July 23 - August 22
Leo is a Fire Sign
Leo is a Fixed Sign
Leo is ruled by the Sun
July 23 - August 22
Leo is a Fire Sign
Leo is a Fixed Sign
Leo is ruled by the Sun
Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Leo. It spans the 120-150th degree of the Tropical zodiac, between 125.25 and 152.75 degree of celestial longitude, which the Sun transits this area on average between July 23 to August 22 each year.
In astrology, Leo is considered to be a "masculine", positive (extrovert) sign. It is also considered a fire sign and is one of four fixed signs ruled by the Sun.
In Sidereal astrology, the sun currently transits the constellation of Leo from August 16th to September 15th (approximately).
Leo governs the upper back, forearms, wrist, spine and heart. Its natives are subject to a number of ailments: pain in the back and lungs, spinal complaints, diseases of the heart and blood, sickness in ribs and sides, convulsions, pleasantries, violent burning fevers including, in former days when they were prevalent, plague and pestilence jaundice and some afflictions of the eyes.
Positive Traits:
Love the Limelight
Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving
Negative Traits:
Pompous and patronizing
Bossy and interfering
Dogmatic and intolerant
Leo is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch's among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident there is no word as doubt in their vocabularies and self-controlled.
Born leaders, either in support of or in revolt against the status quo, they are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates. As they are uncomplicated, knowing exactly what they want and using all their energies, creativeness and resolution to get it, as well as being certain that they will, their followers know where they are with Leos.
Leos think and act bigger than would normally be dared; although the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism may sometimes daunt their followers, their practical hardheadedness and ability to go straight to the heart of any problem reassures them. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.
On the whole they are powers for good, for they are strongly idealistic, humane and beneficent. They have powerful intelligence and are of a broad, philosophical, sometimes religious, turn of mind. Those who are devout may become very obstinate in upholding traditional beliefs and will cling tenaciously, but with complete sincerity, to practices and doctrines which liberal thinkers regard as absurdly out-of-date.
Their faults can be as large in scale as their virtues, and an excessively negative Leonian can be one of the most unpleasant human beings imaginable, displaying extreme arrogance, autocratic pride, haughtiness and excessive hastiness of temper. If jealously suspicious of rivals, they will not hesitate to use cunning, lies and trickery to discredit them. Self-centeredness, greed for flattery, boastfulness and bombast, pomposity, snobbish superiority, and overbearing and intolerant disdain of underlings - to whom they will nevertheless delegate the carrying out of minor details in their grandiose schemes, and from whom they are not above borrowing immoderately if an occasion necessitates it - any of these can be characteristic of Leo.
Add to them a passion for luxury, a lust for power, unlimited sexual lust and emotional indulgence, and a character emerges that no one would want to know either in public life or private. But their pride may go before a fall as uncontrolled impetuosity is likely to bring them low. Fortunately it is rare that a Leo is so undisciplined as to give way thoroughly to this list of vices, and their tendencies to them are usually balanced by an innate wisdom.
In professional life they do well at any vocation at which there is room at the top. As politicians they are content with nothing less than a powerful position in government. In business they may be the chairman of their company's board, or at least directors or managers.
Leos are excellent organizers and overseers, and if from the artisan ranks of society they will aspire to become the boss, partly because they are ambitious by nature, partly because they dislike manual labor, preferring to take charge of others doing it. If artistic, Leos can become stars of stage or screen (their bent is serious rather than light drama), maestros as musicians when they will gravitate toward the grand instruments or activities, such as the organ or conducting Of orchestras and as painters; anything grand in conception and scale appeals to them.
Leo women make exceptionally good welfare workers.
In his or her relations with others the Leo type is open, sincere, genuine and trusting. Outgoing, spontaneously warm hearted and plain spoken, though never lacking in kindliness, Leos are more disillusioned than the average if let down by those they trust. They are not good judges of character and are inclined to favoritism and an exaggerated faith in their followers which too often ends in disappointment. They have a strong sex drive and are so attracted to the opposite sex that they find it hard to be constant; they can be so intensely sexual as to become dissolute.
