I love you, Leo. There’s an all too common attitude that Leos are too audacious, that they take up too much space, or that they care too much about themselves but I firmly believe that these types of criticisms say more about what is lacking in the critic’s self love process than any Leo.

Leos love themselves. They have the courage to show that they love themselves to the world. What the hell is wrong with that?

When the “wrong” people wear such blatant displays of self love, they always take on the emotions of those who can’t bear to see someone just love their own face in the mirror for a second longer than is socially acceptable. We live in such a world where some people are not allowed to see themselves and to love what they see. We all know this but Leos appear not to know it. This is what I love about Leos.

I love that you look at yourself in the mirror or selfie camera for too long, that you care about your hair, that you love nice things not just for yourself but for everyone. I love that you have high standards for how you want to be treated because you have high standards for how you treat other people. I love that you, at least once upon a time, were able to say “I love you” to near complete strangers just because your love is so strong that you just had to put it into practice. I love that you love courageously and without needing.

I love that you take your space and that you own it. The world would be dull and lifeless without you. You sprawl out and you teach the rest of us how to play. Playing is something precious that needs special protection. You know this and you can’t figure out why the rest of us have such a hard time with this concept.

I love that, when you envision the person who you want to be, that you leave no room for failure because you come from a place that is so genuine that failure becomes almost impossible. I love that you do not punish yourself when you do fail. I love that you are naive and expect that everyone around you protect that naivete because you refuse to become one of those people who are jaded.

I love that you love life, even when it is hard to do so. You believe in the certainty of the future. This is not easy because the weight of the past hangs off your shoulders the same way that it does everyone else’s but you don’t care about showing your burdens. You wear them like badges of pride.

You have existed for so long without allowing the world to conquer you. You refuse to believe that you are anything but a good person and, in doing so, refuse to act badly. You don’t make excuses for yourself. You apologize because you expect better of yourself. Your strength is incredible. You’re strong for so many people who don’t even realize that they need you to never stop being exactly who you are.

You’re the dignified Sun placement and I love to live in your world because the vastness and vibrantness of your universe never takes away from mine. You shine because you expect everyone else to shine also. You play because you want us to play with you. You heal because you expect that we will share in your healing, because you know that love is not exclusive but expansive.

I love you, Leo. I love you because you say exactly what you want to who you want it from. I love you even though the world sometimes punishes such innocent displays of love. I love you because you never punish those of us who, inspired, find it within ourselves to ask for what we want back. I love you because, by claiming space for yourself, you also claim it for others.