The Leo Full Moon occurs on February 14th, Valentine's Day. A full Moon makes us aware of something, and this full Moon wants to make us aware of how we can unite with others as individuals, share our creativity and envision of new world. To do this, we have to stop holding onto old relationship patterns that keep us isolated, afraid and unconscious. We do this by engaging with the archetypal patterns that make us human.

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At the January 30^th Aquarius New Moon, we had an opportunity to plant new seeds for a new vision of ourselves and the world.   In my blog on Living The Symbolic Life: The World Needs a New Story,   I write about our need and our responsibility to engage with the archetypal energies as they are being rebirthed.

" Aquarius symbolizes humanity's ability to consciously connect with the archetypal patterns, the cosmic laws of the universe.  These laws are instinctual, built into the fabric of our world and cosmos.  Archetypes are energy fields which structure the life force of solar systems and galaxies, plants and animals and human beings, rocks and trees, wind and rain, light and dark.  And as far as we know, human beings are the only ones here on Earth who can become conscious of these archetypal patterns.  And as Carl Jung demonstrated, once we become aware of these archetypal instincts, we can change how we relate to them."  

When the energy of an archetypal image begins to decay, that specific form of the archetype becomes a stereotype--such as from Bard to entertainer.   But the archetypal pattern is still there because archetypes are eternal configurations.   We are living at the birth of new archetypal energies, which are transforming the need for separation to a unity of individuals; transforming the instinct for competition to the need for cooperation; and which replaces the organization of hierarchy with the balance of equality.  

By living a symbolic life, we can shape our destiny with the archetypes as our guides.   When we live in the belief system or story of patriarchy, we are living an unconscious life--one that has been laid out for us from birth.   We are shaped by our culture and so we respond to life from old habits and beliefs that might not serve our best interests.   The only meaning we find in life is the one dictated by patriarchy.   At the moment, patriarchy would say our life's purpose is to be workers and consumers.   

When we decide to consciously live in the new Aquarian story of equality and freedom, we can use the archetypal energies to create new ways of being in the world.   By living a symbolic life, we can find a deeper meaning in everything we do.   Old rules no longer apply.   We find the gift of free will and we make choices.      Both Saturn and Uranus "rule' Aquarius, showing us that if we desire real freedom (Uranus) we need to develop individual responsibility (Saturn).

The Aquarian ideal is one in which we are all connected, regardless of race, gender or religion.    And since the sign of Aquarius and the planet Uranus rule systems like the Internet, it includes the ability to connect instantaneously to communities outside our physical environment.

Leo Full Moon 2014

The Leo Full Moon occurs on February 14, 2014 at 3:53pm PST/ 6:53pm EST/ 11:53pm GMT.

The Aquarian urge for freedom manifests itself in Leo's self-expression, strength of character and generosity of spirit.   Leo's flame is consistent and heart-felt. The fiery Leo Moon takes in the clear cold air of Aquarius' archetypal realms and warms it in the fires of creative vision.   Strong and steady, Leo holds a space for our unique creativity.   If you were really free, what would you do?   What do you have within yourself that is worth giving your passion to?  

People sometimes have the mistaken impression that I'm only interested in women and feminine spirit because I write about the Divine Feminine.   But this isn't true.   We have had many thousands of years to understand the power of Masculine Spirit--Christ-consciousness is our ability to recognize ourselves as spiritual beings and use our free will to live a conscious life.   It is the Divine Feminine, Lady Wisdom, we have forgotten.   So at this Full Moon, please remember that it takes both the divine consciousness of the Masculine and the divine being of the Feminine to make us whole.

Full Moons show us how to use the complementary energies of opposite signs to become aware of something new about ourselves and the world.   Since patriarchy, the Sun has symbolized the masculine spirit of focus, intention, consciousness and self-awareness.   The Moon symbolizes the feminine spirit of birth, growth, change, decay and death, and then rebirth.   It is the power of NOW, of the flow of life.   The sacred marriage of the Sun and Moon, Masculine and Feminine is what makes us whole.  

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 27* Aquarius is: An ancient pottery bowl filled with fresh violets.   The pottery bowl is a symbol of a feminine container, as all bowls and vessels are.   Ancient beliefs about the power of our feelings, instincts and intuitions are still valid today, despite patriarchy's rejection of them.   Violets are harbingers of spring and rebirth.   These dainty purple flowers come back year after year, continually adding new growth to old.   So keep adding and growing this month.   Violets are traditional symbols of simplicity and modesty.   They are an occult symbol of twilight, the magical transition of light to dark.   Violets open us to the other worlds, aiding us in dreaming and connecting us to the faerie realms of nature.    Become a container for the beauty, simplicity and power of new life.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 27* Leo is: The luminescence of dawn in the eastern sky.   The light of dawn offers us new opportunities and new challenges each day.   We can meet them with lightness of spirit if we allow ourselves to be filled with the new light and hope each sunrise inspires in us.   We are at the dawning of a new age this year.    

