Glyph:
Symbol: The Lion
Gender: Masculine
Element: Fire
Quality: Fixed
Leos are pretty good-looking as a whole, and Leo women can be quite spectacular with their characteristically thick mane of hair. Male Leos will become a little thin on top later in life, while the females keep their thick and bouncy hair throughout life. Leos are normally of middle height and even a little short in some cases, but they hold themselves well and they have the kind of presence that makes it hard to overlook them. Both sexes are likely to be underweight as children, filling out at puberty and then putting on weight in middle age, especially round the abdomen. Leos are not fond of exercise, so becoming overweight can be a problem to them, but their vanity means that they will take themselves in hand if necessary. When Leos have money to spare, they spend it on their appearance.
Leos have high standards and they prefer a comfortable and moneyed lifestyle. They are usually close to their family, but their greatest love is their children. Leos are hard workers who frequently run their own businesses. They can be bossy, very self-centered and they tend to lay down the law to others, but they are bighearted, generous and they mean well.
Leos love their families, and if they have loving parents, they will remain close to them throughout life. If their parents are not good to them, they try to create a happy family for themselves through marriage and parenthood. Leos adore their children, they spoil them and love them to bits, but they won't stand any nonsense from them and they try to instill good behavior and self-respect. These subjects are usually extremely generous to their relatives, but they are not especially charitable to outsiders, and they can be quite devious or demanding when it comes to their business dealings. Leos are hard workers, often self-made men or women, and they have little patience with those who are worse off than themselves. They have even less time for suffering humanity, which makes them less charitable than other zodiac signs.
Despite their occasional lapses, Leos are proud and like to be thought of as having integrity. They can also become extremely irritable and unreasonable when they are pressured, fatigued or hungry. Leos can panic when under pressure, but after the initial attack of nerves has passed, they take control of the situation and demonstrate their wonderful leadership qualities. These subjects have extremely high standards and they can expect far too much of themselves and of others. This can lead to disappointment or even depression at times. Although generally self-confident and somewhat arrogant, Leos can suddenly find that their confidence evaporates and that they need a sympathetic friend to prop them up, but their natural optimism means that they generally bounce back sooner or later.
Being a fixed sign, Leos prefer to stay in the same home and with the same partner for as long as possible, and they also remain in the same job as long as possible. When they have to make a change, they do so quite suddenly, although only after a long period of internal agonizing and analysis. Leos are pretty trusting souls, which means that they can be hurt or badly used. They have long memories for those who help them and also for those who hurt them, and they definitely hold grudges. They are extremely loyal to their friends, relatives and colleagues. Some Leos have such an eye on the main chance that they will push others out of the way in order to get where they need to be. Others are quite the opposite, being utterly honest both in matters of love and in the workplace. It is always wise to size up any Leo, to see which type they are before becoming too embroiled with them, as they can be either angels or devils.
There are many career paths that attract Leos, but the most common is some form of fast-moving business. If this gives them the opportunity to travel or to deal with upmarket, up-to-date products or something glamorous and exciting, so much the better. Leos feel most at home when running the show, so you can find them working as managers of large concerns, admin managers or perhaps running their own business. You can find Leos in broadcasting, publishing, public relations and the world of computers. Leos take to computing remarkably quickly, possibly because this is an easy way to handle large projects.
According to traditional astrology, one Leo career is the jewelry trade, but to be honest, I can't say that I have come across many Leos in this business. Show business is another matter, as is the glamour end of the fashion world. Some work in finance and others in the travel trade. Despite the fact that they are not drawn to down and out types, they can work hard for some form of upmarket charity organization, especially if it gives them an opportunity to put on large and glamorous events. The most important factor is that Leos are most comfortable when in charge of a project, as they are extremely capable and they have excellent organizational skills. They have the knack of picking staff that are as enthusiastic as they are about a project, and who pull their weight. In turn, Leos look after their subordinates, so they frequently inspire an almost devoted following. Most Leos love being in the limelight, either by being at the top of their careers or by working in the media, but there are plenty who write for a living and who work—at least on a part-time basis—as astrologers and occasionally also as clairvoyants.
Some rogue Leos are incredibly lazy and childish, while others are demanding, selfish and dishonest—none of which endears them to others or helps their career prospects—but the vast majority are hardworking and decent.
Leos are spenders and they loathe being without money or in debt. Being sensible, Leos tend to set up independent savings schemes that remove money from their bank on a regular basis before their spendthrift habits or their generosity is able to kick in. These subjects are perfectly well aware that in good times, they can forget that things can go wrong and that their wealth can suddenly evaporate, so they try to curb their instincts and save. Leos can live on very little if they have to, but they don't enjoy it much. If they do get into financial difficulties, they find ways of earning their way out of trouble. Leos enjoy large, well-appointed houses and an appropriately gracious lifestyle. Given the opportunity, they entertain in style, send their children to fee-paying schools, take vacations in the nicest places and belong to all the best clubs.
