Usually with a Leo New Moon – which will be landing on August 16th – we would be telling you to seek a bit of good-natured attention in order to feel emotionally "seen" by friends, lovers, or family. Indeed, Leo season is showy. For better or worse, it’s a time to put ourselves out on display. While the Leo Sun loves this kind of spectacle for its own sake, the Leo Moon requires further validation. Clicks, shares, likes, comments, praises–these are all catnip around the Leo New Moon, which can be a somewhat needy transit.
This particular lunation, however, is more complex than usual – and the advice surrounding it has less to do with seeking ephemeral or virtual acknowledgments and more to do with self-validation. Why so?
Venus is also currently in Leo, which would usually mean this New Moon would be an extra sweet one. But alas, Venus is currently retrograde. Retrogrades are said to pervert or debilitate a planet. Rather than forward momentum, therefore, we will be experiencing a reversed, introspective New Moon In the context of this lunation, it is saying something like: “friends, it’s time to stop looking outward for emotional validation on this New Moon (and beyond).”
Implicit in this advice is a notion of self-reliance. This makes additional sense when we consider that Venus’s retrograde occurs in fiery Leo, which is perhaps the most showy sign of the Zodiac. This Venus in Retrograde aspect with the New Moon is basically nudging us to become more autonomous, especially around Leo themes (validation, creativity, awards, honours).
All of this boils down to us taking time to think about internal vs. external rewards and motivation. Instead of reaching for your phone to attempt another viral video for some likes, take this complex Venus retro/Leo New Moon to like yourself. Talk with a friend to gain emotional insight rather than scouring your analytics for “insights.” Avoid pics of you “dining” or “shopping.” Maybe instead just dine and shop, with no eye toward the gaze of the Other.
As is always the case with transits, some signs will be feeling this Leo New Moon more than others. If you have a fire sign Sun, Moon, or Rising, expect a natural capacity for the kinds of validation we have been speaking of. The worry for your signs, however, is that you might be too self-motivated, which, with Venus retrograding, can take the form of putting excessive pressure on yourself to achieve, win, succeed. Beware of burnout around the Leo New Moon.
If Aries, Sadge, and Leo will naturally align with this Leo New Moon, other signs might have to work a bit more to act in line with our self-validation theme. Think about getting into a creative space. Draw some pictures rather than taking pics. The fear during Leo is season and beyond is that you may start to sound like TikTok influencer Alex Warren: “My absolute high is when posting. Once I have a video go up, it's literally the best feeling in the world. And it's like that every single time that I upload." Yikes.
Here’s a different thought to keep in mind: The wonderful Irish poet W.B. Yeats said that the purpose of education isn’t to fill a pail but to light a fire. Take this to heart lest we become empty pails.