Leo After the soul finds its emotional home base in Cancer, consolidating the powers developed in the first three signs, it becomes time to venture forth. Leo is ruled by the Sun and is itself most closely related to the Creator. Leo needs to see itself in the world. Leo needs to express and see the world’s reaction to its expression.

Leo is the 2nd Fire sign, and the first Fixed Fire sign, and as such tends to do things for themselves. Leo luxuriates in its own motivations. Leo is traditionally considered the 'performer' of the zodiac, but that descriptive phrase often comes with an unspoken judgment that there is something a bit "showy" about their preening manner. Consider that for a Leo, and indeed for the Leo in all of us, even more specifically the Self in all of us, self-expression is a form of self-knowledge. How do you know what you really think sometimes until you write it down? Until you talk it through? The urge to create, to paint, to sing, to perform, to organize, to help, to lead, to manifest our own unique and special formula in one of the various and beautiful arenas where humanity congregates to perform the Grand Play is one of the most essentially human urges. For a Leo, it is heightened, and wherever planets and houses fall in your chart will indicate areas that you too should not be afraid to shine.

How else will you discover where your talents truly lie until you see their magnificent gleam reflected in the mirrored smiling eyes of your fellow travelers?

Myth

The symbolic imagery of the Lion as the mythic inspiration for Leo at first blush doesn't need too much explication. The Lion calls to mind the regal king of the jungle, and even the naturally organized groups of lions evoke the feeling of pride, even perhaps self-centeredness, which Leo threatens to swing into should this creature's exemplified advice be taken too literally. To be a king or queen means to rule. It isn't enough for Leo to seek to glory in social theaters of work and art and friendship—they also need to attend to their own internal realm. The Lion is, after all, still a beast, and a beast unleashed upon the populace will raise alarms and provoke the ire of respectable citizens. Leo must also find ways to rule itself.

This then becomes a key aspect of the Quest for Leo—to what end should this power be directed? The individual needs to know what goal this incarnation has come to achieve in order to escape from a series of arbitrary and yet empty performances.

The Hand of Fate: Just as Parsifal sought the Grail, so too must Leo seek to understand—"Whom does the Grail Serve?"