Full Moon in Leo January 28 2021 12:16 pm MST

Moon in Leo opposes Sun + Jupiter in Aquarius, Square Mars + Uranus in Taurus, Venus conjunct Pluto in Capricorn

Full Moon in Leo

Happy Full Moon in Leo—a time of self-expression and passionate creativity—and also a time where we strive to strike balance between the personal and the interpersonal, the individual and the group. Where we explore how we can use our unique creative spark to impact and evolve the collective.

The Leo/Aquarius axis is the polarity between the light of our individuality (Leo) and the wide expanse of stars, of the cosmos that our molecules are made of (Aquarius). And its challenge asks us to integrate the two—to push the edges of the spectrum in order to ultimately find harmony between these truths.

This axis asks us to hold both things at the same time—that I am both a unique and separate individual spark with unique gifts and expressions to share with the world—and at the same time I am a part of the raging flame, the wholeness of fire, and everything I do is part of the whole and impacts the whole and I cannot, I do not, exist without the whole. And that everyone and everything is part of that whole too.

Full moons are always an opposition between the moon and the sun—the two luminaries sit across the sky from each other in opposite signs and face each other. The moon reflects the sun in all its glory and glows at its brightest, and yes, fullest.

Oppositions are a tense aspect, a sense of the planets staring each other down. But “tension” is not necessarily a bad thing. Tension is what drives us, what drives stories and narratives, that sense of discomfort or off-ness, the drive to move, to journey, to make, to change. Tension, then, reveals and illuminates for us our desire. Our passion.

And a full moon in Leo is nothing if not passionate.

Today, the sun sits in Aquarius holding hands with Jupiter (and close to Saturn as well, where it was conjunct last Saturday). Jupiter brings expansion and growth (for better or worse, but usually better) which will probably be balanced with an air of responsibility from Saturn. The square to Mars adds to the tension and drive—and potentially the frustration.

If you’ve been doing the work, the labor of your creative projects, this energy brings blessings and growth. And if you haven’t, it might feel uncomfortable, but it can also be a reminder and a boost to return to your passions.

Because this full moon is here to remind us that passion and desire and drive, are born of the tension within us to grow, to expand, and to express.

People talk a lot about searching for their passion, their purpose, as if there is something “out there” that when we find it, when we do it, complete it, we will reach our passion, fulfill our purpose.

But the truth is, passion comes from within. It isn’t something we must find but something we can choose to bring. And we can bring it to anything we do.

We can find passion and purpose in the mundane world of daily living—or we can not. It’s a choice. We can approach our labor—from washing the dishes to writing the next sentence of our novel—as toil, or as passionate creative joy.

And this doesn’t mean you always have to be producing. Capitalism links labor, effort, and care with production but we don’t have to. It means finding joy in whatever it is you have to do, need to do, and want to do.

Passion is a choice.

And the sun, Jupiter, and Saturn sitting in Aquarius remind us that our passion is not ours alone. The “self” that it comes from is not only you, but the larger wholeness, the cosmic Self, the planet and community you are a part of—and that you have a responsibility, a duty even, to offer that passion, your individual gifts and service, back to the community, the collective, the whole.

The fully realized Leo/Aquarius axis reminds us that your desire, your passion, your creative spark, your gifts—are gifts to you from the universe—and that you live your thank you, your gratitude, through offering those gifts to your community and world, for our collective growth and expansion.

Full Moon in Leo Ritual + Writing Prompts

Full Moon Ritual

One (perhaps surprising) attitude that can help us access our passion, is coming from a place of gratitude. If I am annoyed about washing the dishes, shifting into gratitude can change my whole relationship to the act. I can be grateful for the food I ate, that sustains my body. That I have food to eat at all. That I have dishes to wash. Running water to wash them in. It reminds me what a blessing these things are, what a small percentage of the world I am to even have access to these things.

Going a bit further, I can have gratitude for the warmth of the water, how it feels on my hands. The quiet of the moment, the moon rising the horizon out the window in front of me, the noises of family in the background, etc. It becomes difficult not to feel some pleasure when we are focused on gratitude. And there is so much to be grateful for.

1. Light a yellow or gold candle to honor the sun (ruler of Leo) and/or a white candle for the moon.

2. Make a list of nine things that you are grateful for.

3. Make a list of six more things that you would like to feel more gratitude for.

4. Looking at the light of the candle, imagine that single flame in your heart center.

5. Now, (closing your eyes if you wish), imagine everyone around you (in your house, your neighborhood, your city) as candle flames. As having a flame of light in their heart.

6. Allow your awareness to zoom out, to rise into the sky. See the flames of everyone in your state, your country, the continental landmass you live on. See the small specks of light. See how they meld together as you go higher and higher.

7. Rise up to the cosmos and see the earth covered with light, see the light merge and meld into one glowing light, one bright flame.

8. Slowly lower back to earth, to your city, your room, your body. Snuff out your candle or allow it to continue to burn itself out (use fire safety of course, put it in a bathtub, etc.).

9. Now, for the next three weeks, every morning when you wake up, name three things you are grateful for, say them aloud and also write them if you desire. Just make sure they are three new things each day.

Writing Prompts

Leo Moon Journal Writing Prompt

1. Think back over the past two weeks since the last new moon in Capricorn (Jan 12). What have you done, built, worked at, worked through? What do you want to celebrate? Think of your creative projects and goals, but also your internal journey. All progress is not production, all growth is not forward-oriented.

2. Make a list or freewrite on what you’ve gained and/or how you’ve grown, what you’ve been given and what you’ve contributed in the last two weeks. And also in the last six months since the new moon in Leo (Aug 18).

3. As we move from the full moon to the new, as the cycle wanes for the next two weeks, what blocks, resistances, commitments, and fears do you want to release, to compost, to work on healing in order to better be able to access your passion and offer your gifts in service to the collective?

Full Moon Creative Writing Fiction Prompt

What is something your character doesn’t know? If you’re working in speculative fiction, what is an aspect of your world that you know about (or more about) that your character doesn’t? What is some part of your world, about which your character is naive, uninitiated, willfully blind or ignorant?

Make a list of possible answers to the above question(s).

Now, write a scene in which your character is confronted, initiated, taught, or forced to grapple with this aspect. This “learning” may occur through dialogue with another character, action on the part of the main (exercise) character or another, or some change in the status quo. Write for 15 minutes and see where it takes you.

Consider: Is this revelation part of your character’s arc or narrative journey in this story? (It doesn’t have to be, but can it? Should it? Or play some role?) This can help us zone in on our particular character arcs and subplots. What (major and minor) shifts add up to or result in their ultimate “epiphany” moment, or opportunity for change? Remember, characters don’t have to change, but they should (almost always) face a crossroads or point where they are confronted with change, where they can change, even if they choose not to.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash