“If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” - RuPaul

We are wrapping up eclipse season with a bang! The last eclipse, until the Summer, occurs in fiery Leo, ending the story from the New Moon July 27, 2017 and respectively from January 14, 2019, when key themes pertaining to this eclipse arose under the First Quarter Moon arose.

Under this eclipse, the Moon will be in close proximity to the Earth, forcing us to feel the emotional weight and depth of this passionate luminary. Feelings, which have been buried, will come to the surface as we let go of the past and move towards our next phase in life. We will be sacrificing people and situations who no longer serve our highest and truest purpose, making way only for that which serves to elevate our heart’s will and desire, while elevating our emotions to a feverish high.

The mythology behind the constellation Leo contradicts urban legend. However, important to understand to gain clarity around the energy of the eclipse. The Nemean Lion lured unsuspecting women to its cage, holding them captive, while enticing local warriors to save these “damsels in distress.” The trickster nature of the Lion was aimed to defeat and play mind games on others, to show the world that Leo was toughest and most powerful. Zeus quickly caught on to the duplicitous nature of the Lion and used his hands to defeat him and free his captives, rather than swords or weaponry. The lesson to be learned from the mythological tale, is to embrace bravery and to assert your will at all costs.

Firstly, understand this is the fable, Leo’s do not terrorize the land and cause harm to others (no shade is intended for all the Leo’s out there). The mythological tale denotes the other side to the Lion, one that will be seen in us all during the eclipse—that lesson being that we do not have to put on a false front for others. The women held captive is a metaphor for emotions and the enticement to fight with others is an allegory for bravado and pride. Unlike the Lion, we can embrace our darker side and help heal our wounds. Our shadow side will be exploited and seen under the Moon’s radiant glow. If not by others, but by ourselves. We will all see the parts of our lives that need to change and blossom. The eclipse gives us the foresight to see the edgier version of ourselves and emotions, giving us the opportunity to transform and nurture ourselves.

Secondly, please note that it’s OK to be selfish. We should all put our needs first ALWAYS. It’s important to take care of oneself before helping others. Setting boundaries and limits within relationships is important, and we shouldn’t apologize for focusing on our needs first, before we let others walk all over us. The most important person in your life is YOU.

Thirdly, we must embrace our emotions, by owning the rawest and purest sides to ourselves. Don’t hide from the truth. Get angry, feel hurt, fight for your beliefs, and be happy. As long as we are honest with ourselves, we can navigate through the 7 universal emotions (anger, fear, happiness, disgust, sadness, contempt, and surprise). Step into the light and let the eclipse help clear out our lingering sentiments by purging our shadow side.

Lastly, listen to your heart. Leo rules the heart chakra. Let your heart guide you. Skip out on the drama and move towards love. We must all let go of hurts and roar out our heart’s passions. Meditate on love. Meditate on truth. Meditate on the self. Then, let go. Commit only to the path of enlightenment, only then can we become the people we want to be. This eclipse falls at the critical degree of 0 Leo, which aims to show us that we must love ourselves MORE. The most complicated, intense, and rewarding relationship is the one we have with ourselves. How do we love and take care of ourselves? How can we improve our current situations? What have we learned since 2017? How have we evolved? What parts have we kept captive in the caves and depths of our existence? Just like the tale of the Nemean Lion, cradle and foster the parts that are yearning to break free and seen. No matter what obstacles are put in our way, we must fight for our selves, the hunger that is buried in our hearts—the parts of ourselves that we have ignored are yearning to be seen.

Create a Moon circle with friends and family to discuss goals, hurts, and feelings. This will help enlighten us all, making us all feel heard and cared for by others. Discussing fears and setbacks will help elevate the body, mind, and spirit—most importantly the heart—to take center stage while helping to evolve and heal. Allow the collective to help, as they listen deeply to us, letting us roar out our hearts.

*The eclipse occurs January 20th at 9:16PM PST and January 21st EST at 12:16AM.