Oddly enough, for such a generous sign, Leos don't like being owed money, and they will chase up debts. This doesn't please those who have a casual attitude to such things, or those who feel that the Leo has enough money already and doesn't need his loan repaid or the goods and services that he was provided to be paid for. Be aware—Leos always follow up on debts.
Most Leos live in houses, preferably those that are somewhat out of town and with a fair bit of land around them. When they do live in a city, they often live upstairs where they have a good view. I don't think any Leo could stand living in a basement apartment for long. Their homes are comfortable, well-appointed and reasonably tidy, but some Leos go in for too much overstuffed furniture and too many knick-knacks and other unnecessary features. Leos like art and music, so the chances are that they have attractive pictures on their walls and a good sound system. Most Leo homes are filled with children or animals. They love to entertain, although they won't kill themselves in the kitchen, so they often invite a crowd of friends and relatives round and then send for a take-out
Leos don't like living alone. If they are happy being at home with their parents, they will delay marriage and partnerships but most will move in with someone or marry when young. Once a Leo has settled down, he will usually set about producing children pretty quickly. Leos who do not have children keep dogs, horses and other animals, which they treat as children. These fixed-sign subjects will keep on trying to make a marriage work even against the odds, and they then become extremely upset if they have to call a halt—especially if there are children involved. Stupid situations sometimes arise, such as a couple breaking up but remaining under the same roof. Leos don't understand commitment phobia and they don't understand lovers who will take full advantage of their loving and generous natures, only to leave them in the lurch or to mess them around. They will give a lover a lot of rope, but sooner or later they move on and find a more reliable partner.
One strange phenomenon that seems to go against all that is usually said about this highly motivated and highly successful zodiac sign, is that they can be badly undermined by a marriage type partner. Leos marry for love and try to stay in love, even when their partner is not actually all that lovable. They need to be loved, and worse still they will do all they can to be approved of and well thought of, so they try very hard in their marriages. They pour in enough love for both partners in the hope that this will make things come right, and it takes them a long time before they realize that they can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. After kidding themselves and their partners for years that they are satisfied with their situation, they suddenly wake up and take off, leaving the partner to wonder what went wrong.
The sign of Leo rules the heart and spine. Being an energetic “A” type personality, this fire sign type can suffer from heart problems. Backache is almost par for the course for Leos at some time in their lives, but the neck and upper spine area is as likely to cause them problems as the more common lumbar region. Fevers, headaches and sudden infections are possible, but these usually clear away as quickly as they arrive. Leos tend to remain at work even when they fall ill, which doesn't help matters.
Leos don't enjoy taking exercise but they hate losing their figures so they will tend to join luxurious health clubs and so forth. One exercise that they do enjoy is swimming (as long as the water in the pool is bath-water warm), and they are often surprisingly good swimmers.
Most Leos can't throw or catch a ball to save their lives and hitting it with any kind of bat or stick is often quite out of the question. If success depends on a Leo school child being good at baseball or something of the sort, he will either work at it until he achieves a passable level of success or he will find another avenue. Team games appeal even less to the average Leo than ball sports.
Leos have natural rhythm and they have the kind of spatial mind that can pick up and retain the patterns needed for dance steps, so many of them are a wow on the dance floor.
Many Leos loathe their school days and they may do very badly there, but they inevitably take extra courses at some later date, then catch up with their more successful peers and surpass them.
Leos love holidays, and things that appeal to children, such as Disney World, are great favorites.
The first decan is also Leo, but the second is Sagittarius and the third is Aries. Read through the brief descriptions below and then turn to the chapters on Sagittarius and Aries for more.
Pure Leo. These people have high standards and a great deal of pride, which means that they accept only the best from themselves. They cannot understand those who don't grasp opportunities when they come along, and they have no patience with those who they see as losers. They are loving, affectionate and sexy, and they love to be in love, but above all they adore their children.
The Sagittarian influence adds flightiness and restlessness and it reduces the level of personal ambition. These people are more likely to seek out jobs that interest them, rather than those that pay well or give them a terrific career path, and they will be less reliable in relationships than the other two decan types. There may be a spiritual attitude to life or an interest in travel.
These Leos can be real go-getters and they are far more likely to initiate new ideas than the other two decan types. They are more able to work as part of a team than the others, but they are happiest when organizing others. Even if they don't seek out this kind of responsibility, they always seem to have it thrust upon them. They enjoy outings and social life and traveling in comfort.
The first dwaad is also Leo, so no change here. For all other dwaads, read the chapter on the sign in question and also the brief descriptions given below to see what adjustments are made to the original sign.