The Leo Shadow

The Leo Shadow
(From the book "Astrology for Lovers" by Liz Green)

Leo's shadow is probably one of the better known shadows of the zodiac. This is because nothing Leo does is small or unobtrusive. Everything is big and a little larger than life. That includes his shadow side. We might call it the 'I, the King' syndrome. The phrase 'I, the King' was used by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V during the sixteenth century, and it meant he ruled the world and no questions asked. If a document was signed, 'I, the King,' that was it. You didn't discuss, debate, argue, negotiate, or even mention it again. You simply obeyed. The scenario goes something like this.

FRIEND TO LEO: I've decided to look for another job. I'm really sick of working for insurance. I'd like to find something more creative.
LEO: I have just the thing for you. You can work for me. I need someone to edit my film scripts before they go out to the cast. You can do the editing and proof-reading.
FRIEN😱 But I don't know anything about films.
LEO: I'll teach you. (Tone of voice becomes expansive, magnanimous.) We'll start you at a fairly small salary, of course, but after all, you've no experience, but as you learn we'll increase it. Say twenty pounds a week.
FRIEN😱 (Torn by guilt. Disgusted at the suggestion but grateful to be given the opportunity to enter a new field.) That's pretty small.
LEO: But you're inexperienced. Don't worry. It'll get bigger.
Six months later.
FRIEN😱 Thanks for that increase. By the way, I tried my hand at a small piece of scripting myself. I'd appreciate your comments.
LEO: Of course, of course. I'd be glad to read it. I bet you've got a lot of potential.
Six weeks later.
FRIEN😱 You used my idea.
LEO: What are you talking about?
FRIEN😱 The film script. You took my idea and wrote it into your own script.
LEO: Don't be ridiculous. That was my own original idea. Look, I don't like your tone of voice. It was my generosity that got you into this business in the first place. You would still be working in the insurance office if it hadn't been for me. I did you a favour. This is how you repay me. That's really pretty bloody ungrateful. I had that idea a long time ago. You surely don't think I got it from your silly script. Look, you've been working hard. Tell you what, we'll give you another five quid a week and put you on camera direction. That's something you don't know much about??_..

This scenario illustrates several facets of the Leo shadow. The first part sometimes peeps through Leo's magnanimity. Sometimes that generosity is genuine, and nobody in the world can be so generous and open-handed as a Leo. But when the shadow creeps in, it isn't all genuine. There's an ulterior motive at work. For one thing, Leo loves to be needed; he loves to feel people depend on him. Sometimes he forgets that encouraging a person's own individuality is just as important as always giving. Sometimes receiving a gift can be even more important. Leo sometimes gives and gives but won't receive because it puts the other person on an equal basis with him, and takes away the obligation.

Also, Leo sometimes unconsciously surrounds himself with creative people so that he can shine himself. This happens when Leo isn't doing what he loves, when he hasn't got a chance to create himself. But then he doesn't reward them with the recognition their efforts deserve, and sometimes - unconsciously - takes the idea as his own. He may play on the fact that he was the one who gave them the break, or the favour, and never really allows them to go free to blossom on their own. And when they protest, he has a knack, with all that charm, of making them feel guilty and unappreciative when he has been so generous and so tolerant. It's difficult to know what to do with a Leo in this kind of mood, because it's his own insecurities breaking through that make him behave in this less than honourable fashion. You know you've been had, but there's nothing you can put your finger on. When you've been had by a Capricorn, or Virgo, or Libra you know exactly how and in what fashion. In fact, Leo is usually so generous and magnanimous that you can't really think of any situation you can blame him for. So, he hangs on to you, and makes you feel good because you've helped him, and the Leo shadow gradually subsumes all your ideas and takes them for his own.

It's a rather dark shadow, this one. But Leo does everything in a big way, and his nobility is equally grand. Leo when he shines stands head and shoulders above everybody else; when he's in shadow, he's that much darker. The real root of this shadow is the 'I, the King' psychology. To Leo, the other people in his life are often extensions of himself.

