Hello, astro-fans, and welcome to your monthly solar ingress museletter.
How was your last solar month, as Sol transited through the watery realms of the Crab? For me, Cancer season was filled with all the usual suspects- a wide range of deep and powerful emotions, long soaks in hot water, big change, and a powerful dose of focus on nurturance and care- for myself, others, and the wider world.
As the Sun ingresses into the domain of Leo today, Monday, July 22, we are invited into a month of relishing in the heat of the lion’s fixed-fire sign, emerging from our shells on the shore and climbing up to the heights of Pride Rock.
Mercury and Venus are already in Leo, having made their ingress on July 3 and 12, respectively. Immediately after they entered the lion’s terrain, they made direct oppositions with Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius, creating potent mirrors between the polarities of the Lion and the Water Bearer in the realms of communication and what we value.
Think back to July 3 and 12. What was happening for you on those dates? The Leo-Aquarius axis is the axis of expression: Leo represents personal self-expression, while Aquarius represents expression on a societal, humanitarian level. When planets are in opposition in these signs, the differences and similarities between these two ways of being are highlighted.
Pluto, hovering at 0 degrees, is air walking retrograde toward a final fling in Capricorn on September 3, only to re-enter Aquarius on November 20 for the next 20 years. Pluto digs deep into the underworld to uncover hidden shadows and riches, and in Aquarius, will dig into the realm of social, technological, and humanitarian issues. If you have personal natal planets in Leo, the next 20 years will mirror back to you the way your self-expression is reflected in the collective.
As soon as the Sun enters Leo, it too will oppose Pluto in Aquarius, marking the beginning of the lion’s season. The center of the solar system, the Sun, rules the sign Leo- so having to share the limelight of this ingress with the far-out Lord of the Underworld could add a little self-defensiveness to Sol’s transit and a conduit to self-empowerment.
Later in Leo season, the Sun will form sextiles with Mars and Jupiter in Gemini, create trines with the North Node and Chiron in Aries, square off against Uranus in Taurus, and make a conjunction and Cazimi with Mercury, who will retrograde back from Virgo into Leo. Needless to say, it’s an active month for the Sun, so let’s look into the embodiment of Leo to prepare for these late-summer planetary dances.
The Sign of the Lion in the Body
In the body, lionhearted Leo rules … you guessed it, the heart. Not only the front of the heart but the back of the heart, too- the upper back and spine. Just as Leo’s ruler, the Sun, is the orbital center of the solar system, the heart is the orbital center of the circulatory system, the organ that pumps oxygen-filled blood throughout our bodies.
The heart-center and the backbone exemplify the essential nature of the proud feline, the courageous lion, the quintessential King of the Jungle. During late summer, before Virgo’s harvest, the fruits of the year hang heavy on the trees and vines, ready to be shared and enjoyed in the present moment. In the same vein, Leo natives tend to possess strength, stamina, and abundance in their bodies and are known for their longevity and vitality.
The word courage is often associated with the lion—think of the moment when the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz gets his courage back! The word courage originates from the Latin “cor” and French “couleur,” which translates simply to “heart.” Courage itself is living from the heart, being brave in the face of danger, not through the mind or the ego, but through the heart.
Although Leo can get a bad rap for being egotistical, self-centered, and overly proud, a strong Leo in their element embodies love, generosity, and expressive care for all the animals of the kingdom. Leo wants more than anything to share their heart with others and to use their strong spine to take leadership roles and stand up for what they believe in.
Some systems of thought also include the spleen as a body part ruled by Leo. The spleen is responsible for filtering the blood, controlling the balance of blood cells, and fighting infection. As another organ of the circulatory system, this body part association highlights a fierce and fearless leader who would step forward to protect those within their domain loyally.
This Leo season, through all of the transits and ups and downs of life, I invite you to embody these traits of Leo to carry you through the month: Courage, Pride, Love, Protection, Vitality, Optimism, Stamina, and Abundance. Whether you have planets or luminaries in Leo or not, we all have Leo in our charts. In tumultuous times like these, let the lionhearted one radiate through you.
Leo in the Life Cycle
After the ever-changing, sometimes hard-shelled, deeply caring adolescence of Cancer season, we enter the stage of life ruled by the lion: our late teens into our ‘roaring’ 20s.
