Maurice Fernandez joins Alejo Lopez to chat about Leo Season and the month ahead. Includes a look at classic Leos painter Carlos Enriquez, and astrologer Alan Leo. PLUS the monthly lunations, Venus retrograde, and the inferior conjunction of Venus with the Sun.
- Unpack how to navigate Venus retrograde in Leo in 2023
- Expand your understanding of the Leo archetype in myth
About Our Guest
Maurice Fernandez is an Evolutionary Astrologer, practicing a spiritual approach to the practice of astrology and birth chart analysis. His work focuses on the intention to identify the soul’s evolutionary journey through the natal astrology chart. Maurice is an accomplished author and has made great contributions to the astrological community through his work at OPA, the Organization for Professional Astrology.
Time Stamps for the topics covered in this episode:
0:00-11:25 Introduction to Leo Season
11:25-20:56 Classic Leo: Carlos Enriquez, Alan Leo, Carl Jung
20:56-27:00 Things to do in Leo Season
27:00-1:01:35 Astrology of Leo Season
1:01:35-1:08:59 Monthly Mantra & Wrap Up
Transcript for The Cosmic Eye — Cancer Season Episode
Tony Howard: Welcome to the Astrology University podcast—helping you find insight, inspiration and meaning through the study of astrology. And now, on to the show.
Alejo Lopez: Welcome to The Cosmic Eye, the Astrology University podcast. This is the podcast for the Leo season. I am Alejo Lopez, your host. And today with me is Maurice Fernandez. Maurice has been doing astrology for more than 30 years and he’s very much interested in planetary cycles. Hi, thanks for being here.
Maurice Fernandez: Thank you. I’m excited about the Leo season.
Alejo: Great. Thank you, thank you for being here. Now, before we move into this Leo season, I would like to mention, as usual, that if you like the podcast the best way to support us is to share it with friends and people who might be interested in it. We would also love to hear your feedback, or if you have any thoughts and reflections on this episode after you listen to it, you can do so at [email protected]. So, when I think of Leo I think of the heat of the summer. Even though I know if you’re in the southern hemisphere, Leo is not in summer, I’m from Argentina. But I think of the heat of the summer. And I think of the sun. The idea of the energy we get from it, the light, the vitality we get from it. I also think of the power of fire. I think of the idea of fire when humanity rose and they started to be able to control fire and they were all gathering around the fire. And this sense of being attracted to fire and the power and the warmth that fire brought, and the light in the dark. And these are some of the things I think about when I think of Leo. What do you think about?
Maurice: Yeah, I mean, definitely all these things. And it’s interesting when you speak about the elements, because mythologically if we look at the history of Prometheus, he was the one to bring fire to humanity. And when we look at the elements, you know, all the elements are very easily accessible. You breathe air, and soil is under you, earth. And you have water, whether it rains or you go to a lake. But fire is what? You know, it’s the light of the sun. But it took a long time for civilization to domesticate fire, to actually be able to use it. And, you know, speaking about some of my work, I wrote a book on the sun and the elements, which is called Evolution of Consciousness: Volume One. And what I highlight there is that it’s a privilege to be able to access fire. Because when when you have fire, you gain power. And all the fire signs are very powerful signs. And the reason is that fire has to do, at least as far as I see it, with creativity, of course. With the ability to co-create. And so the fire principle gives us free will. And so when Prometheus, you know, had to do his whole scheme to trick Jupiter, Zeus, to bring fire to humanity, it basically gave humanity more freedom. It gave humanity freewill and so it gave agency, autonomy, and the ability to not just be subservient to the gods. And I think Leo is central to that theme. How we find our own sovereignty and leadership and how we participate in life, not just go with the flow.
Alejo: Yeah, nice. I love it. And I like this idea of the light giving power and giving freedom. I was thinking for today, like even today, we have conquered the night because we have light. So this means that we can do more stuff at night. We can go out, we can keep working. There’s this sense of possibility. And I was thinking also, I was reading this book. What’s its name? Postcolonial Astrology? She was mentioning that when the French Revolution… I don’t even know the name of the author. She was mentioning that in the French Revolution when Paris had access to electricity and to light, not everybody had access to that. It was the rich people. And now it had given them power. I liked this idea that light gives us the sense of power, yes.
Maurice: Light and fire. You know, heat. The moment you can domesticate fire, you have a weapon, you can survive in the winter better. You know, it gives a lot. But psychologically, the symbolism of fire in the chart is about us not just waiting for fate. You know, will I get lucky today? Or is my crop going to survive? You are at a place where you can make things happen, where you can take your destiny into your hands. And you become, basically, a leader of your own life as opposed to being led by events and being taken left and right by circumstances. So you become the one who is going to manifest your destiny.