He genuinely believes that their creativity is his, their ideas are his, and that he has a right to help himself, because, after all, it's all his universe anyway, and he's the King. It's a kind of blank insensitivity, a lack of recognition, of other people's individualities. It comes from being so preoccupied with his own individuality. He doesn't mean to do it. Some Leos forget to give credit to others for accomplishments when the shadow is at work. Or they fail to offer compliments and genuine encouragement. Leo, the King and Father, often believe that people he loves are his children. Unfortunately, the children have a way of rebelling against his autocracy. Then Leo feels wronged, and tells the world about it.

This is one of the reasons why it's so terribly important for Leo to develop his own creative outlets. He needs recognition for his own abilities, and should be prepared to put plenty of time and energy into making sure he produces something that can earn it. The lion who hasn't created anything too often becomes sour and jealous, and then you see the shadow peeping through. He'll try to steal centre stage from anyone who happens to be on it, forgetting that they might have worked hard to get there.

There are other adjuncts to this shadow. One is the 'I know what's best for you' pattern, which afflicts many otherwise warm-hearted and honourable Leos. They mean well. Really, they do. Their advice is helpful, and they offer it freely, and are incredibly generous with their time and their efforts to assist you. The trouble is, you might not have asked for it. Leo has a reputation for sometimes being pretty interfering. And sometimes it can be maddening, especially if the Leo happens to be your mother or your best friend, when they invite themselves to sort out your life for you and then look so desperately hurt when you reject their advice. Leo needs to be needed. Even more, because his myth is the hero myth, he needs to be looked upon as a redeemer, someone who's really done something for others. If he can't redeem somebody, then how can he be a hero? And if you protest - say, because you don't really need redemption, or would prefer to find your own - then he thinks it's your fault, because you're ungrateful and unappreciative.

A third adjunct of this shadow is the 'I know everything' syndrome. This is the Leo who cannot bear to admit that he can't do something, or doesn't know something.

It's got a slight resemblance to the Virgo shadow, another know-it-all. But the motivation is different. Virgo has to know it all because he's terrified of the unknown. Leo needs to know t all because he's got to be king. Even when his contribution is patently absurd and glowing with florid ignorance, he won't back down. I once knew a Leo like this. He would profess knowledge about all sorts of things, because he needed to have an image of being highly learned. If you questioned him, he would begin to argue. Of course he was always right. How dare you challenge it? What? Not know the answer? He knew everything. He would even get indignant and angry if you questioned him, to cover up his inadequacy. I, the King.

What can Leo do with this shadow? Well, a lot of it requires being very, very aware of oneself. Leo has a hard time being aware of the needs of others because he takes a lot for granted. Leo isn't a sign of relationship like Cancer, Libra and Pisces. But Leo needs to make this gallant effort of noticing what his own behaviour does to other people, and allowing them their independence and the credit due them, if he isn't to lose his friends and loved ones through enmity and antagonism. Enmity is agonizing for Leo, who needs so badly to be loved. We've said that the Lion doesn't have a mean, petty bone in his body, and that's perfectly true. But his shadow can be a bit of a bully, and trample unnecessarily over the wills and desires of others. Unless he's able to put time into his own creative expression he runs the risk of robbing other people of theirs. It's not an easy task. But it's one worth striving for, and suitable for the genuine nobility of character that is the real basis of Leo.

There is a beautiful image in the Tarot deck which describes Leo very nicely. This is the card for the Sun. It shows a small child crowned with a wreath of flowers, riding horseback on a horse, with his arms and legs thrown out in the air in joy. He isn't even hanging on to the horse, so trusting is he of the bounty of life. Behind him, a huge sun shines. This is the Leo who trusts his own inner self. He doesn't have to own others then; he's just himself, and it's good to be alive. Shadows have a way of disappearing in the noonday sun.

Posted by GandalftheGrey
why do we so badly need to be loved. that is kinda lame. can you imagine having a big ego and then screaming to be loved? lol. i think everyone needs to be loved. leos just need to regulate their fire with some earth that is all.

