Represented by the regal lion, Leo is extra special because it’s the sole solar-ruled sign. In the Tarot, the sign is associated with the joyful Sun card (more on that next month). Both the card and the sign are linked to creativity, play and childhood.
Summer has dug in its heels
In astrology, Leo is classified as a fixed sign. What’s interesting about this is the link between the “fixed” nature of the sign and seasons. Way back in the day, the stars and the planets helped our ancestors keep track of nature’s rhythms. The Zodiac Belt1, a.k.a. the earth’s stellar hula-hoop, played a key role in this.
Each of the twelve signs we know today are represented in this metaphorical hula-hoop. These signs are then divided into cardinal, fixed and mutable signs. In terms of time-keeping, cardinal signs are believed to initiate new seasons. Fixed signs establish the seasons and solidify them. Mutable signs mark periods of transition.
In the case of summer, cardinal Cancer initiates the heat, Leo solidifies it and Virgo signals a transition into Autumn.
The lion in the stars
We’ve all heard about the labours of Hercules. They’re nearly as famous as the Disney movie made about this Greek demigod. But did you know that the story behind the Leo constellation is linked to this myth?
Slaying the ferocious lion that terrorised the residents of Nimea was the first task that Hercules was asked to complete. Cocksure as he was, he vastly underestimated how challenging this could be – he had, after all, killed a lion before. He didn’t realise that the Nemean lion possessed special powers and was much larger than the average Simba or Mufasa. But, after a long and tedious battle with the beast, our hero finally prevailed. The goddess Hera, who had played a part in creating this monster, chose to immortalise the lion by granting him a place among the stars. Pretty!
If you’re curious to learn about this myth, I recommend the Nemean Lion episode of the Myths and Legends podcast. This episode comes with a trigger warning for references to sexual violence.
Let’s play!
We all have things we love to do but don’t allow ourselves to enjoy.
Leo’s link with creativity and fun is an invitation to to try out something new or revisit forgotten joys. In keeping with this theme, I’d like to invite you to go on an Artist’s Date.2 This is a solo playdate of sorts where you do something fun by yourself. My favourite AD of all time was playing A Short Hike during quarantine.
Here are some ideas:
Pick up your dusty old guitar and learn to play a new song
Go to your favourite restaurant or coffee shop with a book or notebook
Colour something
Visit a toy shop
Throw a guilty pleasures dance party
Mood: Barbiecore
Play and fashion collide in this fearless childhood-inspired trend.
The Zodiac Belt marks the elliptical path that the sun and the planets appear to travel as seen from Earth. This path includes the twelve constellations of the zodiac, plus Ophiuchus. Astrology doesn’t actually follow the boundaries of the constellation. Rather, each of the twelve signs are allocated 30 degrees within this belt. So the next time someone says that Mercury is in Virgo or whatever, you’ll know they mean that the planet is in the 30 degrees allocated to the sign of Virgo as seen from Earth. Whew!
Borrowed from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.