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The first full Moon of 2024 occurs in Leo, greeting us at the start of Aquarius season. While Aquarius teaches us to shift the collective consciousness by being ourselves, Leo helps us decide what that means. It helps us feel our truth. The full Moon in Leo is a time of both celebration and revelation, when we can honor the steps we have made and see what in our lives needs attention to shift.
When is the Full Moon in Leo?
The full Moon exact is January 25, 2024, at 9:55 am PT.
What the Full Moon in Leo Means for You
Ruled by the Sun, Leo reminds us what holds us together. Leo is the regal lion of the zodiac. It embodies the energies of leadership, compassion, vulnerability, strength, and love. The full Moon in Leo is the time to find what makes you shine your brightest and embrace that part of yourself despite any fear of rejection. It teaches you to love yourself fiercely and let love change the world.
With Leo’s energy governing the full Moon, we are encouraged to focus on the heart’s truth. Acknowledging this takes courage and vulnerability. It’s not always easy to listen to and follow our hearts. Our mind often has different plans and will try to convince us that these plans are safer.
This full Moon is the time to listen to the heart and follow its lead, even if we are unsure of the road ahead. It’s a time to feel the guidance of the heart through our emotions and let it give us the answers we’ve been looking for all along. The heart’s energetic field extends far past our bodies and influences others around us through its frequency. The full Moon in Leo reminds us to tend to it and accurately represent who we are at our cores.
Part of tending to the heart is listening to it. Following it, though, can make us feel vulnerable. The heart does not come with organized spreadsheets that tell us the exact trajectory of our decisions. The heart is messy, complicated, and may feel illogical at times. It holds our joy, love, compassion, and gratitude. It also contains all of our feelings, including our pain, regret, and fear.
To feel and amplify the positive vibrations of the heart, we must also be willing to feel and understand everything else the heart holds. We cannot open our hearts and feel only the good things. We have to stand in the presence of all of it, which can make us feel scared, vulnerable, and even ashamed. Leo teaches us to show up for ourselves with courage and strength. It reminds us that we can face anything within ourselves with love and compassion.
Over the full Moon in Leo, find some time to sit with yourself and listen to your heart. Feel what you’ve avoided or shut down in your heart. Breathe into your heart and listen to it without the mind and its thoughts interfering.
We often think the mind is the center of our beings. The mind would like to trick us into thinking it is in control, but the heart is the one that leads us forward. The heart knows the direction we must travel to align with our life’s purpose, and the heart knows how to tap into infinite wisdom. The mind is simply along for the ride.
Leo is also associated with the energy of play and children. It brings out our wounds around love, approval, and courage created in childhood. The full Moon in Leo is the perfect time to begin developing love for yourself without conditions. It begins by loving yourself for being you. You do not need to do anything, accomplish anything, or create anything to be loved. Remind yourself of your inherent beauty and perfection. Align with Leo to know you are worthy of love, always.
How the Sun in Aquarius Influences the Full Moon in Leo
On the full Moon in Leo, we are also working with the energy of Aquarius, where the Sun is positioned. Leo and Aquarius oppose each other in the sky and differ energetically in many ways. But they also have many similarities.
Aquarius season teaches us that we are energy and have an energetic field with a corresponding frequency. Leo reminds us that the heart is the center of our energetic field and emits an electromagnetic frequency greater than any other part of us. Astrological energies, like emotions, have a lower and a higher vibration. Think of each zodiac sign as a spectrum of frequencies.
Leo Vibes
Leo’s higher frequencies include the qualities of a benevolent leader. Leo aligns us with the vibrations of courage, compassion, empathy, and honor. When we tune in to this high side of Leo, we hear the messages of our hearts without judgment. We listen with only unconditional love. We wholeheartedly love and accept every aspect of ourselves.
Furthermore, we express ourselves fully to the world without fear of rejection. In this high state of Leo, we embody the confidence and poise of a great leader who accepts approval but does not depend upon it. We find our highest self and share that person with the world, unrestricted by the ego.
When working with the vibrations of Leo, we come up against the ego, which is Leo’s shadow. The ego is the part of us that yearns to be defined by something. It is how we identify ourselves, including the conditioned patterns we have formed about who we are in this life. It is also our inner critic, our self-defeating thoughts, and the part of us that feels separated from others. The ego can get in the way of us finding and expressing our true selves. It attaches to ideas of how we “should” behave in the world and how others “should” receive us.
The ego’s fuel is fear, and it can often lead us down dark paths of needing constant validation and approval of what we express to the world. The ego’s role should be to motivate us, remind us of our purpose when needed, and help us function in society. But it should not lead our lives. On this full Moon in Leo, we have the opportunity to recognize when the ego has taken the reins and, in its effort to define our existence, closed the full expression of the heart. The counterpart to the ego is the higher self.
This highest self is the part of us that is connected to everyone and everything around us. When moving from the higher self, there is no need to compare or compete with others. Without separation, we do not feel insecurity, lack, or unworthiness. From this place, we feel fulfilled in our lives and are confident in everything we do. To remain centered within the higher self, we need to be deeply aware of when the ego takes over, then redirect our energy toward compassion, love, and connection.
When we align with Leo’s shadow side, we become demanding, need approval, and feel insecure. We seek external validation instead of feeling our power. We can even cause drama in our lives and the lives of others to gain the attention we need to feel secure within ourselves.
Aquarius Vibes
When we embody Aquarius’s lower vibrations, we become overly judgmental and critical of others, especially those in authority positions. Instead of helping change what we do not like in the world, we complain and detach from the world. We disconnect from the vibration of love and acceptance and become aloof. We withhold our energy while acting superior to everyone around us.
