Leo New Moon: Seeds of Love

If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life.” — Cher

Recently I watched a series on Netflix called Love is Blind. In it, young couples get to know each other, sight unseen. Some fall in love as they forge an emotional bond prior to physically meeting. As their wedding day looms, they confront their fears and foibles. It’s painful to watch some of the unions unravel, yet inspiring to see others grow stronger as they’re tested. The show raises intriguing questions like, “What is true love, and how can it be sustained in the real world?”

Here in the West, we believe we are alive for a purpose. To create, to self-actualize, to become successful, to find our soulmate. Many of us are distressed because we haven’t yet found our purpose or our special person. Yet love and fulfillment come in a variety of forms. What if we could, as cat-lover Cher suggests, trust that love (in some form) will find us despite the odds, at any stage of our lives?

Of course, kitty love is one thing, but romantic love is quite another. It requires opening your heart even if you’ve been hurt in the past. (For help with this, read Calling in the One by Katherine Woodward Thomas). Begin by reflecting on what you love most about your life – from your pet to your clients to your backyard garden. As you breathe into a sense of deep appreciation, your heart should start to come alive.

Leo is all about opening our hearts. Now that the Sun is in that active, fiery sign, we’re asked to use our creative gifts, to feel deeply and unite with others, and to get things done – while still making time to relax and enjoy life. The upcoming Leo New Moon (Sunday Aug. 8, 6:50 a.m. PDT) can motivate you to go after an authentic desire, or to initiate something new – from a romantic liaison to a creative venture. Just make sure you factor in the need for change and flexibility as well as cultivating a steady focus and realistic attitude. That’s because this lunation engages with the ongoing Saturn-Uranus square.

As the Sun joins the Moon at 16 Leo, the heart of the Lion, we’re in the midst of dynamic tension between issues of safety (Saturn) vs. freedom (Uranus). And, Mercury in Leo is combust the Sun – near enough to be sending us messages, but also to be burned up by the solar heat. Because Mercury relates to communications and travel, there could be delayed flights, lost luggage and frayed tempers. So if you’re traveling, try to go by car or train – or at least build in extra time for delays.

At the dark of the moon, we plant seeds for the future. Yet as with the couples who met on Love is Blind, the result of that seeding is always uncertain. Maybe your desires will fail to thrive due to incompatibility or immaturity. You might meet resistance, yet grow stronger as you slowly push through the cement, drawn by love’s warmth. Or maybe, if you’re really lucky, you’ll manifest that one-in-a-million true love that we all long for but few seem to find. Still, no matter what comes of the seeds you’re planting, it’s important to plant them anyway. Keep your heart open. Set your intentions, but appreciate love wherever you find it – from your pets to your home to your friends and family to your own dear self!