Leo - ruled by the Sun and ready to shine

This blog is slightly late, apologies, as the Sun entered Leo on the 23rd July. Leo is the second fire sign, and the fixed summer sign, ruled by the Sun.

As one can probably imagine a sign that is ruled by the sun is going to have sun-like qualities. The sun is the centre of the solar system, round which the other planets orbit. It gives us our light and warmth. Without the sun we can do nothing.

And so it is with Leo, big hearted and generous, Leo is warm and lively. But just as the sun is the centre of the solar system Leo also likes to be at the centre, with the attention on them.

Represented by the lion in the sky, Leo likes to lead and be in charge, just as the lion is the king of the jungle. There is a great need in Leo to be approved of. While Leo gives a lot of love, and defends those they love fiercely, it hurts for a Leo not to feel the love back.

Following on from Cancer in the zodiac, once we have gained a sense of identify and who we are, we area ready to move into the next quaternity, starting with Leo as the 5th sign in the zodiac. In Leo we harness our creative energy and our passions. It is where we also have fun.

As I've said in other blogs, we all have every sign expressed in some way on our charts. So no matter what your sun sign is, there will be an area of your life where you have Leo qualities. This is the area of your life where you want to shine and be noticed. Not feeling warmth and recognition in the Leo area of your life is hard. As Leo is ruled by the Sun, how you express the Leo area of your life will be affected by your sun sign. As my sun is in Capricorn, the Leo area of my life is cooler and more measured than some-one who has the sun in Aries for example, where it could be quite fiery.

All of life is about finding balance and to balance Leo, we need to look to Aquarius, the opposing sign. Leo's passion is balanced with an emotional detachment in Aquarius, which can allow decisions to be made with a cooler head. Where Leo can be egocentric, Aquarius is focused on the needs to the group. To function in society a healthy balance between the two is needed. We need to express ourselves and be recognised (Leo), but we also need to be mindful of the greater good and the needs of the social group and society in which we live (Aquarius). Leo can be flamboyant and shine bright with the objective of being seen and admired by others, whereas Aquarius can be quirky and different because it does not care what others think. Aquarius cares about the greater good, but not so much about being approved of as an individual.

On the 1st August (2023) we will have the full Moon in Aquarius when the tension between Leo and Aquarius will be most apparent in the sky. It will be a full Moon to reflect on how we use our talents to help and serve others.

Another planetary event this month to be aware of is retrograde Venus. Venus turned retrograde on 24th July in the late degrees of Leo. While retrogrades can cause a lot of consternation, in reality it is just a time to go back over things. Some of us may have people from the past returning, if Venus goes back over a corresponding area of the chart, but this won't be the case for all of us.

This is a good point to think about how Venus in Leo works. Venus represents our values and resources. Naturally ruling Taurus and Libra, it represents money and relationships. We need both to survive, so I think of Venus as representing our survival needs. For those that have Venus in Leo in their natal chart, this retrograde may well be felt more strongly. Venus in Leo needs to be loved, by their partner and friends. This placement does not do emotionally cold and detached. Loving and generous with their resources, Venus in Leo needs the same back. Those with this placement will likely find it hard not to hear from a loved one, or to have a loved one who is not demonstrative. When Venus turns retrograde there is a real sense of needing security in relationships. This is a time to review what relationships meet our needs, and which ones do not. But also to consider what we give in relationships. Are we giving our loved ones the care that they need? Healthy relationships are bidirectional.

Venus will remain in Leo for the duration of it's retrograde phase and turn direct at the beginning of September.

Namaste and have a good Leo month

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