Mercury retrograde joins the Sun the day after this full Moon, reminding us of the Aquarian mantra "to think outside the box'.   Mercury began its retrograde at a symbol indicating the need to communicate between different parts of ourselves.   We need to connect our heart and mind, our soul and spirit, our right and left brains if we want to find the answers to our problems.   Mercury's Sabian symbol at 29* Aquarius is: A butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.   This symbol expresses our ability to change our consciousness when we change our old patterns of living.   So let your mind open up to new ideas, possibilities and messages.   Fly free!

Evolution happens!

Saturn in Scorpio squares this Full Moon, challenging us to release old emotional behavior patterns that keep us from contributing our creative gifts to the group mind and culture.   Patriarchy has caused many people to feel they aren't good enough, smart enough, creative enough to have a say in shaping our world.   But in reality, patriarchy rejects most of the good ideas simply because they don't fit into its need for total control and profit.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 24* Scorpio is: After having heard an inspired individual deliver his "sermon on the mount', crowds are returning home. This reminds us that we have to take our inspirations and incorporate them into our everyday lives.   It's time to believe in ourselves and work on that belief until it becomes our new way of being.

Mars in Libra adds its support to finding a new vision, one of equality, fairness and harmony.   The Sabian symbol for Mars at 27* Libra is: An airplane sails high in a clear sky.   This symbolizes our ability to rise above the stress and conflicts of daily life to get a bigger picture, one that includes the Earth and other people.

We are still operating within the womb of the Uranus/Pluto/Jupiter T-Square.   The symbols for the degrees of each are interesting for this full Moon.

Uranus at 10*Aries: A teacher gives new symbolic forms to traditional images.   A sign of the archetypes being renewed.

Jupiter at 12* Cancer: An Asian woman nursing a baby whose aura reveals her to be the reincarnation of a great teacher.   The new age being born.

Pluto at 13* Capricorn: A fire worshiper meditates on the ultimate realities of existence.   The fires of life show us the creative and destructive aspects of the universe.   As we release the old, it makes way for the new.

As you can see, the Cosmic Story is very hopeful.   It urges us to remember the truth of cyclical time, of life-death-rebirth, of the eternal return.   We just have to do our part--we need to become conscious of our gifts and offer them to the world with hope that together "we will turn this ship around' and set a new course for humanity.

Sonnets to Orpheus, Part Two, X - Rainer Maria Rilke

The Machine endangers all we have made.
We allow it to rule instead of obey.
To build a house, cut the stone sharp and fast:
the carver's hand takes too long to feel its way.

The Machine never hesitates, or we might escape
and its factories subside into silence.
It thinks it's alive and does everything better.
With equal resolve it creates and destroys.

But life holds mystery for us yet. In a hundred places
we can still sense the source: a play of pure powers
that - when you feel it - brings you to your knees.

There are yet words that come near the unsayable,
and, from crumbling stones, a new music
to make a sacred dwelling in a place we cannot own.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

(In Praise of Mortality, trans. A. Barrows and J. Macy)

Authors Website: http://www.cathypagano.com

Authors Bio:

Cathy Pagano is a spiritual advisor and Jungian psychotherapist, storyteller, author and teacher.

She is the author of a book on the return of the Goddess, "Wisdom's Daughters: How Women Can Change the World".

Cathy trained at the C. G. Jung Institut-Zurich in dream interpretation, has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology in Feminine Spirituality, and is a certified Life Coach.

As an astrologer and storyteller, she weaves the Cosmic Stories written in the stars. From The Bard's Grove, she writes about emerging archetypal themes in movies and books.

Cathy works with the tools of the imagination - dreams, alchemy, myths, astrology, symbolic language, storytelling, ritual - to awaken the Soul's wisdom.



I believe that Americans are called to a higher consciousness at this point in our history. We are called on to live up to our ideals and create the country our forefathers imagined. Inner consciousness needs to be acted upon for social justice.



Cathy believes that our writers and artists must take up our responsibility to create art that inspires, teaches and heals our humanity.



Cathy writes about political, psychological/spiritual, and cultural issues.