The height of this moonth’s cycle comes with the full moon arriving on Sunday, February 1 (exact at 5:09 pm, time zone converter), and offers a revelation about how the lunar energies initiated on the January 18th new moon are developing. The new moon, guided by its association with The Devil, 4 of Pentacles, and King of Swords, called us to protect what is most important. Out of a full moon revelation about this developing energy, we are issued an invitation to return a gift to the world in the final weeks of the lunar cycle.

The astro-Tarot correspondences align this full moon with Strength. The name clearly states the card’s meaning – no enigma here – but the iconic image of a woman tenderly holding open a lion’s mouth invites us into a deeper exploration of what constitutes true strength.

When I do Tarot sessions or e-readings, I often start with the prompt of: What aspect or detail of the image most captures your attention? As I consider the current lunar patterns, I am most captivated by the lion, the open mouth, teeth, and tongue. And find myself pondering the lion as both an inner and an outer force.

Outer lions are dangerous. Lions in nature are territorial, keen hunters, and known to even kill humans. A lion is not to be trifled with. Looking into a lion’s mouth is recognizing danger – and not looking away.

There are so many outer lions circling us now. You know this; the news is an onslaught of chaos and violence in our feeds each day.

What can guide us in responding to these outer lions? Our inner lions, who are also on the move, who are inviting us to meet their power.

Your inner lion may be one, some, or all of these:

• capacity to care
• commitment to community
• devotion to values and vocation
• belief in democracy
• faith and devotion to the Divine
• cultivation of kinship with our fellow humans and more-than-human family, community, and friends.

These are quieter lions than aggression, violence, and dominance. But these inner lions can be powerful companions when we consistently tend and gently nurture them. They don’t respond to force, but instead to love and attention.

The inner lions move independently of external power. They assert themselves whenever and wherever we decide to work in partnership with them, whenever and wherever we need to be courageous.

As we reach toward our inner lions and let their energy flow into us, we are filled with their power. Energized by our inner lions, we become co-creators of the world we want to live in. We act to create that world not because our success is assured but because we have the strength to keep moving toward the vision. When we do this, we protect what is most important.

To encourage a revelation on these themes as we journey through this moonthly cycle, you are invited to one, some, or all of these practices:

• Moon bathe by sitting or lying under a window or outside on the ground. Let go of your thoughts and soak in the light. Or you might take the inspiration of this feline-connected moon and turn your moon communion into a prowl or a “dance.” Face the moon and lift your heart toward it. Feel the moon (seen or unseen) energy flow into your heart area and let that spark a movement. Let that movement lead to another. Let your thoughts flow away and follow instead the promptings of your body led by the moon.

• Take out any reading or your reflections from the new moon and look at them in a new light. How does your understanding of the cards shift now that time has passed and light has shifted? (If you haven’t done a reading yet, no problem, just do it now under the light of the full moon. You can try the one from the new moon.)

• Bring out your Devil and Strength cards from your Tarot deck and connect them to your new moon reading / reflections. You could place/imagine these cards on either side of your reading or above and below, and then look at how they add meaning into the story your original cards offered you.

• Reflect on questions such as: What is/are your inner lion(s)? How do you connect with them in these times? What action do they call you to? How do they help you protect what is most important? You could, of course, pull cards as responses to any of these questions. You may want to engage in Visio Divina to find the layers of wisdom within the cards.

When you are done, remember to offer gratitude for what you have received. Consider what gift you now want to return to the world. Pulling a card for guidance on the gift is always a fine thing to do. In the coming weeks and before the moon returns to dark around February 12th offer your gift to the world.