By Amanda Painter
“Let Love Rule” is a catchy slogan, and the title of an old Lenny Kravitz song. Yet putting it into actual practice belies its surface simplicity to reveal how much work and adjustment and self-awareness it can take.
The Capricorn Full Moon rising over Casco Bay, Portland, Maine, on July 19, 2016. Photo by Amanda Painter.
On the one hand, we humans are designed for it; on the other, we often do not choose to let love rule.
Or we try to, but so much can get in our way, not least of all ourselves.
As we head into the weekend, the astrology seems to suggest both that we let love rule, and that we do the requisite ‘housecleaning’ and adjustment to allow that to happen. We just experienced a beautiful Full Moon on Tuesday with the Sun in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn, each late in their signs. So domestic cleaning/restructuring might already be in the works for you, though that might only be a metaphor.
The Moon is currently in Aquarius, and on Friday at 4:35 am EDT (8:35 UTC), it ingresses Pisces — a sign of deep emotion and sensitivity. Just less than an hour later, while the Moon is still in the first degree of Pisces, the Sun will enter Leo at 5:30 am EDT (9:30 UTC).
This puts us in the heart of summer, the peak of the season. It’s fitting, since Leo is said to rule the heart (this sign also relates to pride, drama, compassion, gold, courage, consciousness of self and leadership — Leo is associated with kings — among other things). Additionally, Leo is the only sign represented by a star: our Sun, the heart of our solar system.
Yet the heart is not always as simple a place from which to live as we would like it to be — or as straightforward as pop songs would lead us to believe. We often have to adjust our expectations around love and compassion when we deal with the wider world, and also within ourselves. How often have you felt like you’ve come up short in your ability to offer or receive gifts from the heart? How often have people you care about, or humanity as a whole, disappointed you in that regard?
In Planet Waves FM this week, Eric Francis describes the Pisces Moon in conjunction to asteroid Pallas and centaur Nessus as shining a light on the way political dramas are reflecting our personal dramas. He suggests that we take care of our ‘stuff’ (that is, personal emotional baggage and abusive patterns) and then take care of each other.
It’s a perfect illustration of why ‘letting love rule’ is often not simple or straightforward. We make up our minds to live open-heartedly and compassionately, and to lead generously, and then seemingly out of nowhere we get tripped up on disappointed expectations; or on the fear (or reality) that it’s not being returned to us. We get blind-sided by a blind spot leftover from our childhood (Leo is also the sign of children) and react harshly. And so on.
We run up against our emotional and social limitations despite our golden intentions, and it’s disheartening. It’s also completely human, though people often forget and waste energy beating themselves up about these ‘failings’ — rather than forgiving themselves, getting some therapy if necessary, and trying again with their new self-knowledge.
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Yet what I’ve just described also illustrates the relationship the Sun and Moon will have (if briefly) on Friday: one of adjustment, as the Moon continues to reflect a good deal of the Sun’s light back to us. The Leo Sun and Pisces Moon will be quincunx each other; that is, one sign off from an opposition. It’s a fairly useful aspect — less about direct confrontation or intense internal pressure, and more about acknowledging what you learn and shifting accordingly.
Additionally, in the first degree of Leo with the Sun is an asteroid named House. Taking its name at face value, you might consider what kind of housekeeping — both literal and figurative — is calling your heart this weekend.
To borrow from Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, what brings your heart joy? Obviously the things, people, ideas and interactions that bring you joy are ones to keep and surround yourself with.
But just as we all have material stuff we keep but don’t really need, and which gets in the way of enjoying our living spaces fully, so too do we all have emotional patterns, baggage and blind-spots that clutter our hearts. They can be very difficult to recognize and release without help; and even harder to accept as part of the complex, whole selves that we are, deserving of love regardless.
Sometimes letting love rule means admitting there are some corners of the ‘house’ that need to be put in order, and that will repeatedly ask you to shine a little more light on them. It’s okay — the Sun has plenty to spare, no matter what sign its in.
I love that song, Amanda! Thank you for this gorgeous piece and photo. That’s the sky and moon I saw from my little terrace a couple of nights ago – and it just took my breath away.
off piste but under the same umbrella:
Good for What Ails Ya ~ 21 Jul 2016 philip Sedgwick.
xxxp
Thank you, Amanda.
