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 “Whether it’s science or magic, if it’s of fun benefit, enjoy!” ~ ed

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The root of the word courage is “cor,” the Latin word for “heart.”

This deeper-rooted meaning formulates a word that encapsulates bravery, fearlessness, and boldness to bring forth one’s truest form and heartfelt, authentic expression of self.

To be human, to be alive at this time, is to already have within the self ample amounts of courage. Courage that comes from the heart is becoming the main purpose for being alive, for choosing to be alive, and for making soul-aligned choices these days.

No one gets a free pass in life’s deepest initiations of challenge, struggle, and suffering. We all go through what we grow through, and grow through what we go through. The growth is not always guaranteed though; it becomes an active choice to embody our highest wisdom and truth each day, each triggering moment, each deeply challenging circumstance. Not in attempts to bypass our humanity or emotional process, but in a way that honors and meets all parts of the self with the highest level of care, acceptance, allowance, and compassionate permission.

We already had our first full moon of the year in the deep, heartfelt sign of Cancer. This opened our hearts to past pains we had still been holding onto, past regrets, old wounds and hurts, toxic attachments, and anything heavy we needed to see, feel, and let go of.

The second full moon of 2023 will be landing in the fiery, bold, expressive sign of Leo, equally loyal to matters of the heart. This full moon will land on February 5 at 1:28 PM EST, at 17 degrees of the fixed fire sign. This moon will be inviting us deeper into the heart, courage, and truth of the individual self, here to express what only we came here to express and embody.

We have had the sun in Aquarius for a little while now and as with all full moons, this opposing solar energy will be balancing out the lunar energies. We will get to see and feel the need for both the individual (Leo) and the collective (Aquarius). To focus on the self-healing is to focus on the collective healing. You can’t heal the self without affecting the collective fabric of humanity because healing ourselves is the greatest gift of service we can give others. And, it is not selfish to focus on our own healing journey.

This full moon is notable because it marks the halfway point between two lunar eclipses. We had our first lunar eclipse in Taurus last November and we will have the second in its opposing sign of Scorpio on May 5. Eclipse energy is about change, profound growth, and transformation. These energies have been continuously highlighting the revolution of big life changes and transformative processes we already have been moving through.

It’s a check-in point. An illumination of the healing we’ve done already. Of deep acknowledgment for the self who harnessed the courage to undertake this healing journey and to make the needed changes to grow and let go of what was not in alignment any longer.

We will have zero planets in retrograde motion for the next three months, which means a lot more forward moving energy. We just ended our first Mercury retrograde of the year. Communication has smoothed out some since. We will be moving into a conjunction between Mercury (the mind) and Pluto (fears/transformation/truth). This aspect will be a push to communicate our truth. To notice where within the self we have deeply shifted our thoughts and perspectives already. To recognize where we have confronted our fears and that parts of the self have been rewired. As with all reprogramming, the integration period takes time, so know that we are all still assimilating these new patterns.

This Leo full moon is an emphasis back onto the self, a return to what it is you want, to the inner light of confidence and radiance to shine your light. To know that what we want in our heart is possible and to bring more self-belief there.

It’s an opportunity to connect the power of the self, housed in our solar plexus, to the power of the heart. To feel and know the strength within the self we have been forging and that it takes both the self-belief and the connection to our heart energy to truly transform any wounds and fractures of self back into light.

The Leo energy is a deep devotion to the heart, to the self here to illuminate the heart. Leo energy in its highest is creative, fun-loving, warm like the sun it’s ruled by, playful, inspired, and deeply connected to that inner child radiance and joy. Leo in its shadow is overly self-absorbed, border lining on narcissistic tendencies, overplaying of wounded inner child wounds, hiding from their own power and light, and fearing their own creative process instead of becoming it.

The moon and sun will be square Uranus, which has just shifted out of retrograde motion January 22, the last of the retrograde planets. This energy is activating us to keep choosing courage in the face of insurmountable-seeming life challenges and changes. Keep connecting with the power of the heart, with the power of the Leo courage, to step forward with self-belief and self-confidence.

