Sign
Leo
July 23 - August 22 · fire · ruled by the Sun
Leo is warmth with a spotlight attached. Generous, loyal, dramatic, and sincerely confused when the room does not turn to look. It usually does.
Character
A Leo does not want attention. A Leo wants appreciation, which is different, and the difference is the whole key to them. Praise a Leo honestly and they will give you everything. Ignore a Leo and watch a very large cat pretend not to mind.
They are big - big laugh, big gestures, big hurt when it comes. There is no small Leo. There are Leos who are tired.
Strengths
Generosity without bookkeeping. Courage that is partly performance and entirely real when it counts. A Leo in your corner is a wall of warmth, and they will defend you in public with a volume that embarrasses you and saves you.
They make life feel like an occasion. That is not nothing. Most days are not occasions until a Leo arrives.
Weak spots
Pride, obviously. A Leo would rather be wrong grandly than right quietly, and apology comes out as a speech about how they have grown. Criticism is received as an attack on the kingdom.
Flattery works on them, and they know it works, and they let it work anyway. The flatterers know too.
Love
Leo loves with the lights on. Grand gestures, public affection, a partner they can be proud of and show off. In return they want devotion, admiration and the occasional reminder that they are, in fact, magnificent. It is a fair trade if you can keep the pace.
Betrayal is the one thing they do not forgive. The lion remembers who laughed.
Work and money
Put a Leo in charge and the team will either flourish or form a resistance, depending entirely on whether the Leo remembers to share the credit. The good ones are the best bosses in the zodiac. The bad ones are a reality show.
Money is for spending on things that look like the person they intend to be. The budget is a suggestion.
Gets along with
Aries and Sagittarius match the heat. Gemini and Libra provide the audience. Aquarius, the opposite sign, is the one person in the room not watching - which is exactly why the Leo cannot stop looking at them.