Leo Sun     written  by Shirley Eftoda

Leo is the second fire sign and like all fire signs it seeks purpose and meaning.  Aries urge is to explore, Sagittarius' urge is to understand; Leo's urge is to be and create by opening the heart. 

Fire is the element of vitality itself.  The spirit of fire manifests as playfulness, enthusiasm for life, having the courage to dare, the spontaneity to be in the moment and enlightened awareness. 

Leo symbolizes the conscious ego which is that particular part of ourselves that is aware of ourselves as separate entities.  When we can touch our own inner core and take conscious control of our lives then we are able to develop an aware and focused ego; otherwise instinctual unconscious programming runs our lives along with negative expressions which stem from being unable to connect with our own true essence.  When we identify with our true essence and feel it direct our decisions, we feel confident and are empowered from within.

Throughout our lives we have been conditioned to identify with our emotions, our family, our personality, our social status, our achievements, our profession, our income and our possessions, etc.  We are led to believe that we are our house, our car, our education, our paycheck and our job.  We are conditioned to find satisfaction anywhere and everywhere but in our selves.  Leo teaches us that we are our Soul.  If we portray ourselves as someone that we are not then we are going to run into problems.  There is nothing more annoying and aggravating than a pompous, unreal fake.  And there is nothing more sincere and genuine than a real honest person expressing themselves.  Leo teaches us that it is through our unique creative expressions that we uncover our own identity. Leo is ruled by the Sun and is the archetypal energy of the King or Queen or Superstar.  The Sun is the source of our life force.  It fuels our sense of purpose while being the center of our universe.  

Leo is the King and knows it.  Everyone else knows it too.  The King acts from a compassionate and neutral heart.  Leos find meaning in their own being and in their own creations.  Naturally self-centered because they are seeking to experience the Self at the center of their being. Everything they do is important to them as their entire life is devoted to self-expression. 

Leo teaches us that by expressing and sharing our talents with the world we gain deserved recognition from others.  Leo has a need to be acknowledged by society (society being the Aquarian polarity).  Aquarius is group consciousness and world services so we need to develop the Leo aspect of our personality before we can commit to world service.  In our world social validation has become hollow as social guidelines, standardized academic performance and monetary amounts have replaced honest recognition of personal talents.  We are no longer validated for being real; we are validated for being unreal.  When we are who we are and are doing what we came here to do our efforts have group relevance.

Together Leo and Aquarius promote the individual creativity and freedom of each member of society in the context of group cooperation to achieve collective goals.  We have to do our own thing, if we are going to make our unique contribution to the world.  Less conscious Leo has a desperate need to feel important, craves attention and admiration; can be a show-off and full of themselves; often being like a spoiled child trying to act as an adult.  There is a compulsive self-centeredness as they try to dominate their environment.  Their basic problems occur as they are unable to find that inner center which will give their life meaning and stability while a self-aggrandizing temperament reflects a lack of confidence and lack of personal purpose.

As self-control and self-mastery is developed dictatorial urges are replaced with magnetism and mental ability to inspire groups to express their creative endeavours to achieve purposeful goals.  Rather than being the sun around which the whole universe turns life experiences teach them that their limited personal ego is not the ultimate creator.   They are now reminded that who they think they are must get out of the way if they are ever to be in the role they desire.

Eventually Leo no longer needs recognition from others and is no longer dependent on others for ego-strokes.  They are and enjoy being who they are and that is plenty for them.  They have now discovered their inner sun that shines, dwells and resides in their own heart.  Personal Will has united with Divine Will.

Leo's specialty is stardom.  When we embrace the Sun and Leo it makes us each a star.  The Leo in every one of us dreams about some kind of role we might play that will change the world or at least make the world stand up and notice, appreciate and applaud who we are.  Life is too short to waste not getting noticed. 

The house where our Sun is located and where we find Leo in the chart can help us answer our questions about:  What did I come here to do that no one else can do?  How and where can I make my special mark on the world?

The Sun was shining through the Leo sky from July 22 to August 22nd.

REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES

Soul-Centered Astrology, Alan Oken, The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1990, pp.187-191.

Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, Liz Green, Samuel Weiser, Inc, York Beach, Maine, 1976,  pp.72-73.  

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