Leo, the Lion in the year 2001

The Revolution and the Sea of Dreams

Revolutionary Uranus and Neptune, the mystic sea, are the planetary movers calling the tides of change. Both of these are in the sign of Aquarius, bringing counterpoints to your leonine Sun, degree by inexorable degree. Both continue this journey in 2001.

The years since 1995 have been quite a journey for many Lions. There will have been unexpected changes, new directions, excitement and upheaval. There will also have been ructions, breaks with the past, separations, disappointments and even cataclysmic changes or developments.

Some of you will have set out on a completely new course. Others will have had to begin again. Others still will have put the Lion’s notorious stubbornness to work and ridden out the changes so as to keep going down the same old road. Changes in partnership and partnership situations will have been either the cause or the effect of many of these upheavals. You will have changed or had to change work, direction or lifestyle, bringing new people into your life and seeing old ones go. You will have left people or been left by them. There will have been changes of partners or associates, changes of work, circumstance or conditions, all of which will have changed your styles, methods and modes of relating to others. You will have grown, either through design, default, accident or upheaval, in your knowledge of relationships and relating in these last few years.

Uranus, ruler of the sign of Aquarius (the opposite sign to Leo) brings change, sudden disruption or advancement, revolution, acceleration and the unexpected. Lions born up until August 13th will have taken the full weight of the opposition from Uranus over the last five years, going through these revolutions. This year, those born from August 14th to 17th will feel the unsettling impact of the eccentric orb in the year to come, especially the first six months. If you’re a Lion in line for the Heavenly ruck-up, then the important point to remember is that its intent is to change consciousness and to alter the way you think. If you surrender to the alteration of your situation, then you gain in awareness over time. To counterbalance all the disruption, Uranus brings new people and ideas to you, urging you to connect with society and yourself in a new way. You learn from such things. A different way brings a different perspective! A different kind of mind among your friends brings a new way of thinking to your life.

The action of Neptune is literally a different kettle of fish. Neptune by turns will weaken, but also inspire; cloud, but also uplift; and confuse, but also fulfill. Unlike Uranus, whose first action is dynamic and sudden, the effect of Neptune seeps into our daily lives, infiltrating the personal cosmos, colouring matters subtly and differently, redirecting our attention. Neptune can wash away the colour or energy of our lives, leaving us feeling empty and insipid, calling us to distant lights while those around us pale in comparison. Neptune has repainted the Sun for Lions born up July 29th, moving more slowly than Uranus, but still floating forward to do his magical work.

The action of Neptune is sometimes no more than a fatigue that passes in time (not a short time), leaving you with an altered perspective because of your unaccustomed slowness or uncertainty. But sometimes, Neptune does (or undoes) much more than this. When Neptune touches you deeply, lethargy can set in about who you are and where you are going. There can be confusion, disorientation and even deception or illness that will wash away the clarity or determination you might once have had. Sometimes Neptune calls you back to a past you thought you had left behind. You discover there is much left undone that you need to resolve.

Creative Vision

Neptune can also call you to creative (or spiritual) experience and undertakings. You may begin to see that there are worlds beyond the world you used to know. You can then choose a different path and walk in light and colour that has not touched you before. You will dream different dreams and see other visions. Sometimes, in order to find a new direction, we must lose our way completely. Neptune will blank out all that used to lie before you so that you look for a different path.

Neptune comes with a warning though. This giant sea of mystic consciousness and creativity calls you to the highest ideals of love, humanity and compassion. If you do not hear the call and behave according to such ideals, then you can lose yourself. Those who use Neptune to exploit, to deceive or simply wish for the best, but make no effort to obtain it, will find failure, deception, scandal and debility. For those who may be touched by illness (this will come to some but not all), Neptune calls you to the path of compassionate understanding and acceptance. Neptune teaches that sometimes the only way to find what we seek is to stop looking and realize the divine is everywhere. Sometimes those Neptune touches are left so weak that they can no longer find their true spirit in the great achievements of the world of business and pleasure, but they then learn to see the divine in a falling leaf or find joy in the simplest of tasks. This year Neptune touches the Sun of those Lions born from July 30th to August 2nd. Hear the call! Dream new dreams! See new colours! The life of spirit comes closer to your life.

Auld Lang Syne  

Despite the Lion’s ever present desire to enjoy, the New Year may begin with a note of uncertainty. As the strains of Auld Lang Syne are fading around you in the millennial air, Mars the warrior is brooding in Scorpio and your solar fourth house. Deep passions are at work in your home life and your emotions. You are stirred. You will be charged up, or wanting to take charge of things. You could be rather accident-prone, so be watchful of this. Restless or frustrated, you may be unable to see where your discontent is coming from. You may even be angry with someone, but it may be difficult to see who that someone is. All these uncertainties come because mighty Mars is in tension with nebulous Neptune in Aquarius, your solar seventh house of partnerships, marriage and open confrontation. Herein lies the source of the real challenges for the coming twelve months! Partners and how to manage your love life may seem to be the issues on the surface, but really it’s your own deeper emotional state that needs both attention and examination. Sometimes we simply turn our partner into the force that can be blamed for how we feel or, if unattached, we find the match for our own neuroses. Married, attached or single, if you can navigate the course of love and emotional fulfillment this year, you will have found something special, both in yourself and in others.

