Sovereignty of the Heart and the End of Self-Betrayal The Full Moon in Leo exposes a fundamental question of the psyche: Where has the heart been subordinated for the sake of belonging? Leo governs sovereignty, vitality, and the right to take up space. When illuminated by a full moon, these themes surface not as confidence, but as truth. Whatever has been suppressed in the name of harmony, approval, or survival now demands recognition. For the Spiritual Animist, Leo is not ego—it is life-force. In the natural world, the lion does not ask permission to exist. It embodies presence. This moon highlights where our relationship to life has been negotiated instead of inhabited. The Animist Dimension In animist understanding, fire is a living intelligence. Leo carries solar fire—the force that animates, warms, and sustains. Under a Leo Full Moon, this fire reveals distortions: where vitality has been dampened, where expression has been muted, and where the heart has been disciplined into silence. This is not a call to perform. It is a reckoning with aliveness. When the heart is consistently restrained, the body follows with fatigue, resentment, or collapse. Nature does not punish this—it reflects it. The Jungian Axis: Persona vs. Self Carl Jung identified the persona as a necessary social interface—but dangerous when mistaken for identity. The Full Moon in Leo illuminates the gap between who we present and who we are. When this gap widens, the psyche compensates through anxiety, irritation, or grandiosity. Leo’s lesson is not self-expression for its own sake, but self-loyalty. Individuation advances when the heart is allowed to inform identity, rather than being managed by it. Love, in this context, is the refusal to abandon oneself to remain acceptable. Psychological and Spiritual Integration This moon does not ask for dramatic change. It asks for correction. Quiet … internal corrections: - speaking one truth you usually withhold, - withdrawing from a role that drains vitality, - honoring the body’s signals without justification.