Leo Rewilded: 4 Totem Animals of the Fixed Fire Sign

Roll out the red carpet and sound the trumpets, for Leo Season has arrived in all its radiant glory! The Sun has returned to its domicile in the sign of the lion, and the time of high Summer has well and truly commenced here in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is the fifth article in this series of Rewilding the Zodiac, in which we explore each zodiac sign in turn through animals which embody the qualities of that sign. Each article brings together a small but carefully curated group of potential animal totems, chosen for their distinct roles and characteristics both in the natural world and in the realms of myth and folklore. The intention here is to expand our understanding of the zodiac wheel’s archetypes in a way which hopefully feels tangible, present and alive, whilst also bringing us back into an awareness of and a connection with nature and the animals with which we share our home, the Earth. Each animal chosen offers us a slightly different zodiacal medicine and a unique way into its given sign, for of course no two species are exactly the same. 

So far, since beginning at the Spring Equinox, we have explored Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer in this way. This time, it is the turn of the regal sign of Leo, traditionally represented by the lion.

Rewilding the Zodiac is an attempt not just to understand the stars by seeing them reflected in life upon the Earth, but to reconnect us with the Earth through our love of the stars. And somewhere along the way, I hope it can also reconnect us with a forgotten part of our own selves, too.

Leo: the Flame that Burns the Brightest

Leo is the second fire sign in the zodiac wheel, symbolised by the lion and ruled by the Sun. The Sun returns to its home sign in the Tropical Zodiac from roughly 22nd July to 22nd August each year, giving us Leo Season. This comes immediately after Cancer Season, which begins a month earlier at the time of the Summer Solstice (20th-22nd June) when the Sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It may seem strange that Moon-ruled Cancer is associated with the time when the Sun is at the height of its power rather than Sun-ruled Leo, but the connection there has ancient philosophical roots which we explored last month in Cancer Rewilded (and I do recommend checking out that article for the basics if you aren’t familiar with them, because they are quite fascinating!).

However, despite Leo Season occurring at the time when the Sun is once again starting to descend in the sky, Leo is closely connected with the seasons and the Northern Hemisphere’s agricultural year, just like the rest of the signs. The Sun may be falling away from the height of its power astronomically speaking, but Leo Season typically still brings us the hottest days of the year nonetheless. The work sowing the fields has thankfully been done, but the harvest may not yet be quite ready to reap; so instead, it’s time to sit back and enjoy as the fruits and berries happily ripen on branch and vine, and the great golden fields of wheat take their sweet time to mature under big blue skies.

This symbolism speaks something of Leo’s designation as a fixed sign. Signs with fixed modalities reside in the middle of their respective seasons, and just as we saw in Taurus Rewilded how the sign of the bull represents Spring in its fullness, the sign of the lion is the sign of high Summer in all its bright magnificence. Fixed signs thus act to stabilise; their qualities tend towards those that maintain and sustain, and they bring a sense of solidarity and reliability. The flip side of this, however, can be their unyielding nature and a resistance to change!

In the fixed fire sign of Leo, we see all of this come through in passion, creativity, courage, a warm heart and a generous spirit. Leo Season is a time for joy, play and festivities. Because Leo is so often led by its heart, we can usually rely on its honesty and authenticity. Like Leo's ruler, the Sun, people with a lot of Leo in their natal charts like to shine in some way, and they tend to carry something of the stereotype of what we might consider a ‘good leader’ (although the specifics from person to person will of course depend on the broader layout of their chart). When at their best, these folks are good intentioned and loyal, and their larger-than-life characters - although they may sometimes come across as self-centred - are usually a reflection of their grand ideals, bold dreams and a desire to make the people around them happy.

That said, the flame that burns the brightest can cast the darkest shadow, and in Leo there are many ways we might see this manifest, with a few examples being egocentrism, superiority complexes, and attention-seeking behaviours. The Leo shadow is often born of a heart that is wounded or insecure in some way, and thus may reflect a burning need for validation or power. There may also be a tendency to confuse being seen with being loved. The element of fire has the potential to be devastatingly destructive when it gets out of control, and this is something I cannot help but be reminded of daily as unprecedented wildfires ravage our beautiful wild mountainsides and woodland here in North Wales while I write this article.

