Why you need to clear your path forward during 2024’s full Wolf Moon in Leo
The first full moon of 2024 is rising and the time is nigh for howling — and healing.
On January 25, 2024, the Full Wolf Moon in Leo will peak at 12:54 p.m. ET
In terms of numerology, 2024 is an eight and the Universal Tarot Card for this year is Strength, the ruling card of Leo.
In its original iconography, the Strength card shows a serene woman holding open the jaws of a lion. The fierce animal submits to the woman’s courageous tenderness and serves as a metaphor for what we can expect and what will be expected of us in 2024; to master our emotions and face our fears with calm resolve.
Full moon meaning
Full moons are the pinnacle points that mark the end of a 29.5-day lunar cycle, which begins with the dark skies and fresh potential of the new moon. Not big on subtlety, as the full moon rises and shines, it casts a glaring light on what can no longer be ignored or endured.
The sign that the full moon falls in lends its energy to the collective. In this case, we have the magnanimous, self-portrait above the mantle, blinded by their own light sign of Leo.
More often than not, the Leo archetype is reduced to a preening big cat, a showboating child star, a vain dictator, and/or a maniacal hair metal frontman. This characterization is born from the underbelly of Leo; ego-ruled and brandishing a very hungry heart. A shadow lion (band name) seeks external validation, and paws at attention (good or bad) to feel important.
At its highest vibration; Leo is pure creativity, expression for the express purpose of joy, and unburdened by expectation or judgment. Apropos, this Leo full moon invites us to return to our inner child to separate/shield/protect at all costs our creativity from our need to curate ourselves for others. In doing so we get right and clear our path forward, a wonderful way to step/roar into the year to come.
Meaning of the full moon in Leo
The full moon in Leo forms a square with Jupiter in Taurus, creating friction but also a potent portal for change. Jupiter is the planet of luck and exponential growth. The ego is illuminated by this square; what attachments (relationship, career) do you maintain to define yourself? How do these definitions dim your true self? How does the perception of others become the cage that keeps you from being who you are?
The full moon in Leo coincides with the sun shining in the objectivity is my love language, ride the lighting, progress for the people, genius/madman sign of Aquarius. With the ruling influence of wild-out Uranus, Aquarius is contrarian and defiant by nature, born questioning the cages Leo finds themselves in.
This is the axis of extra (Leo) and the extraterrestrial (Aquarius.)
Aquarius is not afraid to alienate in the name of authenticity and teaches Leo that truly belonging to anything is born from an IDGAF approach to self-expression.
Leo rules the heart and under this moon, we are encouraged to listen to and lead with that vital, fist-sized compass, governed by the knowledge that love is a self-renewing resource we need not compete, perform, or beg for.
Spiritual meaning of the Wolf Moon
The first full moon of the year is known as the Wolf Moon as the howls of wolves were heard loudest and most often in January. The belief held wolves were more vocal in winter because of food scarcity, howling for hunger — if you will. However, howling has a deeper and wider resonance for wolves; it is how they strategize hunting, define territories, locate one another and reinforce bonds.
The term “lone wolf” is a misnomer. Wolves are pack animals that strike out alone not for solitude but to seek something more; a mate, a territory, a pack of their own. The concept of a dominant “alpha” wolf is another misnomer. Research confirms that wolf hierarchy is established through mating/having offspring/protecting them, not through infighting or competition.
These truths speak to the integration of the Leo/Aquarius axis, which asks us to consider what kind of community can be created when the brave and the seeking find their way home.
We have nothing to lose in being ourselves
The polarity of this lunation is made manifest in Aquarius sun/Leo moon native Megan Thee Stallion. Thematically, Megan’s lyrics focus on embodiment, empowerment, and the owning/celebration of her sexuality. By refusing to cater to anyone’s expectations, she encourages others to join her in living free, true, and without compromise. As she reminds us, “Been that b–ch, still that b–ch. Will forever be that b–ch.”
Under the influence of this moon and throughout the year ahead may you connect to the kid that you are, express the truth that rattles in your heart, and in the process, draw to you all that is meant for you.
Bless up, shine on. Be brave, be kind, be that b–ch.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
