The Sun
Leo is governed by the Sun, the source of heat, light and life. All of the other planets rotate around it. A Leo perceives himself as possessing a center of gravity, and compels others to fulfill his expectations. He seeks to influence society. The counterparts in Greek mythology are Helios or Apollo. The symbols associated with Apollo permit deeper understanding of this sign.
Apollo is the son of Zeus. When he was only four days old, he asked for a bow and arrows to kill the dragon Python, the enemy of his mother (Leto).
In order to kill Python, Apollo holdIY Pursued him to the Delphic shrine. Zeus ordered him to go to the Vale of Tempe to atone for his misdeed, but Apollo disregarded Zeus and preferred to go to Aegialia to seek atonement.
When he returned, Apollo persuaded Pan, through flattery, to teach him the art of prophecy. Pan represents the drives which we all possess: he sought to be "the god of All Life," symbolizing the generative or sexual energy of the universe.
Apollo burned Marsyas alive for having dared to offend him by claiming that he played the flute more skillfully than Apollo.
PLater, Apollo won a musical contest where Midas was the judge. He then became the God of Music, and he played the lyre with seven strings when he sang during the festivals of Mount Olympus.
Apollo, who was renowned for his handsomeness, seduced many nymphs (Plithia, Thalia, Coronis, Aria, Cyrene), as well as many mortals. Although they bore him many children. he never married.
Apollo only incurred the wrath of Zeus on one occasion: when he killed the Cyclops, who were armorers for the monarch of Olympus. Apollo was sentenced to a year of hard labor, and he served his sentence with great humility. He profited from this lesson, because afterwards, he preached moderation in every aspect of life. He inspired the precepts of "Know thyself," and "Excess is a defect." These maxims were engraved upon his temples in Greece
A Leo quickly feels a need to defend his family. He may be driven by vengeful instincts.
P Nothing stands in a Leo's way when he is determined, but he can act rashly and has a tendency to disregard other persons' advice or orders. A Leo seeks freedom and mastery over his own conscience (Zeus is the king of Olympus). He is an individualist: he regards himself as the only person who knows how to achieve his goals.
A Leo is receptive to flattery, and this would appear to be one of the techniques which must be used in order to discern his intentions. The deity Pan is merely one representation of his own desires. A Leo may express interest in "everything," and he may wish to possess all forms of energy.
A Leo does not easily tolerate insinuations about his personal attributes, and he fears loss of self-confidence. He is strong-willed and does not accept shortcomings.
Is it true that a Leo is actually seeking a "music of the soul" which he would like to play for others? Whereas some persons hope to seize the celestial fire, a Leo seeks to master the harmonic laws of the universe, so that he may teach them to others. He is a warm and extroverted person, who delights in expressing what he knows.
A Leo is a prolific person (children), and, although he readily accepts assistance for accomplishing his aims, he is far less inclined to seek partnership. Within the domain of Love, he is perhaps too passionate to adapt to the daily obligations of marriage, or perhaps he fears losing control of his own passions.
Perhaps this legend teaches us not to challenge certain laws: to seek to kill the powers or the demons of the unconscious (the Cyclops), which are part of the development of our lives, is to combat natural forces. A Leo pursues all types of power, and his efforts may be too violent to permit self-mastery, until he learns that victory over oneself is not always obtained through force, but through self-awareness. Through his struggles, a Leo tends to gain control of his own strength, and, once he gains greater self-awareness, he is willing to share it.
The Heart
The organ associated with Leo is the heart.A Leo's traits incorporate generosity. He "has a heart." The heart is the center of our bodily energy. A Leo also radiates confidence, because he seeks to be a center of gravity for others. It is the motor of our circulatory A Leo also seeks to be responsible.system. He has a sense of duty. The heart determines the rhythms of our lives. A Leo has a sense of continuity.
These sources provide the zodiacal formula for Leo: Summer, stability, fire, and the Sun, represented by the heart.
A Radiant Spirit - "Proud and Generous"
The Sun-King (Louis XIV), who actually was not a Leo (in fact, he was a Virgo), displayed the attributes of this sign, because the Sun appeared at its zenith in his horoscope: like a Leo, he was deeply influenced by solar symbolism. He proudly delighted in ostentation, and sought to represent the Sun for others: "Lital, cest moi" (I am Authority).
Inspired by realistic ideals, Leo can evoke the earthly grandeur which is observable in the asolute monarchy of Louis XIV, in the conquests of Napoleon I, who was born under Leo, or in the territorial ambitions of Mussolini.
When a Leo is inspired by spiritual ideals, he seeks "celestial grandeur," represented by the lofty intellects of Petrarch or Lorenzo the Magnificent, who made Florence a center of intellectual pursuits and culture. Lorenzo only became "Magnificent" after he overcame a fear of being unattractive: indeed, because he was discontented with his physical appearance, he only wished to be surrounded by beautiful things in order to diminish the impact of an unappealing perception of himself. Bearing in mind the purity of the Sun, he sought to reign with a burst of brilliance: thus, there is the luxury of Lorenzo the Magnificent, or the ostentation of Louis XIV. In many instances, a Leo actually becomes an inspiration to others by his generosity. At the bridge of Arcole, Bonaparte expressed a mood of honor and boldness. Indeed, in all of his battles, a sense of strategy, ardor, and resoluteness predominates. In literature, the same type of flame inspired Alexander Dumas to write more than 500 books.
A Lucid and Logical Mind
The "Napoleonic Code," or the cohesion and solidity of Napoleon's government, represents the highest expression of the far-reaching and assimilative approach which a Leo may adopt. He likes to solve sets of problems, establish correlations, and develop overall solutions, but he does not concentrate upon details. Nevertheless, a Leo also possesses a lucid and keen mind which must quickly be put to use, as reflected by Rockefeller's sense of realities. With an excess of confidence, a Leo may sometimes consider himself infallible, and this is probably the source of Napoleon's errors at the end of his reign - for example the Russian campaign - or of Mussolini's tragic end.If we proceed from the physical to the mental world, we encounter the ideas of Jung, who sought to reveal the full breadth of the unconscious: "My life is the story of an unconscious which achieved fulfillment.
The conductor of an orchestra - interpreting and expressing a composition, defining the role of each musician, directing by knowing how to emphasize the proper notes and how to permit each musician to exercise his greatest skill - could serve as a symbol for a Leo's mind.
Love: "Noblesse Oblige"
A Leo is a passionate soul who may be consumed by love for someone who appears to be extremely different from himself. In such instances, he feels torn between the heart and the role which he must play: if the Sun shifted from its center of gravity, what would become of the world? Without going to extremes, a Leo may sacrifice true love for the rank which he seeks. His egoism may thwart his love: Emily Bronte (a Leo) marvelously described this conflict in Wuthering Heights, where the heroine, Catherine, repudiates her love for Heathcliff, the servant, by marrying Edgar Linton, in order to preserve her social standing: "I would degrade myself if I married Heathcliff; thus, he must never know how much I love him." A Leo is inspired by exceptional qualities, and, in a situation comparable to Catherine's, he may overcome pride in order for "love triumphant" to emerge. The remainder of the novel recounts a transfiguration of this kind: Catherine's daughter marries Hareton, who is of a lower social rank; in this instance, love conquers.