Your Horoscope This Week: August 13 to 19, 2023

Welcome to a Leo New Moon week! After last week’s Lion’s Gate Portal, we’re entering this week feeling empowered to level up in every way — psychologically, physically, spiritually, and financially. The Leo New Moon strikes on the 16th, infusing the cosmos with supercharged momentum and opportunities to reinvent ourselves, especially since Venus is still retrograde in Leo until early September. Past dreams may suddenly come to fruition now. 

This week, Neptune, the planet of illusion, which is currently in Pisces, forms a semi-square to the North Node in Aries. This serves as a contrast to the refreshing new moon energy by reminding us that it’s not enough to be optimistic and dream about what we want to bring to life — we have to consistently take bold steps toward bringing forth our ideal realities. 

We’d benefit from spending this last full week of Leo season in a spirit of appreciation for what we’ve already manifested, but also with an awareness that sometimes the best way to move forward is to look backward and learn from our past experiences. This week is less about initiating vibrant new beginnings and more about finding the spark that you had once left behind, and relighting it so that it never runs out again.

Aries, this new moon week activates your sector of true love, fate, and youth. Let the fiery energy of the Leo new moon remind you of all the dreams your inner child has had on their bucket list this year. With Chiron settling into its retrograde through your sign, you’re feeling a strong urge to reconnect with those past desires and this is your sign to do so.

Once the moon shifts into Virgo Wednesday night, your focus shifts to infusing more time for self care and relaxation into your life. Pay attention to ways you’ve overextended yourself so far this month, most likely with the aim of "making progress" or "being productive". The Virgo moon reminds you that simply spending time in a forest in communion with the trees while observing the clouds passing by in the sky is also a divine form of productivity.

Let this new moon week help you break free from capitalistic ways of looking at life, and instead connect to more organic and regenerative ways of living and being.

Taurus, this week’s Leo new moon highlights your sector of roots, the past, and your home. Although the Leo new moon is in your fellow element of Fire, the intensity of Venus retrograde in Leo (as well as the pre-shadow period of Mercury’s upcoming retrograde through Virgo) is making you more introverted than usual. You may be in the mood to stay close to home as the week begins, especially on Monday and Tuesday due to the dark-of-the-moon energy.

Once the Leo new moon strikes and the moon enters your fellow Earth sign of Virgo on Wednesday night, your focus shifts to having more fun and letting yourself be more playful and spontaneous. If you can afford to, take a mental health break and treat the world as your playground. Take yourself out on a date to the movies or cook your favorite meal and invites someone special to indulge in it with you.

This week’s energy is all about being willing to do things differently, and with Uranus, the planet of surprise, currently in its pre-shadow retrograde period in your sign, you’re feeling a strong urge to switch up the status quo and reinvent yourself from the inside out. Follow that urge, Taurus. Your rebirth awaits.

Gemini, with the Leo new moon influencing your communication sector, you’re likely to feel very creative and inspired this week. You may also feel more passionate and romantic than usual, and this may lead to you professing your love or admiration to someone in your life, without fear of embarrassment or rejection.

This is a powerful shift for you Gemini, as it helps move you away from the stereotypes others try to impose on you when they label you as heartless or unreliable. You can be quite reliable and filled with love when you want to be, and this week’s new moon energy will help that side of you emerge more evidently. 

Once the moon shifts into Virgo Wednesday night, your sector of roots and your past is activated, and you may suddenly feel a vulnerability hangover. Rather than letting your other twin take over by suddenly icing out anyone who tries to get close to you, use the mutable energy of Virgo (as well as your own mutable nature) to find a middle ground. Instead of over-sharing, take baby steps when communicating and letting others in, and also work on being a great listener. This will deepen your bond with others and it’ll help forge mutual trust. 

Cancer, the moon’s presence in Leo as the week begins shifts your attention to your sector of money and self-esteem. What changes are you ready to make to your financial reality, Cancer? This is the week where you can start implementing strategic shifts to help you not only attract greater wealth in your life, but also find ways to sustain and multiply that wealth. The more you allow yourself to dream big without limiting yourself, the more doors start to open up for you during this Leo new moon week. 

