Moon in Leo is definitely one of those. So, if you look out of your window on Thursday night – you may see a lunation that’s going to impact on the world for some time to come.
On a personal note, the first Full Moon of 2024 is significant for me. I have the Moon in Aquarius, so this lunation (with the Sun conjunct my natal moon) will, I hope, give me a sense of personal renewal – it’s like a personal ‘New Year’. That’s something I wanted to share because the day the Sun transits over your natal moon is often a day when you feel ready to begin something new. For me, with the actual Full Moon in Leo culminating at the same time, it’s likely to be a time of endings enabling new beginnings. Like finishing my new book – and making a start on the next one…
I’ll look back at this – in six months time – and assess whether or not I ‘seized the moment’. When your personal new Moon occurs, don’t let it pass you by – especially if it happens to be a Full Moon. In this post, I’m going to – as usual – give you a full analysis of the Full Moon in Leo chart, fixed at the time of culmination. There is a lot to absorb, so make yourself comfortable – and read on…
Full Moon in Leo: The Essentials
The Full Moon culminates on January 25th at 17:53(UT), in 5˚14′ Leo. It’s called the Wolf Moon, and that conjures up images of howling predators circling their prey. That’s a dramatic scene – but the Full Moon is in a dramatic sign. The Full Moon in Leo is associated with extravagant emotions and theatrical display, but Leo is also a creative, warm and entertaining sign. It’s almost inevitable that this lunation will contain elements of theatre, in a broad sense, though whether events will be ‘entertaining’ may be something best left to the judgement of the audience.
The Moon’s emotional symbolism also holds the potential for drama to become ‘psychodrama’. There is something of the ‘soap opera’ in this Full Moon in Leo; it’s tense, energetic and enlivening – but that’s not to say that it will be as joyous as Leo would suggest. The sign is also associated with bombast, pomposity and being overbearing. Arrogance and childishness are as much a part of the Leo experience as humour and sincerity. The Full Moon in Leo is also – inevitably – going to be concerned with leadership and being ‘on the stage’. In that sense, the Full Moon in Leo puts emotions on full view. Everything is under the spotlight.
Full Moon in Leo: The Chart
Full Moon in Leo: The Aspects
What a chart! It’s filled with significant aspects and aspect patterns so, to make it easy – here’s a list of the ones I consider to be the most significant influences on the Full Moon in Leo:
- Full Moon opposite the Sun conjunct Pluto.
- Full Moon (and Pluto) in t-square aspect pattern with Jupiter in Taurus.
- Full Moon at apex of ‘Yod’ aspect pattern, involving Venus and Saturn.
- T-square and Yod connected by a minor trine; Saturn at the apex.
I’m going to analyse the aspects as they occur by aspect pattern, beginning with the t-square.
Full Moon in Leo: The T-square
T-squares are dynamic aspects and signify both internal and external tensions, together with actions that are generated by that tension, or in an attempt to resolve that tension. It’s the ‘we have to do something about this’ aspect pattern, so it generates a lot of energy – either in the dynamic and forceful way that we act or in the emotional frustration or annoyance that occurs if we don’t take action. And, of course, it’s not binary: you can take action and be annoyed at the same time. Grievance is a known stimulant.
The t-square lies in the fixed signs, (Taurus, Leo, Aquarius) so this is a real ‘immoveable object meets immutable force’ scenario. It’s a stubborn, ‘I’m here and I’m staying here’ kind of energy and the signs give us a clue about how that will manifest. The Full Moon in Leo places the Moon in the sign of the King, (ruler, president) and the Sun (also symbolic of rulership) rules Leo. The Sun is also conjunct Pluto. Pluto represents transformation and absolute power – and it’s just ingressed into Aquarius.
This is a significant moment. Aquarius is the sign of the renegade, the revolutionary, the disruptor – so the lunation tells us there is a powerful, disruptive force that won’t go away. And, as the Full Moon in Leo is squared by Jupiter, we know that this is a big, theatrical moment. Jupiter in Taurus is a wealthy placement and wealth (Jupiter) and power (Pluto) are fuelling this full Moon in Leo. This lunation is concerned with holding on to power and being anointed as the leader – and it may represent a culmination of all of those things that have led us to this revolutionary moment.
