Full Moon in Leo 2023 — leading from the heart
Living a heart-led life is the key to navigating this transitional time while creating a new reality for yourself and the world.
Hey Witches,
In a world that seems to be descending into chaos, it takes courage to live in love rather than fear — which is what the Leo Full Moon is coming to teach us on February 5th.
We tend to think of Leo as the live-out-loud sign that loves drama and being the centre of attention.
While it can be fun (and healing) to embrace the playful side of Leo energy, this lunation also has a deeper meaning.
Leo rules the heart, and the word “courage” comes from the Latin root meaning heart. With all the fear-mongering, lies, manipulation, and conflict in the world, it takes courage to keep our hearts open and not live in contracted, defensive, fearful energy.
Fear is disempowering. It tricks us into believing we can’t change anything. By contrast, heart-based living means understanding that everything you do has a ripple effect and that every choice can be made from fear or love.
Living a heart-led life is the key to navigating this transitional time while creating a new reality for yourself and the world.
What would the world look like if we all lived from the heart instead of from fear? Dramatic events are likely to continue unfolding in the coming years…but how they unfold depends on how we respond as a collective.
People are already living from the heart if you know where to look. You can watch the old system collapse and shrink in fear, or you can open your heart to all the ways people are innovating for our highest good.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about Aquarius energy, revolutions, and how every revolution begins within. Leo is the polarity of Aquarius, meaning they hold opposing but complementary energies.
Leading from the heart is all about the external action we take — whether just as leaders of ourselves and our own lives or as leaders in our family, business, or community.
Society has conditioned us to believe that we only think with our brains, but this isn’t true. Your heart contains neurons that neurocardiologists consider “sufficiently extensive to be characterised as a brain on the heart.” In other words, the heart thinks for itself, and communication between the heart and brain flows in both directions.
But what do the thoughts of the heart sound like, and how can we hear them? The HeartMath Institute describes them as the “flow of intuitive awareness” — in other words, the voice of the heart is the voice of intuition.
When a thought, belief, or desire comes from the heart, it is soft and unwavering. There is no anxiety around it, just a sense of clarity that permeates every cell of your body. The heart is trustworthy, it doesn’t lie — it is the seat of your deepest truth.
By contrast, the mind is a trickster. It can make you believe all kinds of untrue things. It can trick you into thinking you want things you don’t or stop you from going after what you do want.
To live a heart-led life, we must learn how to tune into the heart’s frequency. HeartMath created a simple exercise called the Quick Coherence® Technique. Here’s how to do it.
A technique to help you live from the heart
There are lots of techniques, from yoga and breathwork to martial arts, that can help you cultivate a deeper heart-mind connection.
However, this technique by HeartMath is incredibly simple, effective, and can be practised anywhere. The more you do it, the easier it will become to tune into the frequency of your heart and live from love instead of fear.
Feel free to turn this into a ritual or simply use it anytime you feel yourself getting out of alignment.
Step 1
Find a comfortable seated position and start to deepen your breath. Bring your awareness to your heart area — you can place your hands over it if this helps. See if you can feel your heartbeat and start to imagine you’re inhaling and exhaling through your heart.
Step 2
Think about something or someone you love and that brings about genuine feelings of love, happiness, gratitude, affection, or care. This could be a pet, friend, family member, or even a place or experience you love.
That’s it! You should feel a noticeable shift in your mood and energy and can then choose how to move forward with your day from a place of alignment and peace.
Leo Full Moon self-care rituals
Set aside time to play.
Express yourself through art (it doesn’t have to be good — it just has to come through the heart).
Tell someone how much you love them and why.
Do something that brings your inner child joy.
Practice heart-opening yoga poses such as Bhujangasana, Ushtrasana, Natarajasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Garudhasana, Simhasana, or Broken Wing Pose.
Random acts of kindness.
Get your hair cut.
Massage your heart with rose essential oil.
Chant the heart chakra bija mantra “Yam”.
Go on an adventure.
Leo Full Moon journaling prompts
Write a list of everything you feel grateful for (try to fill at least one page of your journal)
Write about a fear that’s holding you back from taking action on something you want to do or achieve. Ask the fear what it’s trying to protect you from, thank it, and write a counterargument.
How would your life look different if you lived it without fear?
Write about a time you were afraid but took action anyway. What was the outcome, and how did you feel afterwards?
If your heart could write you a letter, what would it say?
What does heart-led living mean to you?
Write a list of small actions you can take every day that will add up to big changes in your life and the lives of those around you.
In what areas of your life are you giving your power away to fear? How can you reclaim it?
Write about someone you consider courageous. What do you admire about them and why?
How can you embody the type of leadership you wish to see in the world?
That’s it for this week. I would love to know what a heart-led life means to you. Let me know in the comments or join me on Substack chat.
I hope you have a magical Leo Full Moon, whatever you do.
Love and blessings,
Victoria