Let’s welcome the new lunar month of Leo! It’s called Av in Aramaic, which literally means father—a very suitable name, as the sun itself is the ruler of this month. Kabbalists add a name to this month, referring to it as Menachem Av (comforting). Indeed, this month is associated with the best and the worst of humankind: the most challenging time of the year is in this month (the ninth day, called Tisha b’Av), and the most elated day occurs during its full moon (called Tu b’Av, the kabbalistic Valentine’s Day). No wonder so many mixed feelings are attached to lunar Leo!
To better understand why, let’s turn to the most ancient Kabbalah manuscript, the Sefer Yetzirah (or Book of Formation) to see what it has to say about Leo:
And He made the letter Tet king over hearing
And He bound a crown to it,
And he combined one with another,
And with them He formed
Leo in the universe
Av in the year
And the left kidney of the soul, male and female
We also learn that the two tribes of Israel ruling this month are Issachar and Shimon. Issachar is related to knowledge and spiritual studies, while Shimon is related to the left column energy of destruction.The key to transforming lunar Leo into being the wonderful time we want it to be is to connect with the energy of unification as opposed to division.
When we take a close look at the chart of the molad, or birth of the New Moon, we find it to be incredibly emotional. As a matter of fact, it’s a lot more watery than we would expect from such a fiery month. In addition, four planets are still in retrograde motion, creating a sensation of slow motion and heaviness. The only planet we can count on this month is Mars, dignified in Aries.
The message is clear: proceed with caution, and don’t let your feelings control you!
The sun, ruler of Leo, truly indicates the self. In terms of the Jungian archetype, it represents our mental power and courage. The Sefer Yetzirah makes a very valid point with “hearing” being the secret of this month, since the Aramaic letter tet, which created the sign, is drawn inwards to show us we need to internalize our processes, so we don’t take it out on others.
Ignoring this fact is what brings about division and destruction. It’s so much easier to project the responsibility unto others, to separate rather than to unify. The ninth day of lunar, Leo saw the greatest self-sabotage in all of human history. Everything started as it always does with a very small incident, which snowballed into a massive bloodshed. This is something the 21st century is slowly learning.
With Pluto in Capricorn until 2024, the good of the community becomes a priority. Saturn in Aquarius creates a new order—the “I” and the “we” become equally important. With this in mind, we can make ourselves ready for the most beautiful day of unification lunar Leo has to offer: Tu b’Av, the full moon in the month of Leo, the union between the sun and the moon. On that day, we can draw the Light of soulmates in all areas of our lives—a day to highlight in our calendars! (Wednesday, August 5th)
Chodesh tov to all!
