The Leo/Aquarius Polarity

Many people don’t realize that the twelve signs of the zodiac are really six sets of polarities and the two signs opposite each other have a great deal in common. It could be said they are two sides of the same coin. I’m going to go through each set over the next few weeks and give you a good understanding of this principle in hopes that it can help you understand others better. Since it is February and Aquarius is influencing us right now, I’ll start with that one.

You can have a heavy influence from ANY sign if you have it rising or your Moon sign, or even if you have planets occupying the houses associated with them—in this case, the fifth house for Leo and the eleventh for Aquarius. Therefore, these may apply to you even if your Sun sign is not one of them. I have witnessed over the last 40 plus years, that many people who don’t have anything in a sign will still greatly exhibit traits of that sign just because they have several planets (or a very strong planet) in the house associated with it. The same applies to having a lot of midpoints fall in a specific sign. Astrology is very complicated!

In extreme brief, the first six signs are personal: i.e. Aries: Myself, my body. Taurus: My possessions and income. Gemini: My mind, knowledge and thoughts. Cancer: My home and family. Leo: My creations and ego expression. Virgo: My work and service, as in a job or personal skills.

The second six signs are more about fitting into society. i.e. Libra: Partnership and co-operation, one-on-one. Scorpio: Joint ownership (investment, taxes, insurance)—and usually control over it all. Sagittarius: The group’s mind—laws, rules of games, higher education (which is what others have discovered earlier, passed on us). Capricorn: Career, home away from home and support of the family in society. Aquarius: Appreciation for creativity and freedom of expression of all. Pisces: Service extended freely without concern for reward (collectively, we are one—what I do for YOU, I do for myself).
The entire zodiac unfolds from the very personal (Aries) to the absolute impersonal (Pisces). In theory, it’s like an evolutionary path back to the Father. We find perfection in selfLESSness. But, we’re all in various stages of growth and understanding, and our charts show a mixture of many facets of this principle.

The opposite sign from Aquarius (i.e. six months away) is Leo. Leo and Aquarius are fixed signs, meaning that they don’t change readily. Once on a specific path, they pretty much will stick to it. They are dependable. This pair forms the axis of ego. Some teachers say it is “love given (Leo) and love received (Aquarius).” I think, however, that it is more about self-expression (Leo) and appreciation of the right to that expression for everyone (Aquarius). My teacher used to say that Leo cares so much about what others think (vulnerable ego), they are constantly aware of how they’re coming across—hence, having to be respectable (to whomever matters to them) and well-turned-out. Some who are ignored too much (or think so) can be the worst of drama queens. More than any other sign, they cannot do “humble” very well. The need deep down inside is to feel special and unique. There is a need to leave a legacy, whether it is children or works of art or literature—or a great body of work of any kind. It is considered the royal sign.

But a king or queen is not one of the masses, and Leo usually will not feel ordinary. There is a little bit of distance although s/he will be wonderfully warm and friendly, it’s very hard to get really close. They are discovering they have special gifts and are quite eager to express them. Many celebrities have a heavy Leo influence. They love applause and attention. But, you cannot bask in applause if you are part of the audience—hence needing to be a little bit apart.

Aquarius generally doesn’t have a problem with insecurity. Just as Leo wants to appear
special, Aquarius deep down already feels unique. S/he doesn’t need a lot of applause and will work hard to assure that we ALL are free to express our talents and abilities. S/he is part of the masses, but feels that each one is special. That is why Aquarius has the courage to be outrageously different. Leo is searching for individuation and is personal about it, but Aquarius knows s/he is an individual and wants everyone to realize they are “special,” too. He feels he has a right to do what he wants—i.e. that he is an individual within society and not apart from it. Think of Leo as the artist and Aquarius as the gallery owner who gives the public a chance to applaud Leo’s creativity. They are in it together but with a different role to play. Leo wants to be free to express himself, but Aquarius feels we are ALL creative and expressive and should be allowed to shine, each in his own way. Abraham Lincoln was an Aquarius, and I believe this belief in each individual having something to contribute was the impetus behind his attitude toward slavery.

On another level, Leo is love and romance between individuals (and this produces children, which is why the fifth house is also children). Aquarius is friendships, organizations, communes, or group activity of any kind. It’s “love” but on a broader, more inclusive scale. Leo is Eros and Aquarius is Agape.

I know there are many who will feel this doesn’t fit them. Remember these are archetypes, and your personal chart, which is unique to you, will have many indications besides the Sun sign. The ascendant, which changes signs about every two hours, is probably going to define your personality more than anything else unless there is something else that overwhelms it. Without doing your chart, I would have no idea if that is the case, so I would have no answer for you if you just say it doesn’t fit you. Please take this for its intent and that is to familiarize you with the six pairs of signs so you will have a more coherent understanding of their philosophical message about our evolution