New Moon in Leo

Welcome back to The Essential Astrocast. I am your host, Veronica Perretti, and this is the podcast that you listen to when you want to know what's going on in the heavens, so that you can dictate your fate down here on Earth.

So happy Leo season. We are officially in the heart of summer. We are in the fixed fire sign season, The sun enters Leo, which is its home sign. It's where the sun can shine the brightest 'cause it's where he is the ruler. Happy birthday to all you. Leos. I know you love to celebrate, and Leo's season is wonderful because the sun being in Leo allows all of us to remember that it's okay to shine bright.

That it is okay to stand out, that it is okay to want validation to be applauded, to be adored, to be cherished, to be appreciated, to be loved. Everyone with Leo signatures in their chart, whether you have a sun in Leo or Moon in Leo, or rising a Venus in Leo, et cetera. There is some life lesson for you around allowing yourself to be, not only appreciated, adored, and loved by others, but realizing that that desire is really just a mirror for. Needing to give yourself that validation and love.

So all of us, regardless of our charts, regardless of whether we have Leo planets, this season is an invitation to love on yourself a little bit more, to take good care of yourself. You know, cancer season is about feeling safe, secure, nourished, and nurtured. Leo season is about allowing yourself to be bright, to shine, to be seen, so allow yourself to be seen. Don't be so hard on yourself. Give yourself the grace to show up even if things aren't perfect.

we got time to make things perfect when we get into Virgo season. So Leo season, I'm here for it. I love it. I do not love the heart of summer. Summer's not my season, but I do love Leo season. I love the energy of the sun being in Leo.

Right after the sun entered Leo yesterday, on Tuesday, I'm recording this. On Wednesday, July 23rd, we had, the sun enter Leo. And right after that we will have the New Moon in Leo on Thursday. So again, I am recording this on Wednesday in the dark of the moon. the last. Hours, days before the new moon is considered the dark of the moon, and it's an optimal time for releasing.

And speaking of releasing, we had Mars conjunct the south node on Sunday. So I talked a little bit about last week, but now that it's occurred, it was really interesting to me because two notable figures that. I saw passed away. Ozzy Osborne died and Malcolm Jamal Warner died. And both of them were people that I loved watching on tv 'cause I grew up with the Cosby Show and then I was in college when the Osbornes came on and everybody was obsessed with that show on MTV.

And it just feels like, you know, parts of our. Cultural family have passed on, obviously very tragic with Mark Malcolm, Jamal Warner, and expected, but still sad with Ozzy Osborne. And I just wanted to share that because I feel like you might be noticing people or. Things passing on in your life.

There might be people that are leaving this plane of existence, or there might be just things that are ending jobs or relationships or projects, and you might just be noticing that things are ending and it's particularly potent because we had Mars, which is an activator. Mars likes to get stuff done. Mars joining with the South node is. Active release, actively letting something go. And we are also in the dark of the moon, which every month is the time to do some releasing.

So if you're listening to this on Wednesday, before the New Moon and there's something that you wanna actively let go of, this is a good time. The New Moon will occur at two degrees Leo on, Thursday, July 24th at 3:11 PM So after 3:11 PM you wanna be focusing on setting intentions for the new moon. You're bringing something in, not letting something go. So that's what I wanted to share about that. a release point is certainly, was certainly activated. Last weekend into the early this week.

We also know that there's so much going on in the news with the Epstein files. I did an Instagram reel about that, which is interesting 'cause it hasn't had so many views. I'm wondering about that wink, wink. if you're following me on Instagram or if you're not, you can request a follow. I'm private, but I did share a little bit about Jeffrey Epstein's chart and, I might do. A little bit more on that and cosmic conversation on Monday. So every other Monday I offer this free gathering on Zoom.

We talk about the astrology of the moment. Sometimes we talk about public figures. so on Monday if people are interested, we might talk a little bit more about Jeffrey Epstein's chart and what's going on with him and him being in the news. And I do think that this, release, the active release is also release of information. And we have eclipsed season coming in September. So anticipate that this story is not going away.

As I say in the Instagram video watch for September 7th because we're definitely gonna be still talking about it and more information will be coming to light.

