A Reluctant Leo

I have never much been one for horoscopes. I tend to be much more scientifically minded. When I look to the sky, it is not for the purpose of gaining insight to my personality, but rather to gain a peek at planets, comets, and Messier objects. I am also one of those who emits steam from their ears whenever someone says “astronomy” when they mean “astrology,” and vice versa.

However, for the sake of this exercise, I am willing to take a closer look at the stars through an astrological, rather than astronomical lens.

Leo and Cancer?

With my birthday being August 8, I have always identified myself as Leo. Since I had always heard that Leos were domineering and bossy, I never felt there was too much connection with my life, as I tend to be very emotional and reserved. In fact, I have battled with shyness my entire life. And now with this whole recent discussion about Sidereal versus Tropical astrology, I have to broaden my scope because according to the Sidereal Zodiac, I am a Cancer. I find that bothers me to no small degree, because I have a lot of baggage with that word, having lost so many friends and family to the disease of that name. That includes my only brother just a few years ago.

And yet, after putting on my bravest mask of objectivity, I looked up the characteristics of both signs and I see a lot of myself there—and that is a surprise. This may be worth a closer look after all.

Big Personality

This is where I always thought I had the biggest disconnect with horoscopes. Leo is supposed to want to be the center of the universe, to call attention to themselves, and to lord over all others. They often have a reputation as a braggart. I, on the other hand, tend to want to shrink away from all others, and I am typically happiest if I can retreat into my own little world.

And yet, I am an artist. I do create with the hope that others will see my work and appreciate it. So that is actually very Leo-like. I once took acting classes as a means of bringing myself out of my shell, and that is also a big-cat trait. (There are actually an abundance of lions and lionesses in community college acting courses.)

Humor

I had to jump to this area right away, because comedy is a huge part of what I am. I am an artist who tends to do a lot of cartooning work. Most of my art is geared toward comedy (though I do have my serious side at times). Growing up, I was always the class clown. I was the kid who would sit in the back of the classroom and crack jokes during the science films. I like to think I am a pretty funny guy.

I saw one description that said the Leos “are natural performers who love being at the center of attention and being funny helps them to do just that. They’re that friend who loves to tell an outrageous story full of exaggeration for comedic effect, and they have no problem acting out all the parts themselves, voices included.” Oh my gosh, that is so me. I have even done puppet shows onscreen, where I do different voices for the various characters.

Also, “Where they’ll run into problems is when their desire for the spotlight makes them take the humor overboard, into show-boaty or sometimes embarrassing territory. “ Again, that is a perfect description of me. I sometimes have a fairly dark sense of humor, and occasionally I will take an exaggeration over the line, causing people to recoil, and friends to back away slowly.

So overall I would have to say the humor traits for Leo is a spot-on match.

What About That Other Sign With the Messed-Up Name?

Let’s look for a moment at the traits for Cancer. It is said they are sensitive, which I very definitely am. Also that they tend to take on other peoples’ problems. That is something I absolutely do—to a fault. I tend to be overly empathetic, which often compels me to disconnect from the world for periods of time, because the pain becomes unbearable.

It is said that Cancer is the sign of water, which I feel for. I have always enjoyed being on and around water, having done a fair amount of sailing in my younger days. However, Leo’s element is fire, and I feel that too. Growing up I was always responsible for not only taking out the trash, but also burning it in the burn barrel in a safe manner. I was always put in charge of starting and tending the fire when camping.

Cancer’s ruling planet is listed as the Moon, while Leo’s ruling planet is the Sun. The Leo portion of me says yes, I have lived in California my entire life, so the Sun has always been a central part of that life. The Cancer portion of me points out that having grown up during the 1960s meant I was enraptured by the race to put humans on the Moon. In 1969 I was right there with my plastic models of the Apollo vehicles—giving my folks a play-by-play commentary of what was happening in the moments leading up to the landing by Armstrong and Aldrin.

And of course the astronomer portion of me screams that the Moon and Sun are NOT planets, for crying out loud!

Just a Big Cat

Well, I have found this to be an interesting exercise, in that I now have a bit more acknowledgement for my astrological connection. However, I think my biggest connection comes by way of the fact that Leo is just a big cat. And like a big cat, I love to curl up in the sunshine and take a nap. I also enjoy chasing and taking down a zebra, and devouring the flesh I’ve stripped from its bones.

Oops. There I go, taking the humor overboard again.

[Please don’t go! I’ll try harder…]