August 16, 2023: New Moon at Leo 23°17’, 5:38 am EDT.
Dark Moons are usually a time to go inward; to sit in contemplation of the last four weeks and open to what wants to come next. This Leo Dark Moon is different. This one will not be quiet.
It’s easy to forget how intense Leo can be. This fire sign is charming, creative, and inspiring. And there is a deep hunger in the belly of this beast, a longing driven by our animal nature looking for expression.
Venus – the feminine principle, planet of values - continues retrograde in Leo and is aligned with this New Moon conjunction. Uranus – the Great Awakener – is in a challenging aspect to Venus and the Sun/Moon conjunction. Black Moon Lilith is tightly aligned with the New Moon and also square to Uranus.
In the language of Shamanic Egyptian Astrology, Uranus is allied with Wadjet, the Cobra Kundalini Goddess. This energy breaks through blocks to the flow of life force energy. While these breakthroughs are exhilarating, they can also be frightening. We become used to our stuck places and unnerved when they are broken.
The energy of Black Moon Lilith is similar to Uranus/Wadjet. This Lilith is an astronomical point, not an object. Her purpose is to uncork the wildness that lives within us, regardless of gender. We all know this Wild Woman; we recognize her instantly. She has no place in polite society. We are trained to repress her, until we can’t. When Black Moon Lilith uncoils within us, she bursts out like an unfettered wild animal. We want to pace and growl and run through the woods.
This Dark Moon (the three-night period around the exact New Moon), provides an opportunity to consciously go inward and meet that wild intensity within. Explore and celebrate your darkness yet take care! This Wild Woman can go too far, and destruction will follow.
