Leo New Moon - August 12, 2007

The Saturn-Neptune opposition is still in effect until Saturn enters Virgo next month. Sure, the disillusionment juice is going bad, but we haven't thrown it out of the fridge just yet -- Saturn is slow to notice such things.

To bid Him a hearty farewell, we've got a Luna Nueva in Leo, the sign desperately awaiting his departure.

This lunation is all glitz and glamour, with the Lights tightly opposing Neptune in Aquarius. It's all image baby, and we hope to fool the audience into thinking our veneer is the real deal ... and that the Old Guy will let us get away with it.

Unfortunately, the attention we want may be out of reach. Neptune is a frail gypsy who takes our money, promises fame, and disappears out the back of the circus tent.

The only way to make this lunation work is to not make it about ourselves ... which is not easy when we're wanting to be both King and Queen. Neptune favors selflessness, and any new starts this time around will have to include a sacrifice to this otherworldly planet. This means giving instead of getting. As much our Leonine side wants to be the center of the universe, we must provide warmth to others, and put our desires to be worshipped aside.

The Fine Print: This New Moon occurs at 19 Leo. If you have personal planets or angles around this degree area in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), you're either the star of the show, or the understudy.

Full Moon in Aquarius - July 29, 2007

As individuals, we desire recognition. We are each unique, and want to shine in our own way. However, as performers, we require an audience. Without one, we may feel we do not exist, like the narcissist who breaks down if there's no one there to reflect her image back to herself.

It is developmentally necessary to be seen when you are a child, to have your mother convey -- through her words, tone of voice and facial expressions -- that you are the most special person in the world. If you integrate this message well enough, you can survive adulthood, when, invariably, you often feel invisible or unacknowledged.

Unfortunately, few of us absorb our mother's message 100%, because mothers are imperfect (or because we've got a nasty Saturn-Moon square in our horoscopes). Those moments when we crave recognition and don't get it can lead to all manner of reactions, ranging from temper tantrums to indulgence in fantasies about being loved and adored.

Unless we feel confident in our soul purpose, we yearn for validation. And even if we know we're on the right path, it feels good to be applauded, for this reassurance keeps us going when the going gets rough.

An antidote to reactivity is to not take the lack of an appreciative audience personally. We're all pretty self-centered. I've heard numerous times that you shouldn't worry too much about how you're going to appear to others, because most people are too obsessed with themselves to notice you. In other words, we need detachment to divest ourselves from our incessant need for ego-stroking. Detachment doesn't mean "I don't care." Rather, it means having a sense of perspective, when we can observe ourselves and witness our longing for approval. From this contemplative standpoint, we can notice our inner divas but not feel compelled to meet her demands.

The Fine Print: The Moon at 6 Aquarius opposes the Sun at 6 Leo. If you have planets or angles around 6 degrees of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), this Full Moon will resonate in some cosmic way with your life circumstances.

Leo Full Moon - February 2, 2007

We all want to be adored. But at this Full Moon in Leo, the Finger of God is pointing at us, and we demand to be recognized, dammit! Full Moons are already stressful, as the Sun and Moon are in conflicting signs of the zodiac, trying to negotatiate a way to get opposing needs met. But this time, Uranus and Mars are in the picture, each making an exact quincunx -- a 150 degree angle -- to the Moon. This configuration is called a yod (Bob Marks provides an excellent explanation), with Uranus in Pisces and Mars in Capricorn sextile (60 degree angle) each other, and the Moon opposing their midpoint. (Have I lost 90% of my readers yet?) In addition, the Sun is sitting at the Mars-Uranus midpoint. In a yod, the two planets in sextile put a focus on the third planet -- in this case, the Moon.

Cafe Astrology provides the following planetary pictures:

MA/UR=MO [Moon at Mars-Uranus midpoint] Excited females. Accident or operation (female). Womb operation.

MA/UR=SO [Sun at Mars-Uranus midpoint] Sudden bodily action. The energetic or fierce man. Sudden injury to the body.

Mars-Uranus aspects relate to sudden action, restlessness, impulsivity. Accidents can occur under Mars-Uranus aspects because one doesn't stop to think before one acts. Additionally, Mars governs sharp objects, and Uranus governs electricity. Fortunately, under a sextile these two planets don't create too much havoc. However, in a stressful relationship to the Moon and the Sun, there is a problem "fitting in" this energy with the Leo-Aquarius axis. The Moon and Sun are in outgoing, yang signs (fire and air), whereas Mars and Uranus are in introverted, yin signs (earth and water). It is almost as if there are two different musical acts playing in the same hall at the same time, and each band refuses to play the others' tune.

Mars is hard at work in Capricorn, the Sun is focused on helping humanity in Aquarius, Uranus wants to rock the Spirit in Pisces, while the Moon -- all the way at the more "personal" side of the zodiac -- just wants some attention! Why do you y'all have to be focused on these bigger issues? Why can't we just play, or have sex, or hop on a bus to Atlantic City?

It can be easy to have your pride wounded this Full Moon, because face it ... you're not the be all and end all. Mars, Uranus and the Sun are telling you that there's a whole world out there that does not cater to your wishes. And they're doing it in a way that can come as a shock. A little brusque. A bit cold.

But don't give up. You are important, even if it's a struggle to get noticed. In the meantime, avoid "excited women" and "fierce men." And it's probably wise to avoid surgery.