Moon Mondays: Embrace your inner creative — Venus enters Leo 

As kids at the Aspen Community School, we were cast in plays that were wildly inappropriate for our age — think “Streetcar Named Desire” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In the latter, I played a nurse administering shock treatment to my friend Andy, who portrayed McMurphy — the role Jack Nicholson depicted in the film. I was 11. Andy was 14. 

A bold New York City director named Paul Rubin had just moved to town. He, along with some other “community” parents, thought it was time us naive Aspen youth should tackle dramatic plays. Felicity Huffman caught her acting bug playing Blanche in “Streetcar.” You won’t convince me otherwise. 

In “Blues for Mr. Charlie” by James Baldwin, we primarily all-white students were painted in black face — in case you weren’t yet cringing above. Ironically, that play, loosely based on Emmett Till’s murder, was my first introduction to understanding the sickening force that is racism.  

My big breakthrough came in “Bus Stop,” where I played Cherie, the role Marilyn Monroe portrayed in the movie. After being attacked by the reckless cowboy Bo (aka my schoolmate Marc, now an Aspen High School teacher), it was like I woke up from dazed dissociation, unable to process being violated like that at age 13, to shockingly huge applause. It was jarring coming back into reality, tears streaming down my young cheeks, sobbing over the pool table at the original Woody Creek Tavern.  

After the play, our director Paul hugged me and praised my performance, a cherished shift from his usual bellowing. In that adolescent moment, I was convinced I was destined to be an actress. The following year, at an all-girls boarding school in Dallas, persuaded me out of that notion. I couldn’t make the leap from “Bus Stop” to “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” with any sober acting aspirations. 

Leo’s creative fire 

Performing is the quintessential Leo creative act — on stage, for an audience, in the spotlight, preferably playing the lead role. What was your school play debut? I’m sure you remember it well, whether it lit your inner Leo fire or frightened you enough to abandon seeking attention altogether. 

My acting dream faded, but my creative drive remains alive thanks to the Community School. We all carry that spark in one form or another, even if we’ve convinced ourselves it extinguished long ago. Creativity is part of the human spirit, something each of us possesses whether we acknowledge it or not. 

As Venus enters Leo today, our artistic energy is amplified, inviting us to express it. 

Leo is inspired by our creative nature — tuning into the part of us that knows we’re meant to shape the world around us. I think of Leo like Michelangelo’s painting where God is nearly touching Adam’s finger, passing the glint of creative life. Leo thrives in that electric flicker. 

Venus in Leo encourages enjoying life without constantly overdoing. She’s more interested in over-being and following our passions of self-expression with delight.  

As summer’s whirlwind eases and we find time for ourselves again, this Leonine Venus invites us to give life to our inspired yearnings. We thrive in making something new that has never existed before — be it taking photos of a leaf on your phone, belting out a favorite song in the car, or coloring with crayons. 

If you’re thinking, “I’m not creative,” I challenge that limiting belief. Creativity takes many forms — journaling, problem-solving, parenting, mixology, pickleball serves, stylish dress choices, or simply how you show up in the world. Even seemingly small acts of self-expression are creative acts. If you and I sat down together, I could absolutely find where your Leo twinkle shines, publicly or secretly. 

Celestial opportunity ahead 

For the next few weeks until Venus enters Virgo, take the opportunity to encourage your creativity. Dust it off, if it’s been tucked away like an old guitar case in the back of your closeted mind. Notice what you create every day — the actions, decisions, and ideas that make your world go round.  

Ask yourself: what’s one small, easy step you can take to cultivate your creativity and embrace it? Your deed doesn’t have to be grand — it could be as simple as trying a new recipe, arranging flowers from the farmer’s market, making a rocking playlist or behaving differently in your relationships. Whatever it is — notice it and claim it. 

Next week brings the Pisces full moon lunar eclipse (That’s a mouthful) opening the potent eclipse portal — illuminating our hidden darkness. 

Creativity isn’t reserved for artists or actors — it lives in all of us. Venus in Leo reminds us to honor that spark, bring our ideas to life, and shine unapologetically. Take this week to celebrate your inner Leo and let your creativity light your way. 

Sheridan Semple is an Astrology Life Coach and the founder of Moon Sisters Circle. She guides women in breaking through self-doubt, making choices that support their goals, and living their creativity with confidence. Find her work at sheridansemple.com or reach her at sheridan@sheridansemple.com.