There’s a lot being said about the significance of the 2018 Leo Full Moon, which reaches its maximum phase at 5:27a PST on Wednesday, 31st January 2018. Let’s get to the facts about why this event is a call to courageously stand up for ourselves, and really, for the whole of humanity.
First things first, an astrological “blue moon” occurs when there are two Full Moon phases in the same sign within a month’s time. Tonight’s Full Moon is a calendar Full Moon – two Full Moons within the same Gregorian calendar month – which doesn’t hold the same significance astrologically (sorry, folks), especially since it will be occurring for quite a few people (in New Zealand, Australia, and a few far Eastern nations) on Thursday, 1st February. For this reason, I’m taking the “blue moon” hype off the table.
However, just because it isn’t a true “blue moon” doesn’t mean this 2018 Leo Full Moon isn’t any less significant. In fact, it’s significant for other very powerful reasons.
Let’s start with the term “supermoon”. This term is used when the Moon’s orbit has it traveling closer to the Earth than usual. In the case of all “supermoons”, this brings the Moon about 30% closer than it would be otherwise. The closer proximity does give the Moon a stronger emotional and intuitive impact upon us than it normally would otherwise, and this Full Moon – the third of three in a series of emotionally and transcendentally-charged ‘supermoons’ to complete 2017 and bring in 2018 is the most significant of them all.
But the most significant characteristic of this 2018 Leo Full Moon is that it is also a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE. These are also known as “blood moons” for the reddish-brown color the Moon takes on when the Earth blocks its reflection of the Sun’s light. If you want to actually see this eclipse, the fact is most of the world won’t be able to see it clearly – it’s going to happen during daylight hours. However, those of us who are in the western half of the United States and further west will be able to see this phenomenon a couple of hours before sunrise on Wednesday 31st January 2018. (You’ll be able to see the early stages of the eclipse, but totality begins at 4:51a PST/5:51a MST/6:51a CST/7:21a EST, and maximum totality occurs at 5:27a PST/6:27a MST/7:27a CST – right around sunrise/8:27a EST – daylight). Totality ends at 6:07a PST/7:07a MST/8:07a CST/9:07a EST.
***Let me state that again – to see this on the 31st, you’ll need to be up EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING to see the setting “Blood Moon” on the horizon. However, if you are in another part of the world which has reached darkness on the evening of 1st February, you will be able to see this eclipse occur as a “Blood Moon” rising on the horizon.***
Now that we have those details clear, let’s take the Earth’s blockage of the Sun’s light literally for a moment.
This physical eclipse energetically represents the matters of the Earth (a.k.a. – the deeds of man) blocking the Light of Truth. Therefore, in the three days before and three days after this 2018 Leo Full Moon + Lunar Eclipse, pay very close attention to how our social affiliations, social structures, societal institutions, and standards are influencing our emotional states right now; and pay closer attention to how those affiliations, structures, and institutions are being challenged if not fought against right now… on a number of different levels and in a number of different ways. This isn’t only about the obvious revolutions of protestors and activists challenging those in power. This is just as much if not more about the not-so-outwardly-obvious actions of those in the positions of social and societal power challenging the structures which keep their power in check. It would serve each and all of us well to look beyond what we think we see, and to reveal or expose out what our leaders are doing in the cover of darkness by courageously standing up for ourselves by asking the questions we may not want the answers to – questions which may lead us to the answers we fear most and will need to stand up against if we are to sustain our individual free will and celebrate our unique and collective freedom of self-expression.
That said, this 2018 Leo Full Super Moon + Total Lunar Eclipse is NOT about fear – it is about courage. Leo highlights and encourages the fullest expressions of our individual selves. This practically demands that we let our true selves be known to the world in bold and unique ways, which also means striving to express ourselves in ways which are like no other person has done before. This is about finding the courage from within ourselves to break away from the popular trends, to break away from ‘group think’, to break away from our social and societal labels, to break away from our communities and affiliations in order to step into our fullest and most brilliant expressions of ourselves.