I have spent the last two months with extended family. We planned a large bash for my parents 60th wedding anniversary and dealt with the death of our oldest aunt. This among a variety of other dramas playing out in the lives of my family, including jury duty on a gruesome trial, divorce, teenagers coping with life and family, a new puppy, and the crazy cousin(s). Your comments about cleaning house hit the center of the target with me. I am finding too many nooks and corners not so shiny. Okay, filled with debris! Just yesterday, I asked myself it it was time to go back to therapy. I have much to consider and want to figure out what are my projections and what belongs to others. Your words act as a strong wind blowing away the clouds and offering clear light on the path.
With Gratitude,
Cynthia
Cynthia: sounds like you know which way the wind blows! Here’s to loving the debris we find in those nooks; it holds valuable lessons and growth opportunities. Though I can’t claim to “enjoy” them any more than anybody else does! Best of luck to you.
I used the capricorn full moon energy to clean my condo; and my gf & I decided a couple weeks ago it’s time for her to move in. The house plants are thriving, my cat is happy, and my business New Dawn Lawn Care is going really well. On another note, I’m excited to get back into the studio to move, dance, and sing. I haven’t been in about 8 weeks. And yes, the heart is an incredibly complex organ; something to think about. Just the way the heart tissue is wrapped or folded, if you will, is difficult to comprehend. If you unfold a human heart it almost resembles an infiniti symbol; if I remember the image correctly from Somatics class. Never the less, its complexity is beyond the one dimensional hearts we use in everyday life. Let’s try to tap into the complexity of our hearts in the coming weeks in order to figure ourselves out, and find fresh ways to relate lovingly. That way those receiving our love don’t get bored, and it gives them a glimpse into how deep and complex our hearts actually are.
“Let’s try to tap into the complexity of our hearts in the coming weeks in order to figure ourselves out, and find fresh ways to relate lovingly.”
Always a good idea, Michael. And along with the fresh ways to relate lovingly, sometimes the “old” ways of relating lovingly mix in quite well, I think. I’m not sure love actually ever gets old, though sometimes maybe updating our behaviors and our understanding of them does wonders.
btw — when I wrote this piece, I dearly wanted to mention Ceres in Taurus and Juno in Scorpio squaring the Sun and House (there are other minor planets early in the fixed signs, too — including in Aquarius). But I ran out of room.
In case anyone is interested, here’s a bit about that:
There are several other astrological bodies very early in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) making aspects to the Sun when it enters Leo, trying to nudge you along. Two in particular stand out: Ceres in Taurus and Juno in Scorpio, each making a square to the Sun (and opposing each other).
The messages I see: Expressing your heart nourishes your body. But if feeding your body and your senses does not feel loving or give you a sense of pride, what needs to change? Similarly, only you can take the lead in expressing your sexual-emotional needs and getting them met. Can you do that with compassion for yourself, rather than getting stuck in pride or secrecy (for example, “He/She should just know what I need” — or not being willing to admit it to yourself)?
Oh boy. Tidying up corners indeed! Ongoing cleaning/sorting/tossing, & yes, that’s in both the material & inner spaces. When I was particularly impoverished in most aspects of my life, I both kept too much “stuff” & lacked the energy & focus to organize it, let alone cull much of anything. Lots remains to be done!
Meantime, transiting Saturn will turn direct & be conjunct transiting Mars conjunct my 6th house sun in about a month. Looking back, I see I got through that conjunction before, back in 1986, so I tell myself hey, we can do this again. My energy levels go up & down, as does my level of general cheerfulness, & minor “symptoms” come & go. Eating well, sleeping lots, & minding how much I expose myself to “the news” seem to help during this passage.
Sun in Leo’s in my 2nd house & will contact natal Mars, then Pluto, hopefully illuminating an evolving sense of what really matters to me, what I value enough to keep.
Thank-you, Amanda, for adding the light of your insights.
It is a process, isn’t it, Bette? Both the inner and the outer sorting and clearing and re-valuing. I am feeling the call to get back to it, myself.