New Moon in Leo: Change is in the Air
On July 24th, we have a New Moon in the sign of Leo which in a tight aspect to all of the outer planets, bringing powerful energy and a chance to step into a new chapter of self-expression and creativity. Unlike a Full Moon, which highlights what’s already come to fruition, a New Moon signals the start of something fresh—a time to set intentions and take action. Leo, a fire sign ruled by the Sun, is all about embracing your individuality, standing out, and stepping into the spotlight.
In the video below, I break down the energy of this New Moon in detail, including its connections to the outer planets Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. All of the outer planets have moved into fire and air signs and will remain there (except for a brief period later this year when Uranus and Neptune will retrograde into earth and water signs) until 2032 when Uranus moves into Cancer. This consolidation of outer planets into swift moving fire and air signs suggests rapid changes in our world. With all of these planets in a tight aspect to the New Moon in Leo, we’ll get a preview of the meaning of this energy as the New Moon unfolds over the next couple of weeks.
The energy of this New Moon, influenced by Pluto, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, may feel intense but also offers opportunities for growth and change. Pluto’s opposition could bring power struggles or force you to confront areas where you feel blocked or oppressed, especially as you try to express yourself authentically. Uranus provides a sense of liberation, encouraging bold, unexpected actions or realizations that help you break free. Saturn and Neptune, in a supportive trine, bring a mix of structure and imagination, but with Saturn in its fall in Aries, there’s a risk of impulsivity or acting without fully thinking things through. Neptune’s influence might add a sense of confusion or dreaminess, pushing you to clarify your vision.
To work with this energy, start by examining where you feel resistance or control and consider whether it’s time to release old habits, patterns, or relationships that no longer serve you. Be mindful of impulsive decisions and instead focus on taking deliberate, well-thought-out steps toward your goals. Stay open to sudden insights or opportunities from Uranus and use Neptune’s influence to dream big, while grounding those dreams with Saturn’s steady energy. Aim to balance bold expression with thoughtful action to navigate this dynamic time effectively.
This New Moon occurs at 2 degrees of Leo, making it especially significant for those with planets or key points (ASC, DSC, MC, or IC) near 2 degrees of the fixed signs: Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, and Taurus. If you have placements in this range, you’re likely to feel the effects of this lunation more strongly, particularly in areas related to identity, creative expression, or personal power.
If you're curious about how to work with this lunation, or want a more personalized look at how the shift of the outer planets impacts your chart, there’s a link below where you can book a reading.
Transcript (Revised and Expanded)
On June 24th, we have a New Moon in the sign of Leo that packs a punch. The outer planets have all moved into aspect in fire and air signs, and they are connected to this New Moon energy. It could bring some power struggles because Pluto opposes the New Moon. At the same time, with Uranus and Neptune offering supportive energy to the New Moon, we may feel a sudden urge to step into a new way of expressing who we are. Leo, a sign that loves to shine and inspire, thrives on sharing its unique self-expression with the world. There's a lot to unpack with this New Moon. If you enjoy the video, like and subscribe. It helps people find my content.
This New Moon is extraordinary. It's in the first decan of Leo. Let's just start looking at what the energy of that might be. If you look at the tarot card associated with that first decan (10 degrees) of Leo, it's the Five of Wands. The Wands suit in tarot is all about fire energy: action, drive, passion, and creativity.
The Five of Wands shows five figures holding wands, seemingly in a chaotic clash. It’s a card of tension, competition, and conflict, but it’s not always negative—it can also represent healthy challenges or working through disagreements to grow stronger. This card points to situations where multiple perspectives or energies are at play, and things might feel messy or disorganized at first. But within that chaos is the potential for breakthrough, innovation, and finding your unique voice. It’s about stepping into the fray, testing your strength, and figuring out how to stand out—very Leo energy.
5 of Wands, Rider-Waite Tarot
Leo is ruled by the Sun. It's the sign that has to do with being the center of attention, drawing attention to us. If you think about Leo, it's ruled by the Sun, the center of our solar system. Just like the Sun, Leo energy naturally draws attention—it’s about being seen, noticed, and standing out. The Sun doesn’t hide; it shines brightly, and everything else revolves around it. That’s the essence of Leo: a bold, fiery energy that says, “Look at me!” It’s about stepping into the spotlight and owning your presence.
Going back to the Five of Wands, the number five in tarot, numerology, and Qabalah is tied to the concept of "Geburah," which represents breaking out of old structures and stepping into something new and creative. It’s about change, transformation, and independence. Fire energy, which is central to this card, craves freedom and movement—it doesn’t want to be confined. But as we step into that independence and creative expression, we often face challenges or conflict with others along the way.
There's a quality of this card where it's not like some of the other more difficult cards in the tarot. It doesn't feel as though something is being destroyed. It could be seen as a playful battle, for example, among five young men, right? Trying to test one's mettle, maybe putting oneself out there a little bit, and understanding how one breaks out into one's own independent thought.
I also looked at the Sabian symbol for the degree where the New Moon is because it packs such a punch. The New Moon is at 2 degrees of Leo, but in the Sabian system, we round up to 3 degrees. The symbol for 3 degrees of Leo reinforces themes of self-assertion and breaking free. The energy is very similar to all these outer planets that we have supporting or opposing this New Moon.