They may have numerous love affairs for their love of pleasure and beauty is liable to drive them from one attractive partner to another. They are very much inclined to deceive. Their marriages may fail for the same reason, yet they are sincere and generous to their lovers while love lasts, and will remain attached to their homes so long as it is run for their benefit. They demand service but are incapable of giving it.
To locate Leo use the constellation of Ursa Major, commonly known as the Plough in the British Isles or the Great Bear in North America. The Plough is a prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere, its seven bright stars never set from mid latitudes and most people are familiar with its shape, making it a handy signpost to other constellations. Follow a line from the two end stars of the Plough, known as the 'Pointers' (used to find Polaris, the pole star) away from the celestial north pole and you will arrive in the middle of Leo.
One of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, Leo remains one of the 88 modern constellations today.
The Leonids occur in November, peaking on November 17-18, and have a radiant close to Gamma Leonis. Its parent body is Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which causes significant outbursts every 33 years. The normal peak rate is approximately 10 meteors per hour. The January Leonids are a minor shower that peaks between January 1 and 7.
Leo was one of the earliest recognized constellations, as there is archaeological evidence that the Mesopotamians had a similar constellation as early as 4000 BCE.
The Persians called Leo Ser or Shir; the Turks, Artan; the Syrians, Aryo; the Jewish, Arye; the Indians, Simha, all meaning "lion".
In Babylonian astronomy the constellation was called UR.GU.LA - the 'Great Lion'; the bright star, Regulus, that stands at the Lion's breast also had distinctly regal associations as it was known as the King Star.
The Roman poet Ovid called it Herculeus Leo and Violentus Leo. Bacchi Sidus (star of Bacchus) was another of its titles, the god Bacchus always being identified with this animal. However, Manilius called it Jovis et Junonis Sidus (Star of Jupiter and Juno).
Early Hindu astronomers knew it as Asleha and as Sinha, the Tamil Simham.
In Greek mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Hercules during one of his twelve labours, and subsequently put into the sky.
Leo, much like the Sign of Cancer, is representative of a mythical monster fought by the great Heracles. This monster was the Nemean Lion. The valley of Nemea had been terrorized by the beast, which was thought to be impossible to kill. The First Labor of Heracles was to find the lion in its mountain lair and destroy it before it could completely wipe out the Nemean countryside. Once he had killed the lion, his brother and taskmaster Eurystheus wanted him to bring its hide back to the city as proof that he had actually accomplished the task.
Heracles sought out the lion and immediately tried to kill it, first with his arrows, then with his giant sword. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the lion's hide, and the sword broke. When Heracles realized that the lion's hide was truly impenetrable, he decided to kill it using brute force. He wrestled the lion, strangling it with his bare hands. Then, he skinned it using its own claws and carried it triumphantly to Eurystheus. His brother panicked and ran when he saw the lion's remains. He told Heracles to leave his spoils outside the city gates in the future. Heracles took the lion's carcass away. He made a cloak out of the skin and a helmet out of the head. Pictures of him nearly always show him clothed in the skin of the Nemean Lion. The spirit of the lion was placed in the sky, where, no longer deadly, it has become beautiful.
Common interpretation: ca. 10,500 BC to 8000 BC.
The major event at this time was an ancient global warming to such a massive extent that it led to the deglaciation of what now constitutes much of the modern habitable world. The deglaciation ultimately caused a 300 foot (90 m) rise in the sea level. The sign Leo is a Fire sign and is traditionally ruled by the Sun in astrology, and it is entirely appropriate that in an Age ruled by the Sun, that the warmth of the Sun melted the glaciers that covered much of North America and Europe. Leo is also related to any kind of light source, and the carved stone oil lamp was invented during this time (Oil lamps existed previously, but this type was the first proper continuously burning lamp).