So we’ve got some New Moon Leo energy going on in a last fiery burst of summer, that all signs are encouraged to enjoy (especially socially) to the fullest. I have to say from personal experience, this has indeed been an extremely busy and social summer (especially compared to the early warm seasons of the pandemic, respectively 2020 and 2021). For better or worse, people are weary of taking so many precautions and are picking and choosing their risk factors and events they want to attend anyway, indoors, or out. Is this a bad thing? I’m not sure. I still take precautions where they’re mandatory and/or encouraged, but I’m not nearly as vigilant or OCD as I used to be. I supposed it’s because one cannot stay in a heightened state of anxiety, and fear of huge, impending doom for a prolonged period of time. Because that’s not healthy either, right? The more folks I talk to, it’s a whole grab bag of potential impending doom scenarios: from Russia and the threat of Nuclear War (or other countries who’d like to take over the U.S.), the COVID pandemic that never ends and now has so many vaccine-resistant variants you can’t keep track of them all, the ever-present threat of domestic terrorism, Cheeto cultists, election conspiracy extremists, crazy lawmakers that want to take us back to medieval times, an onslaught of random and targeted gun violence, not to mention climate change, unnatural disasters that are accelerating at a daily rate with alarming speed, and oh yeah, Monkey Pox. In short, plague, disease, pestilence, fires, floods, the crumbling of an American empire and democracy and human civilization as we know it. Kinda feels like end times, doesn’t it?

This is an interesting transitional time, as August comes to a close. We are swiftly entering the thick of the harvest season and undoubtedly gathering juicy abundance from our respective gardens. We are also taking stock of the year thus far and carefully plotting out what we have left to work with. We're not deep in meditation mode yet, but still easily distracted by lingering summer delights... OK, I'm clearly talking about myself here, but you catch my drift. We should certainly make the most of any good weather we have available to us, as many of us may be forced to go into hibernation mode once more in the not-so-distant future. All in all, it's a great time to step outside barefoot and feel the earth between your toes.

Don't Let the Seasons Limit You

Although it's good to acknowledge and spend time with each of our changing seasons, that shouldn't stop you from stepping outside to connect with Mother Earth, no matter how snow-laden and chilly the ground may be. You might even find it invigorating—as our August guest on "Women Who Howl at the Moon," Jacque Daul delights in telling us! Jacque, a vibrant, 80-years-young Wiccan and still practicing massage therapist, has many fascinating stories to share. Be sure to tune in to our latest podcast episode to hear everything our new favorite Leo has to tell us! That's one of the things I really love best about conducting these interviews—I'm able to connect with and get to know so many amazing women in the community. If you haven't liked our Facebook page or perused our Patreon, please do so today.

The last time that I really took note of the Lionsgate Portal was in 2015 when the gateway formed a perfect 888 in numerology, in fact, that was the first time that I had ever connected to the Lionsgate Portal. I suspect my lack of connection with this particular energetic portal is due to it's high Leo and sun frequency. I only have Leo in the 11th house of my astrological chart and other than that I have no Leo influence in my chart at all, in fact, throughout my 12 planets I have only one fire sign in total. Because of this lack of fire in my energetic make-up it has taken a good long while for the element of fire and I to develop a relationship and an even longer while for me to become comfortable in the lessons and energy of the summer season.

Leo, First Half: July 22-August 5 Yellow diamond is a brilliant soul stone, befitting the king of the zodiacal wheel. Diamond is pure carbon and the hardest substance on Earth, and its name appropriately originates from the Greek word adamas, meaning “invincible.” Yellow diamonds represent the Sun, the ruling planet for Leos and the symbol of this sign’s high level of consciousness—true heart, great generosity, and incredible courage. Yellow diamond earrings will keep you Leos in balance.First-half Leos can count zircon as their power stone. Beloved by early cultures, the brilliant zircon was believed to safeguard against poison and was thought to be a holy healer in India. In the early Roman Catholic church, it was held to be the sign of humility. For Leos, whose downfall can be pride, zircon can guard against this and keep the astrological Lions on an even keel.