Yes, the 1920s were known as the “roaring” decade of the past century, and often, too, are the years of our 20s in relation to other decades of our lives! (Note: all this is considering the average global modern-day lifespan of 75 years). We’ve made it through the highs and lows, hormones, and first loves of adolescence. We’ve closed the doors of our shells (with ‘keep out signs’ swinging) long enough to learn about what we care about outside the realm of the home and how we can care for ourselves rather than depending on an external parental figure to give it to us.
After a long incubation and many sheddings of shells, we emerge, at ages 18, 19, or 20, with a certain steadiness and pride, with the courage to face the world on our terms. It takes a certain roar to bring ourselves out of the Cancerian mother’s womb and into the great open plains, where we must express ourselves and show our light to survive and thrive.
Like the modern-day twenty-something, the sign of Leo is known for self-expression. Known to own their quirks, defend their uniqueness, and sometimes get carried away in their joie-de-vivre, Leo romps through the social world like an eager lion cub ready to tumble and play.
Fiery Leo, like the nimble lion, like the body’s heart and spine, and like the twenty-something human, is strong, flexible, full of vital life force (blood and spinal fluid), and agile. Born in the season of late summer, Leo’s are surrounded by the bounty of the earth, and like twenty-somethings, want to soak in the pleasures and sensations all around them as much as they possibly can before life gets complicated and the need for responsibility sinks in. Like fire, Leo’s twenty-somethings have the ability to dart from place to place, person to person, each new experience evocative of a new heartbeat, circulating the liquid of life throughout.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. -Hellen Keller
Self-Care in the Season of the Lion
I hope you took time to go inside your shell and nurture yourself throughout Cancer season so that Leo’s month ahead can be met with the vigor and prideful expression of a pack of golden-hearted lions.
This season, you’re invited to let it all out: all the recent discoveries about your authentic, animal nature, all the creative ideas, and expressions, all the emotions that are too big to hold inside your one human heart, all the art, dance, poetry, and song that you long for the world to connect with.
Let your hair down and shake it like a lion’s mane, welcoming the sensory joy of movement that is your birthright into your body. Dress up in your favorite costumes and clothing for your walk to get the mail each morning. Shine, sparkle, and smile; even if you have to “fake it till you make it,” it’s good for your mental health.
Take deep breaths into your belly and your heart, and feel the radiance of that beautiful, blood-pumping organ extending energy beyond your body to the world around you. Studies have shown that your heart emits an electromagnetic energy field 5,000 times larger than that of your brain; know that as you focus some love on your heart center. Share some gentle massage with a friend or loved one on your upper spine, the backside of the heart that feels so nourished when touched.
Gather with others around a campfire, a central hearth, remembering the Sun and the heart, the centerpieces of our bodies, and our solar system. Be you, be free, and share your beautiful light with the creatures big and small around Pride Rock. Be extra, be real, and don’t let anyone tell you you’re too much, at least during this month.
Remember to rest; it is still hot, and lions love long naps in their cool dens. It will be time for the harvest soon enough, so soak up the season with fruits and honey and passion and fun that will lead you joyfully into service when the Sun waltzes into Virgo next month.
Leo Season Dates to Note
July 22: Sun enters Leo, opposite Pluto in Aquarius
Jul 25: Mercury enters Virgo
Jul 26: Chiron Retrograde
Aug 4: New Moon in Leo, Venus enters Virgo
Aug 5: Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo
Aug 14: Mercury Rx enters Leo, and Mars conjunct Jupiter in Gemini
Aug 15: Mars in Gemini square Saturn in Pisces
Aug 19: Full Moon in Aquarius
Aug 19: Jupiter in Gemini square Saturn in Pisces
Aug 22: Sun enters Virgo
A Guided Meditation for Leo Season
Welcome to this short guided meditation for Leo season, a time of boldness, creativity, and self-expression. Listen or read the transcript!
Alison Dale is an artist, ecological astrologer, and somatic guide based in the traditional lands of the Tewa people, known today as Santa Fe, NM. She is also the host of the podcast Cycles of Time (Instagram: @cyclesoftimepodcast). Learn more about her work and current offerings at alisonmariedale.com or on Instagram at @astro.somatics.