Since on the last New Moon I talked about Cancer, this month it is time for Leo to get the recognition it so mythically craves.

One thing to remember here is that the description of these signs does not refer to the sun sign, but to the archetype itself. In a chart, any placement will be coloured by these traits and modified according to its own nature.

The constellation of Leo is associated with the first labour of Hercules, in which the hero defeated the Nemean lion – a mythical beast whose golden fur was impenetrable by human weapons (a little wink about Leos and their hair). Myths are actually descriptive of the symbolism of the respective signs, so let’s delve a little deeper.

Hercules managed to best the lion by confining the beast to its lair, then strangling it with his bare hands. Upon completing this task, he tried removing the skin with his knife, but since it was impenetrable it was not until the goddess of wisdom Athena resolved to tell him that he should be using the lion’s own claws instead. This tells a symbolic story of primal strength which can only be undone through wisdom yet can be the cause of its own demise.

Leo is a fire sign and because nothing exists in isolation, the fire triad is best understood as a whole. Looking at the element of fire in nature, we can safely assume it is the most potent – it will radically change whatever it touches. It literally separates things at a chemical level. It’s constantly moving and constantly doing, which is why its polarity is decisively masculine or yang.

Of the firey nature we have Aries – cardinal, Leo – fixed, and Sagittarius – mutable. These modalities are very important in understanding the signs and can be seen as a story where Aries is the conqueror, Leo is the king, and Sagittarius is the myth that remains. We can look at them as the spark, the campfire and the wildfire. The first will start things, the second will maintain them, and the third will spread wherever it sees fit.

So what does the campfire do? It attracts people. This is the role of fixed fire, it collects an audience, it gathers people around it. This is why you’ll find many actors with Leo placements, as well as royalty, and this is partly why the lion has always been a symbol of leadership, which is after all a role which is performed.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, and it does not take take an expert in symbolism to figure out its role. We only need to open our eyes to know if it is there or not. The Sun is the brightest thing in the world, its visibility divides day and night, it defines time and our calendars. So there is some rational basis to Leonine characters acting as royalty, not to mention the thousands of years of worship we’ve dedicated to the Sun. The King of the Beasts is ruled by the King of the Planets.

The luminary was deified in both ancient Greece and Egypt as the centre from which the pervading Spirit and producer of order and fertility emanated. These powers of reproduction were constantly impregnating matter, causes without which life could not continue to exist.

The ancient Greeks spoke of the Sun as ‘the generator and nourisher of all things, the ruler of the world, the first of the deities, and the supreme Lord of all mutable or perishable beings‘ (from Orphic fragments).

Though many Scorpios relish on their sign’s reputation of  carnal thirstiness, the fact is that association is based on Mars’ rulership of the gonads and Scorpio’s association with the genitals, and not on elemental traits. Leo is associated with children, but also with the process which brings us children, derived from the simple fact that the Sun is the generator of life (not to mention, the lion’s natural role in its pride).

And speaking of life, from the parts of the body Leo rules the heart, which is needless to say both pretty damn important and pretty damn central. The thing about the heart though is that it doesn’t keep all the blood to itself. The heart is the central pump which makes sure the rest of the organs get the attention and nourishment they need. Similarly, the lesson Leo teaches is that IT is important, but OTHERS are also important and we all have different lights that are meant to shine out, hence this sign’s ties to loyalty and love.

The zodiac has a sort of corrective function, where a sign’s qualities will be contrasting to those of the previous one. So where Cancer is the mother taking care of others, Leo is the son (pun absolutely intended) expressing the self and being seen. Given its compelling firey nature, the Leo energy will attract attention whether it wants to or not, paving the way for stereotypes like drama! and volume!  but in truth, shining is just what the Sun does and while it doesn’t need anyone else to do its thing, it will appreciate an audience which will benefit a little bit from the light it brings. A little worshiping goes a long way.