Power’s Promise – Sun Enters Leo

By Len Wallick

“…if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
-Abraham Lincoln

The Sun enters Leo overnight Friday into Saturday, at about 12:12 pm EDT Saturday. Less than an hour later the Moon moves into Taurus. Minutes after that, the Moon begins its last quarter phase. That is an unusual combination of three events to be taking place at about the same time. While one luminary is off to a promising new start, the other is ending its current cycle. Emulating one would seem to preclude the other. Perhaps there is a form of action that would reduce the implied tension and find a little harmony.

The Sun rules Leo and is sensibly expressed by the sign’s associated element — fire. Sol is also, in the words of Robert Hand, “happiest in the fifth house” traditionally associated with Leo. We are therefore entering what should be the best of all possible times for all things solar. North of the equator, harvest time is beginning. In the Southern Hemisphere, days are getting longer. Everywhere, it seems, the light is either increasing or its benefits are.

The Moon, on the other hand, is traditionally exalted in Taurus, an earth sign. In some ways, exaltation is better than rulership. It’s like being a pampered guest, indulged and complimented. So it is that the second house, traditionally associated with Taurus, feeds and cares for the emotional and intuitive that Luna symbolizes. It also demonstrates an interesting connection between the unconsciousness and identifying with what we think we possess.

So if Sun is happy in Leo and the Moon is abetted in Taurus, where is the tension coming from? Part of it, as aforementioned, is the fact that they are in different parts of different journeys. The source of light does not diminish and is thus defined by where it is, whether its elevation in the sky or its placement in a sign.

The reflective Moon, however, moves through signs very quickly. It is more reliably identified by the phase it is in. The last quarter has many of the same qualities regardless of sign. It symbolizes the end of a cycle when the waning light allows us to either release and forgive or endure a crisis of attachment.

Another part of the tension is the aspect. At both the first and last quarters, the luminaries are squared, at right angles to each other from our point of view. Weather permitting tomorrow evening, note where the Moon is when the Sun goes down and you will see that geometric relationship for yourself.

In our lives, squares symbolize and direct our awareness towards internal tensions that require conscious action to resolve. Given its symbolic connection with the emotions, Luna is the more likely to feel the tension and in Taurus more likely to indulge it. Given its implied representation of consciousness, as well as its secure position in Leo, Sol is in a better position to do something about it. That in turn gives us the final clue about how to approach a day when the Sun is new to a sign it rules and the Moon is diminishing in a sign where it is enabled, while they are in a square to each other.

It is an appropriate time for all of us to consciously demonstrate one of the most positive attributes of the Sun in Leo, magnanimity. It is the defining quality of the greatest leaders, voluntarily surrendering the privilege of power over others in order to serve those who have no power at all.

Those of us who are capable should seize upon this time to do some good that will most certainly come back to reward us. We should make every effort to demonstrate behavior and temperament consistent with the Sun at its best. By exercising a spirit of giving that honors the light, combining brilliance with action, inspiring a season of abundance in the souls of all, we will attract the same to sustain us in the seasons to follow.

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