Alejo: Yeah, there’s this sense of trust and confidence I think that comes with fire. I like this idea because I imagine, we know Leo qualities, one of the Leo qualities is the idea of leadership. And I imagine it’s not the kind of Saturnian leadership that comes because you have to obey. I imagine, like back then in the tribe, when humanity started, some people had this vision that you’re saying. Had the sense of, we can create, we can create our own world, right? We can create what we want to do. And they were so enthusiastic about it, so confident, so driven, that this kind of confidence spreads among all of them. So people started following them. And that’s why they became leaders, not because they were imposing, but because it was natural to follow these people who have a sense of vision.
Maurice: And that takes me to the second layer of Leo. You know, I think Leo, and many other signs in astrology, can be very misunderstood. Quite often I ask, whether it’s a class or, you know, even online, with let’s say the Moon in Leo, the Sun in Leo. I ask people, what do you think? And the go to place is always, oh, they need attention. But the attention thing is not the main thing that drives Leo. What drives the Leo energy, and especially the Leo Sun, is the need to do something meaningful with your life. It’s, again, making sure this life is well lived. And that’s also the Sun principle in your chart. You know, why are you here? Are you here to watch the birds? To be a spectator? Or to be a player? So the Sun functions have everything to do with, where do we participate? And it gives us freedom, but it’s also because we care. Think about Leo representing the heart. And you mentioned the sun and the light. I also will bring the lion, the actual animal, who you know is very powerful. And the mane of the lion is like the flames of the sun and it’s really a lot of power. But it’s also the top of the food chain, the leadership. And it’s interesting that both Leo and Aquarius are opposing each other. And so humans is represented by Aquarius. So the human-lion axis has to do with being on top of the food chain and how we need to be custodians of life on Earth, and be basically with the appropriate governance. So when you speak about not having toxic leadership or domineering leadership, which is a risk. It’s always a shadow side. But by nature, how did Leo get started? They feel called like, oh, I want to create an astrology conference, I want to create a new magazine. And someone who doesn’t have fire, who doesn’t have Leo, will say, but why? It’s a lot of work. You know, your life is going to be much simpler if you don’t lead, if you don’t take on projects, even if you don’t have kids. Because children is Leo. So why do Leo’s end up taking on all these commitments? It’s because they need to participate. There’s a very generous quality to Leo. And it’s not just the generosity of money. It’s a generosity of energy, of presence, of doing things.
Alejo: Nice. Yeah, I love it. For the classic Leo examples, actually, one of the ones I chose is Carlos Enriquez, which is a Cuban painter. I guess some people don’t know him. But I chose him because often people who knew him described him as very generous and passionate. And he’s probably one of the most famous Cuban painters, I think. Well, he’s a controversial figure to be honest because I think he was a bit of a womanizer. But his paintings, I chose him because of the Leo aspect, the sense of passion and need for creativity, this kind of looking for creativity. He’s Cancer rising so all of his paintings also go back to his origins, to Cuba. And they are full of color, they’re full of life, they have a sensuality also, I would say. And kind of an excitement, you know, this kind of motion in his paintings. You really feel like they’re alive. So I think it’s a nice representation. Which one did you choose?
Maurice: I mean, just to add to what you’re saying, quite often, when clients come for a reading and they have a lot of Leo or a lot of fire, I will recommend working with colors. If they feel stuck or if they’re going through a transition, if something’s not gelling in their lives and they need to reclaim their fire, to reclaim their sovereignty. So working with colors, whether it’s painting or whether it’s even wearing more color. Color therapy is very important for Leo’s. And fire, I think.
Alejo: Life should be colorful for them. It should be expressed, yeah.
Maurice: Because there’s emotion, there’s a lot of emotion in color. So one Leo that inspired me is named Leo, and that’s Alan Leo. He has a lot of Leo, he’s a Sun and Jupiter. And he was born at the turn of the century, 1860. And he was an important part of the revival of astrology into our current culture. So, he was basically, you know, an astrologer and a very prolific one, like writing a lot and he had the first publication. So he was hard working. And from a Leo point of view, I can imagine that you can be hard working but you don’t feel that it’s work because you love what you’re doing. And so you don’t care if you spend more hours at the office, it’s that love. And it’s very generous in that sense. And so he basically, I don’t know all the details about his life, but what I do know is that he was very instrumental in bringing back astrology. And what happened is that he was prosecuted for fortune telling and he had to go to court. And so he went through a really hard period of time. And one of the things that he said, which, you know, is kind of the seed of what I practice as evolutionary astrology. The seed of humanistic astrology that was picked up by Dane Rudhyar, and developed by Rudhyar, part of his trial, and the whole accusation of fortune telling, he said that astrology is not a deterministic tool. And that we can look at trends, but we are not here to make fixed predictions. And so this was kind of a turn where astrology became more psychological, more person-centred, and not just events happening to you. So it’s part of the Leonean energy to also understand that you have sovereignty over your life, that you can choose how to manifest those planets. You know, you’re not a slave to the planets. So I think he captures that very well.
