The Lion Roars - Sun enters Leo

Today, at 4.16pm BST, we enter the sign of Leo, astrologically speaking.  This sign is associated with the heart – and gold, the metal associated with the sun (which rules Leo), is used in homeopathic remedies for the heart.  It’s also associated with royalty – with kings, in particular. The brightest star in the constellation of Leo (‘Leo’ being Latin for lion), Regulus (Alpha Leonis) was called ‘qalb al-Asad’ by the early Arab astronomers – which translates as ‘heart of the lion’.  Allegedly, it was Saladin who called Richard I the ‘lion-hearted king’.  The lion has been called the king of the forest, or jungle – long before Disney came along with ‘The Lion King’ – and has come to symbolize natural leadership, as well as royalty. 

The Sun (trimmed):©Mystic Spiral Tarot

Leo’s ruler, the Sun, is the star at the centre of our solar system. The sun gives us life – without the light and heat that it provides, life as we know it wouldn’t exist.  Psychologically, the Sun is said to be the core of our being or centre of our personality. It’s the fiery, creative spirit - our essential vitality - that drives us to seek out our individuality.  In medieval astrology, the Sun is called ‘the Great Light’. No surprise then that we think of Leo as a sunny, warm-hearted, larger-than-life sign – a sign that loves to be centre-stage, in the spot-light. 

Leo is one of the three Fire signs, along with Aries and Sagittarius – all signs concerned with the discovery and fulfilment of future possibilities and passions. In Leo, the focus is more on the self – in terms of mythology, you could say it’s about seeking an answer to the question ‘Who am I?’.  The myth of Parzival (Sir Percival in the Grail legends) is a wonderful example of the hero on a quest for self. Hero and protector of the ‘weak’, Leo is associated with generosity, loyalty and steadfastness, but as a ‘yang’ sign is also outgoing and sociable. 

Another quality associated with Leo is pride – and what do we call a group of lions?!  Leo is the ‘I want’ part of the zodiac, and the lion symbolises this self-interested drive, which we all have – it’s what we use to survive. 

As well as being one of the Fire signs, it’s also one of the four Fixed signs.  Leo represents the fire that’s burning in the hearth, the fire that Aries may have ignited – Leo tends that fire, keeps the passion alive. As the fire heats the house, keeping its inhabitants warm and dry, Leo encourages and supports others.  

‘Alchemical Leo’ ©Alison Coals

Being Fixed, Leo likes to be in control of the environment, though – disruption is NOT encouraged.  We can see this in Leo’s tendency for extravagance too – yes, Leo loves beauty and maintains a distinctive, individual style but that disregard for the cost comes from a ‘fixed’ trait (one more often associated with Taurus!) – that of laziness. Leo can’t be bothered to find out if there’s enough in the coffers – and would not be happy about the idea of having to make adjustments to expenditure. Leave that to a mutable sign – practical, earthy Virgo, perhaps... the next sign we encounter in our journey around the wheel of the zodiac!

The fixity of Leo also takes us back to the idea of being in the spot-light, of being centre stage – and the ‘shadow’ side of that.  Leo may expect the world to revolve around his ideas; taking other people’s views or dreams into account, or even acknowledging them, may be one of the challenges that Leo has to deal with. 

'Alchemical Leo' comes from my AstroArt series. It's a collage: watercolour on paper, and origami paper.  

Mystic Spiral Tarot, created by Giuseppe Palumbo & Giovanni Pelosini, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Leo and the Lion Tamer: Margarete Petersen’s Strength

Today, at 10.30am BST, we entered the sign of Leo, astrologically speaking.  This sign is associated with the heart – and gold, the metal associated with the sun (which rules Leo), is used in homeopathic remedies for the heart.  It’s also associated with royalty – with kings, in particular. The brightest star in the constellation of Leo (‘Leo’ being Latin for lion), Regulus (Alpha Leonis) was called ‘qalb al-Asad’ by the early Arab astronomers – which translates as ‘heart of the lion’.  Allegedly, it was Saladin who called Richard I the ‘lion-hearted king’.  The lion has been called the king of the forest, or jungle – long before Disney came along with ‘The Lion King’ – and has come to symbolize natural leadership, as well as royalty.  

