Leo (Jul 22 - Aug 23)

Leo is the Fixed stage of the Fire Element and is ruled by the Sun. This means that they gather and stabilize (Fixed stage) the Sun's energies of warmth and love in order to bestow them on to others so that they may act and live (Fire Element), exactly like the Sun gives its energy to the rest of the planets and stars. Just as the Sun is the center of the universe surrounded by many planets and stars, so too does Leo believe they are the center of the world and are constantly surrounded by others that agree with this belief.

The Fixed stage is what makes Leo confident and capable of achieving their goals. It makes them great organizers, managers, and leaders of others. Like all the other Fixed signs, it also makes Leo stable, stubborn, and reliable. The Fire Element is what makes them love action, be spontaneous, passionate, outgoing, enthusiastic, visionary, and instinctual.

Leo represents the "Teenager" or "Adolescent" stage in the Astrological Karmic Cycle. Right after the "Pre-Teen" stage of Cancer that is sensitive, lacks the self-confidence, and needs affirmations of worth, the Leo is full of confidence in their abilities and self-worth. Not only do they believe that they are the right person for the job, they believe they are the ONLY right person for the job. Having passed the younger stages of the Karmic Cycle, Leo are sensitive to others' feelings since they experienced emotional vulnerabilities in those earlier stages.

Not only do Leo believe that they are the right person for the job, they believe they are the ONLY right person for the job.

Just like a teenager, Leo lacks the respect of their elders, dismissing their advice, and doing things the way they feel is right. Since Leo are born in the summer days, their souls are mesmerized by the hot Sun and want to enjoy life as much as possible. Just like a teenager that first discovers the pleasures of relating with the opposite sex, Leo are obsessed with romance and love and sometimes rush into relationships that aren't healthy for them. Their main mantra in life is "I want". Their goals in this karmic stage are to teach that "love is enthusiasm" and to learn that "love is humility".

Leo have a built in confidence that they are strong and highly capable people. At the same time, they are also afraid of taking upon themselves challenges that they might fail in. Leo have a need to be successful and victorious in all they do, lest their fragile pride be hurt. This attitude can keep them from trying new challenges and leaving the comfort zone they so strongly cling to.

Leo's pride and love of being praised can also render them vulnerable to insults and embarrassments which might hurt them greatly. This same pride and love of praise also renders them vulnerable to slick-talking, knifing people who might use this weak spot into manipulating the generous Leo into doing their bidding.

Their pride can potentially turn into arrogance and a feeling that they are all-knowing and omnipotent. This can cause Leo to not take warning or advice from anyone and potentially take a mighty fall. Leo naturally believes they are king and in charge of others that are "beneath" them and sometimes become bossy and controlling of others.

All of these issues can be remedied if Leo strive to achieve their karmic lesson: humility. If Leo add just enough humility to their lives (not too much, they are still kings/queens), they will not be such a prisoner of their destructive ego.

Since Leo are a Fire element, they enjoy being active and being around people. They usually enjoy sports and will often prefer to watch rather than compete when they find out they are not so good at it and can't guarantee a victory. The theater and drama are one of the Leo's favorite past-times and it is no surprise that many famous actors throughout the history were/are Leos. Acting provides an opportunity for the Leo to showcase their most precious and prideful possession; themselves!

Leo don't do things just for the fun; they make sure they excel in everything they venture in. They also love the arts and crafts. Whatever Leo will do, they will make sure that their friends and admirers are around them to compliment and cheer them on. Leo love playing the crowd. They have a royal taste in all that they choose; their clothes, food, cars, etc. will usually be of exquisite quality.

The most important concept to grasp when approaching a Leo is that we are approaching people who believe they are royalty. Therefore, we must be cautious in the way we speak and behave towards Leo. If we treat them with respect and give an occasional shower of praise and compliments, we will find that our new friends will return ten folds in warmth, favors, and love.

The other part of this equation is that we need to be aware that just like a king, Leo believe they have a given right to rule others, tell them what to do, dispense their critique/advice without being asked, and decide for others what they want. Once we have accepted that, we can be assured that Leo will take care of us better than they take care of themselves. We can also get what we want from them by asking softly, acting helpless, or sweet-talking them with praises and compliments.

Save your criticisms for a different sign, Leo despise being criticized and would quicker get a new friend than admit they did something wrong.

We should also be aware that Leo tend to be over-dramatic at times when they feel that people are disrespecting them and that we should just lend a listening ear and try to gently soothe their pains. Remember, Leo roar a lot and loudly but that does not necessarily mean they are about to bite, they just want to be heard by all. Save your criticisms for a different sign, Leo despise being criticized and would quicker get a new friend than admit they did something wrong.

Leo have the warmest heart and the most charisma of the entire Zodiac and therefore are quick to fall in love with a mate they think is to their liking. Leo love beauty and so that is important in a mate. Since they believes themselves to be of royal blood, a mate of a classier, more refined manner is required. Leo are not ones to be rude or ill-mannered and neither do they like to be around people that are. Leo want someone they can give their over-flowing love, warmth, and generosity who will in turn admire them and shower them with compliments.

They want someone who will not mind them taking charge and giving out orders, someone who will march to the beat of their drum. Leo is a jealous mate, both males and females, yet they themselves like to flirt and be admired by the opposite sex. Rest assured Leo are very loyal mates. The flirting is just an extension of their love of admiration. Leo is a big spender, both males and females, and needs a mate that will accept that or at least not make a big deal of it. Leo like the finer things in life and that is a fact that will never change.

Leo's related body part is the heart, just like they are the heart of all matters. Their lucky color is yellow/gold, their lucky stone is diamond, their lucky number is 5, their lucky day is Sunday, and their lucky metal is gold.