Leo

Leo falls at the height of summer, when the heat of the year is at its fullest and steadiest. It is the Sun's own sign, and it inclines toward warmth, pride, play, loyalty and a generous heart. Leo likes to create, to lead and to shine, and it tends to give its best when it feels appreciated. Its gift is the courage to be wholeheartedly itself; its difficulty can be needing the applause.

Element, mode and polarity

Leo is a Fire sign of the fixed mode. Fire gives it enthusiasm and radiance; the fixed mode makes that fire steady and constant rather than flaring and fading, so Leo's commitments tend to last. It is masculine (active) and diurnal. Its fellow Fire signs are Aries and Sagittarius; its fellow fixed signs are Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Rulership and dignities

• Domicile: the Sun; Leo is its only house.
• Exaltation: no traditional planet is exalted in Leo.
• Detriment: Saturn, whose home Aquarius lies opposite.
• Fall: none in the traditional scheme.

The Sun rules Leo in both traditional and modern astrology.

In a chart

Planets in Leo tend to express themselves warmly, dramatically and with a sense of personal stake. The Moon here often needs affection and recognition to feel secure; Mercury inclines to speak with conviction and flair; Venus loves grandly and loyally; Mars acts with pride and courage. Saturn, in detriment, may feel its limits as a threat to dignity and work hard to earn authority. The house with Leo on its cusp is often where a person wants to create, play and be noticed. With Leo on the Ascendant, the Sun becomes the chart ruler, and the person often carries a noticeable presence and a strong wish to be true to themselves.

The tradition

Ptolemy counts Leo among the solid signs, and explains why it belongs to the Sun: Cancer and Leo are the most northern signs, nearest our zenith and so the most productive of heat, and they were given to the two luminaries — Leo, the masculine, to the Sun. Lilly calls Leo "the onely house of the Sun", "fiery, hot, dry, cholerick, diurnal, commanding", of the East and the fiery triplicity, masculine. It governs the heart, the back and the sides. Its places are woods, forests and wild steep rocky places, but also kings' palaces, castles, forts and parks, and in a house the hearth where the fire is kept. Lilly describes a large, strong, upright frame, a full face and a bold, active bearing. Its colour is red or green; among its countries and cities he names Italy, the Alps, Rome, Prague and Bristol. The Fire triplicity is ruled by the Sun by day and Jupiter by night.

In the tarot

The Golden Dawn's correspondences, which most English-language decks follow.

Major Arcana: Strength

Its three decans: Five of Wands (Saturn, 0°–10°), Six of Wands (Jupiter, 10°–20°), Seven of Wands (Mars, 20°–30°)

Suit: Wands (Fire)

Related

• Aquarius, the opposite sign
• Sun, its ruler
• Fifth House, its natural house
• Fire · Fixed