Ah, Leo. There’s a lot of dogma that surrounds how we interpret the sign of Leo. It’s the sign of the Sun. What about what happens when we encounter a Leo in life?

The thing is, Leos live inside of their own world. They refuse to live in the world that other people have built with and around one another. There is sometimes an element of the fantastic that surrounds a Leo, similar to the typical traits that we might associate with Aquarius or Pisces, because they don’t live in our world. They live in their own world.

Sometimes we look at a fire sign and we assume them to be extroverted. Fire signs can also be introverted. This has nothing to do with the expression of fire. Leo can be introverted. There is such a thing as a quiet Leo but there is no such thing as a Leo that is simply satisfied with the world as it is.

A Leo expects to make their own way through the world and they expect to play their way to get there. They expect to uplift other people as they get there and they see themselves as quite generous as well. A Leo’s generosity is true and uncalculating. They will give and give and give not because they are trying to get anything out of you or because they are even keeping track but because they see themselves as simple givers of life.

It’s really a very simple task to get a Leo to like you. You don’t really even need to do anything. You just need to let them impress you. A Leo likes someone who they feel good around. They like someone who they know they can impress.

There is one crucial thing that Leos have a very hard time seeing in themselves that other people can see quite plainly in them. This has to do with Leo’s need for control.

You see, a Leo will see themselves as a person who just wants to be accepted. They’re like a puppy dog. They have a golden retriever mentality. Leos have an eager enthusiasm and a fresh personality that begs for people to just see them as they are and like them too. Often, this desire to play with other people the way that little kids do can be very overwhelming for a Leo to hold. There is a great deal of hopes and expectations that come along with the desire to be with other people and to have fun. It actually takes a ton of work to hold a posture of happy and guileless friendliness.

This is something that I learned from theater—friendliness is actually often read as a form of social domination. When a Leo smiles at someone, showing the fullness of their own charisma, I don’t think that they are thinking about social dominance. They are thinking, “Wow, what a cool person. I hope they like me. I hope we can be friends.” I think that their friendliness can often be experienced as social domination by people from the outside.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that you go to a casual get together with ten or so people. As soon as you walk in, a person with big hair and a glowing smile welcomes you and takes your coat. Have you been traveling long? How have you been? It’s so great to see you. You might think that this person is the host of the get together and find out that they are not. They’re just a Leo.

Now, the Leo isn’t thinking that they’re acting in an especially dominant way. They’re just being friendly. But there’s a hidden message that welcoming messages convey and that message is: hello there—you’re in my space. I welcome you to play with my friends.

If you watch a Leo, you will find that they tend to enjoy being in places that are their own quite a bit. Leos like to host things and welcome other people in. They usually like to frequent the same places over and over again if they are the sort to like to eat out, learning the staff and letting themselves be known so that when they take a new person into the setting they can see Leo at their best. They see a person who is known, respected, and taken care of. They see the king in their own realm.

Or, take this example—a Leo compliments you. There is nothing in the world that is more flattering than a compliment from a Leo. They give this shit out like love is free. Then, you backtrack a bit. You realize that, by complimenting you, the Leo is actually telling you a bit about how they like to see you, how they want you to be.

If you watch a Leo, you will notice that, while Leos seem extremely fun loving and playful to the casual observer, that they actually need in their lives a fair amount of control. Alongside this control, Leos can also impose a fair amount of self limitation. They can’t control everything. They like to stay within the spheres that are known and within their control.

I had a friend who was a Leo when I was younger. The friend was inspiring to be around and ambitious too. I was always impressed with her. One day, someone made a remark to me about my friend. “I’ve never seen them uncomfortable. I don’t think they ever go places where they could be uncomfortable.”

What happens when a Leo is outside of their own space? What happens when a Leo becomes uncomfortable? I think they get a little stressed out. They get quiet. Their faces change. They don’t know what to do or what to say. They bring a prop with them. They talk a lot and very loudly. They might even lash out sometimes, telling their friends that there is something wrong with the place that induces such discomfort in them, that it wasn't up to par or something they want to be involved in.

Some of the stereotypical assumptions that we make about Leo has to do with Leo being royal. “Oh, that Leo. They’re always looking down on other people. They’re so judgmental.” I don’t actually think this is true. I don’t think Leo looks down on other people at all. If I did, I would say it but I just don’t think that looking down on people is something that Leo does or a part of how it functions.

I do think that Leos tend to get critical of things when they are uncomfortable. This is something that is very different from looking down on things because it has absolutely nothing to do with hierarchy. Leos don’t really function with hierarchy in mind. They’re too interested in empowering everyone around them. Everything can be uplifted to a Leo and, if a thing can be uplifted, then it doesn’t deserve to be judged based on the merits that it may or may not hold today. What Leos do is different from looking down on anyone because what a Leo does has nothing to do with social status and everything to do with self protection.

Leos are space cadets. They’re not really interested in things that don’t matter to them. When in a conversion, they are perfectly fine with spacing out if that conversation has become boring to them. They are prone towards their own fantasies and playing things out in their own bubble. Leos love to build social bubbles. What gets to a Leo isn’t really about pride—what gets to a Leo is the issue of anything that disturbs the control that they have over defining, playing in, and loving their own world and their own future.

I think that a Leo usually sees themselves as a world builder and a protector. They are fierce in their affections because they build their worlds for the benefit of themselves and for their loved ones. I think that a Leo’s loved ones might see them as a protector, a curator, or a promoter of shared interests too. I think that there are others who might notice when a Leo exhibits self limiting behavior or when they try to tell other people how they might improve a little more than is necessary. I think that some of those people, when they love Leo best, might notice when this self enclosure is happening and gently ask their lovely Leo whether they truly need self protection in this way at this moment.