The Leo Ethos in Three Fictional Royals

And one spectacular pauper 👑

Jul 23, 2024

Welcome & Welcome Back, Witches!

Oh hi there. I’m delighted to be back in your inboxes with Practical Magic following a short — but necessary — summer hiatus. Thankfully nothing big has been happening in the world or in the sky while I’ve been gone, right?

*Scans the news* Ah, I see.

Well, unfortunately for the never-ending, breaking news cycle, it’s officially Leo season. And we can’t skip over an opportunity to honor the sign of the sun…or they will never let us forget it. Plus, nothing says “time for a grand entrance” like the sun moving into Leo.

So in honor of this goober —

Yes, I married a Leo. In my defense, he’s pretty and has fabulous hair.

I’ll be digging into all that makes Leo energy awesome, why we’re so drawn to it, and exploring how it can go too far if left unchecked. And I’ll be doing it through the lens of my favorite fictional royals, as befits the regal Leo archetype.

What am I waiting for? Let’s get to it!

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Leo Vibes: Why We Are So Obsessed with Royalty

One question that’s stuck with me on several Bridgerton rewatches this summer: Why are we so obsessed with stories about monarchs? What about royals draw our attention? We’re American! We pretty publicly eschewed that whole scene.

Yet somehow, we always come back to some version of the glitterati, looking for new ways to dramatize the lives of the rich and influential.

“Sure, I guess every lonely girl would hope she’s a Princess.”

So what gives? Sure the costumes are great, but what’s really going on here? Do we have some twisted, Freudian longing to be ruled over? Or do we all secretly hope to be elevated over those around us?

The core energy of Leo, and it’s ruler the sun — the representation of kings and queens — offers us a better answer. Leo season captures a unique, and contradictory, dynamic in the annual solar cycle, and it’s one that lives in a small way in each of us.

Power & Peril of Charisma: Emperor Kuzco

The Emperor’s New Groove

The most well known aspect of Leo nature is being at the center of things, usually attention. Like the sun is the organizing center of our solar system, Leo is that point around which people and events organize, for better or worse.

That charisma can come in many forms. We think of the bombastic politician, or the friend who holds forth in conversation, but Leo charisma can also be quietly powerful; it can even happen behind the scenes.

My favorite example of the extremes of charisma, is Emperor Kuzco, the ruler-turned-llama of The Emperor’s New Groove.

Kuzco starts the movie as the king of the (known) world and everything “begins and ends” with him. He uses his power and influence to shine only for himself, with plans to level a generations-old town to make way for Kuzcotopia, a water part, dedicated to himself.

Until he’s turned into a llama by Eartha Kitt. As one does.

Turns out spending time as a llama is the fastest way to learn humility. Who knew?

His journey back from llama-hood is supported by an unlikely friend, Pacha, and through a series of wacky hijinks, Kuzco learns to let his light shine outward rather than solely inward. He becomes a ruler who connects with others, rather than consuming them for his own ends.

From beginning to end, Kuzco’s existence drives the story, draws people into his orbit and drives the actions of those around him. His journey, and the journey for Leo energy, is learning to use that light, rather than be used by it.

Fixations in Fixed Signs: Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

You knew a Bridgerton reference was coming, right? I mean, I had to. It’s only right.

Queen Charlotte, in both her own spin-off and the main Bridgerton franchise, captures one regal Leo trait better than any fictional sovereign:

Fixation.

Leo, like Taurus, is a fixed sign, meaning it is in the middle of a season. Fixed signs tend to be the ultimate expression of their season and element. Fixed energy when mixed with an earth sign for example, fixates on working towards something.

When it’s combined with fire in Leo however, it’s a lot more like a cat locking on to a target after a hearty dose of catnip.

Cats are genetically predisposed to being Leos, no matter when they’re born 😂

Charlotte’s stories are all those of singular focus. In the main franchise, she is fixated on Lady Whistledown, on discovering her identity and besting her in society. In her spinoff, she’s zeroed in on securing the future for her family’s legacy.

Leo energy imbues our lives with the thrill of the hunt, and wherever it shows up, our lives are that much more exciting and salacious for it. The chase captures our imaginations and demands our attention as surely as as any laser pointer.

Striving for Immortality: Queen Elizabeth II

The Crown

In many ways, this time of year as the height of sun’s power, with long, hot days dominating the northern hemisphere (especially this summer). Our days revolve around the sun, and that’s never more obvious than at the height of summer.

But all too often we miss the other side of Leo: the loss of light.

Leo follows the summer solstice of Cancer season, which means every single day of Leo season is shorter, has less sunlight than the last. This is duality of trying to hold onto the light even as it is being lost is beautifully captured in The Crown on Netflix, especially in early seasons.

Now, Elizabeth herself was a sun in Taurus, se we’re not talking about the Queen’s star sign or birth chart. However, this fictionalized version of her life captures a crucial element of Leo energy.

The show, especially the early seasons, is about the duality of rulership that monarchs face, and Elizabeth learning about the personal cost of that duality. A poignant letter from her paternal grandmother, Queen Mary, captures it well:

I have seen three great monarchies brought down through their failure to separate personal indulgences from duty. You must not allow yourself to make similar mistakes. And while you mourn your father, you must also mourn someone else: Elizabeth Mountbatten. For she has now been replaced by another person, Elizabeth Regina. The two Elizabeths will frequently be in conflict with one another. The fact is, the Crown must win.
Must always win.

The office of the crown is immortal, even as the woman is not, and the responsibility of that office is now the center point of her mortal life.

At its heart, Leo energy is about basking in the glory of the light, even in the firm knowledge that it is ultimately impermanent. Leo is tasked with maintaining order and the status quo, even in the inevitability of darkness and chaos. And that’s a pretty compelling frame for any story.

Universal Specialness: Sara Crewe

A Little Princess

And that brings me to my favorite aspect of Leo energy: We all share it. We are all special, we are all royal in our own way.

And no one captures that ethos better than Sara Crewe, a would-be orphan of WWI, who creates palaces and feasts in her imagination. Despite grief, loss, squalor and isolation, she maintains hope, imagination. and passion. And she encourages those around her to do the same.

The movie is striking in part because status and money coincide with power, and power usually means safety. Sara learns the hard way that this safety is an illusion, that violence is unpredictable, uncertainty is inevitable, and chaos, inescapable.

Yet through her little princess game, she maintains that she is worthy — that each of us is worthy. And that is emblematic of the drop of sunlight that resides in all of us.

Being royal, the archetype of royalty, not the reality, isn’t an externally granted status. Leo energy is a reminder that the power of self-worth can only be granted from within.

Maybe if we can learn from Leo’s strengths, to bask in the light, we won’t have to be quite so afraid of the dark.

And That’s All She Wrote!

She, of course, being me. I hope you enjoyed the read — I had a lot of fun writing it for you!

Reply to this email or leave a comment to let me know about the Leo energy in your life! I love to hear your stories, plus every interaction really helps the newsletter’s visibility. 💜💜💜