Leo Third Decan
Third decan Leo born between August 13 and August 23. If a person is born between these days, the ruling planet is Mars which makes them impulsive, egotistical, self-confident, bold, sometimes full of bluster. They are by nature aggressive, fiery, fearless and independent and also ambitious, honest and dynamic. They tend to set high goals for themselves and posses enough energy to attain these goals. They tend to be stubborn. They are honest and straightforward, and expect the same from others. This straightforwardness sometimes makes them critical and blunt which others don’t like.
The third Decan Leo personality is characterized by ambition, honesty and dynamism. They are ambitious and driven to attain the goals. They have the dynamic energy to make ambitions a reality. They are an unstoppable force when they really want something. And as they believe themselves never to be in the wrong, their stubbornness shows through often.
They are completely honest, straightforward and expect others to be the same. They are not afraid to make their thoughts and feelings known and can be brutally honest. Their dynamism and drive will propel them to the top of any profession they want. They like to be the leader, the boss, the starring role and find it very difficult to be subordinate to others.
Leo Third Decan - Mental Man of Mars
Out of the herd of mass human consciousness in due course of time, will emerge the self-sufficient man, the Lion of "Self Assertion," (EA 293) endowed with the flaming Martian gift of true lion-heartedness, fearlessness, courage and bravery. As an outer sensitivity to the environment has now been arduously developed, the Lion of certitude becomes increasingly aware of a pronounced egocentric consciousness, along with an innate ability to rule and control with real personal conviction.
Mars fosters the will to rule as well as an intellectual positivity which impels a driving experimental urge towards self-perception and self-knowledge. Desiring place and position, the intelligent Lion ambitiously displays his or her arsenal of selfish powers. Lion souls at the rudimentary mental stage must begin to achieve self-mastery, self-rule and control of their personalities for good or evil. Very little can stand in the way when the Martian mind has formulated a particular plan or course of action.
At the peak of the mental period of development, direction, purpose and plan inform all activities. The fiery Leo mental type is happiest when in a position of authority and responsibility, naturally loves to illumine others but also to dominate them, and is quick to criticize and punish. Lions become very anxious to put everyone in their place and keep them there.
Without a doubt the Lion can be the most disagreeable person under whom to work or serve. The uncontrollable urge to dominate produces an ever-growing isolated attitude. An insufferable ego arrogance and ridiculous spells of vanity accompany the nascent display of the powerful mind of the provocatively challenged Leo. If crossed, the mental type is cold, dismissive, and grants no recognition to the antagonist.
Initially in the early stages of mental growth what comes to the forefront is a vain, conceited personality, unconcerned about anybody else, with a lack of self-esteem and totally self-absorbed. Individual one-pointed self-interest is the outstanding quality bestowed. In the early stages of mental development Lions are convinced they are really self-conscious when they are only actually swayed by desire. Mars with unrelenting personal zest and zeal propels the imaginative mind of the Lion to new heights of self-satisfaction and self-appreciation. Tenderness, humility, tolerance and patience are lacking.
Forgiveness and a spirit of sympathy are not developed until late in the progress of this decan. To begin with, everything is taken unequally and always with the most intense brand of personal feeling. The qualities of serenity, balance, purity, common sense, tolerance and self-sacrifice are non-existent. Eventually though, selfishness, centralization and individual unity will be achieved by the highly perceptive personality in process of becoming a truly integrated Lion.
Dominance of the personality is the chief characteristic regardless of gender. The separative and highly individualistic Lion has an intensely arrogant and unrestrained capacity to see no other point of view except their own. They only achieve peace of mind when they get their own way, take the lead or take charge.
Both male and female portray strong Martian mental characteristics with an abundant and dramatic display of dominance and assertion. To keep control they will use extreme measures extending to exile, torture, imprisonment and in criminal cases, even murder. The Mars-inspired ruler can be so often especially hard, cold, cruel, arrogant, prideful and dictatorial. They truly excel in imposing their will and desires upon others.
When filled with enthusiasm the fiery Leo mind is incapable of moderation, cannot rest, and will literally overwork and burn itself out. This is an identical situation to the mental temperament of the sign Scorpio wherein Mars also rules the mental decan.
Both the Scorpion and the Lion in these decans are easily enflamed into ferocious fury and wrath. An unforgiving temper remains a lifelong problem. They also exhibit a tendency toward harsh criticism, narrowness, lack of reverence and extreme prejudice. Strongly mentally isolated, they exercise their rights as they see them and fight to defend their positions.
Strong Martian desire stimulates the naturally commanding and warlike nature. The possibility of danger, adventure and excitement seem to ennoble the ambition. As soldiers, when aroused in battle they fight like one possessed. When opposed effectively in a situation where they have no back-up resources, the Lion under Mars will choose to die fighting—a heroic death. Advanced Leos experience both the vision and actualization of greatness, resulting in landmark attainments.
Lions have a keen intellect, wielding the power to know and define. Eventually attaining great precision in thought and action along with the acquisition of great stores of knowledge, they gain mastery over every factual detail of their large-scale plans. As the mind possesses keen powers of observation on the physical plane, it is quick to spot any inconsistencies. With an acute ability to communicate ideas, nothing escapes the attention in spite of vast accumulations of data. Mental stimulation is food for the soul. New developments in the chosen field are never ignored. Great mental pride is associated with the intellect and its ability to collect facts and render interpretation.
