The Sign of Leo Emphasized

With Saturn leaving the sign of Cancer and moving into the sign of Leo on July 17 and Mercury going retrograde in Leo on July 22, the sign of Leo is highly emphasized.  It brings importance to what Leo stands for and what role it plays in our lives.

The Sun travels through Leo from roughly July 22 through August 22 each year - the hot, sticky “dog days” of summer.  So it’s not surprising that the Sun is the planetary ruler of Leo. 

Like the Sun, the center of our solar system, Leo represents the expression of our core self or individual ego.  The energy of Leo is creative, dramatic, and often risk-taking.  That’s why sun sign Leos may be actors, artists, business executives, and others who seek applause and need to be honored with your attention. 

Just as the cartoon Leo the Lion was “King of the Jungle,” so many Leos are leaders, business executives, presidents or even kings (President George W. Bush has a Leo Ascendant). That’s why it is often suggested that Leos have no peers.  They tend to stand alone in a position of leadership.

However, the generosity of a warm-hearted Leo who has overcome the ego needs to be self important can shower abundance on those they love. You are lucky if you loved by a Leo (my dear husband has a Leo Moon).

Now that we’ve got a better idea of the energy of Leo, what do Saturn and Mercury’s movements in Leo foretell?

Saturn travels through each sign of the zodiac for about two and half years.  As the planet of responsibility, restriction, lessons, and accountability, Saturn’s arrival in Leo will put leaders and corporate executives on notice that they will be under scrutiny and held to a greater standard of honesty and integrity.  Look for the possibility of more exposure of abuse of power issues in business and government.

Movie makers and other artists may find increased expectations for excellence from their audiences or find smaller numbers at the box office.  The interests of parents and children may become highlighted as Leo also rules children.

The whole topic of leadership will be hot.  Slogans like “lead or get out of the way” or “if your not contributing, you’re taking up space” give a flavor of the way we will all be called to bring more of who we are to our work and our life.  It will be time to set aside egotistical behavior and move forward with humility, modesty and compassion, while confident that our contribution is needed.

Don’t worry about what is expected, however, because we have two and a half years (until September 2007) to develop our leadership and self-confidence under Saturn’s tutelage.

Mercury going retrograde in Leo one week after Saturn arrives will be the impetus to become more introspective about the Leo issues that Saturn raises.  Naturally, the people who are most affected by Mercury’s retrograde will have planets in Leo. However, we all will feel it in some way.

Since Mercury rules communications, travel, transportation, and mail, we can expect misunderstandings, delayed travel plans, broken down vehicles and computers, and slow or lost mail.  These possibilities always exist when the “winged messenger” (Mercury) relaxes in retrograde motion.

As a point of clarification, Mercury doesn’t really back up in the sky, of course. From our perspective here on Earth, though, it appears to reverse motion like a train next to us when ours moves forward – an optical illusion.  Actually all planets, with the exception of the Sun and Moon, go retrograde, but since Mercury does it most often and scrambles communication, we tend to give it the greatest attention.

Mercury retrograde in Leo may cause intellectual confusion and mix ups due to egoistic behavior.  Exaggeration, aspiration and pride may be overdone. Watch for over dramatic or over confident leadership behavior which negatively impacts how clearly we are able to hear what is being said or find agreement.

So be sure to “chill out” and relax from July 22 until August 15, when things begin to come back to normal (whatever that is).  It’s a good time to find a moment to sit by the water and read an exciting novel or two!

Ultimately, we are all called to come into the fullest expression of who we are as Saturn matures our leadership style.  Remember, who you are is too important not to be fully participating in life!