Happy full moon loves!

The sun is now in Leo, the sign of its rulership where it is, or will shortly be joined by the three most personal planets- Mercury is there now (thought, communication, and perceptive function), Venus is retrograde and returns just hours after the full moon from her brief visit to Virgo to spend the next two months in Leo (love, relationships of all kinds, creativity, art, and wealth), on August 8th Mars joins the party (desire, action, initiative, assertion) and Jupiter (expansiveness, magnifying power, generosity) stays in Leo until August 11th.

Leo rules the heart and spine. Energetically Leo is the function of courageous and unconditional love; it is the sign of the child and childlike instinct to express whatever is arising. Leo exemplifies the radiance of pure and uninhibited expression, the creative outpouring and big hearted song of life. Some astrologers would say that there are really only 6 zodiac signs since each sign is illuminated by, and contains its opposite. The opposing sign of Leo is Aquarius. Aquarius rules the forelegs and ankles, the central nervous system, the cerebral spinal fluid, and it has a relationship to fascia- the interconnecting tissue that wraps and binds all the body's tissues to each other. Energetically Aquarius governs intuitive connectivity, group mind and collective intelligence. It is also the sign of freedom, and so therefore is affiliated with the instinct to break away from groups and express individuality. The Leo/Aquarius axis is the necessity of strong and liberated individuals to form a cohesive and loving community; it is the genius expression that is supported, seen, and shared by the audience; it is the power of personal expression to inspire and ignite a collective.

The full moon today shines in Aquarius where it can cast a more objective light into heart-related matters. Leo can take itself, and its feelings, very seriously. Aquarius can see the big picture. For many of us this might look like some kind of revelation around personal expression and how it is received. These next few days are a good time to take note of how your heart and its emotional pull effects the rest of your body, especially your nervous system. If you are one of the many who are going through some ups and downs in love right now it's a good time to treat yourself to tonics that can calm and soothe the nervous system- chamomile, oatstraw and nettles would make a nice tea... Heart healthy activities that get your blood pumping but that aren't caused by emotional drama are strongly encouraged. On the other hand, watch for the places where you become more objective/mental than heartfelt. If you find yourself becoming detached and distant then please take the time to come back to your simple physical awareness and the natural, sensory pleasures that are available to you.

Venus' long tour and retrograde in Leo this year has us all looking at the ways in which we express love, receive affection and value our hearts. Mercury in Leo is aching to act out and be heard. Mars' entry into Leo on the 8th invites us to get moving and take action, and Jupiter is still there making it all feel that much bigger.

To add to all of this, on August 1st Saturn will turn direct after being retrograde since mid-March. Saturn turning direct could feel like a huge sigh of relief. The planet of getting-down-to-business and heavy workloads has been hanging out in Scorpio since 2012. It made a brief foray into Sagittarius this past winter but then returned to the sign of all the feelings that are just underneath the surface. This has felt like wading through muck. Emotional muck, family muck, inherited much, muck that you definitely don't want to talk about but can't ignore. Saturn in Scorpio has been turning over all the crafted distractions and cleverly placed ignorances that we all rely on to keep our heads above water. The truth is that most of us are sitting on so many complex and often icky-feeling emotions that we really don't know what to do with it. Saturn in Scorpio is like turning the compost heap- it's unpleasant, stinky, and potentially shocking (who knows what you'll find in there), but ultimately will lead to more richness and abundance for what you're planting in your life. So thank the deities that Saturn is finally going to turn around again! Just after it turns Saturn will form squares to Jupiter, Venus and Mercury this coming week. This feels like issues getting worked on in a pretty major way. This is a week to diligent and deliberate about how you communicate. Try not to get sucked into drama. If you feel particularly prone to it right now then institute some temporary guidelines that can help you take space before you speak. I recently requested an agreement for weekly check-ins that would include both love/gratitude and grievances because I know that if I have a date planned to purge all that's on my brain there's less risk that I'll impulsively say things I'd really rather not. Fingers crossed I'll stick to my plan, and I'd encourage you to do the same if it seems like something you could use.

Finally, Jupiter will be departing Leo on August 11th after being in the sign for the last year. Jupiter's entry into Virgo could be a bit confusing at first. Jupiter is expansive, expressive and hugely generous. Jupiter functions pretty well in Leo. Virgo however is super concentrated on details and wants to make sure that things are perfect. Jupiter in Virgo feels uncomfortable and isn't sure how big it can be when everything needs to be just so. As we make this transition collectively it's a time to take notice of self-defeating thought patterns and your inner critic. It's a time to notice how hard your work for things that don't really need to matter that much, and that leave you feeling bitchy and depleted. Jupiter in Virgo could be a hugely beneficial presence if you can think about the spiritual and higher aspects of your life, and ask for guidance on how to create more space to give more of yourself to those visions. Balance the instinct towards overwork and criticality by holding the big picture in mind. Consider what kind of conduit you want to be and how you want to bring forth the divinity of your understanding in your daily life. Work towards that.

Read your August horoscopes here

Here's your full moon meditation: Imagine where your heart is, held in the embrace of your lungs, the center of your chest Breathe into your heart space Feel it expand and condense on the waves of your breath Feel your heart expand throughout your entire body- take your time to reach all the places that need it Feel your entire being condense into your heart- take your time to collect all the places that need it Feel your heart expand throughout your immediate area and immediate relationships Feel your close-in space and close ones condense into your heart Feel your heart expand into your greater areas of life and wider networks Feel your community and environments condense into your heart Feel your heart expand out and into the whole world, its people, animals, plants, nature Feel the world condense back into your heart

Repeat often.