This Full Moon – Eclipse is not just an opposition of the Aquarius Sun and the Leo Moon. It also finds the Moon’s nodes – the Leo North Node and Aquarius South Node – in wide conjunction with the Sun and Moon (11-14°). The North Node indicates the collective karmic lesson we are here to learn and master, and it is conjunct the Moon; while the South Node indicates the collective karmic energy we have already mastered, and the ‘comfort zone’ we tend to use to resist learning our lessons. Ceres Retrograde is in closer conjunction with the Leo Moon – in fact, it’s in near-EXACT conjunction with the Moon at the time of the eclipse (11.59°), bringing a strong awareness of our personal values to the fore through our witness of others’ expression of their values. We may find ourselves asking if their walk really aligns with their talk, and if it doesn’t, do we really want to walk alongside them?
That is how this 2018 Leo Full Moon + Total Lunar Eclipse is a call to step into our own individuality and to step away from the masses. This is a call away from ‘group think’ and a step toward thinking for oneself. You may notice that you’re either unsure if you still align with certain communities and associations in your life, or you’re very sure that you no longer align with certain communities and associations in your life. You’ll be questioning if those social and societal labels still define you, and you may realize there is value in your unique expression of self and adherence to what YOU value most (rather what others tell you your value is, what to value, and/or how others tell you to value it).
There will be those who are fearful of standing alone – they will likely cling to their social and societal labels. They will stand in and scream from their boxes, thinking and speaking as they are told to by those who share those boxes with them, and especially by those who are in positions of power and influence over those boxes. Those who subject themselves willingly because they’d rather be part of a tribe will continue to be controlled willingly by the leaders of said tribe. Sadly, they’ll be clueless to the reality that the only value they have to their leaders is that they are willing to give away their power to them – to those who seek to abuse it.
However, the Leo energy will give others the courage to claim their individual self-expressions without fear of standing up or standing alone to do so. These people will find the courage to rebel against their conditioned beliefs and communities, move beyond their needs for agreement and approval, and find their way out to grow into open minds, open hearts, and open expression of their most brilliant and beautiful selves.
To fully flesh out the energies during this Leo Full Moon + Total Lunar Eclipse, let’s look at the other transits occurring at the time of maximum phase:
Aquarius Venus conjunct South Node/opposite Leo North Node (14-16°) – We awaken to our individual and karmic lessons through one-on-one interactions with others at this time. There’s a great deal for us to face about our past and present, and much to awaken to about our present and future, but we’ll only see it clearly if we are guided away from our groups and communities into genuine, logic-driven conversations which inspire us to step out of our boxes. Pay attention to the connections which try to keep us in a rigid past which ensures history repeating itself (for the worse), and notice which connections are trying to inspire us to move into an flexible, evolving future where we learn from history and do not allow ourselves to repeat our collective past mistakes.
Capricorn Pluto semi-sextile (Aquarius Venus conjunct Juno) (16-19°) – The transformation of societal structures and institutions leads to committed efforts to evolve humanity through community (or rebellion from community). In order to change the world, you may need to rebel against what it has been in order to give power to what it can become. This awakening will likely happen one person at a time, one exchange at a time. These powerful one-to-one interactions – personal connections – are what will illuminate truth and inspire the transformation of individual perspectives and eventually, humanity.
Aquarius Sun semi-sextile Pisces Neptune (11-12°) – This makes Neptune quincunx the Leo Moon-Ceres Rx conjunction, and reveals that the public/mass broadcast statement is intended to sell us a fantasy or ideal, but the reality is going to be something which may prove too real for many to accept or handle. Rejection of the truth being revealed may be prevalent, yet that truth may prove to be reality sooner than later. It’s best to learn and grow into the lessons making themselves clear now than to allowing them to grow into something that cannot be averted or stopped later.
As with all eclipses, the events in the 3 days before and on this Full Moon day will be significant and/or will prove to be significant over the next 6-12 months. Just as we are experiencing the outcomes and effects of last year’s eclipses now, these eclipses will play out in time as well.
This 2018 Leo Full Moon + Total Lunar Eclipse isn’t just about a eerily beautiful sight in an early morning sky. This is about a powerful event which will inspire events which can change the course of our lives significantly and permanently – individually and collectively. We each and all get to decide what those changes are going to be by how much we are willing to courageously stand up for ourselves – to claim and/or preserve for our freedom of self-expression; our freedom to be who we truly are.
Stand up and speak up courageously now, or (possibly) forever hold your tongue.
Thank you for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,
Grace