Overall, Mars and Neptune do not make an easy balance in any area of life. You may be inclined to go to extremes because of your inner emotional state and the state of your relationships. It will be important for all you lions not to indulge or imbibe too much, not to embark on anything ethically unsound. Most important of all, try to see through the illusion of what you think you are feeling to the truth beneath.

Love and Relationships  

This could be a topsy-turvy year for the Lion in love -- and a challenging year for the Lion seeking love. With Venus, Goddess of Love, beginning the year in Aquarius and your solar seventh house, new and unusual partnerships will come, or your current relationship will enter new and different phases. With Venus in tension to Saturn in Taurus and your solar tenth house, issues of career and money may affect relationships and create tension. You may have to negotiate a difficult path if you’re in a relationship. If not, then you may have little time to pursue the romantic path.

But Lady Venus is also in tension with Jupiter in Gemini and your solar eleventh house. Friends and associates may take precedence over close relationships, leaving you either neglecting partners and intimacy, or simply not travelling down that road if you’re single. There can be enjoyment from this kind of life, but if it becomes a social extravagance where you’re using company to avoid facing inner fears, frustration or boredom, then there’ll come a day when the glamour wears off and you have nothing but a high emotional cost to pay. You’ll need to walk a fine line between necessary social expansion and the outward urge of your emotional and partnership life with a process of maintaining and protecting what you have, even if some process of contraction or narrowing of the field is required.

If you’re married or have a partner, there will be challenges that flow from changes, either to your life or your partner’s. Be prepared to ride out the waves in a way that allows you to keep a focus on what you have but also accommodate the new. While the Lion has many noble and generous qualities, being accommodating is not often first among them. This year will give you ample opportunity to work on your skills in this area. The trick will be to expect the unexpected as you travel the path of love. When upsets come to test you or developments challenge you, find a new tack to take or a new understanding to apply. Life changes... sometimes it’s as simple as that, whether we like it or not.

Money and Career  

As the goddess Venus is the arbiter on matters of love, so is she pivotal in matters of money. Your funds will require expert management this year, with something of the same rhythm as your love life. You will need to know exactly when to move ahead and expand and just when to hold your ground, counting the pennies and not taking any risks. While this can be a very successful year for the Lion, especially in the first six months, poor judgement could send the value of all your effort down a snake instead of up a ladder.

Jupiter begins the year well-placed for you in Gemini and your solar eleventh house. Profit and success will flow from people, the right connection at the right time, information and communications. Be out there, active and working. Get to know what’s going on and with whom it goes on best. You cannot have too much information or too many ideas in this first phase of the year. January 25th is an important date for Jupiter, monarch of the Heavens, begins to move forward again, offering opportunities for growth and expansion. Take the bit between your teeth from this time and run. There’ll be plenty to keep you busy and plenty of reward for those who keep mobile. After July 13th, Jupiter moves into the sign of Cancer and your solar twelfth house. Here, the expansion slows and it will be more important for you to secure and hold your gains, especially where family and emotional concerns are involved. Trust your intuition rather than your analytical thinking from this time. Look after family and loved ones. Nurture your spirit and give time to your spiritual growth and development.

While Jupiter speeds forward this year, Saturn moves more slowly and steadily. The taskmaster begins the year in Taurus and your solar tenth house. There is still a building process and hard work to be done. You may be struggling with people in authority or positions of power. Keep going! January 25th sees Saturn move forward again, as does Jupiter so this is a landmark date. Some of the pressure you’ve been under or obstacles you’ve encountered should begin to fall away. April 21st sees Saturn in Gemini and your solar eleventh house, urging you to success through ideas, communications and connections. This will be a good year for you if you’ve done the hard work as far as career is concerned and can negotiate the challenges that relationships present.

The March of Time  

January 10th brings a lunar eclipse in your solar twelfth house. This could bring upset or disturbance in matters of home and family, money or the day to day routines of work and life. Old, hidden matters may surface. Old feeling you thought you had left behind may catch up with you again. Some of you may discover a secret from the past. You may suffer a small lapse in energy or health. Just negotiate matters and keep yourself and your loved ones on track. Make sure you attend to what needs doing. If health or work matters need immediate action, then take it.

