Leo Season Starts July 22: Time to Lead With Heart and Confidence
July 21, 2025 | Miriam Slozberg
Leo Season starts on July 22nd, bringing Cancer season to a close. What does that mean? When the sun burns down on Leo on July 22nd, we enter a season that calls us to stand tall. It calls us to radiate from the heart and walk boldly in our authenticity.
Leo season is one of self-expression, creativity, courage, and leadership, but it is not of the controlling kind. This is a leadership born of love and authenticity. It’s about leading from the heart, not ego. And no better tarot archetype captures the spirit of Leo than the Strength card. Let’s explore this further.
Leo: Ruled by the Sun and the Heart
Leo is the fixed fire sign of the zodiac, ruled by the Sun. That is our solar system’s life force and astrological symbol of the self, identity, and vitality. Under Leo’s influence, we’re encouraged to reconnect with what inspires us and express our unique essence with boldness.
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Leo claims the heart, both literally and figuratively. This season invites us to live from that place, making decisions that align with our passions, values, and integrity. While Cancer season invited us inward to feel and protect what’s sacred, Leo season invites us to be bold. It invites us to step out, share our gifts, and take up space courageously.
This is the time of year we’re called upon to shine boldly. Leo energy reminds us it’s not arrogant to own the spotlight; it’s an act of necessity to express the soul. You’re not here to dim your light for others as you’re here to shine, to awaken, to ennoble.
The Tarot Connection: Strength as Leo’s Card
The Leo card associated with the tarot card in the Major Arcana is Strength. That is card VIII (or XI, depending on which deck we’re using). At first glance, Strength is about being powerful. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Strength is really about inner power, emotional intelligence, and taming inner and outer monsters with grace, not conquest.
Old-fashioned imagery on the Strength card depicts a serene figure, a woman, gently closing (or opening) a lion’s jaws. She’s not overpowering the lion. This woman is not fighting with the lion.
She’s communing with it, drawing upon a peaceful, solid strength. Her strength is not in her muscles, but in her heart. This speaks straight to the very heart of Leo: courage developed from compassion.
Interestingly, the word “courage” is derived from the Latin term cor, which denotes “heart.” True courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s deciding to take action despite fear. Leo season and the Strength card both mirror this truth.
This season asks us to ask ourselves:
Where are you being called to act from the heart?
What would you feel like doing to make a courageous decision? It is not because it’s easy, but because it’s authentic to you?
How do you stand strong in your convictions without roaring?
Just as the person in the Strength card, Leo season reminds us that vulnerability is not a sign of weakness. It is strength. And being soft is stronger than steel.
How Leo Season Starts Will Affect Us All
Even if Leo isn’t in your birth chart, you feel an energetic uptick when the sun enters this sign. Leo season turns up the volume on issues like:
Creativity and self-expression
Visibility and being seen
Joy and play
Confidence and leadership
Romance and passion
Generosity and loyalty
This is a moment to be fearless and take creative risks. Leo season is the perfect moment to stand out. Starting a YouTube channel, launching a business, writing a book, or taking confident action matters little. This is not the moment to shrink yourself or hide behind others. Let yourself be seen.
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And if you’ve been playing small or questioning yourself, Strength encourages you that you have what it takes. You don’t need to wait for the perfect moment or someone else’s permission. You are your own approval.
The Shadow Side: Ego, Pride, and Performative Confidence
Every sign has a shadow, and Leo is not an exception. At its best, Leo is warm, dedicated, and generous. In shadow, Leo energy will most likely manifest as arrogance, people-pleasing, or a showy confidence that masks deep insecurity.
The Strength card gives us the antidote to this. Rather than fighting it out or trying to dominate, Strength teaches us to engage with our shadows patiently. It teaches us to do it kindly and with emotional maturity. It teaches us that our power does not need to be loud to be powerful. In fact, some of the most powerful people are often the quietest in the room.
As the Leo season starts, take note of where ego is hindering. Are you asserting your voice out of fear or truth? Are you seeking applause or genuine connection? Finally, are you being led by heart, or trying to control outcomes?
Let Leo’s warmth ignite your passion. However, let the Strength card be your guide in how you channel that fire.
Leo Season Rituals to Embody Strength and Radiance
To connect with Leo’s energy and the Strength card, try the following:
Heart-Centered Journaling
Write about a time when you behaved out of courage, not fear. What was it like? How can you do more of that today?
Mirror Work with Affirmations
Stand in front of the mirror and repeat affirmations like:
I am worthy of being seen.
My voice matters.
I lead with love and confidence.
Creative Self-Expression
Engage in an artistic activity, such as painting, writing, singing, dancing, or dressing up, without needing perfection. Leo is the ruler of the inner performer; let your imagination run free.
Strength Card Meditation
Spend some time with the Strength card. Notice how the figure interacts with the lion. What does this tell you about how you relate to power, anger, or fear?
Inner Child Joy
Return to your inner child and do something silly or fun. You can go to a carnival, wear something colorful, or engage in a game. Leo energy is young and raw. Don’t overdo the seriousness.
Leo Season Starts: Key Takeaway
Leo season isn’t necessarily about posing or being loud. It’s about leading with heart, conveying your soul, and generating courage through empathy toward yourself and others.
The Strength card is your wake-up call that real courage has nothing to do with muscle. It’s all about gentle strength, inner courage, and unshakable trust in yourself.
In the sun being in Leo, let that lion’s heart energy drive you to live larger. You can learn to love more and own your moment in the spotlight. You were born to shine. Now’s the time to rise.