Alejo: And he really was a turning point, because up until then, as far as I know, again, I’m no expert. But as far as I know, up until then in astrology books, descriptions of the signs were just like, some words. I think it’s after him that we start having four, five, six pages sometimes, describing a whole sign. You know, went really into humanizing and psychologizing all of the signs. I think that’s when the shift started from an astrology that focuses so much on signs. I think before that we focused much more on planets, right? And it was more with him that we started focusing so much on the signs.
Maurice: And it’s again, you know, it has to do with fate and free will in that context. Are we fated to our chart? Are we lucky or unlucky? And of course, there’s an element of fate, right? You can’t change your chart. You’re fated to your chart, that’s already a big fate. But what you do with it is the freewill factor. And like you say, there’s more development on personality and then Dane Rudhyar picked that up. And he’s another fire, he was an Aries not a Leo, but also fire. So they ignited something. And then another Leo which we can bring to the table is Carl Jung. Who obviously brought very deep layers to astrology.
Alejo: He’s one of my favorite Leo’s. I take this from Liz Greene in one of her books. She says only a Sun in Leo could describe the development of the personality as the process of individuation. Like it’s a very sense of, this is who I am, right? This is who I am. The process of individuation involves also relating to other people, like what you’re saying. It’s not in the shallow way, I’m the centre. Individuation requires you to connect with the world. So it’s like, I am who I am in my connections with people, right?
Maurice: Yeah. And it’s, you know, the recognition and the flattery and the vanity, it can be there. One of the things that Leo’s can suffer from, you know, when you’re growing up in a family where there’s a lot of Leo energy, is that there’s going to be a little bit of favoritism. A little bit or a lot. And who’s the most gifted child, who has the best grade, or who’s going to take after me? So the parents can have this kind of expectation. You know, who has the best genes? And back in the day it was usually the boys who are favored. And so you had a lot of the, you know, Leo is a masculine sign by polarity. And so there’s something about the masculine energy. You know, wanting to glorify masculinity. But today we live in a time where women can own their Leo. Women can become stoller feminine. Whereas before, a woman with a strong Leo would marry the solar person. She wouldn’t always own it herself. Unless you would have a lot of kids, you know, which was her way to express her Leo. Have a lot of kids and hopefully ‘males’, quote unquote. Until the Women’s Liberation Movement and then women said, you know, I don’t need to live vicariously through someone else.
Alejo: Completely. Yeah. Nice. So then we usually talk a little bit about things that we could do in this season, like what is this season for? Sometimes we take this seriously and sometimes we make fun of this. I mean, we can do both, of course. I think one of the things I like about the Leo energy is that, and I hope I’m saying this right in English and it doesn’t sound judgmental, is that Leo is one of my favorite signs. I’m going to say openly I envy people who are Sun in Leo, I wish I was Sun in Leo. And one of the things I like is they have this kind of childlike energy, which is like this kind of trust and confidence and let’s just go and do things. So I would say that this is a good season to connect to your inner child. What is your sense of game in life? What is your sense of playing with life? What is your sense of risk, or just enjoying life for what it is? You know, just being present in life.
Maurice: Absolutely. And in the northern hemisphere, it’s also when there’s a lot of blooming and a lot of fruiting, you know, the harvest. It’s kind of the end of the summer. In the southern hemisphere, even though it’s the dead of winter, you know, it’s not the dead of winter, it’s kind of the last part of winter. But think of Leo, on the one hand he’s very gregarious and playful, so it has all these summer activities and party and play. But it’s also a very ambitious sign. So if we’re looking at it from a southern hemisphere point of view, you’re not on vacation in August. You’re actually doing stuff. So it’s very project oriented. So Leo can be, yes, the beach and the vacation and good wine and barbecues. But it can also be preparing for the Virgo season. What are my goals? How do I go about my next steps? So it really gives you vision and passion. But, you know, you want to be funny and talk about the sun, there’s this really wonderful practice I would recommend to anyone is, how do they call this? Maybe I’m not calling it right, but it’s shining the sun on your private parts. More specifically your butthole.
Alejo: [Laughter] So not just any private part.
Maurice: Not just any. So there’s a whole yogic practice of sitting open legged holding your toes and spending time shining light where the light doesn’t shine. So that can be great.
Alejo: That’s fantastic. Yes. Because I like the idea of experiencing things, not just only doing things rationally. And I was going to say also, just go out and feel the heat of the sun on your skin. But I think this is even better.
