Liberating Ego and Essence, New Moon August 4, 12 degrees Leo
Personal attachment and ego identification dissolve. During a New Moon there is opportunity to begin anew.
“Summer on the high plateau can be delectable as honey; it can also be a roaring scourge. To those who love the place both are good, since both are part of its essential nature.”
~Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain
It is a gentle ride and it is a tumultuous ride. Caressed and battered, cradled and beaten we proceed and prevail. Life is like that. And we are Life. We are the creator and the creation. We are the story and the infinite space from which the story unfolds. How we love the story; the drama of the continuation of our plight/adventure.
And what of infinite space? The undefined. That which is approached not through the mind but by leaving it, by sinking deep within, where the illusions that ‘we are’ become shadow to be dispelled as the sun rises.
“I am infinite space; the universe is a jar. This I know. No need to renounce, accept or destroy.”
~Ashtavakra Gita
In this world of duality is the potential to see clearly the nature of our misconception. This gives rise to our liberation. Pondering the possibility of misconception even a little, and one feels a swelling from within. This is not ‘I’, this is infinite, eternal presence. Don’t try to grasp it or understand it. Attempts to do so diminish it. Just Be with it.
Easy to say but how will the ego respond? Being, observing without reaction requires inner peacefulness. Is the ego content enough to allow without judgment what comes and goes?
Now is a time to pay attention to our ego’s desire and the influence it has in directing us. This New Moon at 12 degrees Leo on August 4th allows one to reflect on just what the ego is creating and how it guides us according to what is desired/needed in the phenomenal world.
Gaining freedom and peace occurs when the ego has matured to a level of self-recognition that no longer requires external support. Liberation is when I no longer need reassurance that I am okay/exist/loved etc. As long as we look beyond the self for gratification we are doomed to be disappointed. Having expectations that others can fulfill our needs is asking a lot. We all have needs and most people have expectations. Are they the same?
“The ego thrives on others’ attention such as recognition, praise, admiration, or just to be noticed in some way, to have its existence acknowledged.”
~Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Adyashanti, a master teacher on the path of awareness, talks about emotional maturity as a means to attaining clarity, clarity that ‘reveals all else’. Emotional maturity comes about as we take responsibility for what we create based upon our level of self understanding. He advocates shining the light on the me which is dissatisfied. He suggests asking, “What is my argument with myself? What is my argument with others?”
We begin to examine, to scrutinize our actions, reactions, our thoughts because we know that if there is a problem I am that problem. This is a giant leap toward creating what we truly want.
With the New Moon in Leo, ruled by the Sun, how I shine, express my self, show up, all relates to the ego. In Leo and the fifth house is where we are most identified with the ego on our way to seeking self perfection of the sixth house and Virgo.
Ultimately the goal is to have a mature relationship with the ego so that growth and spiritual evolution are a conscious process and so accelerated. Many of us these days are not beginning at step one but have reached many milestones along the way. We are positioned for great leaps and inviting opportunities to move beyond the beyond.
Personal attachment and ego identification dissolve. During a New Moon there is opportunity to begin anew.
“At this point (the new cycle and phase of life represented by the New Moon) it’s important to ‘cut the cords’ with what no longer serves us.”
~Debbie Frank, What’s Your Soul Sign
We are urged to consider all that holds us back as this New Moon chart contains a poignant Yod (Neptune and Pluto sextile, 60 degree sep. both quincunx, 150 degree sep. Venus at the last degree of Leo).
The Sun and Moon, the conscious self and the subconscious/unconscious self, offer an energy of contemplation, self examination. They rest in the shadow of the moment that is a shelter to do such work.
The light of transformation (Pluto) and transcendence (Neptune) is focused on our desire nature and our sense of self worth, Venus. At the last degree, 29 Leo we feel an urgency to discover and eliminate what isn’t working. We are most interested in the higher expression of Leo that is Self expression, generosity without expectation and compassion that arises from the pure desire for the well being of all.
The Sun and Moon sextile Jupiter in Gemini, “the mind aglow”, being asked to open up and expand into unknown territory. We may feel restless with the conventional and eager to step away from conditioning. The Sun/Moon also sextile Mars in Gemini that supplies us with an abundance of energy to follow our curiosities. Rest and relaxation are not on this New Moon agenda.
A word about sextiles: “Sextiles can highlight your potential and can push you to bring about those successes you may not have thought were possible.”
~Yourtango.com
In this New Moon chart, the sextile is fire and air. They team up to ignite and disperse so to speak. So, the area where you have dormant talents wants attention, Leo (fire) and Gemini (air) wants to share.
The sextile between Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Aquarius work together to illuminate the higher octave of Venus; that is transcending physical love to embody unconditional love and personal desire becomes a desire that serves the collective.
To further support the direction we are headed is a square between Venus at the point of the Yod and the way shower, illuminator, enlightener, Uranus. Change is inevitable when Uranus is involved. When we resist there are consequences that can show up in different ways. Often the electric energy that is Uranus when faced with an immovable object just pushes. This can manifest as physical ailments as the stress and tension may be quite intense.
If ‘stress’ is something you experience as a result—breathe, breathe deeply and know that ‘this too shall pass’. As human beings we resist through fear. Our fears are all based on the past. Our goal is to move beyond fears. This diminishes need and encourages maturity. After all, if ‘I’ am creating this I have survival/thriving as a primary objective.
This New Moon and every New Moon is an opportunity to discover what lies hidden; to recognize what serves us and what does not. We are not new to this process and have benefited from such moments enough times that we are prepared and eagerly anticipate, another leap. It is not important that we know where we leap, only that we leap.
Now, being motivated by other than ego that is our desire.
