Leo, the Royal of the Energy Wheel would rather not dwell on any shadow but, as with all energies, where there is light, the shadow follows.
By diving into the shadow, we are able to pick away at the film that is covering the light within ourselves, so, it is always a useful exercise to face up to the dark side of any part of our psyche.
Remember, everyone has Leo energy somewhere within that complex arrangement of personality. Wherever that is, you could locate some of these shadow traits within yourself.
PRIDE
As the royal energy, LEO can easily slip into prideful behaviour. There can be a sneaky kind of sense of entitlement threaded through that lustrous sense of self that LEO has. That shadowy pridefulness could result in an inability to admit shortcoming, wrong behaviour, or mindset. That would be an admission of weakness, thinks the cocky LEO person. I have to be right at all times, contends the slightly insecure LEO person. Being right means dominance, power & superiority—all elements that are seductive to the LEO personality. Don’t forget, LEO is the ROYAL of the Zodiac, shiny, sexy and magnetic. It’s easy to slip into an over-inflated sense of self when you have so much going for you!
A measure of pride is an absolute must for everyone and especially for someone with a lot of LEO energy. It’s all about balancing the need to be proud of one’s skills and talents and the need to exercise a measure of moderation when standing in that sense of pride. No one likes a person who is constantly self-deprecating, right? And no one likes a person who can never let anyone else have the limelight.
So, LEO, know your own capabilities but also know when to keep your mouth shut about them! We will always love you, anyway!
EXAMPLE: You aren’t a LEO SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT but you have LEO in your THIRD HOUSE. So, yeah, you have great ideas and you should take delight in the way your mind works. You can, in fact, inspire others with your brilliance and wit, your fast-talking charm! But watch out that you don’t slip into thinking that ONLY YOU have those great ideas, that you are THE most clever, the wittiest, and more charming than anyone else. That could become old rather rapidly. So, be enthusiastic but let others join in on the fun. Don’t swallow up all the air in the room. You know that you can be kind of loud, right?
SELFISHNESS
Like children, Leo types can be very self-centered which spills over into downright selfishness. The emphasis on ME is so powerful that one can easily neglect to pay attention to all of the ‘YOU’s’ around that mountainous ‘ME’! It’s a little about ownership, that sense of entitlement that everything must somehow belong to ME; that ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’ am the most deserving of whatever is available; that self-absorption that prevents one from taking others into account.
In small doses, selfishness is a protection of sorts. We must take care of our own needs, ensure that we are nurtured, and maintain good, clear boundaries so that we are not taken advantage of. A little bit of selfishness, that is self-awareness, allows us to do this. Once again, it’s all about moderation, not something that comes all that easily to LEO.
Here’s an example of how selfishness can be used PROACTIVELY:
You have Leo in your 6th house of service & work. You are a great ‘doer’, always on the ready with your time and energy. You take pride in what you can do! Here’s where a teensy bit of selfishness in the form of self-awareness can be useful. Don’t overreach. Know your limits. Before exploding onto the scene willing to carry ALL of the loads, sit down and count the cost. Can you do it? What will you have to PAY if you take on too much? Pull that enthusiasm in and be just a little selfish with your time and energy.
Here’s an example of how SELFISHNESS can lead to ruin:
You have Leo in your 7th house. Relationships revolve around YOUR needs. You must be the center of your partner’s focus AT ALL TIMES. When things go south between the two of you, you see everything that your partner did to create tension. It’s never about what you did. If the relationship crashes & burns, it’s all about YOUR heartache, how YOU suffered, what YOU lost. A little selfish? Maybe…
Narcissism is yet another trap that LEO can fall into. In small doses, it’s a good thing to have self-love, the healthy expression of narcissism. Without self-love, we are not taking care of the single most important item in our tool kit—the SELF. Think of your body, mind & heart as the vehicles that your soul gave to you so that you could fulfill your soul’s desire. Just like any tools, you must keep them in good order, well-oiled, sharpened, and ready to use. That requires, at the very least careful attentive action and ideally, love of those tools. If you really cherish your body & mind, you will not engage in toxic activity that HARMS like smoking, drinking, drugging, and other death-dealing choices. You will guard your heart like a mother eagle so that it does not become overburdened by anxiety, worry & fear. These are conscious choices that YOU have to make minute by minute. However, taken too far, that healthy self-love suddenly morphs into narcissism and you are all-consumed with self. The other fades into non-existence, becomes irrelevant, even irritating. It is burdensome to pay attention to anything except that which stares back at you from the mirror. Watch out that you don’t get sucked into the abyss of self-preoccupation and drown in your own self-inflated concept of who you are.
To avoid falling into the trap of narcissism, watch yourself like a hawk and especially in terms of your interactions with others. Do you give space to other peoples’ values and opinions ( 2nd & 3rd house)? Do you allow others to take center stage from time to time ( 1st& 10th house)? Do you allow others to take the lead from time to time ( 9th & 11th house)? Do you share (5th & 7th house)? Just a few areas of life to explore!
As always, there is lots more that could be explored when diving into any of the shadow energies so get out your pointy pencils, roll up your sleeves, and get down to work. Research however you can, keep your mind and heart open and flexible, and don’t take it personally. It’s all about refinement. The more that we polish, the brighter we become!