Exploring Leo Season with Tarot

Walking through Leo Season with the Tarot

https://youtu.be/1oBLDO8eFU8

Every zodiac season brings its own unique energy, shaping the collective mood and highlighting certain themes for all of us to explore. Through the lens of Tarot, the Major Arcana card associated with the season reveals the bigger lesson or archetype influencing the time, while the three decans and their corresponding Minor Arcana cards show how that energy evolves and unfolds over the course of the season.

Rather than being a fixed influence, each season tells a story in three chapters. The first decan introduces the season's themes, the second deepens and develops them, and the third helps us integrate what we've learned before moving into the next zodiac cycle. Together, astrology and tarot offer a symbolic roadmap for understanding the opportunities, challenges, and growth available during the season. This month we are exploring Leo Season with the Major Arcana Tarot card of Strength, and the Minor Arcana Cards of the 3 Decans – 5 of Wands, 6 of Wands and 7 of Wands, plus additional cards pulled to reflect the energy of this particular Leo Season.

During Leo Season, July 23 through to August 22. it is the Lion who steps forward with their Mantra of I Will.  Leo is a Fixed Fire Sign ruled by the Sun, which inspires Leo’s creativity, confidence, vitality, generosity and desire to shine as an individual.  Leo’s role is to explore the self-mastery that requires no outside validation, and this can show up in areas around creativity, self-expression, confidence and leadership, while any potential challenges coming up at this time could be associated with pride, the need for attention, drama or stubbornness.

Leo’s Major Arcana card is Strength which represents courage, patience, compassion and mastery of instinct through calm presence rather than force.  This depicts power that is integrated, not aggressive.  The Lion symbolizes raw passion and vitality, while the figure gently guiding it represents conscious self-command.  The central question of the Leo season asks: Can you express your power without being ruled by your ego?Viewed symbolically, Strength represents mastery through compassion rather than force.  This archetype develops authentic confidence by befriending instinct rather than conquering it.  The lion symbolizes the raw life force that must be integrated into consciousness.  A core question to ask is Can I be powerful and tender at the same time?

We start with the Five of Wands (Saturn in Leo) in the 1^st Decan, where strength faces competition and challenge and conflict awakens courage.  With the Five of Wands the energy is energetic but chaotic.  There can be many voices, or ambitions, or identities competing for attention.  Strength transforms this conflict from a battle into a training ground.  Instead of trying to prove superiority, seek domination or react impulsively, Strength asks for confidence without arrogance, healthy competition, and learning through challenge.   We are reminded that conflict can reveal character more than victory does. Key phrase: "Refine your fire."

With the Six of Wands (Jupiter in Leo) in the 2^nd Decan, where confidence earns recognition and the temptation is identifying with applause. While the Six of Wands often depicts public praise or earned victory, Strength changes how that success is experienced.  Instead of external validation becoming the source of identity, it becomes something that is appreciated without becoming addictive.  We are reminded to accept praise gracefully, lead through integrity and recognize that true confidence is stable even when applause fades.  Key phrase: "Carry victory with grace."

We finish the season with the Seven of Wands (Mars in Leo) in the 3^rd Decan, where we learn maintaining success requires perseverance and that success must be defended.  The Seven of Wands is about standing firm under pressure, defending values or accomplishments against challenges.  Strength shifts this from defensiveness into quiet resilience.  The lesson here is not to fight every opponent, but to know what is truly worth protecting. Key phrase: "Stand your ground without hardening your heart.”

In Leo Season, the interaction of the three Decans with Strength, is to learn through challenge and competition (5 of Wands), receive recognition without losing humility (6 of Wands) and to defend our values and achievements with steady courage.  This overall arc is one of inner sovereignty, where the 5 of Wands asks us to discover our strength amid conflict, the Six of Wands asks us to embody success without becoming consumed by status, and the 7 of Wands asks us to protect what matters without falling into fear or pride. The greatest expression of Leo energy is self-mastery.

How will you integrate this into your life this Leo Season as the additional cards from the above reading play out?