LEO 2018 - feed the flames of your heart

Your heart is the hub of your blood's activity. From your heart, blood moves out through your arteries to the periphery of your body. From the periphery of your body, blood travels back along your veins to your heart. There is a rhythm, a flow, and a balance to these actions. This month, I encourage you to consider the many metaphors of the physical heart:

Are you moving out into the world & your relationships from your center, or are you extending yourself from someplace other than your center?

Are you returning to center after extending yourself outwards?

How's your balance of going within and moving out?

Do you need to adjust the rhythm or speed of your outwards and inwards actions?

And remember, your heart is the size of your fist. Although small, it packs a potent punch.

Sun in Leo: 7/22/18 - 8/22/18 (PDT)

Everything you need to know about the Sun's transit through Leo is right here, including supportive herbs and meditations.

Mercury Retrograde: 7/25/18 - 8/19/18 (PDT)

For general information on how to work with Mercury's retrograde cycle, please visit this link. The operative word when Mercury is retrograding is rethink. This time around, we'll be rethinking...

What feeds your heart?

What lifts your spirit, and gives you a healthy sense of pride?

How can you incorporate more of these things in your life?

How does tending your own heart help you to be more effective in your life, work, & relationships?

When you engage with what you love, what are you then inspired to do and create?

This particular retrograde occurs in Leo, overlaps two eclipses (see below), and has the power to stimulate inner breakthroughs that will lead to positive outer change if you maintain your alignment with your heart.

Total Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius: 7/27/18 at 1:20 pm PDT

This full moon and total lunar eclipse in community-oriented Aquarius might send you out into the world, but you'll still feel some tugs from within, as it's sandwiched between two internally-motivated solar eclipses. This is a time to look at the balance between what you give to others and what you give to yourself. Most of us need to make some adjustments in this balance, so take stock.

At this time, the sun is in Leo, which is a warm, generous, heart-oriented sign, while the moon is in Aquarius - an innovative and humanitarian, but cool and detached sign. Notice when you feel warm-hearted. Notice when you feel your heart cool. Notice these things without judgment, but with curiosity. Your heart is wise, so let it speak to you in temperature and level of engagement.

With an eclipse, we can see shadows at play that normally escape our notice:

Are you acting out of duty, rather than out of love, interest, engagement in any area of your life?

Are you allowing your quirkiness to authentically shine forth?

Are you hiding your true self and "fitting in?"

When/with whom is your heart cold, and when/with whom is your heart warm?

When/with whom do you feel appreciated and accepted, just as you are?

Solar Eclipse in Leo: 8/11/18 at 2:58 am PDT

This new moon and solar eclipse is fairly close to the earth, so you'll feel its tugs tenderly in your heart, front and center in your mind. The Mercury retrograde inquiries listed above apply here as well. The unique energy of the particular degree of Leo where this eclipse occurs suggests we transform that which is mundane and utilitarian into something creative, celebratory and liberating. So essentially -

Where in your life can you lighten up a little?

How can you bring joyful or beautifying adornment into the parts of your life that are streamlined and plain to the point of dullness?

Ultimately, with a solar eclipse in Leo, we need to make space for our hearts to lift, lighten up, and grow:

How can you let go of that which weighs your heart down and dims its shine?

Realigning Desires, Goals, & Actions: 6/26/18 - 8/27/18

Mars is still retrograde, so continue to work with the inquiries and insights of this influence, illuminated in last month's post.

Next month...

Thins start to settle and realign after all this month's eclipse-fueled breakthroughs as Mars stations direct. But we'll still be adjusting to and re-evaluating our new paradigms as Venus enters the shadow of her retrograde.

As always, feel free to schedule a consultation if you need some support and perspective. Here's wishing you an inspired and heart-ful month, Rae