Maurice: Don’t do this in the 100 degree or 40 degrees Celsius temperatures. Wait for a sunset. And you know, this brings us to something interesting. Speaking about yogic practices. There are very selected few who, I just posted this on my my group on Facebook, I have an astrology discussion group. And we spoke about people who are breatharian, who don’t eat food, solid food. But they breathe. And part of this practice actually involves gazing at the sun. So that your food is actually solar food. So you’re going out at sunrise and sunset when you’re able to look at the sun safely. And you basically get the nutrients this way.
Alejo: I was obsessed with this a while ago, like some years ago. And I was reading all of these programs online that they help you to become one of them in like three weeks or something. It will never happen to me, I love food so much.
Maurice: But the Sun is full of nutrients. You know, it’s not just vitamin D. It just tells us that there’s a lot more that’s being transmitted there.
Alejo: Yeah, completely. Okay. Do you have any other advice on what to do in this season or should we move on to the transits?
Maurice: I mean, be careful with pregnancies. If you want to have kids, it’s a very fertile time because we can talk about it through the transits. You know, there’s Venus and the Sun this season in Leo. So, you know, we have a very important Venus cycle. I don’t know if you want to get to it now. But as far as what to do, that’s there. You could procreate. And if you want to manifest a biological child this is the time to do it.
Alejo: Nice. So you know how to do it if you want to. Yeah, let’s go to the transits. So let’s go to the Venus cycle. I calculated this on GMT, I guess. So on the 23rd of July, the Sun will go into Leo. And just before that Venus went retrograde, right?
Maurice: Venus is turning retrograde around 28 Leo as Mercury will also be in Leo and the Sun will just get into Leo. And so, Venus right now, has been visible in the evening sky. It’s that really bright light in the West, setting after the sun. And so it was very far away from the sun. And now that it’s so far away from the sun, it’s starting to retrograde. And it will, obviously the sun moves forward, Venus moves backward, they’re going to meet in Leo. And they will meet on the 13th of August at 20 degrees Leo. So what happens is that Venus meets the Sun five times retrograde, and then five times direct in the space of eight years. And each time it’s retrograde and meeting the Sun, it forms a five star pattern in the sky. So each of these conjunctions is one of the star points. This is work that was really enhanced and developed by Arielle Guttman. If you’re interested in this, you know, get her book, it’s really very informative. And many people are working with the star points these days. But you know, visually, it’s beautiful. And it’s also very powerful. So you know, that 13th of August as Venus is retrograde at 20 degrees Leo, kissing the sun, it’s not visible because any planet close to the sun is not visible. And so think of it as the Sun and Venus have a private audience. No one can watch. It’s between them two. And think about Venus, planet of love, and the Sun, the force of love. So it’s really heart-centred energy. And that’s what I meant by, you know, if you want to procreate and have kids. That can be a conception time. But it’s incredibly creative. It’s incredibly generous. And it’s incredibly on a higher frequency. It speaks about heart centredness. It speaks about affection and love, not just for another but for humanity, for animals, for anything that’s living. So that’s a really powerful transit. And I would plan something for that day. I would have friends or have a ceremony or ignite your flame. You know, do some kind of intention setting for this portal.
Alejo: It’s very nice. Yeah. And I was thinking also this idea of a love for oneself. I think sometimes we are so driven to do stuff and to achieve stuff, and I feel it’s like a moment to, like you were saying, be in your heart. Just go to a place that makes you happy and value yourself and consider what is it that you like about yourself? What is it that you enjoy about being yourself? I think it’s kind of something that we don’t even ask these questions.
Maurice: The appreciation for yourself, for everything. And be sure to wear colors.
Alejo: Yeah. Nice. And so this meeting is on the 13th, right?
Maurice: Yes. Then it’s really just a few days before the New Moon in Leo. So during the star point activation on the 13th, the Moon is in Cancer. And three days later on the 16th, two to three days, depending where you are in the world. There’s a New Moon at 23 Leo, very close to Venus. Very close, like a New Moon conjunct Venus. So that’s also beautiful. And you know, that kind of very generous energy, warm, affectionate, playful. And now, keep in mind that all of this is also square Jupiter in Taurus and Uranus in Taurus. So that New Moon at 23 Leo squares Uranus at 23 Taurus. So you know, I’m thinking with this Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, we are having amazing artists being born this time. Great genius in art. So when you combine this Leo and Taurus energy, not only is it fertile but it’s also incredibly creative, incredibly inventive. And we can anticipate this is going to be a generation of amazing architects, amazing builders, amazing musicians and artists. You know, all kinds of modalities.
Alejo: Yeah there’s a sense of abundance with this combination. Yeah.