Leo’s ruler, the Sun, is the star at the centre of our solar system. The sun gives us life – without the light and heat that it provides, life as we know it wouldn’t exist.  Psychologically, the Sun is said to be the core of our being or centre of our personality. It’s the fiery, creative spirit - our essential vitality - that drives us to seek out our individuality.  In medieval astrology, the Sun is called ‘the Great Light’. No surprise then that we think of Leo as a sunny, warm-hearted, larger-than-life sign – a sign that loves to be centre-stage, in the spot-light. 

Leo is one of the three Fire signs, along with Aries and Sagittarius – all signs concerned with the discovery and fulfilment of future possibilities and passions. In Leo, the focus is more on the self – in terms of mythology, you could say it’s about seeking an answer to the question ‘Who am I?’.  The myth of Parzival (Sir Percival in the Grail legends) is a wonderful example of the hero on a quest for self. Hero and protector of the ‘weak’, Leo is associated with generosity, loyalty and steadfastness, but as a ‘yang’ sign is also outgoing and sociable. 

Another quality associated with Leo is pride – and what do we call a group of lions?!  Leo is the ‘I want’ part of the zodiac, and the lion symbolises this self-interested drive, which we all have – it’s what we use to survive. 

As well as being one of the Fire signs, it’s also one of the four Fixed signs.  Leo represents the fire that’s burning in the hearth, the fire that Aries may have ignited – Leo tends that fire, keeps the passion alive. As the fire heats the house, keeping its inhabitants warm and dry, Leo encourages and supports others.  Being Fixed, Leo likes to be in control of the environment, though – disruption is NOT encouraged.  We can see this in Leo’s tendency for extravagance too – yes, Leo loves beauty and maintains a distinctive, individual style but that disregard for the cost comes from a ‘fixed’ trait (one more often associated with Taurus!) – that of laziness. Leo can’t be bothered to find out if there’s enough in the coffers – and would not be happy about the idea of having to make adjustments to expenditure. Leave that to a mutable sign – practical, earthy Virgo, perhaps!

The fixity of Leo also takes us back to the idea of being in the spot-light, of being centre stage – and the ‘shadow’ side of that.  Leo may expect the world to revolve around his ideas; taking other people’s views or dreams into account, or even acknowledging them, may be one of the challenges that Leo has to deal with.

Strength (trimmed) © Margarete Petersen Tarot

The tarot card associated with Leo is Strength, which traditionally depicts a woman taming a lion. Margarete Petersen’s Strength card is a relatively traditional image, although the woman is a Hindu-like goddess whose hand rests on the head of a very scaly dragon, or perhaps a gryphon. I think the dragon-gryphon looks a bit taken aback by this, but that might just be my imagination! It does seem to be calm, tamed by the feel of her hand on its head.  The power of inner strength comes through loud and clear, I'd say - strength in all forms, perhaps, and certainly compassion, which I view as a strength.

Lots of red and gold in this image, suitable for a card that as, astrologically, Fire connections. And the stillness of both woman and creature could reflect the Fixed nature of Leo, don't you think?

 

Strength lies in stillness

Yet nourishment comes too from
Dancing by fire’s light.

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004. 

Tarot Blog Hop - Summer Solstice

Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Louise's Priestess Tarot or Joy Vernon's blog.  Or you may have found this through TABI’s Facebook page, or though one of the many wonderful tarot bloggers in the ether.   However you came to be here, welcome to this installment of the Tarot Blog Hop!
 