Notice if there are any places in your life where you may be aligning with these lower vibrations and, again without judgment, accept them. Accepting them will help you acknowledge the behavior. When we step into the highest frequencies of Aquarius, we understand that we are just one part of a bigger collective. We want to contribute our energy to making the world a better place by connecting with the vibration of love and acceptance.
We have the opportunity with this pair to vibrate to a higher level than ever before. We learn to express ourselves from a place of love and gratitude instead of a place of judgment or neediness. We embody the true age of Aquarius, in which everyone contributes their unique talents while working together for the good of everyone on the planet. Take the time on this full Moon in Leo to feel what your heart wants to give to the world and courageously create a life that embodies its message.
Other Astrological Influences on the Full Moon in Leo
The full Moon in Leo takes place one day before Uranus stations direct. This means Uranus, the planet of change and ruler of Aquarius, will be highly active. It also means that all planets will be stationed direct until April 1st. The full Moon in Leo will also work with Jupiter in Taurus, creating a square aspect. Finally, we have some influence from Pluto, newly in Aquarius, on the full Moon in Leo.
Uranus Stations Direct in Taurus
Uranus’s activation helps you break through old patterns of the heart and ego. You may feel triggered more than usual today, or you may notice your actions more clearly. Your limiting beliefs may be amplified or illuminated somehow, bringing them to your conscious awareness. Notice emotions that surface on this full Moon and ask if they reveal a pattern ready to break. If so, approach yourself with compassion and do the work needed to unravel and detach from what no longer serves who you are.
As Uranus approaches direct motion, the energy of the cosmos quickens. This time each year, when all planets are moving forward, feels fast-paced to our nervous system. Notice if you feel the need to rush or the pressure to do something in haste. Take a deep breath and let your decisions come from a grounded place, not one of pressure. We have all of February and March to work with the energy of forward motion.
During this time, pay close attention to your resounding yeses. It can be easy to overextend yourself during this period. Make sure whatever you say yes to is something you will want to continue to say yes to in six months. Be clear about your commitments and precise with your focus. Some of your dreams will require strong boundaries and loud nos to manifest. Create a daily practice during this time that helps you become clear on where you are focusing your energy for the day and mantras that help you maintain this focus.
Full Moon in Leo Square Jupiter
Squares cause friction and tension until a breakthrough is reached. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, and abundance. As this giant planet squares the full Moon, you may feel resistance around areas of your life that need expansion. This full Moon wants you to step into your brilliance. It wants you to take up the space you deserve. It wants you to claim your power. Where in your life are you not doing those things?
Again, you may feel triggered around situations that bring up your expansion or power. You may find emotions coming out of nowhere when these topics arise. Pay attention to where you feel tension in your body, energy, and emotions. There is something to learn and a potential for a breakthrough.
The square aspect with Jupiter also illuminates ways you may limit yourself. With Leo theming this full Moon, ego attachments are revealed. These are places in your life where you are so attached to how you are perceived or how you define your identity that you become limited. This full Moon may show how holding onto behaviors that make you feel that you fit in with others or fit a box defined by someone else is preventing you from stepping into your highest self.
Aquarius and Leo teach us that true belonging exists when we align with ourselves and attract a community that accepts us for who we are. This is also how we find authentic leadership— through being ourselves, even if it feels vulnerable. Allow this full Moon in Leo to help you shed layers of identity you placed on yourself that prevent you from being your most authentic self. Instead, be you and attract people who accept you for that person and not the self the ego tells you to be.
Pluto in Aquarius
Pluto just entered Aquarius, setting the stage for the next two decades. The Sun sits close to this planet and the Moon opposes it. Pluto helps us heal from the past. It helps us understand the cycles of our lives, the choices we make, and the lessons we are here to learn in this lifetime. Through this understanding, it helps us transform.
Feel this planet’s energy helping you shift outdated patterns that keep you attached to your pain. Pluto guides us in turning our pain into power so that it no longer holds us back from what is meant to be ours. Ask yourself what you need to transmute to claim your power. You may not be able to change your past, but you can shape your current reality any way you desire.
Your Invitation on the Full Moon in Leo
Remember, the full Moon in Leo wants you to own your power. As you work with the full Moon, you have the opportunity to connect with your higher self, which is the true merger of Leo, Aquarius, and their corresponding frequencies.
Throughout this full Moon in Leo, ask yourself how you might be aligned with the lower vibration of the sign. Do you feel you need to do something to earn love? Or is love freely given to you? Do you feel you deserve love simply for being yourself?
The lower vibration of Leo disconnects us from our hearts and aligns us with the delusions of the ego. Spend some time this full Moon thinking about where you may be aligning with these vibrations of Leo. Resist the urge to judge yourself. Judgment can drop you into an even lower vibration. Instead, accept these parts of yourself and welcome them to your conscious awareness. When you become aware of your shadow sides, you immediately form control over them, and they stop controlling you.
Decide what future you are ready to claim, ensure it aligns with your highest truth, and then step into it. It’s time. The full Moon in Leo can help you break through all the layers placed upon you that dim your light. It helps you find yourself, what you love, and what you ultimately want to express to the world.
RELATED: A Complete Guide to the Full Moons of 2024 (Including What They Mean for You)
Learn more about the full Moon in Leo, including additional astrological insights and journaling prompts, in the Leo Full Moon Workbook, from which the above is excerpted.
About Our Contributor
Jill Wintersteen is the founder of Spirit Daughter, a lifestyle brand devoted to helping you live your best life through understanding the energy of the Universe. She also writes workbooks on each full Moon as well as other astrological events. Follow her on Instagram @spiritdaughter.
