Some quick notes on today’s New Moon in Leo and what it means for the month ahead. The chart cast for Washington DC is here, if you want to take a look. Leo loves the spotlight, and the spotlight is going to be on relationships this month here in the USA. Not just one-on-one relationships, but relationships between groups and countries as well. Women’s rights and issues will be front and center in the national consciousness, as will religion, foreign policy concerns and the justice system.  With Venus and Pluto facing off across the Ascendant-Descendant axis, and Mars tightly squaring the Moon-Sun-Jupiter grouping, we will almost certainly be seeing some extremely intense encounters and interactions.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and is known in traditional astrology as the “greater benefic”. Like the god after which it is named, Jupiter often bestows the “best and greatest”, but Jupiter is a powerful god, wielder of thunder and lightning, and tends to value social ideals over personal interactions. The planet Jupiter can also bring thunder and lightning, and will do its best to expand anything in its path — whether it needs expanding or not. This is especially an issue when it is tightly square Mars, as it is in this chart, with Mars cracking the whip from its powerful position right on the Midheaven. So keep your eyes open and leave your rose-colored glasses in the drawer this month, because there are some potholes in the road that you may not notice in an optimistic, enthusiastic race to get where you’re going.

We are likely to see a lot of emotional, bombastic communication both in our personal lives and on a national stage, as well as a considerable amount of enthusiasm — some of it highly constructive, some of it…well, to give an example, have you read about the “coal-rollers”? Definitely on this year’s list for the Darwin Awards, but hey, you have to admit they are enthusiastic. (You can watch Colbert take them on here.)  It would be interesting to have the birth data for these young men — I’d not be surprised to find both Mars and Jupiter strong in their charts.

But the question now, of course, is how can we handle this energy positively this month? Mars and Jupiter together is the classic signature for the field of public relations, where a considerable amount of both enthusiasm and unflagging energy is required. And Leo’s generosity and open-hearted approach to life offers a lens through which to promote causes that are meaningful to you — or promote yourself, for that matter. Scorpio gives us in-depth insight into human psychology — which Mars tends to use as a weapon (Mars can usually figure out how to turn damn near anything into a weapon – or a tool). But if your heart is open, you can use these insights — either for yourself or others — to cut like a scalpel, and surgically remove what needs to be excised to allow healing to happen.

Mars and Jupiter can also be about drawing lines in the sand, and since Leo is the sign ruling children, and the Sun and Moon are the planets ruling the parental roles, can we PLEASE draw some lines in the sand to make children safer the world over? From the thousands of abandoned children coming over the border into our country without any place to go, to the ongoing horror of female genital mutilation, to the unending reports of child abuse in our country and worldwide, children desperately need whatever protection and help we can give. Will you set aside some time to do magic, perhaps working with your group, to protect children in need? Better yet, do some magic AND contribute to a children’s rights organization. You can see a list of them here. 

Well, the garden needs tending, and it’s a beautiful day here in the mountains of WNC. So I’m going to leave y’all with the suggestion that there is more to be learned from this chart -- if you are a student of astrology, take a look at it yourself, and feel free to comment here. (You must have an account and be logged in to comment). Now, I’m off to weed the tomatoes…I’ll see you in a week or so with a post on the astronomy of astrology.