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s the Summer Solstice today (5.04 a.m. UT) - the longest day, the shortest night. It’s the time when the sun appears to have reached a standstill; the word ‘solstice’ means ‘the standing of the sun’.  The sun has reached its zenith in the sky - its furthest boundary of power, if you like – and as such, its greatest potency.  For those of us below, it’s time to stop and look back at what we’ve achieved on our journey, since the Winter Solstice six months ago.  Now we can celebrate what we’ve created, as well as acknowledge what hasn’t worked.  It’s no surprise that this solstice (again, in the northern hemisphere) has been called the ‘Festival of Achievement’.  

Various images from the tarot flash through my mind as I think about this. The Sun is an obvious one, as cards often show the sun at either its highest point in the sky, or at full power.

Universal Waite Tarot

'The Sun of Life' , Wildwood Tarot

The Sun, Mystic Spiral Tarot

 

Six of Bows, Wildwood Tarot

But another card, from the Wildwood Tarot, seems to reflect some of this too: the Six of Bows.  Subtitled 'Abundance', I see the fire in the centre symbolizing the warmth and light of the sun, while the placement of the bows in a circle represents the wheel or cycle of life.  The 'fruits of our labours', the things we've achieved, the abundance, whether that be material or something less tangible, sit at the edges of the wheel - things we've gained along the way.

To celebrate the Summer Solstice, our wrangler for this year’s Litha Tarot Blog Hop, Sharon, has asked us to share our gifts with each other, in creative ways – to allow the Sun to shine on something that we’re good at, within the circle of the Hop.  It’s not always easy to do this – some of us, I suspect, have a tendency to hide our light under the proverbial bushel.  But if this is a once-a-year opportunity, then it’s time to grab it!

I’ve decided to draw (quite literally) on some of the traditions and images associated with the Summer Solstice and create a card which, who knows, may even become ‘The Sun’ card in my long-talked-about (but slow to materialize) tarot deck!   

The first image that comes to my mind is the sunflower, its face following the path of the sun across the sky.   I couldn't imagine summer without these, perhaps because I would see fields of them on the prairies where I grew up!

The wheel is another image.  Centuries ago, people would set fire to wooden wheels at the top of hills, representing the zenith of the Sun’s power, and then rolling them down the slope to symbolize the declining power of the Sun as the yearly cycle progresses.  The path of the sun through the sky, the ecliptic, is another sort of wheel, and gives rise to the wheel of the zodiac.  With the Sun at its peak, you might think it would make sense for the Sun to be entering the fiery sign of Leo, rather than the water sign of Cancer!  But apparently, in Denmark, the solstice is celebrated (and has been since the time of the Vikings) by visiting wells, especially those thought to have healing qualities - as well as by bonfires!  The well-visiting seems to have fallen by the wayside nowadays, but I'll re-visit that idea in my next post...

 

This is also the time when the Oak King reaches his prime, and gives way to the Holly King, who will rule for the next half of the cycle, until we reach the Winter Solstice. From now on, everything will be withdrawing – the crops will be harvested and stored, the earth will prepare to rest, to sleep – and we will begin to think about what it is we want to nurture during the time of the Holly King. But today, it’s time to celebrate our creativity – the gifts we’ve been given which allow us to express ourselves best – and to pass that on to others in our circles.

And so, I offer this ‘Sun’ card as my gift on this solstice – may the blessing and the abundance of the Sun shine on you and your creative endeavours!

'Summer Solstice' copyright Alison Coals 2013

Thank you for stopping off here on your own journey through this LithaTarot Blog Hop!  Please do come back and read some of my other posts.  

The next stops on the Tarot Blog Hop are - depending on whether you’re moving backwards or forwards through the list – Louise's Priestess Tarot or Joy Vernon's blog . The Master List can be found here.

Mystic Spiral Tarot created by Giuseppe Palumbo & Giovanni Pelosini, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Universal Waite Tarot created by Mary Hanson-Roberts & Pamela Colman-Smith, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections