The New Moon in Leo

July 24, 2025, at 3:10 PM EDT

Sun/Moon at 2 degrees; Saturn, Neptune trine; retrograde in Aries

Pluto Opposes; retrograde in Aquarius; Uranus sextile; Chiron and Eris

Here comes the Sun… in Leo! It arrives with a great emphasis on how the climate-physical and emotional-can affect us in dramatic ways!

Another reminder for this month comes from April Elliot Kent, who, as a Leo herself, has this perspective to share:

“You are the hero of your own story. If we were watching a movie based on the story of your life, you would naturally be placed at the center of it, the shining Sun around which all other plot points revolve. You’re the one we watch, the one we root for. Others contribute to your story, and you to theirs; but your story is your own.”

Expect that wherever Leo is in your chart, there is a place where you can shine! Given all the dynamic aspects that this new moon interacts with, this Sun can act as a provocative powerhouse for our best and highest potentials! While there are flowing, positive aspects earlier in the new moon day, first with a quick and nimble sextile to Uranus, then the Moon glides by a trine to Neptune and moves quickly past Saturn in these early degrees of Leo. In the afternoon, the energy shifts and deepens as the Moon aligns with the Sun… which is exactly opposed by Pluto!

A quick overview is that the Sun, in Leo, is among the most energetic, creative, and expansive sources of life and energy. Normally, it exudes a “larger than life” quality of character and confidence; creativity; and can assume roles of leadership more easily than most. Not this time!

It can be seen as antagonistically aligned or opposed, and it reaches a blocking impasse-coming to a “High Noon” showdown with Pluto; the planet that resists any lateral or superficial changes in favor of a deeper experience of alchemy that leads to systemic shifts, transformations, and transmutation! At other times during our lives, and at other times in the circle of the year, we always have the option to wait, sit back, or retreat; but that more conciliatory option is much less likely this week!

This new moon is assertive; it dares us to be forthright; to speak up, and to express your willingness to resist old patterns of thought and feelings or established patterns of power and privilege. The moon asks us to wholeheartedly accept the need and then advocate for change.

We will be shown our potential for change and also where our resistance lies… The energy is ready, willing, and more than sufficient for supporting and encouraging transformation, and since your hesitant self cannot escape, we might as well go along for the ride!

As astrologer and lecturer Elisabeth Grace puts it in more aspirational

language:

“A New Moon in Leo invites us to focus on how we are loved, honored, and respected for who we are – and for the creativity we have to offer the world. Wherever this New Moon falls in your horoscope is where you may plant seeds for newfound avenues of creative play designed to win accolades.”

Any changes made, or at least those that are seriously being considered that occur during this time, are not to be considered temporary; but more likely can be seen as seismic or having a deeper, lasting effect. Additionally, the events or experiences of this upcoming week act as a prelude or as a preface; so, at the very least, we are to acknowledge these shifts and changes that will occur in a more complete and dramatic fashion by next summer, 2026.

There is an old axiom of consciousness that master astrologer Rick Levine reminds us of during this new moon. The emphasis is on the inevitability of change. This new moon, in his estimation, is a preview of what life will be like next year at this time! So, IF there is something that is valuable, reinforce it! If there is something negative, release it! If there is something to reinforce or advocate for in our world, start working on it during this moon!

He concludes that:

“It is more important to try to manifest what is new, than to hold on or rehearse that which was or what had already been established in our lives and in our world…”

The new always replaces the old, as change is an inevitable part of our lives…]

He adds a further commentary in these words:

The astrology of July is complex, yet the looming Saturn-Neptune conjunction that comes within a quarter of a degree by mid-month must wait until February 2026 to reach perfection. This confusing conjunction pits the certainty of reality against the power of imagination, making it more difficult than ever to discern the truth or find stable ground. Meanwhile, the approaching trine between futuristic Uranus and evolutionary Pluto that’s exact in July 2026 pushes closer all month and becomes more noticeable once Uranus enters adaptable Gemini. The future is calling, and we cannot ignore its messages.

This New Moon opposes ruthless Pluto, prompting intense and volatile reactions to current circumstances. It also brings profound opportunities for positive change. This is not a time to sit idly by because intentional actions now feed the fires of creativity, even if the resistance seems substantial. Healing our own personal wounds increases our empathy for others as Venus forms cooperative sextiles to Eris and Chiron on July 27-28.

Mentor Chiron begins its retrograde phase on July 30, encouraging us to review our recent strategies, readjust our goals, and gradually put our revised plans into motion. Retrograde Mercury joins the Sun on July 31, fusing our thoughts with our intentions. Nevertheless, we cannot rush the process since Mercury will not turn direct until August 8. Reflecting on recent experiences and reframing the past empowers us to reimagine the world we wish to live in. Think cosmically, act locally.”

Further reflection of the meaning and value of this new moon in Leo comes from Lena of the Shamanic school. She observes that:

“This is a fiery and complex moon that may push us out of our comfort zone to change and transform something in our lives that needs a fresh start. There is a theme of power that may cause intensity in global events or situations closer to home. Use the energy to push through discomfort in facing challenges or hard truths. The growing pains of the times are moving us in the direction of more authenticity, creativity, and self-expression. Change is inevitable. Where can you focus your creativity to be proactive in your own transformation? Be compassionate, kind, stay in your own lane, don’t take things personally, and take some time to play!”

Another more psychological observation comes from astrologer Lynn Hayes. Her outlook includes these thoughts:

“Under the Leo New Moon we are asked to shed our inhibitions and our insecurities and let the light of the Divine Child that lives still within us shine through in all its glory – to forget momentarily about the crises that surround us and the responsibilities that await us and just for one moment, to call forth the innocence and joy of a child. The return to innocence is made more difficult at this New Moon, which is exactly opposed by Pluto, planet of death, rebirth, and creative destruction. This sounds intense, and it may be, but an escape valve in the form of the potent trio of Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus is also built into the pressure of the New Moon energies. This pressure relief could come in an unexpected shape or form and will help to transform a potentially challenging New Moon to an exhilarating portal of awakening.”

The last of the planetary considerations for this report involves the backward or retrograde motion of Chiron…

At the end of the month, and before the next full moon in August, we have the reverse direction of Chiron, and to seriously consider its lasting impact. In the past, I spoke about the definition among astrologers that Chiron represents personal wounds and where we feel neglected. When using a wider lens, we can also understand that Chiron represents our societal imbalances, predilections, and emotional patterns.

One of the more agreed-upon observations is that while Chiron in Aries traveling through during the next 6 years, it can be our physical wounds. However, it can also be enlarged to cover all the historical patterns and all the contemporary practices and power dynamics around masculine action that are wounding; actions and attitudes that are surfacing so distinctly and dramatically in our culture and so acutely in our world, asking us to address them; patch them; heal them… This rerograde reminds us that..While we have done an effective job at surfacing them… or maybe they have assertively demonstrated them as a necessary focus for change, this time period, through to December, the focus remains compelling and obvious and in our distress, calls us to transformation!

Without an expansive explanation, I will give you this searching synopsis by Astrobutterfuly. They write:

“On July 31st, 2025, Chiron goes retrograde at 27° Aries. Chiron retrograde invites us to take a closer look at our wounds. How do your – conscious and unconscious – wounds shape your life? Our Chiron wounds are not always obvious, but they sabotage our lives in subtle ways. We don’t even know who we could be without them.”

Maybe we don’t start a new relationship out of a fear of abandonment. We don’t go for what we want out of an unconscious fear of embarrassment. We don’t fully step into our potential because of an unconscious loyalty to our parents or the roles we’ve been shaped to play.

Chiron retrograde is our opportunity to take a look inside and understand the wound–trigger mechanism. The goal? Transcend the pain – not by ignoring it, but by integrating it. Because our wounds are the keys to our greatest gifts. …

During this alchemical process of transmuting the places of pain within us into wisdom, we are asked (and sometimes forced) to walk through the fire of the night of the soul. In facing our deepest fears and sadness, we are able to breathe through the emotion; observing with mindfulness as the sensation transforms into pure light. This is how healing takes place.

While the healing and emergence process is most powerful for people whose charts are most specifically affected by Chiron, its influence will be stronger for all of us during the retrograde period (until December). Chiron in Aries activates the wounds of the development of the personality, and under its tutelage we discover within ourselves the power to lead and to initiate action and the courage to fight for our beliefs and our desires.”

Some closing words to consider, that are offered as a workable outlook and useful guidance, from April Elliot Kent. She writes:

The New Moon is a dark time. It is midnight now in our gardens, and it is tempting to suspect that chaos lurks in every shadow and to obey the limitations of fear without question. But while the New Moon in Leo is invisible to us just now, just below the horizon in the night sky, it’s still there, and we feel it even if we can’t see it. It reminds us that we are works in progress, and we are creating, every day, the selves we want to be and the world we want to live in. Even if there is much in the world, and in us, that could be better, Leo reassures us that it will be – because we are free to be whatever we want to be, and because there is so much good in us”.