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The new Moon in Leo this August asks you to be honest about what you desire in your life. This is not a time to play small or hide your ambitions. It’s a time to commit to a vision of your life that corresponds with your highest potential.
When is the New Moon in Leo 2023?
The new Moon exact occurs on August 17, 2023, at 2:38 a.m. Pacific time.
What the New Moon in Leo Means for You
Leo is ruled by the Sun, the center of the solar system. The Sun can teach us many things about this sign of the zodiac. The Sun is ever present, the way Leo teaches us to be present with our hearts. The Sun commands respect with its powerful rays the way Leo teaches us to command respect through our energy. The Sun shows up day in and day out, no matter what else is occurring, the way Leo teaches us to show up courageously in the face of fear. And the Sun attracts loyalty and praise by being itself, the way Leo teaches us to always be our most authentic selves.
The Sun also does not care what others think of it. It just shines on, confident in its brilliance. During Leo season, feel your inner Sun and decide what is ready to shine despite any fear, self-doubt, or insecurity. This is a time to live from your heart and let it open, inspiring a deeper connection with yourself and everyone around you.
It also includes caring about others but not letting their opinions affect you. When you live from your heart, you do not ignore others. Instead, you listen to them with curiosity and openness while staying on the path you know is yours. You may integrate some opinions from others, but you do not allow the fear of rejection to persuade you to change directions.
Honoring, respecting, and living from your heart takes courage. Living like this feels vulnerable. When you live from your heart, you love deeply and go all in on life. You love yourself and others despite uncertainty. You are honest about your emotions, not hiding them but rather wearing them on your sleeve like a proud lion. When you need to express something, you do.
This season is a time to ask yourself what you are ready to share with the world. It may not come out as a loud roar, but it’s important that you honor your inner messages and transmit the ones that are ready for an audience. Expressing yourself like this can make you feel exposed. This vulnerability, though, is how you build courage. It happens when you take off your armor and let yourself be seen for who you are and how you feel.
The new Moon in Leo is a time to tell the Universe your intentions and who you are and know that it will respond with love. It asks that you keep fear and desperation out of your intentions. Instead, trust the process of their evolution.
Setting intentions is one thing, but really committing to them emotionally is another. This new Moon in Leo asks that you commit to your intentions with your entire heart, even if they feel uncertain and aren’t guaranteed to manifest. In order for your visions to begin to come to fruition, you must emotionally commit your energy to them. Trust that your intentions will appear because you are worthy of them and that they belong to you.
Setting and committing to intentions takes vulnerability. This process can bring up fears of your visions not coming true or coming in an altered form. It can make you doubt your ability to manifest them. It also can make you feel insecure about deserving your visions. You may even ask yourself, “If they don’t come true, does that mean I don’t deserve them? Or did I do something wrong?”
Leo teaches us that courage comes when we face our vulnerabilities and love ourselves through them. It reminds us that courage and confidence are formed when we show up and commit to something, even when we are afraid. Bravery does not mean you aren’t scared. It means you go on despite the fear. It means that you put your whole heart into your intentions even when you don’t know their outcome. It’s what tells the Universe you are ready for your intentions, and it’s what tells your energy to start manifesting them.
Other Astrological Aspects Influencing the New Moon in Leo
As you work with this new Moon in Leo, notice what emotions come up when you set your intentions. Are you holding yourself back? Are you not fully committing? Does fully committing make you feel vulnerable? The Sun and Moon square Uranus, bringing this energy into the new Moon in Leo.
Uranus is the planet of change. It helps us break up old patterns and form new visions. It also helps us understand what makes us unique and innovative. Squares tend to bring up friction and tension. They are the center of a storm that breaks you down so you can break through.
As the new Moon squares Uranus, notice what patterns you are holding onto that prevent you from fully committing to your intentions. Notice where you are clinging to your comfort zones and where you are unwilling to change. Notice how conditional patterns of nonacceptance and judgment are making you feel self-conscious or unworthy of your intentions. Uranus wants to help you shift and change on this new Moon. This energy helps you break away from habits that prevent you from reaching your potential.
It may feel uncomfortable and vulnerable to change or detach from what feels familiar. In order to grow into the person you’ve always wanted to be, you may need to shift a few things. You may need to step away from self-defeating patterns that tell you that you’re not good enough or don’t deserve your intentions. You may need to shift away from placing conditions on your self-love. And you may need to have more compassion for yourself as you enter a new level of existence.
Uranus will also help you see any patterns that cause you to hold your energy back from your visions. It will reveal where you feel fear or insecurity. It will show you where you don’t trust the process or yourself. It will also show you where you need to embrace vulnerability and allow yourself to emotionally commit to your intentions. Let the energy of Uranus help you break through patterns of hesitation and fear and create a new way of connecting with and believing in your visions.
The new Moon in Leo is also near Venus retrograde in Leo, bringing even more attention to your heart. Let your heart lead your intentions this new Moon. Let it tell you what it desires, and listen to it. As you write your intentions, love them as if they are real, as if they are yours, and as if they already exist.
Love the life that you are creating from your intentions and let yourself feel them. When you feel your intentions, you send your energy to the place where they already exist. From there, your energy sends back vibrations to your body and mind that start to materialize your visions. Your whole being starts living as if your visions are occurring, and that calls in the energy needed to support their manifestation. It all starts with feeling.
Your Invitation
The new Moon in Leo is a powerful time to align with your most authentic self and declare who you are to the Universe. Energetically connect with the element of fire, the Sun, and Leo’s energy. On the new Moon in Leo, you are attempting to amplify all the vibrations governed and held by the lion. You can then feel those qualities within you and direct them toward manifesting your visions.
As you work with this energy, you have the opportunity to courageously live from your heart. This includes being authentic in every situation and recognizing why you might hide your true self. It asks you to confidently show others who you are by speaking your truth.
Learn more about the new Moon in Leo, including additional astrological insights and journaling prompts, in the Leo Season + New Moon Workbook, from which the above is excerpted. You can also learn more about your personal natal chart.
About Our Contributor
Jill Wintersteen is the founder of Spirit Daughter, a lifestyle brand devoted to helping you live your best life through understanding the energy of the Universe. She also writes workbooks on each full Moon as well as other astrological events. Follow her on Instagram @spiritdaughter.