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.