Maurice: It’s very abundant. And that also tells us that even though the economy is so unstable and there’s war in Europe, Russia and Ukraine, and everyone’s kind of pooled into that in one way or another. You know, maybe it’s a time where things can shift. Because not only do we have these Venus-Sun activation star point, but the nodes are also moving into Libra-Aries. Now, like in a few day. And so that will also highlight the Venus energy and relationships. So maybe it’s gonna be a turning point for that conflict, because quite frankly, it leads nowhere. Like there’s no goal to this conflict.
Alejo: Nice. Thank you. What I was thinking, to be honest, is that for the audience that are listening to this, so we’re recording this on the 14th of July. And that’s why Maurice is saying ‘now’. I don’t know when you’re going to be listening to the podcast, about the changing of the nodes. Now going back to Venus, I like the idea of this part that you mentioned that happens every eight years. So Venus is always retrograde in the same area of the chart every eight years, right? Venus is retrograde in the same area of the chart every eight years. So now that it’s going to be retrograding in Leo from 28 Leo to 12 Leo, it’s going to be retrograde in the same area. It’s the same degrees that did eight years ago. So I find it a good practice to think about, well, first of all, look at your chart and see what this retrogradation is going to be touching through because this means Venus is going to come and go over some planets or celestial points in your chart. But then also, I think it’s important to look at the house. Because it’s in that area of life that Venus is asking the questions of what do we value? Why do we value that or not? Or why have we not learned to value what we have in that area of life? And how do we appreciate those things? Where do we find pleasure? How can we how can we make this area of life become pleasant? And to relate it to maybe to things that happened 8 years ago and 16 years ago and 32 years ago, are somewhat going to be connected. So I think astrology gives us this opportunity to connect events in time that are so far apart, that we would not normally connect. I think it’s a good practice to think about that.
Maurice: That’s the study of cycles. You realize that these points in time are not random. So absolutely. So in eight years it returns to the same activation with the sun. And, you know, it takes eight years to complete the five pointed star. And so when you speak about retrograde, there could definitely be, like you say, a reevaluation of who’s with you. What do you prioritize in your life? Where do you really want to invest energy? And that includes people. So as fertile as it is, the retrograde also brings a dimension of having to go a little deeper. Having to question things. Not taking things for granted. For what it’s worth.
Alejo: Yeah. Nice. We jumped to the New Moon so let’s go back and try to organize this a bit. On the 23rd of July, we say the Sun goes in Leo, Venus went retrograde just before that. Then on the 1st of August, actually, before we move forward I would like to say the Sun goes into Leo which is his sign of rulership. So there is this sense perhaps for the Sun of coming home into Leo. Leaving the watery realm of Cancer it goes into fire so he gets ignited. And I think there is a sense that we were talking about first with Leo, the sense of warmth, power, possibilities of creating. It’s like the Sun has illuminated our sense of belonging, and now it’s going to the area where it feels most comfortable we might say. And Leo and has to do with that moment, let’s say in the tribe, in which one starts realizing that okay, I belong to this family, but I am myself. I can create my destiny like you were saying. I’m not subject to family patterns. I mean, I am, but at the same time I can be released from that.
Maurice: Yeah, I mean, I agree. But it’s work for a Leo to do that. Because Leo people can be born with a sense that they come into this life with purpose. You know, I’m here to do something important, meaningful. But it’s very easy for Leo to end up falling kind of hostage to the expectations of their family. So quite often, you know, you will have, especially in more traditional families, where the Leo will continue the work of the father, of the elder. And, you know, if my father was a dentist, I’m going to be a dentist and I’m going to start following the same. So there’s a continuity from generation to generation. So it takes courage and risk for the leader to say, do I really want to be a dentist? And risk maybe taking the lineage, taking that kind of flame. Think about the fire, you’re carrying the torch. Because the reason why Leo represents children is not only because it has to do with fertility and all of that. But it’s also because Leo has to do with the continuation of life. So making sure that after we die, life does go on. And so the kids are carrying the fire so that the fire doesn’t go out. You know, the whole promise of Prometheus is that we cannot extinguish the fire. And if I’m dying, who’s going to take care of the fire? I’m passing the torch to the next generation. So the thing is that Leo may feel the pressure to really clone themselves into what the elder was doing and the expectation. But then they have to bring their own. The whole purpose of being who you are is that you’re not just meant to follow your parents expectations, they can guide you. And so what you mentioned about coming into their own and finding their own path, their own purpose, passion, is something that takes effort. It’s not always immediate. And I think the Full Moon that’s going to be on August 1st with the Moon is in Aquarius, the Sun is in Leo, is helping that. Because the Aquarius Moon helps you get out of the bubble. Get out of your own emotional attachment. And so you can start thinking outside the box with the Aquarius Moon and you can have better perspective on what your goals are.
