On February 5th, 2023 we have a Full Moon at 16° Leo.

The Full Moon in Leo is a splitting image of the previous Full Moon in Aquarius in August 2022. Similar themes may reoccur.

The Full Moon in Leo is exactly square Uranus in Taurus. Something’s got to give.

A Full Moon is a celestial act of balancing two opposing forces. The Full Moon in Leo comes to illuminate the archetype of the opposite sign, Aquarius, and find a creative synthesis between the two.

Full Moon In Aquarius – The Circle And The Dot

My favorite metaphor for the Leo-Aquarius axis is the circle and the dot.

The Sun’s – Leo’s ruling planet – symbol is the circle with a dot in the middle. The dot inside the circle is our Identity, what makes us different from others.

Aquarius is the circle without the dot.

Imagine being part of a circle. The circle is the safe space where everyone is included. No one is “more special” than another.

Now imagine you are part of this safe circle and you step inside the circle. This is the healthy Leo energy. Your like minded group has your back. In the safety of the circle, you can express your Self. You can be your Self.

We need this safe Aquarius space to be ourselves. We can’t be ourselves, and express ourselves creatively if we feel unsafe, if we don’t belong, if we are not part of a community. We need to be part of a group that ‘has our back’. That’s why Leo needs Aquarius.

Of course, Aquarius needs Leo too. The circle without the dot is just a circle. A space of infinite creativity, of infinite potential – but a space where nothing happens. At some point, when the time is right, we need to take the lead and step inside the circle.

But how do we find the fine balance between creative self-expression and playing by society’s rules?

Full Moon In Leo – Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

A good analogy I often refer to explain how Full Moons “work” is a German theory of change, called “Thesis – Antithesis – Synthesis”.

According to this theory, everything in life has a starting point, the initial condition (the thesis), and an opposing force (the antithesis).

The 6 zodiac axes are great examples of the thesis-antithesis dynamic.

One sign on the axis is always the antithesis of the other sign (for example, Aries is Libra’s antithesis, and Libra is Aries’ antithesis – the same goes with the other 5 pairs of signs).

And then we have the synthesis, which is the sum of the two, but it’s not limited to that.

When the thesis is challenged by the antithesis, something greater emerges – something that wouldn’t have been possible if we wouldn’t had the opposing tension between the thesis and the antithesis.

A Full Moon is a great example of ‘Synthesis’ because the Sun opposite the Moon creates the necessary tension we need to birth something new.

On one side of the horizon, we have the Sun, and then exactly on the opposite side, we have the Moon. A confrontation is imminent. And so it’s a breakthrough.

Leo Vs Aquarius

Aquarius (we are in the Aquarius season) is our Thesis

The group
Social trends
Objective experience
Head

Leo, the opposite sign from Aquarius, becomes our Antithesis

The individual vs. the group
Creativity vs. trends
Subjective experience vs objective experience
Heart vs head

After we understand both the thesis and the antithesis, we can get to the synthesis.

The group vs. the individual: the group cannot exist without individuals. A group where no one takes the lead, no one steps in, and no one has something to share and to give, becomes stale.

Trends vs. creativity: Great artists – or people who touch a sensitive chord in the collective psyche, have a unique ability to pick up on trends, and understand where society is heading towards. They are not necessarily the most original creators, but are some of the earliest adopters. On the other hand, if we follow the crowd too much, our work becomes boring and ultimately, obsolete. We need a creativity injection from Leo.

Head vs heart: When the head completely takes over, we need to get back to the heart.

Full Moon In Leo – Something’s Got To Give

Theory is easy. We are in the middle of the Aquarius season, right? We can talk about circles and dots, German theories and philosophies and still don’t “get” what the Full Moon in Leo is all about.

How do we actually get to embody the Full Moon in Leo?

The answer is not what you think (Aquarius). The answer is not even what you feel (Leo). The answer is what you actually DO (Uranus in Taurus).

At 15° Taurus, Uranus is at the apex of the Full Moon T-square. In a T-square, the tension of the opposites (Sun and Moon) is released through the planet at the apex – Uranus.

Leo, Aquarius, and Taurus are fixed signs. Extremely stubborn. Their goal is to preserve the status quo, NOT to initiate change.

Yet, a T-square is like a pressure cooker. Yes, you can hold onto the tension for a while. But not indefinitely. Something’s got to give.

Uranus is a call for authenticity. What’s worth doing, even if you fail? What’s worth going for, because deep inside YOU KNOW it’s the only way to live? What would you do if you’d act from your deepest values and truths?