Leo New Moon 2026 arrives with some serious cosmic firepower. For the first time in 12 years, Jupiter is in Leo, amplifying themes of confidence, creativity, leadership, love, and self-expression. Add a Mercury retrograde into the mix, and Barbault’s Basket, and this Leo season isn’t asking you to play small. It’s asking you to lead with your heart.
“The Sun changes everything simply by being what it is. Leo season asks us to do the same.” ⭐
Joy is not an escape from the world.
It is one of the ways we rebuild it.
This Leo New Moon, don’t wait for permission to create, to lead, to love, or to be seen.
Your life has been waiting on you long enough.
We not only have a Leo New Moon, but for the first time in 12 years, Jupiter is in Leo as the month begins. That’s a lot of oomph behind Leo placements and Leo season to kick off the year ahead.
While, yes, we do have a Mercury retrograde and the infamous Barbault’s Basket during the start of the month, meaning plenty of major aspects (check your chart if you have anything around 4 degrees), the fiery sign of love, leadership, creativity, and generosity is the headline of this New Moon.
Let’s kick off our roundtable discussion with some Leo basics.
Leo’s Greatest Gift…and Its Greatest Challenge
The Kabbalists teach this month holds a dichotomy we have to recognize and work with inside ourselves each day.
On the one hand, ruled by the Sun, Leo is generous, loving, confident, and born to lead. It is not a sign to be diminished or ignored.
On the other, Leo holds tremendous personal power which, left unchecked, can become egomaniacal, self-absorbed, and concerned only with itself at the expense of everyone else.
The current acting U.S. president has Leo rising, as did the Republican before him. The last two Democratic presidents were Leo Suns. That’s almost 40 years of Leo leadership.
You guys…when I say Leo wants the focus, they really, really do.
(And do note: Kamala had Mars in Leo and Hillary had a Leo stellium.)
Yet the awesome power of Leo really is that it sincerely cares for others, even if, at times, that care becomes misguided or overshadowed by ego, as we see in many public figures.
As symbolized by the body part it rules, the heart, Leo is ultimately all love.
Why the Leo New Moon Starts Off Challenging
The Kabbalists teach this month contains the holiday of love and soulmates at the Full Moon.
Love truly sits at the center of Leo’s purpose. As long as your actions are driven by genuine care for others, you’re generally moving in the right direction.
Interestingly, however, this month begins with more friction than most.
Most astrological months start relatively smoothly before exposing their challenges.
Leo does the opposite.
It begins with its shadow and gradually reveals its light.
The reason is found in the sign before it.
Cancer, ruled by the Moon, invites us inward. Leo, ruled by the Sun, asks us to move outward.
That transition can feel abrupt.
Going from an inner world to an outer one, we can easily become disconnected from ourselves while simultaneously demanding more attention from everyone else.
That’s where the work begins. (Read more about Leo Season here.)
The Real Lesson of Leo Season
Here’s the cautionary tale we need to discuss: People are bound to be feeling themselves.
Some may become overly emotional.
Others may barrel ahead with all cylinders firing, convinced everyone else simply needs to keep up.
That’s exactly where we get into trouble.
Everyone smashing into one another without much sensitivity, either to themselves or to anyone else.
Pretending they’re fine when they’re not.
Emotionally.
Financially.
Spiritually.
Or becoming so disconnected from themselves they genuinely don’t understand what they’re feeling or doing anymore.
Dysregulation is clutch to watch out for this month.
Yet, as the Kabbalists teach, we often misunderstand what healing requires.
It’s not that the world around us must change to suit us.
It’s that we must become correctly aligned before moving forward.
Aligned to ourselves, not others expectations or to listening to mob mentality.
Hard?
Yep.
Possible?
Fo sho.
Astrology helps.
So do yoga, meditation, journaling, therapy, team sports, community, and any spiritual practice that helps you return to yourself.
With all the fire and passion this month, don’t lose yourself.
Leo Is All Love
Listen, I know I’m going hard on what to watch for this month.
Our selfish desires.
Our ego running amok.
There’s also our fear of not being enough.
But that’s only because, when those things are put in their rightful place, what emerges is joy.
Pleasure.
Creativity.
Fun.
Community.
Celebration.
Leo is a good time.
(Honestly, look at those past four acting presidents. They clearly show joy, pleasure, and leadership – with varying degrees of ethics and morality, of course. Love them or hate them, no one would accuse them of being wallflowers.)
Leo is the loving leader who genuinely has everyone’s best interests at heart.
Who understands that leadership exists to serve.
Who has the courage to actually do something about it.
Not everyone wants to be J.Lo or Madonna or Napoleon.
Or president.
Or responsible for other people. Let alone many other people.
But someone has to step forward.
Leo is that someone.
It’s a sign associated with royalty.
And what should royalty be, at its best?
Caretakers.
Leo season is connected to the 5th house, the house of creativity, fertility, romance, children, and play.
Have you played lately?
Yes, the world is on fire.
It’s also being reborn.
And your joy matters.
Your ideas matter.
Your creativity matters.
How to Embrace the Leo New Moon
Is there an art class you’ve been thinking about?
A creative project you can’t stop imagining?
A dream that keeps tapping you on the shoulder?
Something fun you’ve postponed because life felt too serious?
When was the last time you made something simply because you wanted to?
Please do it.
It isn’t silly.
It isn’t frivolous.
It’s your intuition.
It’s your connection to the force that creates everything.
Follow it.
The Kabbalists teach this month holds tremendous light that is waiting for us to reveal it. We do that with our consciousness and actions. We also do that by asking for help when we need it. Humility is a key for this month. It’s apart of leadership, of love, of self-rule.
What Does the Leo New Moon Mean for You?
Use your Rising sign, or your Sun if you don’t know it.
- Aries: Patience
- Taurus: Love
- Gemini: Intention
- Cancer: Nurture
- Leo: Selflessness
- Virgo: Joy
- Libra: Integrity
- Scorpio: Courage
- Sagittarius: Wonder
- Capricorn: Lightness
- Aquarius: Intimacy
- Pisces: Devotion
Jupiter in Leo doesn’t simply make us louder.
It magnifies whatever is already in our hearts.
Joy isn’t a distraction from building a better world.
It may be one of the reasons we build it at all.
Lead with your whole heart.
That’s what the Sun would do.
This Leo New Moon, don’t just wish for a new chapter. Create one.
If you want to understand yourself more deeply, book a reading with me and let’s explore what your chart is showing.
Want to learn how to read the map yourself? My beginner Kabbalistic Astrology class is available now.
And if you’re looking for ongoing guidance and community, Le 29th Club launches later this month: an astrology salon where we gather, ask questions, learn together, and use astrology as a practical tool for growth.
Your chart is the map.
Your choices write the story.
Bisous, Ange…
Wants to know. Has some questions. Very Sag. Always up for pizza. Planning several trips. Big fan of joy. Wants to talk about it. All of them. Is sure we can figure out this whole living thing. Is rooting for you.
