Art Practice, Moon Magic: January, Full Moon in Leo

Tomorrow is the Full Moon in Leo.

As I've been exploring my own creative practice with the new Art Practice, Moon Magic theme for January, starting with the New Moon prompt, I've realized that a little Full Moon touch-in post may be a helpful thread to the moon's shifting energy each month as well... for all of us who are playing along this month or this year.

So, we began this cycle with the New Moon in Capricorn - and our monthly theme of DEDICATION (more info HERE) - and we move into a Full Moon in Leo tomorrow, with the Sun now in the 'opposing' zodiac sign of Aquarius... and that can sound like a lot of astrological mumbo-jumbo, especially if we were to dive into the planetary influences at this time as well.

If you are interested in a deeper synopsis, a go-to for many of us intuitive and astrologically-curious types is the wonderful Mystic Mama site, of course (see link below).

But for our creative practice, it can be most helpful to keep our focus simple, our curiosity sparked, and to just get our hands in the paint and pages.

So rather than see the current sun sign and moon sign dance as opposing energies, I like to think of them as opportunities for harmonization. Everyone dances a little differently with every partner, right?

Leo and Aquarius bring to us some harmonizing energy about our interest in self and groups, attachment and detachment, vision and expression,  what is personal and impersonal. We need all of it, and every way in-between, depending on our current personal context, right? Nature is here to remind us of the harmony and balance that we all play a part in.

What is coming up for me around this theme of DEDICATION - taken from the powerhouse, get-it-done gifts of Capricorn - is some intuitive hits about power and changing perspective right now, and how we express our inner sense of this in our outer world.

And Leo is a wonderful energy and teacher for creative types to bring consciousness, too... Leo is all about expression, sharing and creativity!

What a powerful sign for the nature of the Full Moon, in general... remember...

The Full Moon is a great, energetic time for shining & reflecting light – sharing & seeing! – and noticing what has been completed or created, what is peaking in its prime process, and what else needs tending to bring closure for the next cycle.

So for this Full Moon, I have a question/prompt for you that I've always found to be a huge help, and that seems to relate to harmonizing the energies of Leo:

In regards to what has come up for your with the New Moon Monthly theme, and your consideration of DEDICATION for this season or year...

What stands out at you that you need or want most?

What does having or receiving this feel like? (Collage, paint, contemplate, draw, write it out, go for the feeling...)

Now, consider this...

This is a shining reflection of what you most need to GIVE.

How does that feel? How might you share it? How does it relate to the intentions you've been setting with the New Year and January's theme? Is there another layer of clarity there for you?

I'll share a bit more about my own personal reflections with this month's Art Practice, Moon Magic next week.

In the meantime, you can join the Link-Up to share what's been coming up for you anytime RIGHT HERE on that original post - the sharing for this month's practice has already begun!

Also - I've been touched by the warmth which Art Practice, Moon Magic has been received from you all so far, and next month I'll have a few more details laid out about it for everyone.

So, thanks for coming along for the maiden month in your creative practice, as I feel into how to share and hold space best for the invitations. It was going to be a personal practice just for me, but I'm so glad I've decided to invite others along - as we all have some creative observations and wisdom about the moon's energies and gifts to explore and share with one another!

And HERE is that link over to Mystic Mama's detailed post about the Full Moon in Leo and lots of other planetary aspects that effect what you may be intuitively sensing right now. Use it as inspiration, but if it feels like more unhelpful noise or like a distraction from your own creative discoveries and intuitive sense, then just click away and get back to your own art practice magic!

I also really love the straight-talking guidance from Chani Nicholas to inform my practice and feed my curiosity, like this post on the Leo Full Moon.

And I like these Leo-based reminders from astrologist and holistic nurse, Marina Ormes:

It takes Leonian courage to step in the direction your heart and soul want to go. The word courage comes from a word that means “heart.” Following your heart helps you live more fully, and the energies at the time of this Full Moon will help you see more clearly how to do just that.

A synonym for courage is audacity. During this Full Moon, pay attention to what the world is revealing to you about how to be audaciously in alignment with your true self.