Wheel of Light Astrology by Rio Olesky - August 2019
This month four planets will transit from Leo to Virgo. This tends to be a difficult transition, perhaps the most difficult between any two contiguous signs. The planets involved are the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars. These are the planets that are involved with our day-to-day interaction with each other and life in general. The shift from one sign to the next can be somewhat jarring because their focus is so totally different.
Leo is a fixed fire sign. It is oriented toward self-expression. Its creativity and confidence can flow readily into playful or recreational activities that are designed to enhance one’s enjoyment and pleasure. The centered Leo can be generous, loving and supportive to others. It is a good leader, good organizer and provides stability and strength to be persevering and successful in whatever the endeavor is. Leo can be adventurous, romantic, humorous with a strong sense of personal integrity.
Leo can represent the emerging individual who seeks to establish their identity within a wide-ranging framework in which we put ourselves out there in dynamic, and sometimes dramatic ways. I think of Leo as the eternal adolescent of the zodiac: when centered they can be playful and project an attitude of confidence. The off-center Leo, however, is someone who may seem quite sure of themselves but who in fact looks for positive recognition and attention from others in order to feel secure within themselves. In order to be centered Leo needs to feel love flowing through their hearts to others. Leo is the sign of love in the romantic or recreational sense. “Who do I love or what do I love?” The centered Leo is one who finds support from within and is therefore less needy of external validation. Sometimes we can associate Leo as the annoying drama queen or king who is always seeking the limelight. A centered Leo, however, can be quiet and self-contained. They enjoy their own company even as they reach out to others in gestures of generosity and love. They prioritize principal and honor in their words and actions above attention from others. They are strong people who can pass by without feeling the necessity to exhibit their strength.
After Leo, one of the prime signs of individuation, comes Virgo, the sign of mutable earth. Partaking of the earth element implies that Virgo prioritizes practical activities. These can be primarily oriented to body through health and healing or to activities involving nature, from animals to gardening to hiking. Mutability implies adaptability. Virgo is primarily oriented to learning and applying that knowledge to life in ways that are useful to themselves and others. It also suggests that Virgo prioritizes service. As such it can be humble and self-effacing.
Virgo is the sign that sweats the details of any idea, situation or relationship. As such it can be picky and perfectionistic. This can lead the off-center Virgo to express reductive criticism. That is, the focus is on finding fault rather that noting how to improve. The centered Virgo is one who prioritizes duty and devotion. This could be to a person, a family, a job or to a spiritual path. From a spiritual perspective everything is already perfect. What is required is refining the self and one’s behavior rather than getting stuck in compulsively noting the faults and flaws of self, others or life in general.
The challenge of the transition from Leo to Virgo is especially challenging to the off-center person. This is someone who constantly seeks attention from others even as they feel overwhelmed by their own faults and imperfections. One can get stuck in a loop of needing to be on stage even while criticizing their own performance as being unworthy of the very love and attention they seek.
The primary challenge this month is to be centered. By striving to look within for love and validation we are less inclined to seek or even notice feedback from others. We can put our time and energy into refining the self by working with a strength of Virgo — being detail oriented. It’s not about perfection in all things at all times. It’s about learning more about the self and life on a daily basis and seeking to be of service in ways that are compassionate, caring and conscientious. We can make a difference in the world by being self-contained and comfortable with a relatively minimalistic lifestyle. When we fall away from our center, we tend to worry that ourselves and our efforts are not enough. It can be as if our mind has a life of its own and we are continually undermining ourselves by getting stuck in noting only that which is not acceptable. If we work on ourselves to eliminate our weaknesses in ways that are patient and self-loving, we find our center and can take positive advantage of the transits this month.