Element: Fire

Quality: Leo is enthusiastic, powerful, expansive and creative, generous and extravagant, dogmatic and fixed in opinion.

Symbol: The Lion - Regal, brave, dominating, sometimes indolent. Possessing nobility and pride.

Ruling Planet: The Sun - Center of our solar system, a star that burns with intense fire and supplies us with light, heat and energy. In astrology, the Sun is the most powerful planetary influence, bestowing vitality and authority.

Dominant Keyword: I WILL.

Polarity: Aquarius. Leo is the sign that governs pleasure and creativity. Natives of Leo look for what they can get out of life for themselves, and tend to dominate others. Aquarius, Leo's opposite sign, is the sign of hopes and wishes and the higher aspirations of mankind. Aquarian people are concerned with larger ideals, humanitarian concepts, and are more impersonal and aloof in their relationships.

Part of the Body Ruled by Leo: Back, spine, and the heart - emotional strain and physical overexertion cause back and spine ailments in Leo people.

Birthstone: Ruby - Protects against physical injury and insures faithfulness. It also brings its wearer serenity of mind.

Danger: Leo people tend to be bombastic and challenging, and often unknowingly provoke others into impulsive violence. They are also prone toward being victims of slander.

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YOUR MOST LIKEABLE TRAIT: EXUBERANCE

Your loyalty is beyond question. You are devoted to yourself.

All Leos possess a kingdom. The kingdom may be big or small, it may be your home or a lover or a piece of creative work or your whole career. But whatever it is, you are unquestioningly ruler of this kingdom. Self assurance surrounds Leo people like a ghost image on a television set. You don't have to look for a role to play in life. You've found it. You are the monarch of all you survey.

When you enter a room you secretly hope everyone will stand up and sing a few stanzas of the Hallelujah Chorus! At a party it isn't long before you assume control of the evening. Witty, vivacious, a fluent talker, you are a born entertainer who can lend spice to any occasion. People gravitate to you as steel filings to a magnet.

Your Sun sign confers a great flair for drama and an instinct for getting attention. Because your nature is flamboyant and expansive, you despise the humdrum, the ordinary, the dull. When real life does not supply all the excitement you need, you try to create your own. Hyperbole is second nature to you. You are born to do things in a r-r-really big way.

If you invite people to your castle (which is how you think of your home), you entertain them royally. You are a splendid party giver.

Others may become reconciled to accepting second best; not Leos. Born under the most royal sign of the zodiac, there is absolutely nothing Leo people can think of that's too good for them. Luxury is vital to you as breathing. You want to enjoy the good life, and never mind what it costs. You are not a good haggler or bargainer because basically you want what you want when you want it.

Your public image is very important to you. When a Leo woman's checking account is down to two figures somehow she'll find the means to buy a glorious new dress, and when his credit cards are overdrawn a Leo man will still make reservations at the best restaurant in town. Leos are the most lavish spenders in the zodiac (Librans run a close second).

Generous, kind, and openhearted, you find it hard to believe ill of others. If injured, you strike back quickly, but you also forgive easily and never hold a grudge. Marvelously affectionate and cheerful, you have a genuine joie de vivre. The Sun is your ruler, and you always bring some sunshine into the lives of others. Obviously, this is one of your most endearing traits. In many ways you are like the Sun itself - life-enhancing, radiating energy and magnetism, burning with steady fixity. Astrologers call Leos eternal children, for you take pleasure from the moment and are uninhibited in giving affection.

No one could ask for a better friend. If approached in the right way (flattery is the right way), you will do almost anything, but you expect praise and appreciation and admiration in return. Pride is your Achilles heel. Your ego demands not respect but adoration, not compliments but flattery, and when you receive lavish praise you never stop to wonder if it is insincere. Despite your self-centeredness, you need others to give to if only to get back their appreciation. However, because you're too proud to ask for appreciation, you often suffer silently from a wounded ego.

In business you are the one in command. Another sign that gravitates toward authority is Capricorn, but its natives steadily climb toward a high position. However, you are also a hard worker who doesn't ask more of anyone else than you do of yourself. You won't quail before a challenge or flinch from a confrontation. You are ambitious, but not ruthless. All you ask is to be in the limelight.

Routine quickly leads to boredom, and makes you desperately unhappy. Your unhappiness doesn't last long, because you simply won't put up with it. You have an unshakable belief in your luck and quickly bounce back from despondency.

It is difficult (though not impossible) to dislike a Leo. True, you can be bombastic and overbearing at times. True, you love to give advice and tell people how to run their lives. Like your symbol, the lion, you can be quite indolent and lazy; you like to sit back and bask in your own glory. But your great warmth and sunny disposition is very hard to resist. The world would be much less fun without Leos.

LEO'S AMOROUS COMBINATIONS

LEO AND ARIES
These two are the superstars of the zodiac. These well-matched partners get along marvelously in the bedroom. They're an unbeatable combination for deriving sheer joy and excitement from sex. They also share the same likes and dislikes in other areas of life. However, they need all that rapport to overcome one big problem - the head-on collision of two super egos, each of whom wants to play the leading role. They have to learn to share center stage. Otherwise, a glorious mating.