February brings confusion and uncertainty as Mercury the messenger turns retrograde (reverse motion), initially in Pisces and your solar eighth house, but then moves quickly back into Aquarius and your solar seventh house. When this busy little traveller turns back on himself, matters of movement, travel, business and communications are subject to confusion and breakdown, often because of some little nagging detail that’s been missed. It’s advisable to put vital decisions and the signing of documents and contracts on hold at such a time. Place important matters under review and wait to see what occurs. If you act too quickly, some hidden flaw or feature will make its presence felt later on and catch you out. To do too quickly is to have to redo later on. Watch communications here. It is easy to get lost in misunderstandings when everyone thinks they know exactly what’s been said. These are usually ‘more haste, less speed’ periods of time.

Keep tabs on the subtle influence of power, hidden agendas and hidden factors in any partnership situation. Partners and communication will need special attention for the next month. Ensure that understanding one another is high on the list of priorities. Unusual events or unexpected meetings may take place within the realm of partnership. Ride it all out and remember that time is the most important factor in the sense that you may have more of it than you think. The Full Moon in your sign comes on February 8th, intensifying the emotional atmosphere and creating argumentative impatience. Don’t buy in to any of this. Cultivate detachment and conduct yourself with maturity otherwise it will be easy to lose your cool. Keep childish reactions to pressure at arm’s length.

Look Within  

The months of March and April bring a retrograde phase to the goddess herself. Venus goes into reverse gear in the sign of Aries from March 10th. This could be a beneficial time for reunions and meetings from the past, especially if overseas connections are involved. But, when the goddess moves back over her own tracks, it’s time for us to look inward a little and not expend so much energy on the outward urge. There are conflicting trends in mid-March as Mars and Pluto come together in freewheeling Sagittarius, bringing intensity and the need for powerful forward motion. This is a big week, so navigate with care and firm determination: a lot can be achieved. But with Venus turning inwards, inner matters will also need attention. Take a break and get away from it all. Take time for yourself out in the bush, or far from the Madding Crowd. Renew relationships or go over what you’ve already begun; see if you can do things any better. Your love life will need thought, consideration and then work.

This is not a good time to risk money in speculation or gambling, but a stroke of luck could come your way if you just sit tight, especially around the first week of April. If you have new ventures or plans in motion, look over what you’ve already done. With Venus in benign aspect to both Pluto the transformer and Mars the warrior as she reverses, the potential for success with matters under revision at this point is very high. Old projects may leap off the drawing board in your direction. Anything on the agenda that was perhaps flagging or ailing could begin to show signs of life. Nurture them back to health with astute ideas, inspirational thinking and a bit of vision. Give them time and they will bear fruit. The goddess moves forward again on April 21 in harmonious aspect to Saturn in Gemini in your solar eleventh house. Dividends! The payment for what you’ve done!

Mars, Pluto and Chiron  

Just as Venus goes forward again, Mars in fiery Sagittarius (a good mix for you) is himself slowing down to turn retrograde on May 12th. This is a period when frustration and anger could affect us all, either from within or outside. Monitor your feelings carefully and negotiate the way ahead. When the warrior goes backwards, he stays on the reverse track for some time. In this case it’s from May to July 20th. Thus, we need to be mindful of all issues involving impatience, frustration or repressed or overt anger for this time. It’s not a minute by minute function, but if you feel things boiling up inside you, try to get a sense of what it’s about rather than just flying off the handle. Mars turns retrograde in your solar fifth house, so there could be strong issues for you around children, the direction of your life, your lifestyle and how you incorporate your beliefs into what you do. Give these matters time for thought. Simple and quick solutions just won’t get to the heart of what’s going on.

Since 1995, Pluto the transformer has been in Sagittarius, making a transit of your solar fifth house. This has provided a powerful urge for the Lion to explore the issues of life direction, belief and lifestyle. Pluto has been asking if you’re living the way you want to and in accord with the beliefs that are important. There will have been a strong urge for you lions (especially those born to July 4th) to take control of your destiny and live with the power and freedom you love so much (roar!). There will have been a cost to this though. Some close relationships would have suffered or even ended for a time. Some parts of your life would have been sacrificed to the rising importance of others. Nonetheless, the choices needed to be made, not always because they were right but rather because you needed to try them and to express the control that they gave you. For some of you, the measure of control required would have been enforced on you by circumstance. This year Pluto grips the lives of lions born July 5th to the 8th, setting them on a powerful course.

The Wounded Healer  

Chiron, the wounded healer, is also in Sagittarius and your solar fifth house, calling you to find the shadows from the past that do not really allow you to play and relax as you need to. Every Lion feels the pressure of being what they feel others need them to be or living up to the high expectations they set for themselves with success and failure (fail, me? Never!). Chiron is calling you to look at the hurts from your past to see where you put the pressure on yourself about working and succeeding that reflects the pressure put on you by parents and those in authority from your childhood. If you don’t truly feel you have the freedom to relax, to be foolish and clown around, who was it that pushed you towards such high demands and expectations? Find the ghost, exorcise it and give yourself the permission you need to just be you. Get in touch with the inner child but don’t lose hold on your inner adult. The balance of both is what you seek.

