Leo Lunar Eclipse: Creativity + The Collective
Photo: Avery Woodard via Unsplash
January 31, 2018: Leo Full Moon (Lunar Eclipse)
This Leo Full Moon is actually a Lunar Eclipse. It ushers in this Eclipse season, with the next Eclipse being a Solar Eclipse, occurring on February 15.
Remember that even if we can’t see an Eclipse in the sky, these celestial events are potent harbingers of illumination in our lives. Eclipses are often associated with the unfolding of life-shifting events and/or awareness. Additionally, things may seem as if they are coming to fruition as we may be sensing that we are experiencing the outcome of steps previously taken.
Eclipses aren’t one day phenomenon. You may feel that things seem amplified weeks before and weeks after. And remember that if you feel that a sea change is occurring and you’re just not quite clear what direction they are leading you to, that’s ok. After all, things are eclipsed, obscured now. Likely as the weeks after the Eclipse/s unfold, things may become even more clear.
During this current lunation, with the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo, issues involving individuals and their relationship to the collective assume center stage. One of the questions that the Leo Full Moon may pose is how we can authentically be ourselves while at the same time being part of and contributing to something larger than our individual selves.
We may find ourselves trying to strike the delicate balance between not sacrificing our unique creativity for the collective while also not letting our pride get in the way of being a team player for a group whose mission is dear to our heart. Honoring both may seem challenging, and yet with adjustments it may be possible, with the payoff for doing so really worth the effort.
If you are involved in any groups or associations, you may perceive a heightened sense of tension as the organization strives to accommodate the needs of its members along with its own overarching identity and goals. Yet, if outstanding issues are worked upon, there can be great breakthroughs in group dynamics and team building.
An important strategy for attaining and maintaining group alignment during this time can be to infuse activities with a sense of Leonine playfulness and fun. Levity can help to release rigidity and enhance a sense of coalescence. It can also catalyze a creative process of thinking that can inventively spark the clarity needed to identify the group’s shared vision and the path that can be forged to bring it into manifestation.
What’s also really interesting about this Eclipse is that it connects with the dwarf planet Ceres, which happens to be at the same zodiacal place in Leo as the Moon. Both Ceres and the Moon carry maternal energy. Ceres represents a sense of fierce mothering, the deep and intense biological urge to protect one’s progeny at any cost. This protection and intense shepherding isn’t just related to our biological children but to children in general as well as to those things that we create. With Ceres and the Moon in creative and self-expressive Leo, you may find that you feel called to the mat with great power to care for and defend people, animals, or things that you feel responsible for nurturing. In addition, Ceres is also connected to agriculture, and we could see this being a theme in the collective zeitgeist as well.
This Full Moon Eclipse is also gaining a lot of attention because it has two other striking features. First, it’s Blue Moon, which means that it’s the second Full Moon in one month (the first occurred on January 1). This phenomenon doesn’t happen that frequently, about once every 2.7 years. It’s also being termed a Super Moon in that the Moon is at a point closest to the earth during its full orbit and appears slightly larger in size. Both of these add to the mystique of this current Full Moon although they don’t really seem to have any astrological influence/correspondence.
This Full Moon falls at 12 degrees of Aquarius (Sun) and Leo (Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of a Full Moon Eclipse, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Aquarius, Leo, or the other fixed signs—Taurus and Scorpio—it may impact you more intensely.
LEO FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE APOTHECARY SUGGESTIONS
Aquarius is associated with the calves, ankles, peripheral circulatory system, and the body’s bionergetics while Leo is associated with the heart, spine, and hair. Pay extra attention to these areas of the body around the time of this Full Moon.
Quaking Grass flower essence: Quaking Grass is a wonderful remedy to help inspire harmonious group dynamics. It helps individuals maintain a sense of balanced self when in a collective and yet see themselves as a part of something much larger than just themselves. While the essence can be taken by an individual, it can also be used it as a room spray (mix a few drops into a water-filled mister bottle) as a way to foster a more productive, as well as heartfelt, group process. (Flower essences are made from flower-infused water and work energetically to restore emotional and mental balance. You can find them in natural food stores or holistic pharmacies.)
Mineral bath: While not a water sign per se, Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, a figure that delivers the offering of this aquatic elixir–a symbol of illuminated wisdom–in service of humanity. During this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, why not offer yourself a healing service by taking a relaxing hot bath. Adding mineral salts—such as Epsom salts—to the water can enhance your body’s bioenergetic field while including essential oils into your bathing ritual can add a fragrant therapeutic to this nurturing experience. Use your favorite scent or consider ones such as Leo-associated neroli and lemon, especially good for circulation, a wellness focus of this Full Moon. (Rather than putting a few drops of oil directly into the bath, mix it first with some of the mineral salts as this helps enhance the oil’s dispersion in the bath water.)
* The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is exact at 8:37 am EST