Alejo: Yeah, nice. It’s a good thought. So the Full Moon is happening on the 1st of August and it’s at 9 degrees. So if anybody has any planets there or the ascendant or whatever, at 9 degrees of Leo or Aquarius. Do you only use conjunctions for lunations or do you also use the squares?
Maurice: Yeah, I mean, anything goes.
Alejo: Well, okay. If you have there something in the 9 degrees of the fixed cross, we would say, this might be particularly important for this person, right?
Maurice: Yeah, I have my nodes there.
Alejo: Oh, really?
Maurice: Yes. It’s like a lunar eclipse because when the nodes and the lunations are together , but it’s not happening in the sky simultaneously,
Alejo: It’s like your personal, your own personal lunar eclipse. I like this idea you mentioned before about Leo and Aquarius, the axis of Leo and Aquarius. And the idea of humanity and connecting it with what you’re saying now, I do feel that sometimes the price to pay to shine is kind of the opposite of what Leo is asking about. Leo’s asking about authenticity and to be yourself. But then let’s say I know this joke always works so I keep doing this joke, and actually I’m getting less authentic, right? And this idea that the Full Moon in Aquarius will let us kind of see it from a perspective and see from far and be able to think about this. But then also the idea that Aquarius is a sign that brings change. So I think, constellated in this axis is this secret, perhaps, that to be alive, to be yourself, that the self is constantly changing, it’s never the same. And I feel like this Full Moon might connect us with this idea. With this possibility of finding who we truly are. Not by trying to enclose who we are in one definition that can be kind of clearly shown to others, but by examining, okay, well, who am I? What am I here for? What am I here to create?
Maurice: And think about Leo-Aquarius artistically. Leo is the solo artist and Aquarius is the band. So you see sometimes performers like Mick Jagger, you know, he’s a Leo. And so he has his solo albums, but then he’s with the Rolling Stones. And so there’s the group versus the self. And sometimes you need both because with a band there’s a synergy and things come together by working together and you’re going to have more feedback from the band. They’re going to tell you, you know, I don’t like your lyrics, or let’s change and tweak this and that. So, you know, when you are working in the Aquarius realm, there is more objectivity. There’s more reflection. There’s more mind, even. When you are in the Leo realm, it’s all very raw, very passionate. And there aren’t many filters. So each one has its advantage. But definitely the Aquarius is balancing the Leo. It helps you elevate the Leo. Take it to a more mature and more conscious place.
Alejo: Hmm, nice. And the Full Moon, the opposition is squaring Jupiter. So this idea of a lot of art coming up comes up again. The idea of creativity, like intense creativity, is there perhaps, right? More than art. Intense creativity because one can be creative in many different aspects.
Maurice: Yeah. And a lot of investment and money. You know, both Leo and Taurus are about abundance, but they’re also big spenders. So it’s a time where you can feel generous about your spending. It’s a time even to buy if you need to make a big important purchase. But you have to be just a little bit conscious about excesses. You know, with Jupiter square Leo, how much barbecue can you attend? It’s very glamorous and it can be over the top if you’re not careful.
Alejo: Yeah, I think this Full Moon can be like very passionate and over overdoing it perhaps. Then on the 7th of August… So 23rd of July when the Sun goes into Leo, Venus has just gone retrograde. First of all, once we have the full moon, I don’t know, do you have any other comments about the Full Moon before we move on?
Maurice: No, I think that’s good.
Alejo: Okay, then on the 7th of August, the Sun will will perfect this square to Jupiter. And I like this very much. On the 16th of August the Sun will square Uranus.
Maurice: The Sun and the Moon. The New Moon is exactly at 23.
Alejo: Yeah, exactly. The New Moon is exactly 23. Exactly. Because it’s happening on the 16th, exactly. So I like this idea you were talking about the idea of how the struggle to find one’s own path. And it reminds me a lot of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With 1000 Faces. And the square to Jupiter, I think it’s a question of purpose and meaning. Which is a Sun in Leo, perhaps, thing. Like you were saying, Sun in Leo comes to the world with a sense of purpose. And if it’s squaring Jupiter, that might be a challenge to, what is my purpose? What am I here for? What is meaningful to me, right?
Maurice: You know, just to touch on Jupiter in Taurus. Jupiter is a very abstract planet. It’s all about the philosophy and belief systems. Whereas Taurus is very earth, materialistic and grounded. So in itself, Jupiter in Taurus has a lot to do with connecting the spiritual and the material. And if we have a vision, can we fund it? Can we sustain it financially? So when you have this square to the Sun with Jupiter, you may have big dreams, you may be very enthusiastic and called to do something, but then there’s going to be the financial equation. Do you get backing? Do you have the resources to support your vision? So the square can be about that fundraising. Start your Kickstarter campaign.