The Solstice and the Solar Eclipse  

June brings fireworks aplenty. First, Mercury the messenger goes into his second retrograde phase (in his own sign of Gemini), stirring matters up in your solar eleventh house. This will affect friends and the wider circle that you mix with as well as neighbours. Once again, clarity of communications is the issue. Make sure you’re heard and have also been understood. Double-check arrangements and appointments! Keep a particular watch on communication devices and electronic equipment for this time will be liable for failures and breakdowns. Get the service done before June! Watch in particular the middle of the month when retrograde Mars opposes Jupiter in Gemini, giving everyone a dose high expectation and big reaction. There will be a bit of disagreement, yelling and screaming, unless Mr, Mrs or Ms Supercool Lion takes the stage.

The eclipse of the Sun that comes with the winter solstice on June 21 could have us all gasping for breath and a little the worse for wear. For the Lion, this could be an energy sapping occasion, when old or hidden matters may surface suddenly, affecting relations with friends or in the wider circle, yet also touching family matters or deeply emotional issues. You could find you have an enemy or opponent you didn’t know about. There could be stoppages in your daily or working routines and health matters may need to be addressed. Navigate a careful course once again, for an eclipse of the Sun can impact strongly on the solar-powered Leo. Any matters involving deception or intrigue are very badly aspected by this eclipse and could have strong consequences in both behaviour and action.

Power Struggles and Irritations  

While July sees everything but Pluto moving forward again and thus real freedom of energy and movement after a chaotic month, a test comes for the Lion late in the month and moving into August. But this test can see you triumph and succeed, as long as you maintain your focus. Remember now that Jupiter is in Cancer in your solar twelfth house though, affirming a more moderate attack on life and close knit approach to maintaining your family unit. The test comes as Saturn the taskmaster in Gemini and your solar eleventh house opposes Pluto the transformer in your solar fifth. There are power struggles here as you seek to clear the last of the obstacles from the path of achieving what you want or changing direction as you need to. If you have to convince someone in authority or in a position of power to be on your side, then negotiate with them. Don’t just fight them or expect that they will come to the party because you’re the one that’s giving it. Career tactics and strategies are crucial now. Know when to stand firm and when to give ground and you can break through to a high level of success. Misread the signs and it will be a different story.

New Moon  

August 19 sees the New Moon in your sign, calling for a bit of revision. New plans and new methods are needed to set matters of work and relaxation, spending and saving and friendships and intimate relationships into a new and better balance.

The first week of October sees the clash of Mars (this time in Capricorn and your solar sixth house) and Jupiter in Cancer in your solar twelfth house. Spiritual, creative or emotional and family needs may clash with the demands and patterns of work, causing conflict or flare-ups. Set your course clearly but negotiate the way. This is intensified with Mercury in his third retrograde phase for the year, this time in Libra and your solar third house. Be careful of misunderstandings or confusion between you and work associates or partners. You might struggle to find the balance with which you can meet the demands of close associates and working schedules. Once again, over-reaction could play a part in all this so make sure you keep your cool. A close eye on siblings and your relationship with them would go well at this time. All may not be well in the bloodlines.

The Run Home  

The run into the end of the year finds November full of brooding Scorpio energy setting up issues of tension and intensity with home, family and emotions. You may be at odds with loved ones or those close to you. Once again, look under the surface issue for the real thing simmering beneath. With Saturn and Jupiter both retrograde now, the emphasis is away from expansion and achievement and has moved into a mode of re-evaluation.

December brings widespread activity in your solar fifth house, focusing on enjoyment, lifestyle and matters of children, but two powerful eclipses colour the end of 2001, bringing changes, uncertainties and even endings or separations to what you may have thought were clear structures or plans. The first is an eclipse of the Sun that comes in Sagittarius and your solar fifth house. This could sever a social connection and may bring financial problems if you’ve taken too much of a risk or even simply overspent. Don’t stretch too far before this time or you’ll be wondering what to do afterwards.

The second of these is a lunar eclipse that comes right on the bell for the old year on December 30th. Finances, home and family may come under stress and you may be at a loss as to what to do for the time. With Mars now in Pisces in your solar eighth house squaring Pluto in you solar fifth, financial involvement that has somehow tied up your money or given others control of it will not serve you well at this point. Once again, risky speculations or ventures are not favoured. These things are best avoided before this time, but if they haven’t been, then strong action will be required to put control back into your hands. Meet any challenge that comes your way. Bon chance!