Leo New Moon 2022
The Leo New Moon, occurring on July 28th at 5 degrees of Leo, is acting as a chariot, carrying very high-level influences for drastic change on both a personal and collective level. There are connections coming through with Cancer, carrying over from the previous New Moon and Cancer Season, where something that was “put in the water,” or supplied through inspiration or emotional awareness, is beginning to be condensed or sculpted into something more substantial, something more solid.
There’s a lot here about being committed to heart and soul, delivering the heart and soul through Leo, through the Sun, through very clear expression and action. At the same time, there’s this need for some to remain still or pull back for the sake of building something up, taking time with planning before something is fully put into action. On both ends, there is an emphasis put on balance for the self, and justice for the self, something I was hearing as, “do right by the you that you see so clearly.” The you that you see so clearly seemed to refer to a future version of yourself, you that has reached its highest potential, is the happiest and most fulfilled, feeling at home and like they have found their place of belonging and purpose.
Aspects of Leo, such as loyalty, commitment, purpose, and expression, were major factors in what I was seeing and hearing for this New Moon, but the way it settles with everyone is a little different. Especially in the realms of socializing there seemed to be variations on how these influences would settle with people. For the most part, however, it seemed like regardless of the experience, leaning into self-reliance and self-validation will be important for everyone moving forward as opportunities for upgrades and personal innovation may lead to people passing judgment or intentionally trying to hold you back or criticize your development, simply because it is beyond their own reach.
In addition to the New Moon in Leo, on July 28, Jupiter will go retrograde at 8 degrees of Aries and will go direct again on November 23 at 28 degrees of Pisces. Jupiter retrograde is still a pretty positive time, although the speed of expansion that this planet usually offers could be stunted or slowed down, which can ultimately be used to our benefit.
Through Aries, there can be some second-guessing based on outside influence, expectation, or criticism. Depending on you take that in, how you use it, and to what degree you hold it in importance, this can be helpful to perfect plans and manner of action, or it could completely stop you in your tracks. This may be one of those things that require self-reliance and self-validation as well. Through Pisces, Jupiter retrograde can help to pull us into a higher calling, purpose, and deeper understanding or connection to ourselves.
While direct, Jupiter here can expand our awareness outward and beyond, but here it can deepen our faith and trust in ourselves and our own intuition, essentially lining our own consciousness up with that of our Higher Self or the Universe as a whole.
So, while the retrograde through Aries has the potential to slow us down or set us back, both positively and negatively, once it moves through Pisces a lot of that second-guessing melts away and we are more likely to be very self-assured and have it in us to move forward with a lot more confidence.
On August 1, there is a pretty significant conjunction between Mars, Uranus, and the North Node at 18 degrees of Taurus. The influence of this conjunction may be held between the last week of July through to the second or third week of August, and have lasting effects moving forward on a collective level. This can lean into very significant change and disruption on a collective level as well as a personal level. With Uranus, ruler of Aquarius and chaotic innovation, on top of the North Node, which is all about the future and higher development, and Mars, God of War and the rage behind collective action for change, all in the Taurus, collectively representing planet Earth, food, environment, and money, this could be quite a shake-up, or a climax in what has been occurring already. On a more personal level, this can bring about opportunities for innovation and upgrade, some kind of advancement to improve or maintain your way of being.
You can look in your own birth chart for 18 degrees of Taurus to see what House this is touching on for you, as well as any aspects to your personal planets to get a clearer idea of how this conjunction will show up in your personal life.
This entire reading for the collective comes with a lot of back and forth warning and reassurance, starting with the center focus of The Bardo. The Bardo itself is a point of transition and with this, I was seeing a lot of destabilization and breakdown of regular routine, habits, and mindsets, which for some may also connect to more externalized factors as well. What interested me here was the image on the card, the eye looking through the ring of skulls, representing a choice to see past the destruction or breakdown of past structures into the future with a sharp and very clear focus. The Leo New Moon, along with the Jupiter Retrograde, and the upcoming conjunction of Mars, Uranus, and the North Node in Taurus, both collectively and individually point to this time, from now through the first couple of weeks of August creating a major, somewhat unfathomable opportunity for change.
Above The Bardo is the reversed King of Cups, which represents both an internal shift being caused by an external shift, or an external shift being caused by an internal shift. Either way, there’s this back and forth trading of energy that leads to what could be overwhelming or hard to manage change occurring in your personal life or on a global scale. The reversed 3 of Swords down below, however, is this point of reassurance, literally saying, “this is gonna shake things up and turn you on your head, but this is not going to drive you insane.”
Along with that, the reversed 3 of Swords puts emphasis on the CHOICE to remain optimistic or to focus on positive visions of the future, or in other words, keep that sharp focus looking THROUGH the skulls of That Bardo. Certainly, this is not a call to deny reality or remain blissfully ignorant or the situations you or the world may find itself in, but rather to acknowledge what is there in the current moment and see the potential that the current moment can hold for a positive future ahead.