Totem Animals of Leo

The Lion

In Greek mythology, the lion of Leo is none other than the Nemean Lion, a great and powerful mythical lion which once plagued the district of Nemea in ancient Argolis. As well as displaying supernatural strength, the lion’s golden hide was said to be impenetrable, and the lion itself was thus nigh-on invincible. A fierce beast, it is said to have plagued those who dwelled in the Nemean valley, terrorising them and their herds and bringing great sorrow to the people. For his first labour, Heracles (Roman Hercules) was tasked with slaying the lion - an undertaking which would push him to his limits both mentally and physically, as he soon discovered that human arrows and weapons would not injure it. Only Heracles’ strength could prevail in the end, and after wrestling and finally strangling the lion, he took its pelt to wear as an impervious hooded cloak, which would later become one of his most distinctive attributes. Some versions of the myth tell that Zeus then placed the lion in the sky as the constellation of Leo as a tribute to Heracles’ strength and bravery, while others suggest it was Hera who did so, to honour the lion as the king of beasts.

In this story, it is Heracles who represents the solar hero, and indeed he is perhaps one of the most enduring heroic figures in mythology, and one that we might consider to be particularly Leonine. But what can the Nemean Lion himself reveal to us about the nature of Leo?

Symbolically, the Nemean Lion represents great power, insurmountable challenge and an indomitable spirit. Being the fixed fire sign, Leo speaks to us of unwavering spirit and steadfast bravery in the face of adversity. The cliché comes to mind that we can achieve almost anything if we can recognise our strengths and stay true to our heart, and this is where the fixed signs’ reputation for stubbornness can really come into its own, for their loyalty and staying power is perhaps unrivalled. 

Lions more broadly speaking have long been symbolic of sovereignty and courage across cultures world-wide. It’s an association drawn from their formidable strength and imposing presence, and emphasised by the male lion’s mane which adorns his head like a crown crafted from the golden rays of the Sun. The Sun in astrology calls us to shine; it represents our life path, our vital creative life force and our highest potential which we may strive to achieve in this lifetime. It also represents our conscious mind and the part of us which must come into its own for us to fulfil our purpose, much like Heracles had to consciously come into his own Leonine self to defeat the Nemean Lion. Despite the focus on the traditionally masculine qualities of leadership and power here though, it is worth noting that lion prides are actually matriarchal, and in the natural world the female lioness wields just as much clout as the male (if not more!).

The lion can also bring us the medicine of recreation and play. Though they have in many ways rightly earned the title of ‘king of beasts’, they are also masters of languishing and luxuriating - something they share with their house cat cousins! Like the sign of Leo, cats of all kinds remind us that celebrating ourselves behind the scenes is just as important as the light we shine into the world for others to see. And in fact, we might actually shine better and brighter for taking that time out once in a while, too. 

The Eagle

The lion is certainly the epitome of Leo animals, but other animals do embody aspects of the Leo way and thus might also be embraced by us as Leo totems. The first animal I’d like to present to you as a possible alternative totem animal for this sign is the eagle. 

The eagle is one of the sacred animals of the god Helios, the Titan god of the Sun in Ancient Greek mythology. Helios was considered to be the personification of the Sun itself, and the rising and setting of the Sun each day was believed to be a product of the work of this solar deity. Depicted in art wearing a radiant gold crown aboard a shining golden chariot pulled by his four (sometimes winged) horses, starting at dawn he would leave his magnificent palace in Oceanus to fly across the sky, until at dusk he would descend back to the Earth far in the west. He and his chariot and horses would then be transported back to his palace upon the northern streams of Oceanus, ready to fly again at dawn the following day.

Helios’ horses were the most sacred of his animals, and references to the eagle are fewer and further between; however, one of the most striking connections is that the mythical raptor Aethon shares the name of one of Helios’ horses. The golden eagle specifically is also mentioned in incantations invoking Helios in magical papyri. It may be that the attribution of the eagle to Helios derives from his connection with Zeus, to whom the eagle was also especially sacred; both were kingly sky deities associated with light, justice and morality, and so there was inevitably some crossover in their symbolism. Like the Sun which serves to illuminate, from high upon his chariot in the sky it was said Helios could perceive everything that occurred on Earth below. Thus as well as being the Sun God, Helios was the deity presiding over the power of sight, and was the guardian of oaths.

