Tough Love: Full Moon In Leo 2014

A woman holding a heart shaped
decoration and flowers from an early
20th century Valentine's card, circa
1910. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Full Moon @ 26 degrees Leo 13'

February 14, 2014

3:53 PM Pacific

6:53 PM Eastern

This month’s lunar cycle culminates in the tropical sign of Leo on St. Valentine’s Day. This presents a rather uncanny synchronicity, since Leo is a sign associated with romantic love, affairs and playful, sexual escapades. As a sign that correlates strongly with creative self-expression and pleasure seeking activities, Leo perfectly complements this internationally celebrated holiday.

A Full Moon in Leo brings to culmination a creative process that’s been gestating—providing an atmosphere of playfulness and child-like curiosity conducive to the spontaneous eruption of creative talents or sexual desires.

While Leo reminds us of the importance of taking time out for ourselves; to have fun and to enjoy the pleasures of life, a square from Saturn brings a potentially challenging element into the picture. Saturn throws in the cold hard truth and an awareness of the boundaries inherent to reality—the way things really are.

In order to take advantage of the fun and playful creative energies brewing with this lunation, we must also consider responsibilities and commitments previously made. This isn't a time to throw important matters aside or to evade responsibilities in favor of play. We may be confronted with uncomfortable repercussions that demand us to take account of our actions.

So, while Leo invites us to let loose and play a little, Saturn demands that we find a balance between hard work and recreation. If you want to play, you need to play by the rules, basically. So there’s inherently a serious tone to this lunation, a bit of rain on our Valentine’s parade.

But the good news is that Saturn favors those who put in the hard work and those that embrace integrity. If you've been putting in the extra hours and presenting yourself authentically, expect Saturn to give you the night off to enjoy yourself a bit.

An extra bit of excitement to spice up your love life (or inner creative life) is provided by a sextile from the Full Moon to Mars in Libra. An urge to mingle and meet new faces, or to express openly your heart’s desires to the one (or others) you’re already committed to takes hold.

Mars in Libra, beginning its retrograde on March 1^st, draws our attention to important relationship matters and considerations. There may be an opportunity to willfully balance things out between you and another.

Mercury retrograde conjunct the Sun in Aquarius and opposing this lunation provides perspective on the past that helps us see things in a new and more objective light. Perhaps a past lover pops in, or memories of love or “good times” long gone emerge from the shadows.

Mercury retrograde reminds us that we need to revise and reconsider or to see things from a totally different perspective. Open your mind to alternative or even radical points of view, they might just provide a shift of awareness you weren't quite expecting.

However you choose to celebrate this St. Valentine’s Day, whether with the one you love or by connecting more deeply to the love you have for yourself, or by cultivating creativity and your inner child, remember the love that’s all around you, every day. See it not just in the eyes of a lover but rather as a ubiquitous force comparable to gravity. Love is what binds us all together, it’s what makes us human; when you realize that, all the love in the universe flows your way, in abundance.