The one caveat though is that since we’re in the midst of retrograde season, you may get the impression that you’re moving at a slower pace than usual, or that you’re taking one step forward, two steps back. This week you’ll be challenged to maintain faith in the unseen. You’re ruled by the moon and most influenced by its energy, and the more you work on embodying the confidence and magnetism of the Leo moon’s energy, the more you’ll be able to burn away your fears and inhibitions and truly be your brightest, boldest self — even amidst these retrogrades.

You’ll feel particularly empowered Wednesday through Saturday, when the moon spends time in Virgo, right off the heels of the Leo new moon. Virgo energy harmonizes with your Cancer nature, encouraging you to invite more structure and softness into your life. You’re likely to spend the
weekend in a spirit of celebration, as the Libra moon helps add refreshing and light-hearted energy to your life, reminding you that balance is key.

Happy new moon week, Leo! The new moon in your sign helps reorient you toward long-term goals you had previously placed on the back burner. Whatever you’re ready to bring forth in your life can now manifest, largely due to the ignition you received from last week’s 8/8 Lion’s Gate Portal. This transformational new moon kicks things up a notch, and while Venus retrograde may lead to you at times second guessing yourself and your current path, it also helps you learn to have greater faith in the unknown, while releasing the need to control everyone and everything. 

The moon shifts into Virgo on Wednesday, activating your sector of money and security. Now that you’re supercharged by your annual new moon, it’s time to think in more practical and methodical ways when it comes to growing, sustaining, and maintaining your ideal empire.

The second half of the week provides you with the structure and discipline to create a game plan for the next six months, by using the first six months of the year as a tool for learning and growing. This is the time to be more efficient and delegate tasks so that you’re focusing on high level missions that’ll help catapult you to the top of the mountain top. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to chill too, Leo.

Virgo, this new moon week is all about rest and restoration for you, especially as we approach the start of Mercury’s retrograde in your sign, which begins next week on the 23rd. Take the slow and steady pace, especially Monday through Wednesday during the dark-of-the-moon period. Your shadow side, including your fears, insecurities, and inhibitions may come to the surface of your mind as the week begins, but this shouldn’t limit you from expressing yourself or your needs authentically.

Whenever you find yourself shrinking yourself to make others feel more comfortable, it’s a sign that you should instead raise the volume on your voice and step into the light. The Leo new moon will help you do so, even if at first you enter this new era gradually, and somewhat cautiously. 

Once the moon enters your sign Wednesday night, you’ll feel motivated to organize your home and find ways to clear your mind, especially since you've done a lot of shadow work. Try to spend the second half of the week doing less, not more. Just chillin’ and enjoying your favorite book or album can bring you much-needed serenity.

Libra, your sector of friendship and social networks is activated by this week’s Leo new moon. You may be ready to either make amends with a past friend with whom you had a misunderstanding (your planetary ruler Venus is currently retrograde in Leo, and also in your friendship sector, which is why this area of your life may have felt much more dramatic lately).

Alternatively, this new moon week you may be pleasantly surprised by someone with whom you had had a falling out, who is now ready to make amends with you. There’s no need to rush, Libra. You can hear each other out while still giving each other plenty of time and space to bloom individually before reconnecting.

Once the moon enters Virgo on Wednesday night, your sector of spirituality, solitude, and healing becomes the focus of the second half of the week, making it an ideal time to get lost in a journaling session or therapeutic stretching sesh. The more you stay connected to your body and what it’s feeling, the more you’ll tap into the energizing energy of this week’s new moon. You may particularly feel at ease once the moon enters your sign on Saturday morning, helping you see yourself in the most flattering light.

Scorpio, get ready for a complete metamorphosis in your career sector. This Leo season has shed a lot of light on your reputation and overall legacy, to the point where you may not have had much time for romance or even friendship. While this can be exciting for you professionally, finding balance between work, play, and love is essential, and that’s what your mission becomes this month.