This is a trait that we can quite effortlessly connect with the eagle. Like all raptors, eagles have superb eyesight, and are able to detect prey as small as a rabbit from up to three miles away. Being able to fly up to 10,000 feet above the ground by soaring on thermal updrafts, like Helios they see the truth of things from the literal bird’s eye perspective. The eagle is thus also associated with justice and truth, and invites us to look at the path and patterns of our lives from above. Fears and obstacles look small when considered in this way, and so aligning ourselves with the eagle can help us to find ways of overcoming, to discover courage and fulfil our solar purpose in life. 

The eagle also shares the lion’s associations with majesty and nobility. Like the lion, the eagle is big, powerful and carries an air of dignity, and just as the lion is considered to be the king of beasts, the eagle is likewise often referred to as the king of birds. It is thus no surprise that the eagle was held in such high regard by Zeus (and his Roman counterpart, Jupiter), for it reflected his own position as the King of the Gods. This symbolism of the eagle also carried over into Roman society, with the Aquila (Latin for eagle) being borne as the primary insignia of the Roman legions; it symbolised the power of the Roman Empire, military might and divine favour, and the legionary tasked with carrying the standard of the eagle was considered to hold a position of great honour. From antiquity to the modern day, civilisations have continued to adopt the eagle as a symbol of enduring strength and sovereignty, even more universally perhaps than the lion himself. 

The Cicada 

For our next Leo totem, we will turn to a very different (and much less obviously Leonine) creature, the cicada! When I first stumbled across the cicada as a possible Leo animal, I initially dismissed it, as I think you might too. But upon reading about this insect’s mythological significance, I knew I had to include it here. 

The cicada was held sacred by the Greek god Apollo. Apollo was the Olympian god of music and the arts, as well as prophecy, healing and archery. Zeus’ son, he was also the god of light, and by the time of Hellenistic Greece his solar traits had led to him being frequently syncretised with Helios, with the two being considered mostly interchangeably despite their origins as distinct deities.

Cicadas open our awareness to a side of Leo which we haven’t yet explored here, which is Leo’s affinity for creativity. We have talked about Leo’s aspiration to shine and be recognised, but when this comes from the desires of a heart that is genuine, it is not just for the sake of taking centre-stage, but because Leos wish to be seen and appreciated for who they truly are… and one of the most expressive and moving ways that this can be achieved is through the creative arts.

Today, most modern humans probably consider cicadas to be little more than a nuisance, from their discarded nymph exoskeletons which litter the ground after their transformation, to their constant summertime buzzing that quickly follows. But it seems that the ancients saw something of the divine in the little cicada, and their likeness was depicted by artists on old coins, gems, brooches and even medicine boxes. Emerging from the earth after many years and shedding their skin, to the Ancient Greeks they symbolised rebirth and even immortality. It was also believed that the cicada existed purely on air and dew, which likely contributed to the thought that they would never die. Rather than being an irritant, their song was transcendental and divine in nature. In fact, they were believed to have once been human beings who delighted so much in singing that they forgot to nourish themselves with food and drink and thus perished. We see this recounted in Plato’s Phaedrus, where Socrates says:

The cicadas are said to have been human beings in an age before the Muses. And when the Muses came and song appeared, they were ravished with delight; and singing always, never thought of eating and drinking, until at last in their forgetfulness they died. And now they live again in the grasshoppers; and this is the return which the Muses make to them-they neither hunger, nor thirst, but from the hour of their birth are always singing, and never eating or drinking; and when they die they go and inform the Muses in heaven who honours them on earth. 

So when we find ourselves in want of inspiration, needing to call upon the Muses or struggling to unleash our creative soul in some way, it must surely be the unassuming cicada that we should embrace as our totem animal. This humble little creature, sacred to the god of light, can help us to connect with our eternal solar life force and to sing our own heart’s song.

The Peacock

The fourth and final animal I’d like to present to you as a potential totem of Leo is one that has no direct mythological ties to the sign that I’m aware of, but which none the less came up repeatedly in searches whilst I was researching this article: the peacock. 

Despite the peafowl being native only to India and Sri Lanka, it is admired across the world for its flamboyant beauty, and thus became more or less universally considered as a symbol of wealth, glamour and even vanity - all qualities that for better or for worse are very much associated with the sign of Leo. Ancient civilisations across Persia, Mesopotamia and Greece kept peacocks as ornamental birds within their royal courts, and this practice was later introduced to Egypt (circa the 3rd century BCE) by the Greeks, as well as to the Mediterranean and eventually across Europe more broadly. Even today here in the UK, we still sometimes find peacocks strutting around the grounds of historical royal sites and castles, harking back to a time when they served to demonstrate the divine importance of the current resident or ruler. The imperial throne of the Indian Mughal emperors was in fact called the Peacock Throne, commissioned in the 17th century and named for two figures of peacocks with spread tails which were situated upon its canopy.