Okay, so let's take a moment and just ground ourselves in where we are astrologically. We've got the son in Leo. We've got the new moon occurring this week, but we've also got Mercury retrograde. So Mercury retrograded last Friday in the sign of Leo and will be retrograde until August 11th. So this is a wonderful week for setting intentions. I really love this week astrologically. I love this new moon. There's an intensity and a passion to it, but I feel like that.

Fits the feeling of a New Moon in Leo. I am personally very biased because I love the New Moon in Leo every massively good thing in my life. Has really been born out of a new moon in Leo.

So there is a system, a methodology of looking at the moon phases called lunar families, and it is, or lunar phases lunar families. the gestational lunar phase, I think she calls it, but it's from an astrologer named Dietrich Pessin. You can look her up and her book is a little bit heady, but. There are some articles online you can read about it.

All of that is to say that in her methodology, which I find to be incredibly potent and accurate, the new Moon corresponds with the first quarter moon nine months later in the same sign at a very close degree, and that corresponds to a full moon nine months later. Then a last quarter moon, nine months later, and all of these moon phases are occurring in the same sign, very close to the same degree.

And basically what that gives you is, you know, nine months from now, where will you be 18 months from now, where will you be 27 months from now? Where will you be? And then three years from now, you'll be starting a new phase in that part of the chart. Now, hypothetically, you could go really bonkers with this and do this every month and constantly be looking at the VAs.

I don't do that, but I do pay attention when there are these things happening in Leo because it's been prominent for me, because of my own chart, and I do pay attention when I've got big stuff going on in my life. What moon phases are we in? What does this relate to? What was I go doing nine months ago? And even if you just notice when there's a lot coming up in your life, if you think back, Hey, what was I doing nine months ago? Usually there will be some sort of theme that you can pull out.

So. All of that is to say that this new moon is a really nice one, in my opinion. it's intense and passionate and exciting and inspired and electric and all those things. So a really good one for setting some intentions, particularly in this moment where I feel like everyone is a little bit lost, for lack of a way of better way of putting it. We all feel a little bit lost because we're living in this.

Very crazy moment in human history, and something about this week makes me feel like it's a great new moon for setting intentions for how you wanna feel and where you wanna be nine months from now, 18 months, 27 months, and three years. And it doesn't have to be specific. Allow yourself to be wide open and vast in your creativity because the astrology is really. Letting you do that this week. And so if you're like, I'm not sure, but you know that there's a little, um, I love this word.

I, I learned it from watching Traitors UK a little niggle. If there's a little niggle of something that you were passionate about, deep in your heart, deepen your soul, deepen your gut, however you wanna think about it, you know, just open yourself up to like. What if I followed that, what would that look like? What would I wanna create? What would I wanna cultivate?

And so I wanna talk about that this week, but to ground it in the actual astrology that's happening, we are in Mercury retrograde, so there's going to be a little bit of reevaluating of what has worked because Mercury is retrograde and Leo, so what has worked? What, you know, things might you be picking up again that you dropped for a while? For me, I'm feeling this deeply because this is the closing of a three year cycle from when I conceived my son.

So I conceived my son right before the new Moon in Leo and then found out. Three days after the New Moon and Leo that I was pregnant I had a really hard time conceiving. So, it was pretty amazing. it was predicted by one of my astrologer friends, Catherine Urban. So if you're looking for someone who does really wonderful predictive work, you can check out Catherine Urban, now this new moon is the finishing.

It's the releasing, it's the letting go of this three year cycle that started with conceiving my son, and now my son is two and a half, and it's like he is a human. He's a grown human. He's becoming his own person. He has likes and dislikes. He tells us what he wants. He is, starting to be sarcastic. He has a sense of humor, like it's crazy. And just thinking about that, three years ago, I was literally, just hoping that I was pregnant.

So anyway, all of that is to say that when you follow these lunar phases, it can be a really, potent practice and really useful. So think on, you know, what do I wanna be creating? Where do I wanna be? How do I wanna feel in 18 months? Three years, et cetera. Okay.

So Mars retrograde, of course, is going to ask us to reevaluate where we've been and what we have done when it comes to this part of the chart. But this week we're also activating all of these new energies we have, the sun in Leo. Is sex tiling, Uranus and Gemini. Uranus recently moved into Gemini. I talked about that two episodes ago.