The Sabian symbol is called "Refusal to Conform to Inappropriate Rules." The description of this symbol is as follows: “Some of society's constraints are life-denying and are to be resisted by those who claim freedom of expression, ‘doing our own thing in our own way.’ There are good and necessary reasons why society imposes limitations on individual self-expression. It has to do so in order to protect itself from the fiery dangers of passion. Yet, that must not stop us from finding a harmless way to express our nature, our desires, and our sense of style, even if we become marginalized by doing so.” Sabian Symbols—Sacred 7 Academy, jamesburgess.com
Dane Rudhyar, when describing this particular degree of the zodiac, associated it with the image of “a middle-aged woman, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, and in a braless youthful garment.” This imagery conveys a strong sense of breaking free, letting go, and expressing oneself openly and authentically.
That's the energy behind this New Moon.
I’m going to share my screen with you, which I don’t typically do in these videos, but I think seeing the chart itself will be helpful. Looking at the chart, can give you a better sense of the energy and intensity behind this New Moon and the way in which it might inspire you to express yourself or take bold step forward, especially in the Leo part of your chart.
Here we see the New Moon in Leo. This is the sign of Leo. It's a fire sign, and a New Moon always happens when the Sun and the Moon are together. Here we have it at two degrees. Then we see the outer planets, which are Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. These planets, which have transpersonal meanings that relate to larger society, are all in contact with this New Moon.
This is a rare configuration. Pluto is opposing the New Moon. Pluto is the god of the underworld who asks us to look at things and explore things we may not have typically wanted to look at. When he's in opposition to other planets, Pluto can have to do with power struggles. There may be a way in which, as we express ourselves in the Leo part of our chart, we come up against questions of oppression or someone opposing us and trying to stop us from doing that.
At the same time, Uranus is in a sextile to this New Moon. A sextile is a nice, flowing, supportive energy. Uranus is the planet of liberation, a desire to break free, the lightning bolt that comes out of nowhere. Sometimes, Uranus contacts can bring events or actions that appear out of the blue, urging us to do something. With Uranus supporting that New Moon energy, we could find ourselves saying, "I can't take it anymore. I'm just going to do the thing I want to do," again in that Leo part of our chart.
Saturn and Neptune are also in a nice flowing trine energy. A trine happens when planets are four houses away. A trine energy is supportive and may encourage this New Moon to take some action. Saturn and Neptune are in Aries, a fire sign ruled by the god of war, Mars. Saturn in Aries can sometimes act impulsively. Neptune can bring a little confusion. It's a planet associated with diffusion and dreaminess, among other things.
This is a complex New Moon, but the fire and air energy impacting it is significant.
The energy of this New Moon in Leo, influenced by Pluto, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, may feel intense but also offers opportunities for growth and change. Pluto’s opposition could bring power struggles or force you to confront areas where you feel blocked or oppressed, especially as you try to express yourself authentically. Uranus provides a sense of liberation, encouraging bold, unexpected actions or realizations that help you break free. Saturn and Neptune, in a supportive trine, bring a mix of structure and imagination, but with Saturn in its fall in Aries, there’s a risk of impulsivity or acting without fully thinking things through. Neptune’s influence might add a sense of confusion or dreaminess, pushing you to clarify your vision.
To work with this energy, start by examining where you feel resistance or control and consider whether it’s time to release old habits, patterns, or relationships that no longer serve you. Be mindful of impulsive decisions and instead focus on taking deliberate, well-thought-out steps toward your goals. Stay open to sudden insights or opportunities from Uranus and use Neptune’s influence to dream big, while grounding those dreams with Saturn’s steady energy. Aim to balance bold expression with thoughtful action to navigate this dynamic time effectively.
The last thing I want to point out is the significance of the Great Conjunction, which happens every 20 years when Jupiter and Saturn align in the sky. This event marks the start of a new 20-year cycle of growth and development.
The most recent Great Conjunction occurred on December 21, 2020 at 0 degrees Aquarius, directly opposite the New Moon in Leo. This moment wasn’t just the beginning of a new 20-year cycle—it also marked the start of a much larger shift. For the next 200 years, these Great Conjunctions will occur in air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius), signaling a focus on ideas, communication, technology, and social structures, rather than the material and practical concerns emphasized during the prior 200 years of conjunctions in earth signs. This shift highlights a major change in collective priorities and the way we approach progress and innovation.
There has been a big cultural and global shift in the last few years as we've moved from earth energy to air energy. This New Moon chart may give us a signal or a first taste of the impact of all these outer planets shifting into fire and air.
Big shifts are happening both in the world and in our personal lives around fire and air energy. Fire is the energy that wants to break free. It seeks independence, motivation, and inspiration. Air, on the other hand, is about ideas and communication and the social structures that develop out of new systems of thought.
Something has really started to accelerate for all of us, especially in how we exchange ideas and communicate. We can expect significant changes in the world around us. We see this in the mundane world, with rapid developments like artificial intelligence and the increasing speed of communication. Of course, there is also some confusion around communication due to that Neptune energy.
This is a deep dive into this New Moon, but it feels like such an interesting energy.
I will be tracking events in my life in the Leo part of my chart, which is the 10th house, to see what I can learn about the big shifts that might be coming for me—especially around career—with all of this energy.
If you have questions or know your rising sign, feel free to drop a comment. If you'd like to know what area of your life might be impacted by this New Moon, it depends on where Leo is and what house it occupies in your chart. You can also find your rising sign by visiting AstroSeek.com, where you can pull up your birth chart. Whatever house is the first house for you will be your rising sign. Here’s a video I made that shows you how to pull up your birth chart and find out what your “rising sign” or “Ascendant” is.
If you have questions or want to share your experiences, leave a comment. I love hearing about people's stories.
I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you at the next Full Moon in a couple of weeks.