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Leo's Moon:
Malvin Artley, our regular esoteric commentator, examines the subtle meaning of the Full Moon in Aquarius for 2005. This is Leo's Full Moon, as the Moon is Full in the sign opposing the Sun. I had a rather interesting experience recently. The blue moon of Cancer was still weaving its effects in my mind and retrograde Mercury added its share of unexpected surprises to the mix. The recent days have been full-on and all I wanted was a little relaxation and a chance to clear my head. In fact, the past two months have been some of the strangest months in recent memory. I didn't know why I thought things would suddenly change, even though a little more “normalcy” in life would be nice, so my recent experience was not to be totally out of left field. And Now for Something a Little Different...My story goes something like this: I was approached by a fellow the other day and was asked if I would like to do something markedly different to my normal routine. In short, he asked me if I would fancy bungee jumping off the Empire State Building. “Yeah, right!” I thought. Just my cup of tea. He proceeded to outline all the details. There was a special rig for the jump set up on the top of the building. He had pictures of the thing and I was getting more and more excited by the minute as I thought about it—but not in a good sort of way. My system was going nuts! Sure.... I could see myself sailing off the top of this American icon into the wild blue yonder and the aromatic, hazy air of the New York skyline. You may as well know that my astrological makeup is not really indicative of a love of extreme sports. My idea of an exciting time is watching other people do this sort of thing on the screens of the movie theaters. I'll leave the actual doing to the Aries types and Sagittarians, thank you. ![]() I had all but dismissed this wonderful notion until I saw one particular picture. I'll have to tell you that it really set my nerves on edge, for in this frame—at the top of the Empire State Building—with the bungee cord tightly secured around his ankles and with the happiest smile on his face that you ever saw, was none other than His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. He was going for it! Happy as Larry, he was! And he motioned for me to join him. Great! I knew at that point I was about to undertake something memorable, to say the least. I started to have second thoughts then and actually started to consider this hair-brained scheme. I thought, “Well, if this man can do such a thing and have absolute faith then—by golly gosh—why can't I?!” New underwear would be in order afterwards, but what's a few extra dollars in return for the time of one's life? OK....I guess you have figured out by now that my “experience” was a dream, but it occurred when the Moon was transiting over my Neptune, along with other auspicious aspects by transit. I very rarely-if ever-dream of holy men either, so I had to spend some time with what the meaning for this one was to me. I'll talk a bit more about all that later. A Poignant PeriodThe period since the first full moon of Cancer has brought many changes with it. It has been a hard time on people's hearts with the Saturn/Chiron opposition. Folks have felt pulled in many directions. Many have fallen ill with the bird flu that is going around. Pretty much the whole of Australia has been sick with that. We just had the recent air disaster in Greece, especially with the loss of so many children in that crash. Thankfully, that opposition is starting to move on now. But, we get it back starting around April of next year—all through the main spiritual festivals of 2006, so we are being given a taste of things to come for that period right now. It started to come into effect this year at the first part of July, hence the entire Cancer period with both of its full moons being difficult for many people. The fact that the opposition did occur throughout Cancer points to why it felt so poignant and why people felt so emotionally uprooted. Leo is giving us a respite from that, though. Let's have a look at Leo then, because there has been a definite sense of a sort of “brave new world” mentality following upon the major emotional surgery many have had. The air is cleared somewhat and it is time for brighter days. Leo has always been associated with the heart and all the things thereof—courage, daring, love, vibrancy, unity, connectedness with other people and leadership. Did I mention love? But the primary thing for which all Leos are known is achievement, and of all the signs, Leos exhibit this in spades. Any Leo type will be a natural achiever, and they will be more magnetic than most types as a result of their accomplishments. People are drawn to the successful, after all. In fact, the primary goal of the Leo type in any life is precisely to attain to the highest personal goals possible, hopefully to be used in service to humanity. A Leo is a natural leader because they have done the work, have excelled and can thus show others the way they have trodden. There is usually great pride in what they have gained, and we find this sort of thing in all Leo types, no matter what their orientation. It is the chief failing of the sign, too, but we can perhaps forgive a little pride if the goal attained shows merit. My Way... or the Highway!Leo is the only sign to have its ruler (the Sun) the same at every category—orthodox, esoteric and hierarchical. It is the fieriest of the signs, and it has two qualities which eventually lead Leos to the heights of their success. The first is the “will-to-illumine” and the second is the best-known—the “will-to-rule”. The former quality is what contributes to the unique sensitivity of the Leo type, for it is one of the most sensitive signs of the zodiac. In the early stages of development that sensitivity creates an acute self-interest as everything is examined in relation to how the personal life can be furthered and how the world can be molded to fit the desires of the native. In that vein, Leo is very closely connected with science because the Leo type loves to see how things work and how those things can thus be improved for their benefit. The latter quality is that for which Leos are best known, however, and it is why they can be so difficult to get along with at times. With the Leo type it is often “my way or the highway”, and this applies just as much to the person with Leo rising as it does to the Sun in Leo person. Because everything is seen in relation to self-interest, especially in the early stages, of course the Leo would think that the world should revolve around them! This behavior can be found in even the highest of Leo types and any Leo will always be found at the forefront of some type of group activity. Leadership is hard work, though, and it takes certain acts of daring to make it to the top of the heap. What those acts are differ according to individuals and circumstance, but if we want to excel as individuals then we have take risks. It is only when we realize that everything we do in life entails a risk of some sort that our fear of success begins to fade and we then progress forward with more ease along whatever line we choose in life. Life as a Leo type teaches one that—to be bold, to be willing to take a chance on things (Leo is also associated with gambling and love affairs—which can also entail a great deal of risk), to push one's limits and the limits of the group of which one is a part-to perform great acts of boldness and daring, as one of the great Masters has implored us all to do. And, if we look at recent times in that regard, what do we have to lose if we have gone through heart-wrenching events? Broken relationships often give a person just the impetus needed to push forward, to live more ardently and to be more than they were before. That has certainly been the case in my life. In part two of this article, Malvin Artley continues his exploration of the esoteric meanings of the Full Moon in Aquarius for 2005, especially with regard to the acts of daring we must follow during the heart-centered Leo period. Read part two of The Festival of Nations 2005 ![]() |
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