If you have not yet listened to that episode, please go back and listen to the Uranus and Gemini episode because everything I talk about is gonna be pertinent for years to come. but that Sun sextile, Uranus, it is, activating or illuminating our inspiration and our spark. Then the sun is also trining Saturn and Neptune who are conjunct in Aries. Months ago I started talking about this Saturn and Neptune in Aries is like the pinnacle thing that we are talking about in 2025 and 2026.

They are co-presence in Aries. This is really big stuff. Saturn is our boundaries and Neptune is the dissolving of boundaries. So having these two together is really funky feeling and the sun trining them is giving us a little insight into how we might work with this. I think it might be manifesting as with the sun in Leo, which is a very confident fixed fire sign. It's steady. It burns steady over a long time.

It's sustained fire, it's persistent passion, having the sun trine Saturn, in Aries, which is the initiating fire. It's the lighting of the match. It's like we're stepping into being our own authority. And then the sun also training Neptune with Saturn. It's allowing your creativity to emerge. So in addition, we have the sun joining with the moon for that new moon on Thursday, and that New Moon will be opposite Pluto and Aquarius. And you may recall, Pluto moved into Aquarius in November.

To stay for 20 years. This is reflecting our survival instincts, the sun opposite Pluto. It's illuminating the places where you might drop back into those primal urges. And that can be a fun thing, and that can also be a scary thing. So just notice if some of those survival instincts are coming up where you want to, where you have an urge to make a sudden. Decision or change or action.

on the other hand, Pluto can help us be strategic and find strategic solutions, and it can help us to step into our power. And because the sun and the moon are in this sign of Leo, Leo is a committed fire sign. It's committed to its passion. So. There is a transformative quality to Pluto.

There might be an opportunity with this new Moon to set some intentions that will be transformative in how you take that niggle, that little light within that little passion that is asking to be, Developed asking to be that fire that's asking to be fueled. There might be an opportunity for that to be really transformative.

the intentions that you set this week might be something that is transformative over, you know, again, nine months, 18 months, 27 months, three years, or maybe 20 years because Pluto is in Aquarius for 20 years. So not to make it feel heavy. 'cause I sometimes feel like when I give you guys these cycles, it might feel heavy like, oh my God, am I really choosing what I'm gonna do for the next 20 years? No, but you are with intention deciding how you wanna direct your energy.

So with that, Those planets are all in what we're calling the magic triangle. So there's this thing we're talking about, I talked about it two weeks on that Uranus episode. We've got Uranus and Gemini, Pluto and Aquarius. They're in Arine to one another. And then we've got Saturn and Neptune sextiling them both. So this is a really interesting. Alignment that's happening in the sky that we're going to be working with for the next couple years.

So I think it's actually present for more than a couple years, but we are really working with it for a while. we've never seen this before, not in our lifetime, and not in maybe several lifetimes. So I. Really urge you to lean in this week. Take some time to be quiet. Take some time to meditate, to journal, to be with yourself. Notice what comes up from the subconscious. All of these outer planets, what we call transcendent planets. Generational planets, they're being activated by the sun.

They're being activated by this new moon. We are getting little breadcrumbs about what this. Major shift is that we are in the process of, this is a shift not just for each of us individually or collectively. This is a shift for humanity. This is a shift in human history, so really paying attention to what's coming up for you. What, what are you here to create? What are you here to create?

What. Are you here to lend your passion and your energy to, mercury is ruling Uranus and Mars right now because Mars is in Virgo and Uranus and Gemini. And those are two signs that are ruled by Mercury. Mercury is the messenger planet. Mercury is our thoughts, how we understand things, our ideas, our communication, our connection with one another. Mercury is retrograde. So he does have us reevaluating our drive and our bandwidth.

So while I want you to dream big, lean into your imagination this week, Mercury's gonna keep us honest about what we can manage at this moment and what we actually have the drive to do at this moment. Doesn't mean that you're not gonna have the drive. Nine months from now. But just at this moment, Mercury's gonna keep us honest about what we can actually handle, and that's because you know, we're being prepared for the eclipses. The eclipses are coming in September, as I previously mentioned.

