The 2026 Leo Full Moon and the Art of Conscious Power

On Sunday, February 1st at 5:09pm EST, the sky will bathe us in the light of the Snow Full Moon at 13º02' Leo. This marks the fourth consecutive New or Full Moon that places one or both of the luminaries (Sun and/or Moon) at the Venus–Mars midpoint. What this indicates is that while these New and Full Moons all share a similar base note (like a cologne), their heart and top notes differ.

An ad campaign for a Venus/Mars midpoint scent, might sound something like:

A scent created for the compassionate change-agent in all of us.
Designed for those who know power doesn’t have to dominate to be effective.
Layered with notes of connection, courage, and relational intelligence.
For those who know — true influence is infused with warmth, not force.

This Venus/Mars midpoint provides a grounded and warm-hearted base note to this Leo Full Moon fragrance.

While this lunation has the Sun sitting at this midpoint in Aquarius, a critical distinction is the Sun (13º02' Aquarius), Venus (18º11' Aquarius), and Mars (6º44' Aquarius) have all crossed Pluto’s path (3º42' Aquarius). This means they are no longer operating in an age of innocence. Their shadows have risen and now demand acknowledgment and integration. The blinders are off — and we can’t unsee what we have seen.

This interaction with Pluto introduces the heart notes of the Leo Full Moon fragrance. When planets cross Pluto, they trigger intense, transformative, and often cathartic life changes. These periods act as a death-and-rebirth process, forcing confrontation with the shadow self, buried emotions, and power dynamics, leading to deep personal — and in Aquarius, collective — evolution or a forced surrender of control.

Here is the essence each planet contributes to the heart notes of this Full Moon:

Sun conjunct Pluto: A total reconstruction of identity, ego, and life direction; often experienced as a clear “before and after” moment in life.
Venus conjunct Pluto: Power struggles, obsessive desires, or profound transformation in relationships (especially with women) and finances.
Mars conjunct Pluto: Immense drive and potency, alongside the risk of extreme conflict; calls for conscious channeling of anger into purposeful action.
Mercury conjunct Pluto: (Out of orb for the Full Moon; however, Mercury crossed Pluto January 22nd–24th.) This aspect marks a shift from surface-level thinking to a relentless search for absolute truth.

This adds significant heat and spice to the deep, warm, grounding richness of the base notes.

The top notes emerge through the opposition of the Leo Moon itself to the Sun, Venus, and Mars in Aquarius.

While it might be tempting to describe this as a cooling essence — an aquatic marine note or a light bergamot chill — a Leo Full Moon does no such thing. This lunation amplifies the spice. Think pink pepper, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon layered generously into the blend.

This Leo Full Moon represents internal heat becoming visible emotion. Opposing three planets in Aquarius, this moon forces a confrontation between personal emotional needs (Leo) and collective desires, relational dynamics, and future-oriented visions (Aquarius). It highlights the tension between autonomy and interdependence.

At its core, this Full Moon marks a peak moment for emotionally charged reevaluation — particularly around where we are heading, and how our personal passions (Leo) must either adapt to or consciously challenge collective, societal, and relational change (Aquarius).

Leo Moon opposite the Aquarius Sun: Expect heightened awareness of the tension between personal emotional needs and collective identity or purpose; requires balancing self-expression with group responsibility.
Leo Moon opposite Aquarian Venus: Emotional needs may clash with relational values or social ideals; challenges around feeling seen and understood, while maintaining objectivity in relationships.
Leo Moon opposite Aquarian Mars: Strong emotional reactions can oppose how one asserts will or takes action; calls for integrating instinctive emotional expression with deliberate, principled action.

The Leo Full Moon acts as an expressive flare, activating the entire composition and drawing the base and heart notes outward into lived experience and emotional truth.

Buddhist philosophy teaches that awakening is not the absence of emotion, but emotion held with awareness and compassion. The fire remains — it is simply carried more consciously. We see this embodied in the Buddhist monks currently walking for peace, reminding us that true influence does not rely on force, but on presence.

And like a meaningful fragrance, something both potent and beautiful emerges when opposing forces can find a balance and are allowed to coexist. This is alchemy — the chemical wedding that brings equilibrium to apparent contradictions such as spirit and matter, light and dark, into a higher, more integrated state of being.

As the Bushidō tradition teaches, it takes courage to draw the sword, and greater courage to keep it sheathed.

Also, keep in mind that as each of us learns to hold our inner heat with care, we quietly reshape the collective field we all share.

Full Moon Blessings,
Brenda

Read the Sky. Embrace the Shift. Walk in Soul Alignment.