This month will be the last and final month of Saturn’s transit through the sign of Aquarius, a welcomed relief for those of us who have been knee-deep in our Saturn return for the last three years. Saturn has asked us to take deeper responsibility for all of our energy and the path we are wanting. It’s been a growing-up time for many of us to see how our karmic patterns have prevented us from stepping up into the visionary, outside-the-norm trajectory of our soul-inspired path.

Saturn energy has shown us collectively where we needed to break down structures to rebuild more solid ones. To have the broader perspective of how self-responsibility affects the collective fabric of humanity—because it is only by us choosing to take accountability for our energy and the effect of our choices and actions on others, that the world can start to transform from the inside out. Saturn will move into Pisces on March 7 for the next group of Saturn return starlights.

This Leo full moon is an activation of the courage that dwells within the heart. It is a portal to remembering the courage we already came with and only now need to embody in the choices and actions we take to heal and make forward progress in our lives. And, with all planets direct, we are encouraged and supported to move ahead.

With Mars out of its retrograde (which was tense and a little chaotic), we are invited to harness the inner masculine energy to boldly step back out into our lives. The inner masculine energy has been going through a deep healing. As we all house masculine energy, we have been moving through a deep healing in relation to how we take action and how we choose to not let our anger burn down the house. Anger is a deep sign and pointer usually to an unmet need, a boundary violation, a need to express truth, or perhaps a misaligned and dishonoring choice, or deeper unexpressed or unacknowledged grief and pain.

Aquarius energy opposite this Leo full moon is the reminder to expand beyond the limited scope of the small self, to see with broader eyes how community can bring healing to the individual too. Most of us on this planet have some sort of wounding around not feeling like we belong, not feeling like we have a group, or are safe here on this planet to be our truest and weirdest selves. The wound of belonging is a deep one for so many.

Leo and Aquarius energy remind us though that we can truly only find that sense of belonging by belonging fully to ourselves first and to the deep soul call within—even if that self is outside of the realms of “normal,” traditional, or societally acceptable. If it is soul and self-honoring, that’s what matters. And we can only give and gift ourselves the sense of belonging to this authentic self by embracing them fully.

This Leo full moon reminds us that it is safe to shine bright, to illuminate the world with our creativity, to not hold back, to be courageous in pursuit of what makes us come alive again. To remember how to embody the courage and heart of being divinely human, the one in all, and all in one.

Because only you can become what you came here to become. And often that means unbecoming all the mis-truths, falsities, projections, and illusions we were told we had to be to be loved and accepted. But what if you being you was the greatest service to humanity? Not a dimmed-down version of you either. And that those who gather by your side in support of this fuller self are your people? And the ones who run in the opposite direction, fight, or resist you being fully you are maybe not your people (or perhaps showing where deeper self-acceptance and validation needs to be)? And we can only do so by doing the deep work to tend to the attachments of needing these people to love and accept us—because only we can truly love and accept ourselves, and that’s the only love that sticks.

That’s the healing balm, as much as we would like to outsource it; it’s something we can’t find in another. We can find mirrors and reminders in others. But, equally so, we can find shards of wounds, rejections, and traumas in the other too. All are a part of the journey of self in relation to the other, of course. But, we are always the common denominator in it all. We begin and end with the self. So, why not focus there, and let that reclaimed truth of worthiness, lovability, and belonging ripple out into the collective?

Let this Leo full moon illuminate your heart, remind you of the courage housed within the four chambers of this beautiful, life-giving vessel. Let your heart be seen by you first. Then, second by the other. Let the great adventure and creative expression of your life be more about you becoming fully you and seeing how the world changes from that reclamation of self.

Let the heart energy bathe you in permission to be where you are. To be here, alive at this time. To realign with your heart-inspired vision. To acknowledge the deep healing journey you are on. To honor where you’ve been and what is yet to come. To hold that inner child deep within your heart and remind them of all the things you may have forgotten:

“You belong here. You are needed here.”

“All of you is welcome here.”

“You are loved and you belong to love.”

Let these truths resonate and marinate within you. Let them speak to you in the coming days, months, and year. Let the truth of the heart ignite your soul to choose the courageous path—as many times as needed for you to feel alive again.

Let that energy of love, of the sacred heart, spiral in and out of you, formless giving way to the form of you. Sacred soul, heart rising, embodied soul becoming you. So, become more of you.

Check out Anna’s podcast on the Leo full moon on Spotify or Apple.

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