Leo Full Moon: How do you think for yourself?

Chime, in Montauk. Photo by Eric Francis.

Today is Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. How are your emotions, ego and thought patterns faring today? The Moon spent the weekend in Cancer and leaves for Leo today at 8:24 am EST, on the way to Tuesday’s Leo Full Moon. This is an unusual event: the Moon opposes the Sun at the moment that Mercury and the Sun are conjunct.

The air is charged; your emotions, and your heart, may be feeling stretched; and there is a pull toward over-thinking, with a question about how we think in groups, and therefore, how we might think for ourselves. That’s what the planetary setup is calling everyone to do. Let’s break the alignment down and see where it takes us.

A Full Moon is the opposition of the Sun and the Moon, with the Earth in the middle. At a Full Moon, the Sun and the Moon will always be in opposite signs. There’s generally a Full Moon in each sign once per year, though occasionally it will happen in the same sign two consecutive times. Because the Sun is now in Aquarius, the Full Moon is in Leo. This is an axis of the zodiac addressing matters of individuality (Leo) contrasted with group interests (Aquarius).

There’s also a planet in the mix right now — the Sun will be exactly conjunct Mercury in Aquarius. This Full Moon is therefore an alignment of the Moon, the Earth, the Sun and Mercury, all exact to the degree. That kind of rare alignment adds extra emphasis to the event, because there is a peak of the Sun-Moon cycle at the same time as a peak of the Sun-Mercury cycle.

The Moon in Leo is more about heart than mind; it’s about feeling what is right. Mercury-Sun in Aquarius is about reasoning and proof; it looks a little like a physics professor who only ever really talks to other physics professors. How do you connect these two ends of the opposition? Or to put it another way, how would a physicist explain physics to a cat? How would you explain your personal truth to another person?

We do less of this than we imagine.

First, you might consider why you want to explain yourself to someone else at all. Are you trying to persuade someone, inform them, or justify yourself?

Next step is to figure out what you’re really talking about. This may require a few steps. Most people do not actually think –- they just cogitate what others feed them. It’s one of the reasons we’re in some of the obscene situations we’re in as a society, where so many give up so much of their power. These situations, in turn, can make thinking for yourself feel dangerous; chances are, you’re going to stand out -– because what you have to say or do, to be true to yourself, may be very different from what those around you are saying and doing.

So, if you feel like what you’re thinking is dangerous, then you’re probably on the right track.

Next, simplify your thoughts. If you’ve got a whole complex array of ideas and opinions, you might not actually be thinking. Focus on your main idea. Weigh what feels right for you and what does not. Consider what is logical and what is not. In this equation, Leo = feelings, Aquarius = logic. No one can hand you their mental clarity for you to wear any more effectively than you can borrow their emotions or their face. As a result, you get the confidence to continue thinking for yourself no matter how much pressure there is to do otherwise.

Often, groups are the very thing that prevent people from thinking for themselves, or at all. Remember that the family is the first group we encounter. One thing about groups is that they often, by definition, involve sacrificing your own perspective for that of the collective, or what you think the collective thinks. With so much going on around us — as children or as adults — it’s easy not only to feel like we’re missing an essential part of ourselves, it’s possible to actually be missing something. The Leo Full Moon is asking us to consider the possibility that our own opinions may be quite different from those of the groups around us — and the implications.

For some that’s going to be easier than it is for others. Yet at the moment, it’s natural. The Leo Full Moon — an event in the sign of self-awareness and creativity — is distinguishing itself in clear contrast to what’s going on across the sky in Aquarius. The Full Moon has the tendency to help us resolve deadlocks and stalemates, so if you set your intentions and make an honest effort at self-inquiry, it can take off.

Then the Sun/Mercury conjunction represents an eruption of individuality. We live in a world full of ‘experts’ ready to offer their opinions as to what is ‘normal’ or ‘right’; other people want to pressure us to think or act a certain way. With such an abundance of information available, it’s easy to forget that we possess a mind of our own. It’s not so easy to stand out — much less to even know our own opinion and feel confident about it. Yet Mercury stands for a distinct idea that would help you notice that your thinking really is different.

The issue comes up for review as Saturn stations retrograde in the last degree of Libra hours before this Full Moon. As you review your relationship to the world around you, notice: Have you been ‘going along to get along’? Have you been too eager to agree with the opinions and ideas of others because you feel a lack of confidence in what you truly think and feel? Looked at one way, the Leo Moon stands alone against the airwaves jammed with opinions.

Saturn retrograde offers some additional support — and we will cover that in greater depth in Tuesday’s post.

Looking for insights on how this week’s astrology affects your personal Sun and rising signs? Eric Francis interprets the signs every week, every month and every year. Weekly and monthly horoscopes are in Planet Waves and Planet Waves Light. Annual readings are in a special edition called Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check.

15 thoughts on “Leo Full Moon: How do you think for yourself?”

