Happy Birthday, Leo!! -- It's time to celebrate your time of the year! -- Part 3
Part 2
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Besides their obvious affinity for politics, Leos do well in the entertainment field -- where the literal stages and audiences are found. When they take the time to apply themselves and polish their craft, we all are treated to the wonderful dimensions of Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman. When they don't we're left with the campiness of Mae West. (But let's face it. Even then, people bought tickets.)
Leos can remind us that even blatant self-esteem has its redeeming side -- as well as provide sobering examples of what happens when it grows poisonous and malignant.
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As a reaction against the shy, reclusive, sensitive, and often brooding qualities of Cancer, Leo has a bounding exuberance, an appealing aplomb, an often exasperating self-absorption, and a way of punctuating his behavior that can't help but remind you of the magician ... performing -- be he David Copperfield, with the stratospheric budget to provide music, lights, smoke, and curvy eye-candy as part of the experience -- or the cheesy carnival conjurer, whisking the cloth away and singing out: "Ta-dah!!"
Either way, what they're waiting for is the applause -- and the encouraging shouts of "Encore!!" Give that to a Leo -- and he'll go until he drops. Leo energy is proud, vital, noble, open-handed, passionate, vivacious, prankish, expressive, creative and unsparing of whatever it takes to make a good impression -- or at least some impression.
Failing to win approval, Leo will settle for whatever consideration he can get. I've known Leos who'd be happy to be hanged -- as long as all eyes were on them at the time.
Go figure.
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Under stress (like this is a problem for a Leo??), this energy becomes bombastic, pompous, haughty, over-blown, disdainful, bloated, and tyrannical. The words narcissistic and vain may have been invented with a Leo gone rampant in mind.
It's tiresome to hear the furious complaints that focus on, "Me, ME, ME!!" But, we're all familiar with them. Unsatisfied Leo energy is nothing if not conspicuous.
Moreover, Leo is the Fixed Fire sign. Fixed -- as in "set it its ways." Fire -- as in concerned with personal charisma and expression of individual spirit. Put those two qualities together ... and you can see there'll be no changing this emphasis for very long.
Leo, for better or worse in his grandstanding and gyrations is being true to himself. And the rest of us get to be ok with that -- and take a page from his book, torn out and presented with a sweeping bow, like a trophy, thankyouverymuch -- if we need it.
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The polarity sign -- the "other side of the scale" for Leo is Aquarius, the Fixed Air sign, ruled by Uranus, the indefatigable clown energy of the Zodiac. They can both be quite a handful.
While Leo is into Me, ME, ME!! -- Aquarius is focused on "the welfare of humanity" and "the good of all concerned" in a way that gives altruism and benevolence new dimensions. Leo shows what can be done with intense focus and concentration on self; Aquarius with what happens when this concern turns outward to "society."
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Both are important. And both are needed for balance. As with all good polarities, each keeps the other from going too far overboard -- which both signs are inclined to do, left to their own devices, just on general principles.
(Maybe the rest of us should give thanks for small mercies that these two energies do effectively tone down and counteract each other. Given their separate and distinct independence and willfulness -- we need the help, however it comes!!)
Leo spirits who've made their mark on the world include: Gene Roddenberry, Coco Chanel, Robert de Niro, Mata Hari, Bill Clinton, Princess Anne, Amelia Earhart, Mick Jagger, Gracie Allen, Carl Jung, Dorothy Hamill, George Bernard Shaw, Benito Mussolini, Stanley Kubrick, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mae West, Davy Crockett, Fidel Castro, Henry Ford, Yves St. Laurent, Jerry Garcia, Herman Melville, Peter O'Toole, Myrna Loy, Madonna, Robert Redford, John T. Scopes, Martha Stewart, Andy Warhol, Alfred Hitchcock, ... and @catweasel.
If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.
Little by little, I'm doing a set of articles that talks about all the elements in your horoscope and what they have to say about you. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.
If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you've never seen your horoscope ... and don't have a clue how to work with it, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some are so awful and confusing that even I can't read them easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.
One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe. I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.
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Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.
The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.
Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.
So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.
The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.
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