The Martian-inspired mind possesses the natural ability to seek recognition and will usually eventually receive acclaim no matter what the field, due to their forceful strength of mind and character. Within the chosen field of thought the advanced Leo mind is one that the world cannot ignore. It can with great prowess delve deeply into hidden matters and is especially perceptive of psychic levels, the occult and the subconscious. The depth of personality insight and mental acumen commands respect. The use of the mind as a projective tool is enhanced by a marked ability to collate facts and express ideas in easily communicable form. A wonderfully accomplished ability to write and speak intensifies the dramatic quality. A sense of performance, pomp, ceremony and drama is exhibited throughout the career.
The Lion under Mars has an intensively active, dominating, imposing, impressive and decisive mind. There is great clarity of thought and firmness of opinion. They have a natural mental certainty, assurance and conviction. This decan type has mental endurance, one-pointedness, concentration, the gift of synthesis, academic independence, and is gifted with map-making ability and a capacity to quickly outline the main facts. The successful mental type is known for a focused single-mindedness. The potential for critical destructive thinking is always there however, and the inevitable mental assault can be for good or evil.
Arguments fail to impact the Lion because they are so sure of their own truth. Sometimes they may be self-righteous. They will lay down their life for the objects of their conquest but will not lift a finger to help those outside of their immediate sympathies. They are subject to selfish and jealous love, partiality, self-deception, superstition and a decided tendency of over-dependence on others. Their mental assertion of their individual point of view is limited by a strict one-pointed self focus, full of facts but wearisome, pedantic, highly personal and over-idealized.
Realistic, detached and impersonal, the evolved Leo mental type, without circuitous meanderings, efficiently organizes the mental processes, knowing how to best prioritize thought and therefore teach, guide and lead. The necessity for clear thinking and the elimination of destructive thought becomes increasingly apparent. Eventually the energy of thought is utilized for the good of all and for the furthering of evolution and not for selfish ends. They use their ability to separate the true from the false and to learn the meaning of illusion.
Eventually an emphatic Martian-inspired egocentric consciousness is forged. The Lion does allow himself to be imposed upon, often fails to take action, refuses to change and brooks no interference from others. They know innately that they are the rulers of their own life and destiny. If anyone should try to impose discipline upon the Lion they will meet with revolt and rebellion. The key benchmark trait of the mature Lion mind is the ability to remain uninfluenced and maintain its personal freedom from outside pressures or control. When truly advanced, the Lion rules the environment and life events with deliberation, drawing out of circumstances that which is required.
Lions are the born leaders in every public career and any walk of life. Demonstrating strength of will, a strong sense of purpose and dynamic power, they require from others self-sacrifice, utter loyalty and total adherence to their every command.
The advanced Lion can be counted on to defend the weak and fight oppression; fearless of consequences they are truly electric and dynamic leaders. Multitudes of respected and well-known people seek the advice of the Lion in this decan and appreciate his profound perceptions and powers of analysis. Hence the mentally advanced Lion is excellent in negotiations and diplomacy. They possess the perseverance, uprightness, power, strength and courage to lead, direct, govern, initiate, centralize, inspire, arouse and persuade.
Lions are instinctively devoted to beauty and naturally possess great productive skill. As artists they love strong contrasts and masses of color, vivid, luminous and bold. Their sculptures are full of life and their music arousing. As communicators, writers, orators or preachers they are brilliant, knowledgeable, outspoken, emphatic, full of fire, but tend to be long-winded. When more accomplished they become trenchant in thought and speech.
Once self-conscious awareness is achieved by the mentally polarized Leo and the resources of the material world or the form side of life have been properly examined, mastered and exhausted, the cycle of advanced personality integration accelerates with ferocious rapidity. This process of psycho-synthesis occurs just prior to the technique of fusion that will be applied by the soul during the next cycle of soul growth undertaken on the Reverse Wheel during the treading of the Path.
It is the beneficent influence of Mars which serves to fuse the component parts of the self-conscious man preparatory to the emergence of the unified, fused, decentralized, group conscious Lion-man. The cycle of what is termed the "Probationary Path" is then entered and the would-be candidates for initiation begin to prepare themselves for an interlude of inner reorientation and a transition period of subjective reversal upon the Great Wheel of Life. At this penultimate pivotal spiritual step comes the shift of attention away from the purely material, limited or individually-defined selfish interests of the personality to group requirements, and from the attained point of consciousness of the "one at the center" to the greater environing group.
The requirement is sensitivity to the higher Self as the prime-conditioning factor instead of sensitivity to the environment. Having reached full self-consciousness, personality effectiveness and mental integration, the Path of the Lion now proceeds directly to the burning ground.
The purificatory Path of the burning ground must be trodden before the door of Initiation can be reached, entered and passed through. Then the newly abstracted Lion emerges on the other side a liberated Observer, detached from the material side of life but utilizing it. The world of small affairs is successfully converted into the greater world of meaning. Thus begins the cycle of release of the true or inner-self through prolific creative contribution and outpouring within the chosen field of knowledge.
In the sign of Leo Hercules the Sun god, the archetypical disciple, performs the labor that is best-known historically—the slaying of the Nemean lion. This heroic act has always been associated with Hercules, though it is important to note that this famous labor has no relation to the lion’s skin that Hercules always wore. This was the skin of the lion that he slew before he began his twelve Sun sign labors and which was his first great act of service.
Through the act of killing and skinning the Lion (the animal man or personality) the disciple demonstrates that he is ready to begin the Reverse Wheel cycle of soul testing and training. He must prepare and fittingly gird himself in the lion’s skin because now commences the long protracted period of tests and trials of the soul.