the sun moves into Leo on July 22nd
The sun moves into Leo on July 22nd at 6:50 pm PT, where it will remain until the early hours of the morning on August 23rd when it will move into Virgo.
Leo season is dramatic, warm, and playful, typically an energetic and exciting time to be seen, show off, and shine the spotlight on loved ones. This Leo season will bring some of that energy, but as the sun moves into Leo, many of the other planets in the sky find themselves in challenging alignments, so right off the bat this Leo season will be checking egos, stirring up drama, and bringing old wounds to the surface. This year Leo season tells us a story of what happens when we are willing to do anything to be seen when we value our self-worth based on reflection we get from others, and the freedom available to us when we accept ourselves fully and use our energy to further ourselves in ways that align with our values, rather than overthinking, comparing, and performing inauthentically (Leo still loves an authentic performance!). If we do the personalized work, and to some extent mind our business in the first part of Leo season we may feel more vitalized, clear-minded, and goal-oriented toward the end.
The sun moves into its home sign of Leo, joining Venus and Mercury, just a few minutes after Venus stations retrograde for the entirety of Leo season. When Leo season begins, the sky is tense, with the north node freshly in Aries, and squaring Pluto on and off for the first week of Leo season, Chiron pulling focus to something that might hurt as it stations retrograde, also in Aries, and mercury squaring Uranus, potentially surprising us with unexpected news, or thoughts and conversations that challenge you to shift your perspective. This week it is important to feel a sense of authority over yourself and not try to extend that beyond yourself. Themes of individuality, independence, and capability may come up, and it is important not to be manipulated out of your understanding of yourself but to also not use your self-assuredness to control others or to try to. But when we learn new things and get confronted with new information, it is also important to recognize that who you are, and what you think, aren't the same thing. It's okay to change your mind, getting too trapped in your perspective isn't comfort in selfhood, it often comes from trying to project that confidence without working to cultivate it internally. A bright stop this week comes in the form of a mercury conjunction with Venus, Venus retrograde has just begun and while the shadow period may have given you some clues as to what is coming up for you and in the world with this Venus retrograde, this may be the first pieces of clarity that we get, watch out for information about how you communicate yourself, and your values, particularly in relationships. The first week of Leo season closes out with mercury’s ingress into Virgo, where it joins Mars, resourced and powerful, but also edging closer and closer to its own retrograde territory.
We kick off August with a bang, as Mars in Virgo moves into a trine with Jupiter, Mercury moves into an opposition with Saturn, and the full moon in Aquarius comes along, loosely square to Jupiter. This day might feel confusing and big, with enthusiasm, movement, and auspicious action, mixing with roadblocks and slowdowns. As the week progresses the sun goes on to exact that square to Jupiter, and as the restrictions that may have felt overbearing at the beginning of the week begin to loosen their grip, you might find that you have more energy and a clearer sense of what you're doing and why, than you had previously been feeling.
The third week of Leo season may bring you a good deal of clarity, both in terms of the Venus story playing out for you in Leo, as well as some resolution to the movement in Virgo last week. Venus will square Uranus for the second of three times (due to its retrograde) and this is unfolding a story about your expression of authenticity, the way you value yourself, and any changes that you may need to make or changes that may be coming along to reflect something new to back to you. And then Venus will move into its cazimi with the sun, this is the midpoint of Venus’ retrograde, we will experience some strength and vitality from Venus, possibly for the first time since it stationed retrograde, this transit may also illuminate those retrograde themes and lesson for you in a new and helpful way that give you direction for moving through the remaining half of the retrograde. This is a great day to work with Venus, and a great day to process the retrograde, but also a great day to get out into the world, enjoy people, and practice what you're learning. Meanwhile, Mercury in Virgo has cleared the territory of its opposition to Saturn and has moved into a trine with Jupiter, where there were rules and limitations now there is space and something powerful fanning the flames of what you say and what you are more largely working on in the Virgo part of your chart, especially considering that Mars is bringing action to this part of your chart (and life).
The fourth week of Leo season brings us something unexpected, and we are confronting change or surprises that ask us who we are, we might find that our responses to the unknown show us something about ourselves. The sun squares Uranus on the 15th and then the moon catches up to the sun for the new moon in Leo on August 16th, adding emphasis to the square, and giving us the chance to set new intentions that take this change into account or propel this restless, possibly disruptive, energy forward with us. Uranus continues its week of influence when Mars moves into a trine with it, a few hours after the new moon, we may feel confused or shaken up in some ways, but change is also propelling us toward movement, and helping to fuel our passion at the moment.
Leo season closes out with another transit drawing attention to our Venus retrograde lessons and experiences, this square with Jupiter is asking us to go big when it comes to pursuing what we love, and also challenging us to find the bigger picture behind what we value. Meanwhile, Mars lands in an opposition to Neptune, clouding its path and sense of direction, obscuring the details we've been fighting to lock down, and making it very easy to project our frustration out, the cloud will lift eventually, and the confusion may bring more meaning than you expect.
Welcome to Leo season!
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July 22nd (6:50p) the Sun enters Leo (0°)
July 22nd (9:37p) Pluto in Capricorn squares north Node in Aries (29°)
July 23rd (5:42a) Chiron stations Retrograde in Aries (19°)
July 23rd (2:38p) Mercury in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus (22°)
July 25th (2:21a) Pluto in Capricorn squares north Node in Aries (29°)
July 25th (3:07p) First Quarter Moon in Scorpio (2°)
July 27th (8:15a) Mercury in Leo conjoins Venus in Leo (28°)
July 28th (11:38a) Pluto in Capricorn squares north Node in Aries (28°)
July 28th (2:31p) Mercury enters Virgo (0°)
August 1st (11:31a) Full Moon in Aquarius (9°)
August 1st (1:44p) Mars in Virgo trines Jupiter in Taurus (13°)
August 1st (7:17p) Mercury in Virgo opposes Saturn in Pisces (5°)
August 6th (5:02p) The sun in Leo squares Jupiter in Taurus (14°)
August 8th (3:28a) Last Quarter Moon in Taurus (15°)
August 9th (4:08a) Venus in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus (22°)
August 9th (5:47p) Mercury in Virgo trines Jupiter in Taurus (14°)
August 13th (4:15a) The sun in Leo conjoins Venus in Leo (20°)
August 15th (12:29p) Juno enters Leo (0°)
August 15th (7:34p) The sun in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus (23°)
August 16th (2:38a) New Moon in Leo (23°)
August 16th (6:53a) Mars in Virgo trines Uranus in Taurus (23°)
August 22nd (5:16a) Venus in Leo squares Jupiter in Taurus (15°)
August 22nd (1:33p) Mars in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces (26°)
August 23rd (2:01a) the Sun enters Virgo (0°)
