Leo

Leo covers the weeks from about 23 July to 22 August, the height of summer. It is a fire sign ruled by the Sun itself, and the tradition describes it as warm, generous and born for the spotlight.

The constellation and its story

The twelve signs come from Babylon, where astronomers had divided the sun's path into twelve equal parts by the fifth century BCE. The lion was already there: the Babylonians called it UR.GU.LA, the great lion, and it is one of the few figures that kept its animal through every culture that took it over.

For the Greeks it was the Nemean lion, whose golden hide no weapon could pierce. Killing it was the first of the twelve labours of Heracles. He trapped the lion in its cave, fought it with his bare hands and afterwards wore its skin as a cloak.

Leo is one of the few zodiac figures that truly looks like its name. On spring evenings you find it high in the south: a backward question mark of stars, the Sickle, marks the head and mane, and a triangle marks the hindquarters and tail. At the base of the Sickle shines Regulus, Latin for "little king", a translation of the Greek name Ptolemy used. Since Ptolemy fixed the signs to the equinox in the second century CE, the slow wobble of the earth's axis has moved the stars, so the sun now stands in front of Cancer for much of Leo season.

Element and planet

The four elements come from Greek philosophy: fire, air, water and earth. Aristotle gave each two qualities, and fire is hot and dry: flame, light, the heat of noon. Leo stands with Aries and Sagittarius as a fire sign, and it is "fixed", the heart of summer. The tradition describes Leo as warm, generous, creative and big-hearted. These are old character sketches, not facts about anyone born in August.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, the only sign with this ruler. In the old system the Sun and Moon counted among the seven wandering lights of the sky, and each took one sign: the Moon took Cancer, the Sun took Leo, the hottest stretch of the year.

The stone

In The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913) the American mineralogist George Frederick Kunz gives onyx as the stone of Leo. Onyx is a chalcedony banded in black and white, and its name is the Greek word for fingernail. A Greek tale explains it: Eros cut the nails of the sleeping Aphrodite and scattered the parings, and the Fates turned them to stone so that nothing of a goddess would be lost. The Romans carved its layers into cameos and seals.

The August stone of the American jewellers' list of 1912 is sardonyx, its red-banded cousin. Both lists are modern tables, gathered from older lore.

Colour and scent

Leo is often associated with gold and orange, the colours of the sun, and with the scents of frankincense and orange: a bright, resinous temple smoke paired with the sweet peel of a ripe fruit. These are modern pairings from astrology books and shops.

Our Leo fragrance oil is made by Ancient Wisdom: 10 ml in a night-blue box printed with the sign and its dates, for the oil burner only. The maker does not list the notes of each blend, so we will not invent them. It comes in our bundle The Twelve Signs, with an oil burner and tealights.

The Sign Candle for Leo, also by Ancient Wisdom, is hand-poured soy wax in a midnight glass, with notes of nectarine, ginger and woods. Raw crystals crown the wax, and more come to light as it burns down. A gemstone bracelet for your sign comes with it, packed beside the candle.

A ritual for your season

1. Choose the evening. The first evening of your season, around 23 July, or your birthday. Leo is a sign for company, so invite someone if you like.
2. Set up the burner on a fireproof surface, away from curtains. Fill the bowl with water, add a few drops of the Leo oil and light a tealight beneath. Oil into the water only, never on skin.
3. Light your Sign Candle and put on the bracelet.
4. Write one page about what you made this year: work, a meal, a friendship, anything you are proud of.
5. Write one thing you want to share. The Sun gives its light away; the tradition describes Leo as generous. Who will you give something to this year?
6. Close. Read your page aloud, to yourself or your guest. Blow out the tealight before the bowl runs dry, then the candle. Never leave a flame alone.

Your Sign, Lit adds a copal resin stick and aventurine pocket stones to the candle.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions