Because the Moon was New on Sunday, we’ll get beautiful views of it as a waxing crescent in the evening sky all week long, looking west into the twilight after the Sun sets, and especially overnight Wednesday, when it moves past the star Regulus, at the heart of the constellation Leo, the Lion.
Regulus was known as one of the Four Royal Stars of Persia, stars that marked a mighty cross in the starry heavens that were believed to be guardians of the sky in the ancient world. As the lead star, Regulus held the position of the King and guardian of the Summer Solstice, standing opposite the region of the Waterman, Aquarius, the watcher of the south and Winter Solstice. These two stand at right angles to the star Aldebaran, in Taurus, which is now in the morning sky, and to the star Antares, in Scorpio. Antares is now rising in the evening sky, trailing the thickest region of Milky Way stars in its wake.
It seems that the earliest use of the lion as a symbol was in Egyptian mythology, where the lion would sit beside the Sun god Ra and pour forth blazing fire that would scorch and consume his enemies. When Regulus occupied a significant position in the birth chart of an individual, the person was considered a natural-born leader, able to rise above the petty squabbles of others.
Then, when Regulus was close to the Moon, like it will be this week, it was understood that not only would there be qualities of true leadership, but leadership imbued with love and devotion, as opposed to leadership through power and authority. The Moon near Regulus was believed to bring out humanitarian concerns. So let’s see what Moon and Regulus bring this week, now the Moon has so recently eclipsed the Sun, and knowing that it’s on its way to being eclipsed itself, two weeks from now.