  3. Hey Patti,
    Y’know, I have been feeling rather flooded with creative energy this whole weekend. There was an image given here a while ago about Neptune being the big end of a funnel tube and Chiron being the small focal point. I almost forgot to eat. It was pretty non stop, but luckily I could make sense of stuff and actually be constructive – and on multiple levels too. Chiron is damn efficient energy. Eric is right in his RRR writing on Saturn coming into Scorpio: I’m gonna have to be really structured if I am going to want all this creative energy streaming in. And Saturn is so close I can feel the message coming in loud and clear.

  5. Any other Scorps with watery charts finding it had to think at all at the moment – let alone for yourselves?! I’d say since Friday I’ve had trouble finding any kind of focus at all. A really bad head cold hasn’t helped, but how I wish I had this lovely kitty’s concentration right now! I don’t think individuality has ever been a problem. What I get really so exhausted by is having/striving to be so articulate about my position/views/decisions/emotions when ‘the crowd’ (and in one area of my life ‘the boss’) is so rarely asked/able to do the same. I get bone weary of having to justify myself…

  6. oops… “simplify your thoughts”…

    main idea is to share experiences with each other rather than what those experiences mean. we argue over what it means when instead, with more data from each other, we can all get closer to true understanding.

  8. I have come to see the oppositions as two sides of something that cannot exist without both of them. In the case of Leo/Aquarius we have the leader/people and a more nuanced will-that-brings-forth/audience-of-others-to-observe-and-ponder-and-respond. The aquarian side gives power to the leo side they approve of in a balanced and healthy center. Since we exist on both sides of the balance, at any time our knowledge and expertise in a specialized area can give us the confidence to become the leo side of the balance at any given moment.

    Today I find myself thinking about how each of us has our own truth wrung from the individual experiences of our lives. We each theorize a “truth” based upon how we string those experiences together into meaning. But, since our experiences differ, the meanings we theorize can be vastly different. Mankind’s power (leo) grows when we share the connections we discover (aquarius). This is connected to that – leads to understanding – that leads to greater confidence – that leads to new creations or new questions… in a spiral of growth.

  10. “So, if you feel like what you’re thinking is dangerous, then you’re probably on the right track.”

    “our own opinions may be quite different from those of the groups around us — and the implications.”

    “Then the Sun/Mercury conjunction represents an eruption of individuality. We live in a world full of ‘experts’ ready to offer their opinions as to what is ‘normal’ or ‘right’; other people want to pressure us to think or act a certain way. With such an abundance of information available, it’s easy to forget that we possess a mind of our own. It’s not so easy to stand out — much less to even know our own opinion and feel confident about it. Yet Mercury stands for a distinct idea that would help you notice that your thinking really is different.”

    These have always been true for me my whole life. I have never felt like I fit into the group; no matter what group it is. This is because I have what I call “clear vision.” This means I can see dynamics others miss. That’s why I often refer to myself as the “balloon popper;” I am usually the one who pops the balloon of consensus that a group has created. I do this by mentioning something the group seems to hide or deny. I feel compelled to do it though more recently I have stopped doing it so much because I ignore the compulsion and because I don’t think it helps anyone.

    This same ability to think differently even carries over to my one-on-one relationships.

    Recently I read that kids raised by Narcissistic parents (NPD parents) often have traits from those parents (called “fleas”). For example, in a recent encounter with someone I have known a long time, I called them on a behavior. Instead of admitting to their part in the misunderstanding, they basically placed the responsibility on me for the whole episode. As an adult child of an NPD parent, my immediate response was to believe I was responsible. After some reflection I realized that I was not solely responsible; the other party also had some responsibility. When I said as much, they stopped responding to me.

    Instead of following the typical path, I reflected and found the different thought. No following along for me; I am just not wired for that “group think” or even “relationship think” for the most part. It is harder to see my way clear when it involves an individual but I would think that’s true of most people.

    What I wonder is; since I am already like that, how is today’s astrological configuration going to affect me?

  11. Self confidence, it’s hard work as we begin to understand the bigger picture of what’s going on. Then, as you say, the momentum kicks in.
    Thanks Eric for this very supportive article!
    HS

  12. Thank you Daily Astrology; this full moon info seems to add emphasis to the message I’m getting (so far) from the Neptune ingress to Pisces, which is: Find/reach a balance between rational thought and fluid emotions. Move forward/grow in maturity and become responsible for your actions. Something like that. I especially like your line “The Moon in Leo is more about heart than mind” because in some ways we will always have doubts about what we think/feel when it appears to be not in accord with the group or the authorities or the experts. With all the emphasis on Aquarius and “oneness” it becomes a challenge to maintain individuality for some of us. Thank you Leo Moon for reminding me to seek balance through the heart.
    Now there’s a kitty who knows her own mind. Talk about focus!
    be

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