Leo These notes are based upon the teachings of Djwhal Khul presented in Alice Bailey’s Esoteric Astrology (Lucis Trust, 1951). It is the work of the zodiacal influences to evoke the emergence of the will aspect of the Heavenly Man and of all monads, souls and personalities who constitute the planetary body of expression. … The goal of evolution for humanity is to become consciously and livingly aware of the nature of these energies and begin to know them and to use them. LEO NEW MOON 8 DEGREES LEO 31ST AUGUST 2000 You that come to birth and bring the mysteries, your voice-thunder makes us very happy. Roar, lion of the heart, and tear me open! - Rumi - We have noted before the present significance and potency of the Leo-Aquarius polarity as we enter the Age of Aquarius. The interplay between these energies has never been more potent. Therefore, those with the Sun in Leo or Leo rising have a unique opportunity to which uniquely to respond. Leo is the fifth sign and, as such, is numerically related to the number 10 (signifying perfection, completion), represented astrologically by Capricorn. Capricorn is, of course, the sign ruling initiation. This energetic linking of Leo and Capricorn indicates that ‘processes of initiation … make the self-conscious person the group conscious individual’. The major characteristic of Leo is this self-consciousness which, once gained, can be contributed in service to the group (the gesture of Aquarian awareness). Leo is a fire sign, and the pre-eminent fire sign at this time. We are reminded that although God is love, God is also a ‘consuming fire’; fire burns, destroys and eradicates all that hinders the expression of divinity: a purifying process. In our present consciousness the two elements associated with purification are fire and water; ‘fire always carries forward esoterically that which water has begun’. We begin our human experience in watery Cancer on the ordinary wheel; on the reversed wheel fire takes the place of water and burns away the dross. The slow process of purification through the signs of the fiery triplicity (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) gradually reorient the individual towards universality, self-awareness and one-pointedness. Leo is of paramount control in the life of the aspirant because the aspirant ‘has to know himself through true self-awareness before he can know that divine spirit which is his true Self and know also his fellow men’. We have to become conscious of our individuality, to acknowledge clearly the force and inclinations of personality before we can bow to a greater awareness, that of the soul perspective. The signs Leo and Virgo, considered together, present this image of the self-realised soul in form: the whole being, the God-man, the spirit-matter. The self-conscious individual can develop awareness of the purpose and plan of life, and be the active agent of that plan. However, if self-consciousness does not participate in a perspective higher than that of the personality level, Leo energy only produces self-seeking, self-satisfied behaviour: Many people are convinced that they are self-conscious when they are only swayed by desire and are oriented towards the satisfaction of that desire or when they recognise themselves as the dramatic centre of their universe. Yet the only truly self-conscious person is the man who is aware of purpose, of a self-directed life and of a developed and definite life plan and programme. With such a context for self-realisation, the will-to-rule and to dominate, which is of a controlling nature in Leo, can result in self-mastery, control of the personality, and through the personality, control of groups of people: leadership. At an advanced level this can be an expression of the fusion of Leo and Aquarius energies. Movement towards this fusion of energies is slow. It is preceded by a certain experience of selfishness and self-dramatisation - an experience of the single ‘dramatic I’ - that eventuates in isolation, before a person reorients themselves and broadens their perspective to include the ‘environing group’. Leo is one arm of the fixed cross, with Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. The effect of the fixed cross is to push through negative conditions in order to bring light and liberation:- Taurus: the Bull of Desire gives way to the light of aspiration and knowledge. Leo: the Lion of Self-assertion gives way to the light of the Soul. Scorpio: the Agent of Deception gives way to the light of liberation. Aquarius: the Chalice of Self-service gives way to the light of the world. Playing through the cross and emanating from Leo are the fires of God - cosmic (Aries), solar (Leo) and planetary (Sagittarius). These fires purify and intensify the light, leading eventually to revelation. The Sun is the ruler of Leo at the orthodox, esoteric and hierarchical levels. The purpose of the solar system is the unfoldment of consciousness. For the human being, self-consciousness is the goal, so the Sun rules as the source of physical consciousness at the orthodox level. At the esoteric level the Sun rules as the source of soul-awareness; and at the hierarchical level, as the source of spiritual life (1). The Sun veils hidden planets (i.e. it focuses its energy through other planets): Neptune and Uranus. At the soul level the Sun uses Neptune as its agent; at the spiritual level it pours its influence through Uranus. The Sun, working through Neptune, produces a potent effect upon the personality through the astral body; Uranus symbolises the effect of the soul upon the personality. These effects awaken the personality to soul contact and control, and stimulate the base chakra, leading to the awakening of kundalini and the fusion of base and crown, lower and higher centres. Leo is therefore of peculiar significance in the evolution of consciousness, for it governs the individual’s coming to consciousness, and awareness of the relation between higher and lower self. Through Uranus the individual acquires occult consciousness (bringing together the higher and lower aspects of self through intelligent use of the mind); through Neptune the individual acquires mystic consciousness (through which higher vision is used to mediate in the experience of duality). Through Leo, then, is created the advanced disciple: the conscious, integrated self, functioning with full occult knowledge and mystical perception. D.K. is most emphatic on the necessity for Leo subjects to develop self-discipline. This must be self-imposed, because the Leo person will brook no disciplinary measures imposed by others. Discipline is needed if Leo is not to indulge a negativity about life - that it is enough for him simply to be, thus resisting change and challenge: ‘when this is carried too far it leads to an unexpectedly futile life’. To avoid this, Leo must, by self-discipline, urge the lion out of its lair. This lion might be described as the spiritual will, galvanised, directed and visionary. It leads the self-centred Leo consciousness towards group service in the sign of Aquarius. Leo is distinguished by personal freedom from outside control: ‘He knows innately that he is king of himself, the ruler of his own life’. Therefore no planet falls or is exalted in Leo. This freedom also underlines the requirement for self-discipline, for with freedom comes responsibility. Leo is described as the “battlefield of the Forces of Materialism and the Forces of Light”. One of the most materialistic signs, its selfish desire for possession and its display of the possessive spirit can be violently controlling. Yet the advanced Leo is capable of great sensitivity to world conditions and to the requirements of the group; the journey through self-centred consciousness brings the Leo subject to a place of expanded awareness of the needs of others. Before individual man can achieve initiation, he must be fully self-conscious, mystically oriented and occultly developed. He must be aware of himself as he essentially is - a soul involved in form which is itself developed and unfolded through soul activity; he must be a developed mystic, capable of pure vision, motivated by spiritual intent and able to perceive the uses of inherent sensitivity; he must also be a trained occultist, mentally polarised and profoundly aware of the realities, forces and energies of existence and, therefore, free from the ordinary glamours and illusions which colour the reactions and life of the average man. Endnotes: 1. Leo indicates the height of achievement for the human soul. ©2000- The D.K. Foundation. This article, including this copyright statement, may be freely distributed but not altered, expanded or abridged in any way. We thank you for respecting this request.