Alejo: Yeah. Nice. Very good idea. Then on the 13th we were talking about the Sun conjunct Venus. Then on the 16th we get this New Moon which is a squaring Jupiter and Uranus. The New Moon is happening at 23 degrees of Leo. So we have something there, it might be a good moment to start… I don’t know, I always feel like New Moons are not the moment to start but to kind of plan the idea. Not to actually go into action yet but kind of to start thinking about what we would like to create. How do you feel about that? How do you take it?
Maurice: You know, I don’t overthink it. Whatever feels right at the moment. If it feels right to wait, if it’s ready, like just be in tune with nature and you’ll see if you’re ready or if you need more time. But yeah, I mean, it’s a seeding time. It’s like the beginning of conception.
Alejo: Yeah. And at the time of the New Moon, we have a grand trine in earth. Am I right? Mars, Uranus and Pluto. Of course it depends on the orbs one uses. So Mars is at 22 Virgo, Uranus 23 Taurus and Pluto 28 Capricorn. And I liked this idea that you said, so the Sun has made the square to Jupiter in Taurus, with this idea of do we have the funding? How can we make this actually real? And I like this idea of having the grand trine here for the New Moon. So perhaps it is a good moment to see creative projects, abundant projects, with a practical mind. Like how am I going to make it work in reality? And, I mean, the grand trine will be Mars, Jupiter, Pluto can be driven and intense and powerful, I think.
Maurice: Absolutely. It’s like, let’s do it. Mars in Virgo, let’s lift our sleeves and do the work, so to speak. So yeah, it brings the concept with practicality.
Alejo: Yes, I think it’s a good moment to plant a nice seed. And then on the 22nd of August, at the end of the season, there is a transit that I’m interested in which is that Mars perfects the opposition to Neptune in Pisces. So it’s like the driving force that we had suddenly gets like, oh, I’m not so sure.
Maurice: Well, it’s very interesting because Mercury’s about to turn retrograde. So Mercury stations around then as well. And it’s in the sign of Virgo, which rules the Mars. So there can definitely be towards, you know, the end of August some re-configuration. Like, okay, we wanted to start something, we’re launching it, now we’re making sure we’re troubleshooting what needs to be done. But you have to realize that Mars and Mercury in Virgo are control freaks. So you have a plan, you cross every T, everything is strategically polished. And you become a bit neurotic about it. And you’re kind of screaming at everyone that doesn’t listen to you. So it can get a little nervous. It’s nervous energy. So the opposition to Neptune can be like you say, well, suddenly there’s no wind. And, you know, you’re in the middle of something and suddenly you have to stop. Or it could be that you wanted to renovate your house and the worker doesn’t show up. So there could be all kinds of waiting times. Some kind of redirection. But what’s the intention? The intention of Neptune is chill out. Neptune says you’re getting stuck in the details, you’re getting overly anal about this. And so there’s something about Neptune that says, let the currents lead you. Don’t be so attached and stubborn about the Virgo way that needs to be. So that Neptune is inviting something, you know, it’s the muse. It’s inviting something of another nature, something that can help take your project to a new level. To another level. It’s basically telling you, be careful because you may have your blind spots. You’re so focused on the trees that you’re missing the forest. And you need to take a step back and actually wait and let the currents show you, take you. So it can be frustrating for sure. But if you know that there’s an intention behind it then you cooperate with that better.
Alejo: Yeah. And I think it might be necessary, if we think that Mars is coming from this trine to Uranus, Jupiter if you want, and Pluto. It’s coming with all of this drive and action, and maybe it is necessary for this opposition to perfect and say okay, yeah, relax. Okay, when the opposition perfects, then the trine to Pluto will be perfected. So again there’s kind of a re-envision and re-transforming, perhaps.
Maurice: Yeah, I would say so. And don’t fight it. You know, some people will say, maybe I should wait after the retrograde to start doing things. But after the retrograde there’s going to be something else. And there’s always some kind of celestial drama. So follow, in a very Leonean way, follow your heart, follow your passion, and trust that you’ll get your cues and that you’ll learn as you go. And if you need to redirect left or right, and if you need to wait a little bit, it’s actually not a bad thing. The best ideas come during Mercury retrograde. That’s going to be your next session when you speak about the Virgo. But I’m, like, inching into that.
Alejo: Nice. Okay, great. Now, we usually mention some dates that we think might be kind of nice days to do stuff. We already talked about the Venus conjunct the Sun on the 13th of August. I also had on the 1st of August, this Mars trine Jupiter. So it’s perfected, this aspect that we’re talking about. So I think it might be a good thing also if somebody wants to do something with this sense of perhaps trust, drive, ability to make it manifest because it’s happening in the earth element. I think it’s a positive day. On the 12th of August, there’s a trine between Sun and Chiron. And I like this idea of reflecting on who I am, what makes me unique, what makes me special, and how to follow that path. And then well, the New Moon we talked about the grand trine. I don’t know if you have any other dates you want to share.
