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Horoscopes · Systems of many cultures

Western (tropical) · Zodiac sign 5

♌︎ Leo

Lion · Lion

Leo ♌, the lion: a fixed fire sign ruled by Sun, 23 July – 22 August.

Leo, the lion, is a fixed fire sign ruled by the sun. Its bright star Regulus was one of the royal stars of ancient astronomy. Astrologers associate it with confidence, generosity and display.

The dates are approximate because the sun's entry into each sign shifts by a day or so from year to year; the calculator on this site gives the exact sign for a birth date and time. In traditional astrology a sign is read together with its planetary ruler, the house it occupies and the aspects to it, not in isolation.

Personality

confident · generous · warm · creative · loyal · proud · dramatic

In Western astrology Leo is described as the radiant heart of the zodiac: warm, generous, confident and born to shine. A fixed fire sign ruled by the sun itself, it is given the temperament of the lion, regal, protective of its own and happiest when it can lead, create and be appreciated.

Astrologers credit Leo with courage, loyalty, a big heart and natural authority, and with creativity and playfulness that make it a gifted performer, host and encourager of others. The challenges traditionally named are pride, a need for attention and praise, a dislike of being contradicted and a tendency to take offence when its generosity goes unacknowledged.

In love Leo is portrayed as romantic, affectionate and faithful, enjoying grand gestures and expecting admiration in return. At work it is linked with leadership, the stage, the arts, teaching and any position where it can inspire others and take responsibility; it is said to dislike roles where it is overlooked. Popular modern lists give peridot (or older lists onyx) as its stone. Traditional astrologers add that because the sun is the source of vitality in a chart, Leo's dignity and warmth are tied to the condition of the sun in the whole horoscope.

Stone: Peridot

Sources and further reading