Early-born Leos have a special heart stone in lesser-known vandanite, which can be a beautiful red orange or a glorious yellow gold. Vandanite is rich in lead and also vanadium, the mineral used to strengthen steel. Vandanite is formed at intense temperatures, which can be related to our Sun, a furnace in the heavens. For Leos, this unusual heart stone can help them deal with the pressure of a lot of attention, which Leos naturally attract with their vibrant and magnetic personalities. You should keep your heart stone at home and at work for optimum stability and inspiration.

When you imagine a lion, these are images that immediately come to mind: Strength, pride, regality. A certain conservation of energy is often utilized by lions. Of all of the big cats, they certainly know how to strike a healthy balance between their leisure time and the hunt. Family prides of course, are quite important to them. They could never be accused of backing down from a fight. And hey, they practice good grooming. Since the sun will officially be entering the sign of Leo today on July 23rd, it could be advantageous to tap into some of that powerful feline energy. I would also venture that you don't need to be a cat person, or fall under the sign on your chart to do so.

If you are a fellow cat person, kudos to you. You already appreciate all those kooky and mysterious little offspring of Bast on a deeper level. If you have some furry companions of this kind living with you, chances are, you have taken the opportunity to study them, and even unconsciously, to act like them. They get you to run wildly and play with silly abandon alongside them, chasing each other down long hallways and such. It's a good exercise for both of you. Probably you nap together, and that's never a bad thing. All cats are highly practiced in the art of stillness, and you can practice pretty zen-y meditations with them daily, held in the form of long starting contests. In all of these regards, cats definitely keep you in the moment. Since pet cats are largely regarded as the most wild of all domesticated animals, spend some extra time with your kitty loved one to tap into some Leo energy. If you've been considering adopting, this would be an optimum time to visit your local shelter.

If you feel the need to get closer to the real deal, look into visiting a nearby big cat sanctuary. Often these beautiful wild creatures have been injured, left behind, or mistreated, either in the wild or in an inappropriate facility. Sanctuaries provide the unique opportunity to provide loving, caring, and roomy environments for these animals, where the people there who care for them do so with knowledge and compassion. Some Midwest locations are listed under my resources below.

Since lions are very social creatures, you may want to revisit your social life. Who is a major part of your inner pride? Has it been awhile since you connected with some of these folks, if even with a good old-fashioned phone call? Now is the time, my friend. If time allows, throw a small summer fire pit party (Leo is a fire sign, after all) and invite some of these cherished companions over to roar with you.

Looking inward, think about ways that you could strengthen your own sense of pride and self-dignity. If signing up for that new dance class or treating yourself to a new outfit that you can show off makes you want to strut, then by all means, go for it. If your mane could use some coifing, get yourself into the beauty parlor and spend a little extra this time. All of these rituals should help you embrace your inner lion, and rev your confidence level up in a big way.

Resources:

https://www.wisconsinbigcats.org/Wisconsin-Big-Cat-Rescue-Education-Center

https://votk.org/

Shine

On Wednesday, in the deepest dark of the Moon, I made a little nest of blankets on our balcony and sat back to try and watch the Perseid meteor shower. This is always one of our favorite Summertime traditions, as my kids and I shut off all the lights we can, and lay back to watch the darkening sky. This year, thin cloud cover veiled much of the show, but I saw spectacularly bright flashes across the sky. The rest of the time, I sensed, vaguely, that there was movement up there, but I just couldn’t quite see it. The clouds were bad luck, especially since the shower's peak was coming on a moonless night, the dark sky making the show more visible. The darker the setting of the night sky, the more brilliant the flash of shooting stars.

This New Moon in Leo lines up 5 planets in Leo, the sign of high Summer, the Fixed Fire of the zodiac, ruled by the Sun. Leo illuminates our sense of power and passion, shows us our desires, fuels our creativity and our play. The Sun and Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all radiating Leo's boundless solar joy and strength just as the Sun itself is pouring down intense light and heat. The presence of the cosmic lovers, Venus and Mars, in the same sign brings luck and love, but this year, Venus is retrograde.