A Bright Dark Moon Today in Leo, July 23, 2017

We have a beautiful New Moon today in the sign of Leo today! It's time for us to shine out our deepest fire light into the dark moon night. Here is your tarot reading to help you set your intentions and focus your desires for the moonth ahead :)

How can I have more fun and games in my life?- Father of Wands

The Father of Wands is Leo fire energy through and through. He is definitely not afraid to have fun, yet has more ingrained limits and boundaries for that fun than, say, the Knight of Wands. The Father of Wands loves leadership and challenges, so his idea of fun and games might be a bit more productive and results-oriented than frivolous and just passing the time. Think more along the lines of summiting a mountain, playing competitive sports, rock climbing or other outdoor adventures, rather than a peaceful nature walk or sitting in the forrest. He would rather swim across a lake or river than lay out and tan. He likes a rousing game of bar trivia rather than just pints and gossip.

The Father of Wands exudes positivity. He loves to shine, be out in the sun, and be social. He also envisions big dreams so there is a tendency to make things larger than life. This guy loves to seize the day, so carpe diem away this month. Plan activities that spark your creativity and make your feel alive. The Father of Wands is a great sign for fun times ahead this month, just make sure you plans things that have a bit of direction or purpose. Fun simply for the sake of fun may allude you with this bold, driven energy in charge.

How can experience my radiance and increase my self-confidence?- Judgement

Ah, Judgement, a weighty concept and card. Self-judging is the thing that stands in between most of us and our radiance. We judge ourselves against others, against societal expectations, and against our own high standards. And we always come up short somehow, decreasing our self-confidence and adding a bit more misery into our lives and into the world.

It doesn't have to be like that, though. We could stop setting unobtainable goals forced on us by the media and marketing that exists solely to sell more products and not make our lives better as advertised. We could stop comparing ourselves to our neighbors and trying to keep up with the Joneses. We could sit down and listen for our inner calling, for what we actually want and need, and decide what is right on an individual basis. It seems obvious that what causes you to be radiant and self-confident might be different that what works for your best friend. Yet it's so easy to forget.

Now is the time to remember that you are a unique snowflake. Start treating yourself as a whole person in this moment instead of a constant work in progress that needs to be judged, weighed, measured, and added up. You are complete right now. You do not have to wait for a future you that has done this or that in order to be radiant and confident now. This Judgement card signifies acceptance and surrender to who you inherently are.

What am I passionate about and should pursue?- V of Pentacles

The number V cards in the tarot Minor Arcana point towards strife and challenge. It is a turning point, a transition from the building energy of Ace to IV and the closing energy of VI to IX. You may find yourself at a point when you are not entirely sure what you are passionate about pursuing. You thought you were headed in one direction but now that you have gotten this far you're questioning if you really want to go through with it. The issue resides with the relationship between material wealth and spiritual wealth. What are you doing that is good for your wallet versus what are you doing that is good for your soul. And which one is more important? Can you find balance?

The best thing you can do to figure this out is to spend time on it. Use the energy from Judgement to listen for your inner calling, the right direction for you, the path you want to pursue. Let the struggle happen, don't avoid it. We like to shy away from sadness, isolation, illness, loss, and hurt- who want to stay in pain? The thing is that the pain won't go away unless you deal with the things that are causing it. Use the bright, happy energy of Leo to shine some light into your dark places and offer healing to those pains you have been or want to avoid. A glass half full attitude can go a long way towards helping your find a solution at this time.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this New Moon in Leo tarot reading. Guess what? We have another New Moon in Leo coming up on August 21st! AND a total solar eclipse which will be fully visible from my home in Nashville, TN. Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies everybody! I can't wait!