Leo: dates, traits and meaning
Leo is the zodiac sign of people born from about Jul 23 to Aug 22, when the Sun is in Leo. It is a fixed fire sign, traditionally ruled by Surya (Sun).
What the sign means, in both traditions: the Western Leo and the Vedic Simha, and where your own Moon sign and rising sign come in.
- Dates
- Jul 23 to Aug 22
- Element
- fire
- Mode
- fixed
- Ruler
- Surya (Sun)
- Vedic name
- Simha (sidereal), on the sidereal zodiac
Leo as a Sun sign
Leo keeps things going: it is a fixed sign. As a fire sign it acts first and thinks on the move, and needs a challenge to feel alive.
If the Sun was in Leo on your birthday, you carry its drive: the way you push into the world. That is the sign every column is written for, and it is a twelfth of the story.
Your Moon sign is how you feel and recharge, and your rising sign is how you come across; both are computed from the same birthday, with the time.
Leo as Simha
In Vedic astrology the sign of the same name is Simha, measured on the sidereal zodiac. That zodiac sits about 24 degrees behind the Western one. So most people with a Leo Sun have their Vedic Sun in Cancer.
In Vedic astrology, though, "your sign" means your Moon sign, the Rashi, not your Sun sign. Your Moon sign is independent of your Sun sign and needs your birth date, time and place.
Today's reading for this sign is read both ways: Leo today, and the Simha rashifal.
Leo compatibility with every sign
How Leo pairs with each of the twelve signs, itself included, in love, communication, conflict and marriage, with the Vedic view of each pair.
Worked example
One fixed example birth, run through the same engine as the calculator, so the page and the result can never disagree.
Example: someone born at noon on 7 August 2000 in London. Computed, not a customer.
On the Western zodiac their Sun is in Leo. On the Vedic, sidereal zodiac the same Sun is in Karka (Cancer).
Their Moon sign, and so their Rashi, depends on their birth date and time. It could be any of the twelve signs.
How it is worked out
The elements follow the classical order of the signs: fire, earth, air and water in turn. The modes run cardinal, fixed and mutable in turn. The ruler is the traditional one used in both Western and Vedic astrology.
What this cannot tell you
- A Leo Sun describes one part of a person. It says nothing about the Moon sign or the rising sign.
- The dates are approximate. A birthday within a day or two of a change of sign needs the birth time to settle it.
- This is for reflection and cultural interest. It describes tendencies, and is not medical, legal or financial advice.
Related questions
What is Leo in Vedic astrology?
- The same sign is called Simha. The Vedic zodiac sits about 24 degrees behind the Western one. So most people with a Leo Sun have their Vedic Sun in Cancer.
If my Sun is in Leo, what is my Rashi?
- Your Rashi is your Moon sign, which is independent of your Sun sign. It can be any of the twelve, and needs your birth date, time and place.
Find your Moon sign and Rashi
Enter your birthday for your Sun, Moon and rising sign, and your Rashi, in plain words.
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Your first reading
Your Sun, Moon, Rashi and rising sign. Then today, this week, this month and your year, with what each means for work, money, family and health. The week names which days are yours and which to keep small.
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