The Water-Carrier, the Full Wolf Moon and The Lion...

Tarot cards and chat...

Tonight, 25 January, is the first Full Moon of 2024 and this Leo Full Moon in the season of Aquarius is nicknamed the Wolf Moon. At this time of year in northern America and Northern Europe, wolves used to come down to human settlements in late winter in desperate search of food- and with resulting conflict.

A British Wolf Hunt

The dog in this picture is looking a tad nonchalant, just lounging about next to the man, who is doing does all the hard work, struggling with the wolf, who is clearly about to get the worst of the encounter. Folk stories suggest the last wolf in England was killed in 1390 by John, son of Sir Edgar Harrington of Wraysholme, after he chased it all the way from the Coniston Fells to Humphrey Head in Cumbria (coastal North West England). 

Windblown trees of Humphrey Head, Cumbria via Wiki

There were always wolves in Britain, but by the late middle ages, they were rare in England, although they survived in Scotland until the 17th or 18th century. Officially the last Scottish wolf was killed (shot) by Sir Ewen Cameron in 1680 in Killiecrankie (Perthshire) But other reports suggests wolves survived in Scotland till much later, with one possible sighting as late as 1888.

Astronomy

From the point of view of science and astronomy, this Wolf Moon is technically situated in the constellation of Cancer, next door to Leo, for reasons to do with the wobble of the earth in the 2000 years since the western zodiac was codified.

However, in the working model of Western or Tropical astrology, for profound arithmetic, historic and symbolic reasons, the full moon is in the celestial territory of proud, passionate, playful Leo, the Lion King of the Zodiac.

Tarot cards of Leo

The major arcana Tarot card associated with Leo is Strength, signifying not only the raw power of physical strength, but fortitude; determination moral courage, although it is also, as one would expect, a physically lucky card, suggesting sporting success, military success or recovery if someone has been ill.

The minor arcana cards of Leo are the Five, Six and Seven of Wands, representing stress, conflict, competition, victory, fortitude, and strategic advantage respectively.

From The Gilded Tarot Royale, Ciro Marchetti

The figure in the card - we may think of her as Una- “The One”-but she represents you and me, has not tamed the lion as such. They walk side by side, facing futurity, focused on their purpose, looking inward on their dreams.

The lion walks alongside as an equal, though it could deal with Una any time it likes. One bite, one blow of the giant paw and she is toast. Una is holding the leash only very lightly, while the lion remains entirely by his own choice. No-one may sensibly or safely presume to think to altogether subdue or “tame” another. Likewise there is no true Strength, or right to command, without the power of self-restraint and self-command. Any one who would be a leader must first learn to rule himself, or herself. And to control their temper. More haste, less speed. There is a reason patience is a virtue. Lack of it can cost us everything, our lives included.

Leo says 'fame'. Leo says shine your light, walk the stage, write your part and play it, but don't overlook the audience. Not only is there no play without them, but they too, have their part to play. An author writes and publishes a book but it needs a reader for it to come alive. The Lion of the Zodiac is capable of many things, not always good. The Lion may be loud, demanding, careless, arrogant, or even cruel, but he is incapable of pettiness.

Regulus-the Heart of The Lion

The star Regulus is the Heart of the Constellation of Leo and in medical astrology, Leo rules the heart.

I had a strange night last night, not least due to a sensation of heaviness in the chest, though I think I may also have seen a ghost. I don’t often see such things, but I have seen them, and they are not necessarily frightening, though they can be. This one was not frightening, only startling. A figure. A man. No details. Today is the anniversary of the death of my husband’s father, whom I never met. But I could not see the face.

The heaviness in the chest was due to long standing inflammation; a sero-negative form of systemic arthritis, which has damaged the aortic valve. I have both the Moon and Mars in Leo in my natal chart. The Moon is square the sun, and now that I reflect on that, I won’t be surprised if this heaviness eases off again once the gravitational drag of this Full Moon has passed.

Incidentally, the dandelion -dents-de-lion, “the lions teeth” is traditionally used as a diuretic which by removing fluid that places an extra load on the heart, can also support heart health.

Leo

The Dandy Lion

Dandy Lion's

Golden Mane

Prideful, Greying

Casts Away

Alight on chance

To Lionise again

-Katie-Ellen

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Lion and Blue

by Robert Vavra, illustrated by Fleur Cowles

Here's a book fit to make you roar like a lion, or more likely, howl like a winter wolf any time. It says it's for 2-6 year-olds but this is a story for anyone.

A lonely old lion loves a beautiful blue butterfly, but the butterfly must leave him to follow its own destiny in search of sunflowers to feast on. The old lion pines for his friend and goes in search...

His devotion will be rewarded, not in the way we were hoping, but in a way far sadder, and more tragic but also immeasurably majestic, when he lies down and dies and decays, and in time a sunflower grows where his body lay. He is reborn as a sunflower. And now the beautiful blue butterfly returns to find him again.

Tarot cards for today 25/01/24 (UTC formerly…Greenwich Mean Time I am writing in the UK. It is 16.20 PM as I write this and the Full Moon is rising here at 17.54 PM)

I am asking the Tarot for its general comments please. Typical! The first three cards out of the deck (The Legacy of the Divine Tarot) are mirroring and almost, though not entirely correlating with real time astrology.

The Star (right now we have the Sun and Pluto Aquarius) The King of Wands reversed (The Full Moon in Leo) and The Seven of Wands (third decan Leo)

This full Moon is actually in the first decan of Leo, 5 degrees and 14 minutes, which strictly in terms of date correlations is represented in the Tarot by The Five of Wands. Still, if the Tarot wants to show us the third Leo decan card, the Seven of Wands and not the Five, well, the Tarot is an oracle unto itself. It contains key elements of astrology but it is not astrology. The Tarot is in charge here, and it has its reasons.

General impressions

All three of these cards represent fixed energy. The Star reversed is fixed Air energy, while the King of Wands reversed and the Seven of Wands are fixed fire energy.

This isn’t a bad reading on a general personal level, but it has a certain explosive potential for quarrels or other domestic issues including minor electrical mishaps, water damage, power cuts or trouble with appliances. Chances are we’ve been, not dragging our heels today, but rolling stones uphill.

Right now we may be embroiled with practical necessities and these take priority. We’re not looking for fights but no one is going to go stamp around with us either, whether this is a boss figure, an individual close to home, or some organization not doing what it is supposed to.

All the same, we can see where we want to get to. The fires are lit, the words are on the tip of our tongues. A bright vision beckons and there’s a certain charisma, or an undercurrent of sexual, romantic or creative passion today.

The Seven of Wands says we are up for defending our turf, standing up for ourselves, and getting ready to roll forward with new projects and ventures…driven the inspiration signified by the number 7, even though we may not have every detail perfectly worked out as yet. This is a card of a struggle that eventually brings success on our terms. We should overcome, or a least find a way to manage an obstacle or a problem in the end. Not only do we have the seven of Wands but the Reversed King of Wands, the Leo king, is wearing a 7 on his belt. We may be handling something now, or imminently, that will happen, culminate or conclude in July.

This may also just possibly be picking up events in Ukraine. Why? President Zelenskyy is an Aquarius sun sign native; shown here embattled, weary (King Wands reversed) looking for a new strategy and more air missile support (because The Star is reversed.) The counter offensive has not delivered relief as hoped, but he has not lost the initiative. Look for “fires at sea” -potentially decisive maritime events in the Black Sea between now and Leo season 2024.

Till next time :)