Summoning strength to perceive our limitations and desire for power

New moon in Leo 2025

What’s in the archetype of Leo?

The lion, the Strength card, the Sun, St. John’s Wort, Rue, radiance, inspiration, creativity, sexuality, courage, and heart. Well, there’s a lot you could say about what a Leo is. Leo is associated with the 5th house in the astrology chart, the house of creative power. Leo is a fixed fire sign.

The first person who introduced herself to me as a Leo is an old friend, who I’ll call J — I haven’t spoken to her in a decade, but I hope she’s doing very well. To me, she personifies the idea of leading with the heart.

Ultimately, there’s something brave about being willing to be perceived honestly. When the thing you’re putting on display is your art… Art of your own, that you love, that resonates with your soul or however you feel this whole thing works.

That whole idea of God being creativity. Oh, also, Aslan is a lion and C.S. Lewis a major Jesus freak. And what could be more divine than whatever it is you choose to pour your energy into after your needs are met? In an attempt to translate YOU?

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

A couple of other keywords that come up when I search for Leo are passion and impulse. There are ways to work with both of these things so that they quickly create, regenerate, reconnect, and restore. Though, they are often directed by generational trauma, ancestral ghosts, matrix programming, or something like this. Today, we will not be getting any further into descriptions of low-vibrational Leo behavior.

If I was waiting to receive the correct words for Leo, I’d be sitting here for a longer time than I have the ability to do right now, so you’ll have to feel into what I’m saying and find your own way.

Leo possesses the magnetism to empower others through inspired action, creativity, and voice, which are really all the same thing. You do not need to have any personal placements in Leo to tap into the power of Leo season, which is beginning now. Though, you’ll potentially have access to a certain boost in everything we talk about here if you do.

Either way, it’s not a current you want to miss out on if you have a say.

Look around Leo for more context

Lack of ability to consider context is one of the reasons we’re in such a weird time-space, collectively speaking. So let’s do that real quick, too.

Before Leo is Cancer. Cancer is asking for commitment, nurturing, devotion, attention. More on that here. If you find yourself unable to commit to something, someone — you’ll find it difficult to locate the radiant and inspirational power of Leo, too.

I want to include this quote from Nonviolent Global Liberation:

“None of us know what, if anything, has the potential to turn around humanity’s march towards massive and unimaginable destruction on planet Earth. The complex, painful, and simple reality is that we don’t actually know, collectively, how to solve any of our global challenges. Beyond mourning this painful reality, we are each called, both individually and collectively, into deep discernment about what is ours to do in this context.”

Who are the leaders or people or non-people you admire, and why? What radiance do they naturally exude? What are they committed to, devoted to?

The thing about limitations & material reality: You’ve gotta do Earth plane stuff

This part of Kai Cheng Thom’s recent post hung with me for quite a while — actually, it’s still simmering because I keep encountering this thing internally and externally.

The Death of the Soul is sneaky, it is cunning. It gets in through trap doors and escape hatches in the psyche. It tells us, I’m just not a political person, or I don’t know enough to have an opinion, or It’s not my problem to solve, or I’m just protecting my peace. It uses whatever language sounds the most justifiable in the current moment, whether that is the language of identity politics and tribalism, or trauma therapy, or spirituality: I am an oppressed person, and I deserve to feel safe, so I don’t need to do anything that challenges my personal comfort; politics dysregulates my nervous system; the material world isn’t real anyway, so why waste energy getting involved?

There’s a thing that happens where a lot of us check out of our participation in co-creation because we are tired or traumatized. There’s also a thing that happens where we sometimes gleefully sign away our power to co-create because we believe that is going to liberate us or keep us safe or even make us more spiritual, more balanced.

I could be wrong, but when I try to surrender1 down my co-creative power, I feel deeply disturbed. I feel cut off and as though I’m always pushing something down that is asking to be seen. Not necessarily by a crowd, but maybe by me, by a friend, by one of the groups of people I involve myself with.

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Why? I don’t know. But I do know that as I communicate more often from the heart, offering my vulnerability to the world, I continue to co-create experiences that aren’t looping as well as material results that add to the beauty of this world. Even if that beauty is only visible to people who share this microclimate or home or city with me. I imagine that the more of us allow ourselves to access our creative power and voice, we would see more of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible.

New moon in Leo practice ideas

Several ideas for you. See and be seen.

• Live your values. Check out this Circular exercise at Gesturing Toward Decolonial Futures.
• Say something true, uncomfortable, and bold in the next meeting you’re in. Say what needs to be said.
• Practice speaking impulsively, from the heart, even if your voice is shaky, or you don’t “say the right thing”
• Start journaling again
• Start planning a potluck or other sort of get-together that involved neighboring
• Say no to stuff that doesn’t run on Earth time // false urgency as often as possible — push yourself in this way
• Do something creatively fulfilling that you suck at it, and show it to someone for extra points
• Do something creatively fulfilling that you’re actually good at and show it to someone for extra points
• Go to a farmer’s/art market and talk to someone who is passionate about whatever they’re selling, especially if that thing is healthy and alive
• Go to an art show of some kind — community theater, an exhibition, a local pottery place, a book reading or signing. Show your appreciation. Do this online if you need to.
• Write someone a poetic text about your love for them or how they inspire you and send it. It can be just a few words if that makes it easier.
• Write your current self a letter, from the perspective of that ideal teacher, crone, wise woman, grandfather, or seer that you’ve been searching for
• Write your child self a letter, seeing them for who they are and expressing your care for them. And how they inspire you.
• Next time you encounter a mean person, consider before responding that the person is interacting with you on the level of a frightened child

Funky junk with this new moon

Aspects from various planets add texture and shape to the experience we have with these moon cycles. Here’s some of what’s going on.

Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash

• The moon is opposing Pluto in Aquarius. A tension between what feels nurturing and comfortable and what feels powerful or liberatory. Often, with Pluto stuff, there is something going on with an unconscious desire to experience powerlessness. In what ways are your habits of comfort, your experience with moon stuff (nurturing/mothering/intuition) or Leo stuff (creativity & passion) related to your experiences of power or powerlessness? Is there a transformation somewhere in here calling your name? It will keep calling until you turn your attention toward what is asking to be seen and felt and integrated. Though I’m probably not the first one to tell u this. Two more things here, because I am doing Pluto stuff right now: a.) Power-with is a seperate thing from power-over. A desire for power can be a generative desire. b.) A good book to read, even if it sounds ridiculous, is Existential Kink.
• The moon is sextiling Uranus in Gemini. Stuff is happening fast! Even though Uranus is in the sign of communication, it’s all about the feeling or vibration, not necessarily the words. Uranus only recently entered Gemini and people are still feeling it out — it’s quite a shock to the system. Living your values creates an entirely different energetic experience within communication. Being honest will transform everything quickly. You won’t have to guess if people are lying, you’ll just know by the feeling. On the other side of things, your voice carries tremendous resonant power if you’re staying true to yourself. These seeds you plant are going to bring you explosive growth, stay intentional and locked in. Keep yourself rooted in what you know to be true.
• Mercury is retrograde in Leo. Yes, potential communication and travel and tech issues and all of that, but also: Something is double different about how we’re experiencing communication — that aspect to Uranus in Gemini is big, and so is this. There is an incredible opportunity here to practice radical tenderness and speaking truth and to be received differently than you expect, especially if you’re still practicing the capacity to do this. We need you fully incarnated here in this moment, boss, come through.
• The moon is trining both Saturn and Neptune in Aries. USE THIS ENERGY. There is so much I have to say about both of these planets that I simply cannot translate into words yet. I’m almost there with Saturn because I have been chilling with him for a while, but with Neptune I have only an inkling of what is happening. Listen, a lot of people believe Saturn and the things he represents are negative. Take a look at YouTube rabbit holes about Saturn. Why are people so afraid? Well, we exist within a material world, as Madonna so eloquently reminds us. In spiritual spaces, we often tell each other that we have no limits and that reality does not exist. Who does this really serve? Does it serve you to believe this? We’re here now. Whether or not that “matters” in the future, is there not a desire that exists within you to lessen suffering or create beauty? Acknowledgement of your limitations and your capacity will allow you to actualize your desires far quicker than denying the limitations exist. It doesn’t mean that limits are evil or a trap, it means this is what is. Me or you probably won’t be able to convince anyone who does not wish to acknowledge their limitations that it is worth their time and energy to do so, but we can revisit our capacity and be radically honest with ourselves. Are we being realistic (Saturn) about our capacity in service of our creative power and what we wish to bring about in this world? (Leo). For bonus points, tap into Neptune, who is speaking to us about addictions, illusions, spirituality, and divine, unconditional love from the sign of the initiated warrior.

A lil’ card pull

I haven’t pulled from my Gesturing Toward Decolonial Futures Collective decks in a while. So, I’m going to take the opportunity, because the new moon in Leo feels like a good time to plant these particular seeds.

These ones work well as journaling or discussion prompts. Allow them to take you as deeply as your senses will allow, and stretch that muscle.

• How have you changed over the years? How have your priorities changed?
• What challenges is humanity facing now that could not have been anticipated when you were a child?
• What advice would you give your younger selves that would have made life much easier for them?
• What were the times of the most growth for you? What were the times of most intense joy?
• How can we face the end of the world with/out despair?
• How can we be taught by different systems of knowing and being while remaining acutely aware of their gifts, limitations, and contradictions, as well as our own misinterpretations and potential for appropriation?
• Make space for the unknown and the unknowable, in ourselves and in others.

One more card, from the Herbal Astrology Oracle, my first ever deck:

Ok, well, I pulled two. Double Mars and Pluto energy.

• Cat’s Claw — rewriting the story, connecting to heritage, belonging, worthiness, safety, connecting to your origins, purification “This is a reminder to take this time to befriend the silence of the dark void. Channel the gifts that your ancestors have provided. Know that your path is supported by life.”
• Tobacco — Deep alignment with purpose and will, respect, invocation, power, divine gift, offering. “Offer your actions as a divine gift in service of the sacred. Don’t allow illusions of power to ignite destructive behaviours or propel you toward addictive habits.”