The Full Moon occurs at 01:45 (UT) on the 24th January 2016 at 03°Le29′.
When I was five years old, I was given the part of the donkey in the nativity play. I was appalled because of course I wanted to be the angel! To this day, I will never forget bouncing from wall to wall down the corridor to the assembly hall because I was too afraid to tell the teacher that I couldn’t see a thing out of my hated donkey mask.
Skip ahead six years and this time I played a gypsy woman in the yearly nativity. Finally I was in my element with huge, gold curtain rings looped over my ears with cotton (because my Mother was not going to let me have my ears pierced, no way young lady) and wearing a floaty long skirt. A glass paperweight served as a crystal ball. Finally I felt like me. To this day, I still have a fondness for floaty skirts, hoop earrings and of course I have a crystal ball, only this time it’s a real one.
Sometimes we want people to see us. Sometimes we want to hide in a corner and wish away the audience. Often it comes down to how confident we feel, whether we’re in character and whether what we’re doing or saying comes from the heart. What’s going on behind the scenes makes a marked impression on our ‘performance’.
I often call Leo the child of the zodiac – playful, full of light, expressive. It’s your nine year old yelling “watch me, Mum, WATCH me” as they show their latest party trick. But over time, some of us lose our light.
Stop showing off!
Stop being silly!
Be quiet!
You’re not the only one in the room!
As we get older, our stage fright shows up. We fear being seen as different. We try to fit in. We fear asking someone out on a date or standing up in front of our peers to make a presentation in case we look foolish. We fear being ourselves.
But our core self fights to be seen and it’s fighting at this Leo Full Moon with the Moon and Sun widely square to Mars, creating a tense t-square. Someone, somewhere wants to prove a point. Maybe we don’t feel like we’re getting the attention we deserve and ‘act up’ to catch the eye of another. It’s possible that we’re too focused on what others want and need, trying to please them and feeling aggrieved when they don’t respond. It’s temper tantrums all round and bruised egos.
The Moon is on the Sabian symbol :-
A Formally Dressed Elderly Man Stands Near Trophies He Brought Back From A Hunting Expedition
This Sabian says we want others to see what we can do or what we have done. We want them to know we are brave, that we’ve got this.
Maybe it’s about acknowledging our own achievements, cheering ourselves on, giving ourselves a pat on the back and a glowing review – even more so if we’re feeling discouraged. Remembering past successes reminds us of what we are capable of doing and being. Have fierce pride in your triumphs.
The Full Moon is a time of culmination or crisis. We may find ourselves thrust into the spotlight yet feel uncomfortable. Mars is there offering courage but the danger is that we could go overboard, pushing too hard for what we want or to make an impression because any impression feels be better than none. The Moon is sesquiquadrate to pained Chiron and therefore we may feel far too conscious of how much it hurts to be ignored. During this lunation, we need to be aware of our subconscious motivations and what we really desire.
Full Moon in Leo January 2016 – Chart

The backdrop to this chart contains other sticking points. Mercury is still retrograde and tightly conjunct Pluto in Capricorn so we’re intensely focused on getting a result (or the truth) but we’re not getting anywhere fast. Venus is suited and booted having just entered Capricorn so our tastes are restrained and unimpressed by drama queens. Saturn square Neptune distinctly takes the shine off things. There’s a stiffness to this chart that doesn’t quite gel with the normally exuberant warmth of the Leo Moon.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t use these energies positively. The key to Leo is that whatever you’re doing, whatever situation you are in, it’s about living from the heart. Whilst there are some social conventions we generally need to abide by and yes feeling like we belong is important, it’s just as important to be yourself. If you’re having to play at being someone else to please another then the gap between the real you and the false front may widen as your inner warrior battles to make a real and profound connection. Don’t let your pride or fear of looking silly get in the way.
The truth is, not everyone is going to like us and that can hurt but it hurts far more to be anything other than who you are. Be brave and shine your light.
For some reason, Leah, I was unable to click to enlarge the chart even when I opened it in a new tab to see whether that would help.
Thanks Michelle – fixed it. WordPress seems to have made a change. Normally when I insert an image, it’s automatically clickable (if that’s a word, lol!) but now it seems we have to add a link to the image. Anyway, you should be able to enlarge it now. I just logged out and checked and it’s all working 🙂
Fabulous, Leah! Thank you. At least I know I’m not going blind now. 😉
Thank you soooooo very much, Leah !!!! It all made so much sense … Thank you for sharing your bright light with us all !!!!!!!
You’re welcome Denise – full moon blessings to you 🙂
As usual, great article. I so love watching the energies in action. I can “see” what you describe all around me. Thank you!
Thank you Renea 🙂
Well, here in the U.S. two NFL playoff games will take place under the full moon, deciding which two teams will go on to the Super Bowl. I’m a fan of Tom Brady (Sun in Leo) quarterback for the the New England Patriots, last year’s champions, who are going up against Peyton Manning (Aires=Mars?), quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Both veteran quarterbacks are bound for the football Hall of Fame, and their playoff rivalry goes back to 2001. After last year’s Super Bowl win, the NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell (Saturn?), fined the Patriots and suspended Brady for four games over what fans regard as unfounded and ridiculous allegations that the team conspired to deflate footballs in order to get an edge over their opponents during their previous championship run. The suspension was overturned in court, but Brady and most of New England took the assault on his reputation very personally. Brady has responded by becoming more competitive than ever. He is, in my opinion, a true champion who has no reason to cheat. As a New England fan, it would be sweet justice to see Brady receive the AFC division’s trophy from the hands of the commissioner who wanted to see him sidelined. Your full moon chart applies to many situations, but to me it’s really interesting to see how the major astrological influences and Sabian symbols correspond to and shed light on the primary players and the upcoming contest: Leo vs Aries/Mars, with trophies and reputations on the line for ‘elderly’ quarterbacks. Manning, though just one year older than Brady, is really much more of an ‘old man.” After many injuries, his ability to execute has diminished, but he still excels at strategy. This could be his last season, while Brady shows no sign of slowing down. Either outcome will be dramatic and satisfying, as there’s a lot of understandable sympathy out there for both quarterbacks, and a lot of mutual respect between them as well. To me the matchup seems to reflect the astrological template very well. You think?
I also love your description of your role as both donkey and gypsy in the Christmas pageants. 🙂 It’s funny and delightful that you got to be both the donkey (who carried Jesus to Jerusalem in another narrative) and the gypsy seer, a nice innovation that made a rightful place for a wise woman in the manger. It’s amazing how profoundly our early participation such religious performances can affect us and inform us for the rest of our lives. Me, I got to carry a small statue of the Virgin Mary in procession, and placed her in the crèche. I was very young, and it took it as a solemn responsibility. Later, the church I grew up in put on a grand production of Benjamin Britten’s play, Noye’s Fludde. Among the creatures that found shelter in the ark built over the altar, my twin brother and I were cast as a pair horses one year and a pair of goats the next… 🙂
Haha Susan, yes whenever I think about the donkey mask it really makes me laugh. I was such a little ball of fury – absolutely indignant. Of course, I adore donkeys and yes symbolically they play an important part in the Christian tradition but my five year old self was not happy, lol! Thanks for sharing your story and for your analysis of the Super Bowl. It does resonant with these energies very well. I hope your player wins 🙂