The Darkside of Leo

Astrology is an interesting study. Not only does each person have their own natal chart (the signs at your birth) with 10 planets, two lunar nodes, ascendent/rising signs, and several asteroids, but then there are progressions (how zodiac influences have developed into the current aspects).

On top of that, the current placement of the stars and planets can have an overall effect on the world at large. This is seen more prominently in the outer, slower-changing planets (while the inner, faster-changing planets are more influential on individuals).

Each zodiac sign has it's own personality. Most zodiac descriptions focus on the positive of each sign, but each sign also has a dark side - the negative aspect of that sign.

This series explores the negative, world-effect aspects of each sign. For simplicity, I am assuming we are talking about the Sun in each sign, though most of these analyses would apply to other planetary placements, as well.

Leo is a fixed fire sign, with its opposite/duality in Aquarius. Leo is the sign of the showman and the politician. Comfortable in the limelight and drawn to leadership positions, Leo often radiates confidence.

Confidence - as in confidence man, or con man. Leo isn't necessarily an intentional scammer, but the best intentions can lead to a hellish result. Leo knows what they know, but fact-checking may not be a priority, and they can passionately lead others down a very wrong way.

In the realm of world-effects, this means Leo can leave people feeling overconfident in what they know and/or believe. Given the politics surrounding the current US election cycle, we are seeing this pretty strongly. People believe, but don't research or follow-up. There is a lot of deeply-held convictions, but less checking of facts and figures.

Leo is not a sign that can be fooled easily, but it isn't terribly focused on details and research. This means there are times when superficial facts can mislead us, and we aren't focused on finding out the nitty-gritty, drill-down information. Leo tries to make a situation simple (they love soundbites), but can overlook the details that make the situation more gray than black-and-white.

Leo is the sign of entertainers, and we can see the effect of this in our desire to be, first and foremost, entertained. This is the time of the summer blockbuster, and we may see ourselves more drawn to click-bait than at any other time of the year.

The lion lives in a pride, and Leo definitely lives in pride. While pride in one's accomplishments isn't categorically bad, this is the time of year when bragging rights may be taken too far. It's a good idea to be forgiving of people who won't stop talking about themselves, and to mentally check yourself for appropriate levels of humility.

The lesson of Leo is to check in - for facts, for real life, for humility. Being sure of one's beliefs and accomplishments is great, but can be taken too far, leading to foolishness.