It is of course the peacock’s magnificent and colourful plumage which earned this bird its status as a symbol of royalty. The male uses the impressive spread of his tail to entice the more modestly coloured peahen during courtship rituals, displaying his long iridescent feathers in a huge fan decorated with over a hundred ‘eyes’. To an onlooker, he appears rightly prideful in his captivating presentation, as he endeavours to persuade his potential mate that he is more beautiful and fabulous than any other males she might encounter.

The medicine of the peacock then is that of helping us to embrace our own beauty, both inner and outer, and of not being afraid to share it unapologetically with the world. For some of us, this might relate to our own physical beauty like the peacock himself, but for others, it may be more about the kinds of beauty expressed through the creative arts (like the cicada with his singing), through other skills we possess, or that which can be found in our way of seeing the world. Regardless though, when the peacock reveals the extent of his tail, he does not feel guilt for taking up so much space, or self-consciousness at what other might think. He is assured in the authenticity of what he has to offer, and his Leonine confidence is at least partly responsible for the success of his performance. This brings us back once again to Leo’s heart-led nature, and our duty to ensure that what we are offering the world is genuine and revealing of our heart's truth, rather than based in the Leo shadows of a prideful, insecure or self-centred ego. Only if we are acting from a place of warmth and honesty are we deserving of the attention and admiration of others.

Final Thoughts

As I write more of these Rewilding the Zodiac articles, I am noticing that often they seem to take on something of the qualities of the sign they are about. In this case, each animal I have been writing about seemed to require so much space for the Leo aspects of their nature to be adequately expressed that - even with eventually deciding to stop at four totem animals rather than my usual five - this has still ended up being a far longer post than I had intended! As I researched more about each one, I continuously discovered new bits of information that felt were too relevant or interesting not to include, until I realised I was rapidly heading towards writing something that was probably going to be longer than anyone would want to read. Despite my best efforts, it probably still is, but cutting it down felt something like a disservice to the animals in question.

After all, one thing that Leo is known for is its desire to step into the spotlight and be seen for what it really is; not the abridged version or an airbrushed facade, but its self in its truth and entirety. So in trying to reduce the word count, I felt like I was writing a contradiction by making these animals seem smaller and less significant, when Leo is neither of those things. Each of these animals demonstrates this in their own way: the lion through its strength and prowess, the eagle in its sense of righteousness and truth, the cicada through its seemingly divine life force and its love of self-expression in song, and the peacock in its bright and glamorous displays of colour and beauty. 

As we mentioned at the start though, like the Sun at this time of high Summer, the Leo flame can never be without its shadows; it is all too easy to be blinded by the fire that burns within, regardless of whether our own blazes with good intentions or with bad. I recently stumbled across the following quote from wildlife photographer Heinrich van den Berg, who expresses this rather perfectly in his book Shades of Nature:

Royalty runs the risk of losing not only perspective while sitting on a throne. Many a life and tail have been sacrificed for the sensation of authority.

The lion may lose his life to an angry elephant bull if he becomes too self-assured of his own position in the hierarchy, just as the peacock puts himself at risk of falling prey to a tiger when he fans his brilliant tail and boldly proclaims, “I am here and I am wonderful!” Fire, whether big or small, no matter how contained or under control we think it might be, must always be treated with respect. The Leo fire is no different. 

I hope you have enjoyed this exploration into some of the animals which embody the way of Leo, and heartfelt thanks for staying with me this far - it ended up being quite the expedition. If you’re interested to continue your own research into other possible Leo totems, I recommend beginning with the snake or the python (sacred to Helios and Apollo respectively) and the robin (his red breast being associated with the heart). And as always, I welcome your thoughts on other creatures that present themselves to you as animals of Leo. Please leave a comment, subscribe to my newsletter for more of these Rewilding the Zodiac writings, and consider sharing if you know someone who you think would enjoy them. Finally, watch this space for online Rewilding the Zodiac workshops, coming soon!

Until next time, with love and magic, 

Merry x