Leo
Leo is ruled by the Sun itself. Common associations are the colour orange, and the number 1. It rules the heart and spine in the physical body, and its zodiac symbol is the lion. The sign is connected to creativity and children. Its keywords are I will.
Leo is said to be the most generous sign of the zodiac and is known to lavish their affection and gifts on those they love. Needing an audience is not always necessary, and whilst history is littered with examples of the typically dramatic Leo, there are lions who prefer to laze in the shade. They need to be admired and respected and hold themselves tall; it’s not surprising that Leo rules the spine. I’m not convinced they have a need to be seen; after all, we can’t look directly at the Sun without being blinded, can we? Drama and the need to perform come from the strong inner need to give out warmth and light to create life itself. The Sun in our sky does not discriminate, it shines for everyone, and I think this is an important aspect to consider when trying to understand the leonine nature. One of Leo's drawbacks is that he tends to dream about applause before the performance. It’s certainly worth remembering that true pride comes after a fall and not before. If Leo believes it will fail to shine, then it’s likely not to bother trying in the first place. It’s not a sign that sits well with failure. For a Leo to try and then not succeed would cripple even the strongest of lions because they would have failed in the divine mission itself, simply to shine for all of mankind.
Generally overlooked in basic sign understanding is the connection of Leo to the divine source; the Sun is mythically represented by Apollo, and his father is Jupiter, the king of the Gods. A surprising number of Leos will have absent fathers, especially psychologically, which further enhances the need to find the inner father. Many Leos will seek divine inspiration and have a natural ability to find faith; it’s like an inbuilt automatic acceptance of something greater than the self while feeling a divine right to have access to it.
It may well be that we feel we have a divine right to shine in whichever area Leo is in the birth chart. We all have Leo somewhere. Leo on the ascendant would almost certainly feel the divine right to be seen, whereas Leo on the 7th house cusp could feel it their right to have a divine marriage. On the 10th house cusp, it could be felt as a right to shine in the career or have a high status in life, certainly a desire to be in the top 5% of their chosen profession.