I don't think Leo's need for love is necessarily tied to the ego. My mother is a beautiful and smart lioness but her constant need for attention destroyed her. She simply demanded too much from the outside world..to the point she was never satisfied with anyone.

When Leos are at their best they envelop the world in a glowing warmth..it's natural to want to get at least a fraction of that in return. Some people just aren't capable of that, this does not reflect on the Leo's qualities whatsoever.

My father was a Leo and I married a Leo. I used to look at my dad as he was being horrible unkind to my mother or beating me unmercifully through his rage and think that he was so weak for not having the capacity to express himself better. I thought those were just the thoughts of a child who required a much tender approach to her missteps. As an adult I became a clinical psychologist and my adult opinion is that there is a huge weakness in a human being that requires that degree of attention from another person to be fulfilled.

You all continue to describe it as ego, pride and a whole lot of other words that are inaccurate. They are weak and insecure. Lying under the charm, leadership capabilities and care for children, exist the inability to maintain a solid lasting relationship with women. My father's last words to me were he wished someone would have helped him fix his issues. That was an impossible task in the 40's & 50's when he and my mother married. I was the only of my sibling who stood up to him and subsequently would be the only one of his children around to care for him while he was dying. He was the same angry mean man he was in his youth. Afraid of his inabilities with a great need to be accepted.

Among the women that my ex had in his life prior to me, he would give me the the title of the woman that broke the beast. My goal as his wife was not to break him but, he was suppose to never forget that his disrespectfully behavior, temper, and secret need to be comforted by other women would leave a lasting hole in his soul. While he could be quite dramatic. This time the curtain closed on him. Don't let the weaknesses of the Leo break you. They are breakable.

seraph, was just getting ready to say I've seen this with Leos with heavy Cancer in their charts...don't know about other water influence.

They believe it is everyone else and not them. Even if it hurts them for the moment they will be stubborn in their conviction and will risk loss before they will acknowledge that their behavior greatly contributed to the demise of their relationships. My ex did not speak to his children for years, he held on to the anger and still does not communicate with his youngest son today. I don't think with out extensive mental health help the Leo male with a shadow will forever repeat their behavior and move from woman to woman not ever keeping true love. They find it they don't keep it.

^

My experience, not sure why you get so defensive if it doesn't apply to you.

Posted by Lady831
They believe it is everyone else and not them. Even if it hurts them for the moment they will be stubborn in their conviction and will risk loss before they will acknowledge that their behavior greatly contributed to the demise of their relationships. My ex did not speak to his children for years, he held on to the anger and still does not communicate with his youngest son today. I don't think with out extensive mental health help the Leo male with a shadow will forever repeat their behavior and move from woman to woman not ever keeping true love. They find it they don't keep it.

You sound too biased though. Let it go. My mother fits your description but she took it to the extreme due to other factors.

Posted by Jynja
As usual, when people have nothing to compare, they resort to such generally sad statements to try to put Leo on equal keel as the other signs.

How disappointing that Liz Greene could not explore the deepest of Leo's darkness, and instead print this string of shallowness to describe the entire sign (for that matter). Maybe she was handed this notion commiserating with the likes of Linda Goodman. To make the other signs feel better about their inadequacies, Leo is forced to astrologically succumb to such pathetic representation of the SUN's sign.

Had either of these astrologers spent a time of their studies actually interacting with the natives of the sun, they would have come to some partial understanding that the very Sun which is the ruler of the sign Leo, is the force of creativity. Leo is a creative sign and does not need to pilfer that from anyone else, much less use such undesirably underhanded and undignified approach to do so.

Why is it that when people are peeing their pants, they think everyone has a weak bladder or a fearful heart?

NONSENSE.

Oooo~ Provocative.

What IS the deepest of Leo darkness, Jynja?

(Most Astro Savvy 2013) :]

^yes, with the moon in domicile it shouldn't bring a conflict.

The leos I was referring to had cancer moon/mercury/venus/mars and ascendant. More than two of those planets, in some cases 3.