LEO AND TAURUS
Leo's sovereign right to rule runs smack up against Taurus's determination to have its own way. Both are fixed signs, so neither will give an inch. Leo merely becomes angrier and Taurus more obstinate. Thrifty Taurus is also appalled at Leo's careless spending habits. Taurus is cautious and deliberate; Leo expansive and extravagant. Taurus stubbornly refuses to give Leo constant worship, and Leo is too self-centered to give Taurus the devotion it needs. Leo is much more exuberant than Taurus, both in and out of the bedroom. Too many personality conflicts here.

LEO AND GEMINI
They strike it off immediately because they like many of the same things - glamorous social life, parties, theater, lots of friends. Lively, independent Gemini brings out Leo's joie de vivre. Their affair is a merry chase after variety and amusement. Leo finds Gemini's imaginative sexual high jinks great fun, but Leo may also become jealous because of Gemini's lighthearted approach to love. Leo is more intense than airy Gemini. Life together will be stimulating and exasperating, but the outlook is good if Gemini can stay faithful. Otherwise - poof!

LEO AND CANCER
Both are romantics, though in different ways: Leo wants a relationship to be glorious and exciting, Cancer wants it to be meaningful and fulfilling. Leo doesn't get as overwrought as Cancer, who takes things more seriously. Cancer needs security, tranquility, and is a stay-at-home. Leo is boisterous and a gadabout who loves to be on constant display. Cancer's dependency will please Leo - provided a little adoration is thrown in. Leo is flamboyant in love, and Cancer is responsive, loyal, and intense; Leo likes that. Mixed signals.

LEO AND LEO
When a king and queen are together, heads turn. This couple can have a royal mating - a grand passion conducted on a grand scale. Both are romantic, colorful, exuberant about life, and highly sexed. The main question is: Who's going to be in charge? It's difficult for one Leo to make room for another ego as large as its own, but that's exactly what's needed here. Each not only wants to be the power behind it as well. Grand lovers - and interesting rivals.

LEO AND VIRGO
Leo is drawn to Virgo's intellectualism, but Virgo doesn't understand Leo's dramatic nature. Leo can't get from cool, reserved Virgo the sexual responsiveness it demands. Virgo is practical and prudent; Leo is extravagant and a spendthrift. Leo likes to live life in a really big way, but Virgo is conservative, frugal and a nitpicker - which puts a damper on Leo's high spirits. Virgo won't be dominated either. Leo needs lots of flattery, but Virgo's tendency is to puncture inflated egos. Both of them should look elsewhere.

LEO AND LIBRA
Leo's creative side meshes well with Libra's penchant for artistic and esthetic pursuits. Leo is more interested in the strictly physical side of love than Libra, but Leo's style and brio can win Libra over. Libra is indecisive and Leo will naturally take charge. The checkbook may not always balance because they're both extravagant and love a beautiful setting in which to shine. Each will also try to outdo the other in order to get attention. But in the bedroom, Leo is the master - and that's what Leo likes.

LEO AND SCORPIO
There's immediate sexual fascination with each other. But Leo finds it hard to cope with Scorpio's jealousy and possessiveness. Intense, smoldering Scorpio is on a too-short fuse, while Leo is much more buoyant. Leo thinks Scorpio difficult and temperamental; Scorpio considers Leo pretentious and a show-off. Scorpio doesn't understand Leo's need to be continually surrounded by an admiring audience. Scorpio would rather dominate than admire, and that doesn't suit Leo's kingly state. Sex isn't everything.

LEO AND SAGITTARIUS
Leo is enthralled by optimistic, extroverted Sagittarius - and fun-loving Sagittarius is enchanted with Leo's sunny openness to life. Together they share a liking for freedom, adventure, and meeting new people. Both are passionate and fiery sexual types, and if anyone can keep Sagittarius faithful it's Leo. Leo's natural quality of leadership brings out what loyalty Sagittarius can give. Leo is very proud, but self-confident and expansive Sagittarius is perfectly happy to let Leo strut.

LEO AND CAPRICORN
Leo's romantic, expansive nature is curbed by cautious, practical Capricorn. Merry Leo likes to kick up its heels, but Capricorn disapproves of too much self-indulgence. Both are highly sexed, but with basic differences. Leo needs glamour in lovemaking and Capricorn can't supply it. Leo will think Capricorn stingy with affection because Capricorn's reserved, undemonstrative nature cannot give Leo the adoration it needs. Neither will take a back seat or let the other dominate. This affair will be on the rocks before it even leaves the dock.

LEO AND AQUARIUS
There is initial physical attraction between these two, but Aquarius's tendency to analyze and criticize will shake Leo's confidence and deflate its ego. Leo views Aquarius's aloof emotions as a personal rejection. Also, Aquarius's unconventional, experimental approach to love may prove upsetting to Leo, who doesn't like to wander too far afield. Both like socializing and meeting new people, but Leo always needs to perform on center stage, which makes Aquarius impatient and irritable. Aquarius is too independent to become Leo's devoted subject. And that's where it ends.

LEO AND PISCES
Leo is flamboyant, domineering; Pisces is unworldly and mystical. They intrigue each other because they are so different, but the differences don't mesh well. Leo's active outgoing nature doesn't harmonize with Pisces's dreamy introspection. Leo needs public acclaim, while Pisces prefers the sheltered life. Both are more inclined to take than to give. Leo can't tolerate Pisces's ultra-sensitivity, nor Pisces's inclination toward exotic boudoir activity. Before long, the lion will start to roam.

Taken from the book "The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need" by Joanna Martine Woolfolk. Buy it at Amazon.com.

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