Leo is brave and self-confident by nature. Many other types instinctively respect or fear him, and their equally instinctive envy earns him a great many enemies. As a rule, Leos have nowhere near the capacity for sustained effort found in Taurus. They do not manage the uphill struggle so well, and are more easily wounded. Their pride also makes the struggle harder: they would fight only with chivalrous weapons. They dislike detail. Leo’s nature is profoundly aristocratic; he despises all that is mediocre and base, and in conflicts where such qualities are essential to success, he is very likely to lose. Moreover, he values glory more highly than material rewards.
Leo always aspires to an ideal, in which he resembles Sagittarius. He is slow to grasp the practical foundations of a matter, imagining that if he bases his arguments on the great principles of justice, humanity and fairness, success must inevitably follow. He fails to see that most people decide matters by weighing up their material advantage. He, on the other hand, expects questions to be examined from every angle, with an eye to both past and future, whereas most people consider only the immediate cost. Leo also errs through his honesty and faith in others. His pride contributes, in part, to his belief that deception is impossible. He not only speaks the truth himself, but acts directly and sincerely, without evasion or concealment. He is the easiest of all to deceive, and even when he discovers a betrayal, he is too noble to take revenge. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” is a characteristic motto for Leo.
Leo suffers deeply, yet is also very compassionate towards others. The idea of revenge or punishment is almost entirely foreign to his nature. He prefers mercy to justice. He understands perfectly well that an error in any sphere must have its corresponding consequences, but he would regret, and almost certainly refuse, to make matters worse by deliberately imposing a punishment.
In some respects, Leos are prone to anger, excessive pride and vanity. Leo’s tendency towards self-expansion is his greatest danger. In extreme cases, megalomania is not uncommon. An unchecked Leo becomes arrogant, yet despite his extraordinary self-confidence, effective resistance may suddenly leave him at a loss. At that moment, he will recall his tragic destiny and turn back, determined to die fighting.
Feeling himself to be royal, Leo is very inclined to regard everything others give him as his natural right. He constantly complains of the ingratitude and disloyalty of those who do not immediately do what he demands and expects of them. Has he not blessed them with his priceless smile? He accepts flattery and feels offended when it is thought insincere. To him, the truth of such statements is so obvious that he cannot believe the person making them is anything less than sincere. He will concede that someone may praise him in the hope of receiving something in return, but that is perfectly acceptable—even quite natural—for is he not the dispenser of all favours? It is only right that his subjects should expect their reward.
In money matters, Leo is generous and expects generosity in return; he cannot understand pettiness in any form. When he thinks of money, he thinks in large, round sums. He does not want money for himself: the very thought of miserly hoarding disgusts him. He likes to have it and recognises its usefulness, especially for the more important things in life. Leos are highly eloquent, both in speech and in writing. They express themselves directly and openly, always appealing more to the heart than to the intellect. They speak the truth, but tend to exaggerate and show a propensity for dangerous optimism.
Leo almost invariably gets on well with his family, thanks to the goodness of his heart. Naturally, he seeks to occupy the centre here too, and his family is expected to revolve around him, for however modest his circumstances, he makes himself king. His desire for flattery can become excessive, and when the rest of the world withholds it, some Leos may become tyrants at home. They expect everything to be done for them, not out of laziness, but from a desire to exercise what they regard as their rights.
Leo ascending gives a great head and eyes, a quick sight, a large and strong body; full of mettle, of a bold and stout heart. Full, broad shoulders, yellow or flaxen hair, a strong and deep voice, a resolute spirit, an aspiring mind, a generous and kindly disposition, and an open heart. “Nicholas Culpeper – Opus Astrologicum”
In matters of love, Leo is noble and rather conventional. He gives himself wholly, and his sense of his own importance is so pronounced that he cannot imagine anyone refusing such a gift. Once accepted, he is both lazy and exacting. He is inclined to spoil his partner, and feels absurdly wounded when he finds himself neglected. His love is what poets mean by the word: romantic and somewhat chivalrous. It can very easily degenerate into sentimentality. It is almost impossible for Leo to harbour resentment for long. Leos also love danger and adventure, feeling that these ennoble passion. Leo has a certain ability to sustain illusions even after recognising them for what they are. His faith in the ideal leads him to overlook his beloved’s shortcomings. This, too, is a form of vanity.
Leo rules not only the physical heart but also the nature of love. It is therefore very important for these people to express their emotions naturally, for they are highly dependent on attention. Indeed, the desire for praise and acceptance can develop into an overinflated ego. They would do well, then, to remember the old saying that “those who possess true authority rarely display it”.
Leos have little sense of how to balance their activities, and are therefore in danger of “working themselves to death”. When full of enthusiasm, they allow themselves no rest, an approach they share with Aries. They understand to the full the joy of being alive. “A short life and a merry one” appeals to them far more than a long, sorrowful existence; they feel wretched only when they sense that time is being wasted.
As for marriage, everything said about love applies here too. Leo is strongly inclined to see marriage as having a sacramental quality. He is deeply faithful to his own understanding of his vows. His word and his honour are sacred to him. If he has vowed to “love, cherish and protect” his wife until death, he holds to that vow. When divorce becomes almost inevitable for some reason, he is prepared to sacrifice his moral and material interests in order to feel that he has fulfilled his promise.
Self-satisfaction is highly characteristic of Leo, and the pleasure he takes in contemplating his own generosity sustains him throughout his life. Leos are often misunderstood, for there is scarcely an action that cannot be attributed to two opposing motives. Selfish people will therefore always accuse Leo of selfishness, even though he sees himself as the very embodiment of generosity.
