Leos are everywhere, aren’t they? These creative, good-looking sun worshippers are often actors, singers, or performers. If they aren’t on the stage then they might be sitting in the director’s chair. They are born in the sign of event planning, games, and flamboyance, politics, ideals and kindness.
We have all heard of the lion comparisons when studying the symbol of Leo which is, of course, an ancient metaphor. The Sanskrit word for Leo is Simha, which is translated as “strong,” or sometimes, “joy.” We all know a Leo who thinks they are king of the forest and yes, they often have a big mane of wild, beautiful hair.
The lion metaphor loses steam, however, when we look at our modern associations with lions. Today we see images of them asleep in trees and just laying around, always yawning in some desert scene (maybe they run after an antelope once a month). Whether this is accurate or not, this is often how we think of them. But this is not how a Leo functions. The Leos we know are on the move. It is much more appropriate to think of Leo in motion, moving through the landscape, always ready, always making things happen and ready to pounce. The more appropriate image for us today is the tiger. What do we imagine first when we think of a tiger? Hunting. Stealthy. Bold. Attack. This is Leo. If you have a Leo in your life, you know what I mean. They might not attack people, but they attack life. They rarely do anything halfway.
Additionally, a lion is tan, almost bland in coloring. A tiger is dazzling and shiny-eyed and really one of the most ornamented looking creatures in the animal kingdom. And that’s a person with sun in Leo, unless the sun is poorly aspected by Mars or Saturn. Even someone with Moon in Leo could have these traits, but more likely they dream of being a singer or performer and can really only aspire to be dazzling. They might be an actor, but probably a character actor and not the leading role.
Ancient texts have a lot to say about Leos and there is a theory that most spirits in the Bardo (the realm we visit between lives), are trying their very best to be born as a Leo. How much say they have in the decision I really can’t speculate on, but the reason they are aiming for August birthdays is that Leo energy retains a stronger connection to divine creation throughout life. At some point during this lifetime, they will have a chance to reconnect with great spiritual forces and share that knowledge with others and that is quite a gift. Yes, Leos often have difficult marriages, but somehow it doesn’t matter too much for them. They continue moving through the landscape and blessing us all with their Midas’ touch.
The sign of Leo has long been associated with royalty and kingly lineages, and their home is their castle. If you’re lucky enough to live with a Leo and be a part of their glorious court, you might have to work a little harder than most at staying on their good side, but you also get to have the finest of everything that life offers. So if there is a Leo in your life, treat them with extra TLC. They have connections and powers that the rest of us only dream about and if you aren’t careful around them they might just suddenly devour you without warning. But what a great way to go!