The best way to get what you want this new moon week is to be clear and honest with yourself about what you want. This may be much easier said than done though, for the tumultuous and unpredictable energy of retrograde season could throw you (and everyone around you) for a loop, leaning you thinking: "wait — what do I actually want?" 

Take your time figuring it out. Use the Leo new moon on the 16th to look back at the best intentions you’ve set earlier this year. Which ones still speak to you, and which ones have you outgrown? Instead of placing your attention on forward movement, this week’s new moon is more about re-evaluation of your objectives and making sure they’re aligned with your values.

Sag, we’ve made it to the Leo new moon week, and this presents you with a vibrant opportunity to explore new realms of thought, education, and creativity. You’re in the mood to expand and grow beyond your current circumstances, but with your planetary ruler Jupiter currently in the grounded sign of Taurus you’re also being asked to pace yourself as you expand.

This may be easier said than done since we’re in the midst of Leo season and you tend to be supercharged when the sun’s in your element of fire. But you can tap into the energy of Venus retrograde to acknowledge that some moments are meant to be indulged step by step, rather than in a spontaneous flurry of momentum.

The moon’s presence in Virgo Wednesday through Saturday serves as a grounding and meditative experience for you, and by this weekend you may end up deciding to scale back your efforts on a professional project and instead spend more time chillin’ in nature instead. And interestingly enough, nature will most likely stimulate you to think of exciting entrepreneurial solutions that help you to bloom better as a creative, and as human being.

Capricorn, your planetary ruler Saturn’s retrograde through Pisces has been humbling you in many ways — this doesn’t mean you’ve been playing small, it just means you haven’t been as much of a know-it-all (I say this with love, as we all know Capricorns are the GOAT and often do know it all).

This week’s Leo new moon highlights your sector of depth, merging, intimacy, and outside resources, and it could lead to you having to put your pride in check when an event or memory from your past resurfaces when you least expect it. This would be a good time to examine what your relationship with forgiveness is, as you’re being asked to release old ties or bonds that limit your evolution. This may definitely feel like a work in progress, and retrograde season’s encouraging you to acknowledge what your own patterns are and choose to make the necessary shifts, even if you take baby steps.

The second half of the week is ideal for tuning out distractions and getting to work on a project that takes meticulousness and spaciousness simultaneously, as the moon will spend time in both Virgo and Libra. Let yourself have fun exploring your imagination without necessarily having a specific outlet for it.

Aquarius, you have the opportunity to start fresh in your relationships this week, thanks to the Leo new moon. What’s been working for you in matters of the heart, as well as in your platonic and professional engagements? As you reflect on this, also acknowledge whatever may have felt draining or unsustainable for you lately.

With your ruler Saturn currently retrograde in Pisces, and your second ruler Uranus in the pre-shadow period of its upcoming retrograde through Taurus, you’re able to assess the world around you with great discernment and self-awareness. And you also know that the only sure thing in life is that it’s always changing. 

This new moon week also helps you see yourself in some of the connections you keep around you, while acknowledging certain relational patterns you may have outgrown. Stimulating conversations abound this week, and once the moon enters Virgo on Wednesday night your desire for soul-stirring experiences deepens. You may get lost in a book or movie that helps you connect to pieces of your past you had almost forgotten. Let yourself be inspired by this week’s divinely timed epiphanies and serendipities.

Pisces, your focus during this new moon week should be finding ways to pour more love and attention into yourself before even thinking of taking care of others. You have the opportunity to recondition your brain to be less of an over-giver. With Mercury and Mars both in Virgo right now, activating your sector of marriage and relationships, you may subconsciously have placed other people’s needs above your own.

Fortunately, the Leo new moon serves as a wake up call. Enough is enough. If you choose to reorient your resources, unapologetically, you’ll be able to let go of resentment and increase your self-confidence. Venus’ retrograde through Leo is encouraging you to reflect on moments when you let your inner critic take the lead. It’s now time to reverse that pattern and be your own biggest cheerleader, especially as we approach the full moon in your sign at month’s end.