Maurice: I think these are the highlights. You know, the Full Moon is a very powerful Full Moon. And those trines, you know, it’s kind of the, like we say, the passion with a practicality. So yeah, go for it.
Alejo: Great. And then we usually try to come up with a mantra for the season. So I took mine from Walt Whitman, Song of Myself. And it’s saying, “I celebrate myself and sing myself.” And actually, I think it’s a really great read to do in this season. What would you come up with a mantra or like a key phrase?
Maurice: I would say as a concept, mantra, I would say, remember, you are the keeper of the flame.
Alejo: Ah, beautiful. And then we also like to ask you if you’re reading anything right now because astrologers usually like to read. I’m reading The Planets by Andrew Cohen and Brian Cox. And you mentioned Starpoint by Arielle Guttman.
Maurice: Yes. And there’s another book, I’m planning a trip, a spiritual journey to Australia next February. And so I’m reading a book that’s called The First Astronomers that has to do with the aboriginal interpretation of the lunations, of the eclipses. I’m just going to look at the name of the author if anyone’s interested. It’s Dwayne Hamacher.
Alejo: Thank you. And now I was going share some events that are coming up at Astrology University. First I’d like to ask you if people want to reach you, how they can reach you? Or if you’re planning anything soon.
Maurice: Sure. My website is mauricefernandez.com. My email is [email protected]. And I will be part of an amazing faculty for a conference in Southern California. It’s organized by the School of Steven Forrest. And the focus is essentially evolutionary astrology, but there are many other speakers. Lynne Bell is going to be there. Of course, Steven Forrest, myself, Kay Taylor. And it’s happening on the 28th of September, the weekend of the 28th until the 1st of October. And so it’s four days. You know, it’s the end of September so it’s not as hot. And a wonderful event. I just came from a conference at Omega where we met in person. And I want to say, you know, it’s harder. Because we’re used to doing everything online now and it seems like it’s more money to travel. But when you’re there and you meet people that you are, you know, your tribe, it’s an extraordinary experience. So I really encourage people to come in person and get out of the computers for a little bit. And the other highlight there is that it’s very close to Joshua Tree if you want to take some time after the conference or before the conference. It’s also the perfect season for that.
Alejo: Great. And you mentioned a book? You’re about to publish a book I think you said?
Maurice: So yeah, I have two books. One is about the 12th house and Neptune. So I look at things very archetypically. So it’s called Neptune, the 12th House and Pisces. Which is kind of my signature book, if you will. And then the other one is about the Sun and the Moon. And it’s called Astrology and the Evolution of Consciousness: Volume One. Sun and Moon. And it has, you know, chapters about the Moon in every sign and house, and Sun in every sign house, along with the elements. So it covers those fundamentals. And just one last thing. I mentioned Australia. If anyone is interested in something immersive that involves astrology, and indigenous spirituality, I will be leading a retreat in Bali from January 27th to February 2nd. And after Bali, I’ll lead the Australian trips, spiritual journey. So you can be interested in one or both. Check my website.
Alejo: Nice, thank you. I wanted to share some events that are happening at Astrology University. So on the 29th and the 30th of July, students are going to present their research, their ideas. And if you participate in this, all of the benefits are going to be used for scholarship programs in the university. So this is the first thing I wanted to mention. Now before that, on the 22nd of July, Tony Howard is going to be giving a webinar on Venus retrograde in Leo, actually. So if you want to learn more about it, it’s a great opportunity. And then on the 5th of August, Carlole Taylor is going to be giving a webinar on the ascendant-descendant axis, which is one of the most important things in the chart, I believe. So if you’re interested in that, you can go. Also there are more events on the website. If you want to get in touch with me, my website is liminalcosmos.com. My Instagram is also @liminalcosmos. And I think that’s all for the season. Thank you so much, Maurice, for being here.
Maurice: Thank you. It was a lot of fun and I appreciate your energy and insights. All the best. Happy Leo season.
Alejo: Happy Leo season everyone. Thank you everyone for listening. Happy Leo season. Take care.
Tony: Thanks for tuning in to the Astrology University Podcast. I’m the founder, Tony Howard. Head over to astrologyuniversity.com where you can find webinars and courses to help deepen your study of astrology. Study with some of the best astrologers in the field and check out our diploma program for those of you interested in working professionally or in developing the skill to analyze charts for yourself, your friends and family. Hope to see you in class soon and until then, take good care.
