Time to Shine!

On Thursday, July 24th, the Sun and Moon met at 2° Leo, igniting a fresh new lunar cycle with a fiery burst of creative potential. This isn’t just any new moon—it’s supercharged by outer planets Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, all positioned in early degrees of fire and air signs. We’re collectively riding the crest of a powerful energetic shift—one that may feel overwhelming, chaotic, or even a little dark at times.

But Leo doesn’t cower in the shadows. Leo energy calls us to be bold. To step up, take the lead, and shine. It reminds us that courage and self-expression are essential when navigating transformation.

And Leo rules more than leadership—it rules the heart, children, and creative expression.

With Mercury retrograde in Leo, we’re invited to revisit our past, especially moments of childhood wonder. Recently, I baked cut-out sugar cookies for an event, and as I rolled out the dough, a memory surfaced: my mother reminding me, even as a toddler, to start cutting shapes from the edge to get the most cookies out of each sheet. Of course, three-year-old me would plant the cookie cutter right in the center of the freshly rolled dough—to her exasperation and my delight.

That memory popped up alongside a curious fact I once read: Englishman David Smith discovered a 13-sided cookie-cutter shape that tessellates perfectly—no wasted dough. Ingenious, yes. But when I opened my box of cookie cutters, I decided that his perfectly shaped cookies perfectly missed the point.

Decorated sugar cookies are not about efficiency. They’re magic, whimsy, beauty, cuteness and fun!

This Leo New Moon asks you to reconnect with that kind of joy. What makes your inner child laugh and your soul light up?

Go ahead—make a mess, be spontaneous, color outside the lines, dance like nobody’s watching. And yes, plop your favorite cookie cutter right in the middle of the dough.

Because joy is the point.