So this is all preparing us for the eclipses because when the eclipses come, that is a time when whatever's been in the shadows becomes illuminated. So pay attention to what's coming up this week and then just maybe write it down in your journal and check back with it when we get to Eclipse season. Okay, so the new moon's at two degrees Leo. you wanna focus on what brings you joy, how do you express your creativity and what fire is brewing within you?

What fire is burning within you that is asking for more fuel in addition. To all of this. We have Venus and Gemini squaring Mars and Virgo this week, specifically on Wednesday the 23rd. And this is going to ask us what's important to me and how do I go after it? Because Venus is our values. What's important, whether it's money, relationships, love, friendships, our community, our ideals, whatever it is. Venus, what's important to you, your resources.

Your energy, your time, your money, all of it. Mars is how we go after what we want. So Venus allows us to receive it. Mars allows us to go after it. So with these two in a square, that's actually really helpful. It's helpful homework before this new moon to just. Notice, what do you want right now and how are you gonna get it? And can you set some intentions with this new moon that will help you cultivate that?

So this week is ripe for intention setting. I want you to be very, very open as to how the universe steps in and helps you manifest it. I know I'm feeling a little new agey today, so I apologize if it feels like I'm being a little law of attraction today. that's not my intention. I'm gonna give you some, helpful ways that you can set an intention here. you wanna be very open with your intention setting this week because we are in this big shift. Mercury is retrograde and.

You wanna give yourself the opportunity to imagine big, be creative, and not necessarily hold yourself back by what you have the bandwidth for right now. Because I know pretty much all of us do not have much bandwidth at this moment because emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, we are living through such an intense time. And if you. Are not angry, upset, crying, and completely beside yourself.

It's probably because you're not paying attention, which I'm assuming is not you because you're listening to this podcast. So yeah, I just want to say that give yourself space, give yourself grace, and allow yourself to believe in the magic of there are some things we just don't control, and that can be a beautiful thing.

And one of the ways that I do this is when I set intention, sometimes, I will take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle, and on one side I put all the things I'm going to do, all the actions I'm going to take to manifest that intention. And on the right side. I write all the things that the universe can do. The universe can put the right people in my path. The universe can help me believe that it's possible. The universe can bring me the right circumstances.

You know, there are lots of ways, depending on what you're manifesting, that you can ask the universe to come and help you. And if the universe is not a term that aligns with you, you can say God, you can say spirit, you can say, um, source energy, whatever it is. Some of the questions to think about this week are, where do you wanna be in nine months, 18 months, 27 months, three years? What do you want to create? In that time, in those timelines. And how do you wanna feel in those timelines?

So again, if we're looking at lunar families, we're looking at nine months from now for the first quarter, that's the opening. That's when we start to see things kind of coming up. It feels like if we planted the seed at the new moon, the plant is starting to push up through the soil at the first quarter. And then the full moon, it's like the flower has bloomed and we get to enjoy it. We get to fully, embody the fruition.

And the last quarter is like, we've been enjoying it, and now it's starting to release. And then we begin the process of letting it go, of allowing it to go back to the earth. And then three years from now, that's when we start a new cycle. So that is according to the Lunar family method. Again, I can talk about that more at a later date or do a workshop on it, or we can talk about it in cosmic conversation. I will be doing cosmic conversation on Monday, so make sure that you sign up for that.

I'll put the link for that in the show notes. You can always go to my website. Which is my name, Veronica perretti.com, and then go to the events page and you can sign up for it there. It's free. We have a wonderful crew that comes regularly to talk astrology.

And finally, I put together this little. Affirmation that might help you after you go through your intention setting process. And that affirmation is, dear Universe, thank you for helping me cultivate my passion through the paths of my choosing and the paths I've not yet envisioned. So I'll include that in the show notes, and I will, write up some more detailed. Information on attention setting in my newsletter. So make sure that you're on the email newsletter list. And that's it.

I hope you have a wonderful week. be open for the universe to fill in the blanks. Resist the urge to have it all figured out and lean into your creativity and your imagination and follow the little niggles of passion that you feel deep in your heart. And I'll talk to you next week. Bye.