So, watch out for events in the big, wide world, that replicate this dynamic (clue: you won’t have to look too far – certainly in the US and UK…) and then look at your own life to see where this dynamic could also apply. If your chart is dominated by the fixed signs, you may be more stubborn or extreme than usual, or you may encounter others who behave in that way. Don’t forget that the Full Moon in Leo is basically a sun-moon (male – female) opposition – and that brings relationships into play. If your ‘significant other’ is being stubborn or unreasonable, you’ll know why. Power games and revolutions may be personal as well as public.
Full Moon in Leo: The Yod
Let’s turn our attention to the Yod – ‘the finger of fate’. It’s a dramatic and intense aspect pattern (two quincunxes connected by a sextile). It represents crisis and discomfort. It aligns with the symbolism of Aquarius or Uranus – chaos, anti-establishment, shocking events, things not going as planned, security threats, and plain old weird stuff. It’s the aspect pattern of, ‘how did that happen?’ or ‘why the heck did you do that?’ It’s unfathomable and incomprehensible, and it leaves you with the following response: ‘that was crazy, but hey, we are where we are’.
A Yod must have an apex planet – and the apex planet here is the Full Moon in Leo. In mundane astrology, the Moon represents the general public, or public mood or opinion. This is important because the Yod shows that the public mood is connected to two things – and the first of those is represented by the Moon quincunx Venus. Venus symbolises money, and the economy in general, but Venus also symbolises values and, in aspect to the Moon, our common values. What are our shared values? When the Full Moon is quincunx Venus; those shared values may not be what you thought they were.
The second connection is to Saturn. Saturn represents old age, or things that have served their time. Saturn also represents the establishment, the government, the authorities, things that are long established or traditional in a general sense, i.e. the way that things have always been. When the Moon is quincunx Saturn, it indicates that people may be in a mood (the Moon) to shake up the way things have always been (Saturn). There is a general mood to buck tradition, disagree with authority or overturn long-established convention.
The meanings contained in the Yod give us a real insight into the dynamics of this Full Moon in Leo. It represents a point of change because people are minded to change – it’s the mood or ‘zeitgeist’ of our time – and the finger of fate points to this as the critical moment. It’s the pointer that shows the dial has moved – for those of you old enough to remember such things. Get used to it – we are where we are and that’s a fact. Again. events happening in any country near you will confirm this astrological shift. You won’t have to look too far.
At a personal level, this dynamic will work, just as I described above – especially for the fixed signs. You may feel moody or fiery or emotional, as you try to adjust to a major change in your life – your personal revolution. This is likely to be connected to Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius too – as that was a ‘no turning back’ moment. Adjustment isn’t easy and issues of money, relationship, indulgence – and how you may have to limit those things or change your habits – may cause you some distress, upheaval or irritation. Quincunxes are irritating – but in this situation, you have to do what you have to do.
Full Moon in Leo: The Minor Trine
Minor trines are dynamic – and they are an aspect pattern that points to an opportunity to solve a problem and find solutions to things that are – perhaps – getting out of hand. There is the potential for a creative response to any of the issues I’ve already discussed – but it also shows that things require a serious debate. It’s a communicative aspect pattern that says, ‘we need to talk about this’. So, lets look at what needs to be discussed…
The minor trine connecting Venus, Jupiter and Saturn has Saturn at the apex. It ties together the T-square and the Yod and it’s message is one of limiting indulgence. Venus Trine Jupiter shows existing conditions and they are as follows: overspending, financial inflation, greed, vast wealth, foreign affairs and foreign involvements. Anything that costs significant amounts of money may be a luxury you can’t afford. Saturn indicates an opportunity to stabilise a situation. and it shows the need to have a reasoned, sensible debate. Those things will apply to you personally, as well as out there in the big, bad world.
Realism and restraint need to be brought into play, together with responsibility and caution. This may be the moment to do that – or the moment to trigger the process. However, there is another interpretation that I want to put out there: success has to be worked for; it’s not going to come as easily as you think it will, but if you’re prepared to make the effort, that success may be long lasting . However, whether things succeed or not will come down to opportunity and timing – and time may be the thing that is most important to have on side. If you don’t seize the moment, someone else will do so.
Further Reading
Transits | Pluto in Aquarius: The Trailer
The Age of Aquarius: Now is the Time for Revolution
The Big 2024 Horoscope: The Year Ahead
January 2024 Horoscope: The Month Ahead
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© Sara Shipman 2024