On the left side, there is a focus on The Offering, which lines up with the right side focus of The Seed. I was seeing this as being a literal message of The Bardo, this change or transition, coming with an offering of a seed, of a new beginning, and yes, as with most offerings, there is a choice to whether or not you actually take it for what it is. This is supplemented further by the Death card underneath The Offering. I look at Death and The Tower as being connected, with Death coming with the option or opportunity to change voluntarily, creating a transition, transformation, or rebirth from the inside out. If the opportunity is denied, the necessary change that needs to be made will occur from the outside-in, from the external world shifting and causing a more stressful, difficult to manage, and relatively involuntary transition to occur through The Tower. Death is The Offering, The Bardo is the road or path to or through Death in this case.
Death is also put alongside the 2 of Wands, which seems to be targeting aspects of procrastination or hesitancy around initiating things based on personal passion, a higher calling, or deeper fulfillment. The 2 of Wands itself is about planning for the future, plans that are both short-term and long-term, ones that are easy and predictable, and others that are more broad and abstract. Both collectively and individually, there is this stalling that is occurring and this energy coming through with the New Moon in Leo is setting up one final opportunity to set things in motion in a very deliberate and self-ruled manner. Again, this will occur alongside higher external disruption and could involve a CHOICE in moving with these changes in order to hold onto that sense of control of voluntary change.
Above The Offering is The Fool in reverse, which right away came with this clarification between evolution and innovation, which goes back into the influence of Aquarius that I was seeing in relation to the New Moon in Leo. The Fool, when upright, would suggest here that Death is offering an entirely new life, form, path, or whatever it may be, but in reverse, it’s saying this isn’t a completely new beginning, it’s an upgrade to what has already been planned or in motion.
Evolution, more so associated with Pisces, implies the mystery of the connection between one species and another, one form and another, or one state of being and another. It’s much more difficult to predict what comes next, and what the next form will be in the context of evolution. However, innovation, more so connected to Aquarius, implies the process of taking something that already exists and leveling it up, making it more functional, more beneficial, more noticeable, more progressive, and so on. Death is not offering evolution, Death is offering innovation, an opportunity for the plans or visions of the 2 of Wands to actually be brought to life. It’s just a matter of clearing the way, breaking down old structures, in order to do that.
On the right side, the main focus is on The Seed which is what is being offered up. The seed would suggest a new beginning, a new start, something freshly planted, but here, rather than being a new beginning within itself, it is representing a new space or mindset, something that would surround or encase the dreams or plans of the 2 of Wands. This can also refer to the kind of protective or sustaining mindset or vision one would need to be able to both acknowledge and look beyond the skulls of The Bardo, or the instability or deconstruction of what has been for so long.
Below The Seed, there is the reversed 6 of Swords which is all about being resistant to change, resistant to moving on from what you know isn’t working or isn’t safe. It can also refer to a more internal transition. Above The Seed, there is the Page of Pentacles. Similarly to the reversed Fool, it’s kind of saying this is a seed, but it’s not a seed to plant, it’s not a new beginning, it’s a space, time, mindset, something in which things that have already been planted can be nurtured into actual blooms. What’s more interesting is that the reversed Page of Pentacles addresses procrastination, setbacks, and insecurity but in a manner where one is learning from those mistakes or becoming more aware of their responsibility in whether or not they move forward and progress.
So, the 6 of Swords and the Page of Pentacles, both reversed, showcase this position within The Seed where there is a process of figuratively and literally getting back to the roots of something that has already been planted. In a way, for some people, this could be a matter of pruning a plant, a dream, a set of plans that have died but still have living roots that could foster a new wave of life if given the opportunity to expand and be nurtured. For others, this is referring to a seed that was planted, a dream or plans you had that never was given a chance to come into being or be brought to fruition. There is an opportunity here to make it happen, but as I said, it is through Death, through The Bardo that this opportunity comes.
On the far left, next to The Offering, there is Revision, while on the far right, next to The Seed, there is Dream. This seems to follow along with that idea of “revising” a “dream” or returning to something that is already there and innovating it, upgrading it, or allowing it to come to the surface and expand.
In the center sets, there is Guidance and Contact. Both of these felt connected to Death and The Bardo, such as coming into contact and receiving guidance through that contact, suggesting that, again, the opportunity comes through Death and being aware of and acknowledging the destabilization or deconstruction that occurs both personally and collectively is necessary for being able to see through it or beyond it. Essentially, if you’re not looking at the things that are changing around you or within you, not acknowledging that urge to change or innovate, you’re not going to see the opportunity.
For more precise messages based on the Leo New Moon, Jupiter Retrograde, and the Uranus, Mars, and North Node Conjunction, I did five separate readings here for you to choose from. Simply pick one of the numbers above and find your choice linked below. You can take a moment to meditate on it, ask your Guides or Higher Self to show you which number holds the right message for you, or you can choose randomly based on what you feel guided toward in the moment.