New Moon: 18:37 BST • Solar Eclipse Maximum: 19:13 BST • 12th August 2026

This month's New Moon falls in Leo and is accompanied by a Solar Eclipse, making it one of the most significant lunar events of the year.

Every New Moon marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle and is traditionally associated with fresh starts, intention setting and new possibilities. A Solar Eclipse, however, has long been viewed as something a little different. While every New Moon offers us an opportunity to begin again, eclipses are often thought to mark the beginning of a much bigger chapter. They encourage us to pay attention to the moments that quietly shape the direction of our lives, even if we don't recognise their significance until much later.

With this eclipse taking place in Leo, those familiar themes are accompanied by creativity, courage and the life-giving energy of the Sun. Rather than asking us to become somebody different, this New Moon invites us to think about something many of us forget to make time for as adults.

The simple act of creating.

When Did We Stop Making Things Just Because We Enjoyed Them?

As children, we create without giving it much thought.

We draw pictures that never hang in galleries, build dens that last an afternoon and spend hours inventing stories that disappear as quickly as they arrived. We aren't usually concerned with whether they're good enough or whether anyone else will approve. We create because it feels natural, because we're curious and because making something brings its own kind of satisfaction.

Somewhere along the way, that often changes.

As adults, much of what we create is driven by necessity. We prepare meals because everyone needs to eat. We keep on top of the washing, reply to emails, organise calendars and work through endless lists of responsibilities. Those things matter, but they can leave very little room for creating simply because it brings us joy.

Perhaps that's why so many of us quietly stop calling ourselves creative. Not because we've lost the ability, but because we've forgotten that creativity was never limited to artists or musicians in the first place.

The Quiet Courage of Beginning

Creating anything asks something of us.

Whether it's planting a garden, learning a craft, writing the first page of a book or starting a business, every new idea begins in exactly the same place. Long before there's anything to admire, there's simply a decision to begin.

That can feel surprisingly vulnerable.

It's much easier to imagine what we'd like to do than it is to make a start, especially when we don't know how things will unfold. We tell ourselves we'll wait until life feels quieter, until we have more confidence or until we're certain we're doing it the right way. Yet most meaningful things don't begin with certainty. They begin with curiosity, hope and a willingness to take one small step without knowing exactly where it will lead.

Perhaps that's the kind of courage Leo speaks to. Not the courage to be the loudest person in the room, but the quieter courage of making something because it matters to you.

Every Meaningful Thing Has a Beginning

If you look around your home, you'll probably find countless reminders that everything begins somewhere.

A favourite recipe was once cooked for the first time. A family tradition started because someone decided to try something different one year. A cosy reading corner was once an empty space waiting to be filled. Even the businesses we admire today began as ideas scribbled into notebooks, conversations around kitchen tables or projects someone almost talked themselves out of starting.

We rarely think about those beginnings because we usually encounter the finished version. Yet every meaningful creation has a story that starts long before anyone else notices it.

Perhaps that's what makes this New Moon Solar Eclipse feel so significant. It reminds us that new chapters don't always begin with dramatic change. More often, they begin quietly, with one ordinary decision that slowly shapes everything that follows.

Journal Prompts for the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo

If you'd like to spend a little time reflecting beneath this New Moon, you might like to explore these questions:

✦︎ Is there something I've been longing to make, build or begin?

✦︎ What's stopping me from taking the first step?

✦︎ Where in my life have I been creating only out of necessity, rather than joy?

✦︎ What would I love to spend more time making over the coming months?

✦︎ How could I bring a little more creativity into everyday life?

You don't need to answer every question now. Sometimes simply asking them is enough.

Explore New Moon Readings

The themes explored in this article describe the collective energy of the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo, but each New Moon brings a different focus as the lunar cycle continues.

My New Moon Readings offer written Tarot guidance inspired by the themes of each New Moon, with the option to include Astrology Insight exploring how that New Moon may affect you based on your own birth chart placements.

Each reading is individually interpreted and written by me, then delivered to your email as a detailed PDF.

Please note: My New Moon Readings change with each lunar cycle, so the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo Reading featured when this article was originally published is no longer available. You can visit my New Moon Reading page below to see the latest reading and current availability.

Explore New Moon Readings →

A Simple New Moon Solar Eclipse Ritual

A Solar Eclipse is often associated with new beginnings, making it a beautiful time to acknowledge the start of a new chapter.

You'll need:

✦︎ A candle

✦︎ A journal or piece of paper

✦︎ A pen

Light your candle and spend a few quiet moments thinking about something you'd like to make, build or begin over the coming months. Rather than writing down the finished outcome, focus on the very first step. Keep it small enough that it feels achievable, whether that's buying the notebook, planting the herbs, signing up for the class or setting aside ten minutes to begin.

As the candle burns, spend a few moments reflecting on how every meaningful creation starts in much the same way. Not fully formed or perfectly planned, but with somebody deciding that it's worth beginning.

Fold your paper and keep it somewhere you'll come across it over the coming weeks. Each time you notice it, let it remind you that progress rarely comes from waiting until everything feels certain. More often, it comes from quietly returning to the next small step.

As this New Moon Solar Eclipse marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle, perhaps its invitation isn't to transform your life overnight. Perhaps it's simply to make room for something that has been waiting patiently to be created.

However you choose to spend this New Moon, whether that's through journalling, quiet reflection, lighting a candle or simply taking the first small step towards something that's been waiting for your attention, I hope it reminds you that every meaningful beginning starts somewhere.