gal-dem’s monthly horoscopes: Leo season is about loving ourselves without hesitation

Illustration by Nadia Akingbule

With Cancer season finally behind us and another turbulent Mercury Retrograde drawing to a close, it’s time to wipe away the tear stains and get ready to take some Leo season inspired selfies.

Despite the two tumultuous eclipses we endured in July, my Cancer season ticked many of the “cuteboxes”. Delicious meals, overdue visits with family members, and enjoying time incubating in spaces where I felt at home. I even tested my luck and allowed a Leo to take me on an impromptu, indulgent holiday to France right in the middle of Mercury Retrograde (cue me embracing my Aries moon and inner Carrie Bradshaw). But despite those comforts, this Mercury Retrograde felt like a sly haunting.

As I mentioned in last season’s ‘scopes, Cancerian comforts were a much-needed cushion to some falls I inevitably had to take in confronting places and situations from my past still in need of resolution. Retrogrades reconjure an image of who you once were in comparison to who you are now. It can make you feel nostalgic, or have self-doubt about your journey towards authenticity. But even though it’s difficult, stewing in the past can help us gain perspective, and inspire us to take action.

Luckily, we can rest assured that wherever Cancer season left us, the August skies are here to pick us up, dust off any insecurities, and playfully encourage us to strut down the Leo season catwalk! There’s so much focus on refreshing and renewing ourselves this August, and there are even two New Moons occurring to prove it (on 1 and 31 August respectively).

Leo is a brazen fire sign symbolised in the zodiac by a regal lion. When conflict arises, this sign stares it down and deliberately strides towards it; oozing confidence and intention with each step. Like a lion, Leo energy is equal parts bold and measured. Because of their profound understanding of their own strength, Leos choose moments of attack wisely. During their season, it’s vital that we embody their courageousness and enter fearlessly into acts of healing and love.

The lunar activity at the beginning of August mixed with some interplanetary conversations between Uranus, the Sun and Venus has Leo season centred around forgiveness, healing, and recognising individual truths. Leo energy knows that the most honest version of yourself, in whatever form that takes, is worthy of respect and love.

It’s time to harness Leo lessons of self-love. We should recognise the beauty in our individual perspectives.

With all of this in mind, and our hearts set on realignment and renewal, here are my thoughts for each of the signs 12 this August!

Horoscopes

LEO

It’s finally your time, Leo! There’s no better cosmic moment to treat yourself like royalty than during the weeks of your season. With the Sun, Venus, and Mars in your sign from the beginning of the month, there’s a beautiful trifecta of energy concentrating on your needs and desires. The way that loving Venus and passionate Mars are moving together in the sky also makes August the perfect time to treat yourself to your favourite types of self-care (whether that’s facemasks or some quiet time in a reading nook) and disentangle any self-deprecating thoughts. As great as your season can be, it’s easy to get lost in the bonfire of ideas that keep rushing through your mind. Luckily, when communication planet Mercury moves into Virgo on 29 August, the skies add some structure to your headspace and clear away fleeting anxieties.

Your charisma is shining through during August. It seems like there’s no person you can’t get to crack a smile. The Full Moon in Aquarius on 15 August has you finding unconventional solutions to conflicts that may have arisen in your intimate relationships and partnerships over the summer months. It also reminds you to spend some time listening to the stories and venting-sessions of folx you feel strongly connected to. It’s easy to run away with the me-centred energies of your own season, and inadvertently take your lovers and friends for granted. Offer to schedule some time for people you’ve been meaning to see. Even more crucially, provide space for other people’s truths by embracing how this season restores your confidence.

VIRGO

It’s nearly your season, Virgo! As the hustle and bustle of Leo season has everyone rushing around to complete tasks they were blocked from during Mercury Retrograde (you included!), you’re ready to meditate with ancestors and enjoy the company of close friends and political allies. This is especially true when passion planet Mars moves into your sign on 18 August, providing you with lots of energy to devote towards drawing out a summary of your year. You’ll find that you’re able to index exactly how far you’ve come in your self-confidence, but also in your ability to handle loss. You’re a quiet earth sign warrior, and as you humbly work through the troughs and peaks of life, people notice (and admire) your ability to carry on even in the face of huge difficulties.

When the Full Moon in Aquarius occurs around 15 August, it could be difficult to resist the urge to help out on a political campaign or cause you’re involved in, even when your inner voice is telling you to spend time resting. While this work is crucial to the world on a macro-scale, try to use the flames of Leo season focus on self-adoration – even if it’s just for a day. As a natural caretaker, it can be easy to get your energy from performing acts of service to others rather than giving yourself a true break. Be conscious of this, and reset your boundaries and intentions around acts of care to others when the New Moon in your sign occurs around 31 August.

LIBRA

It’s proving to be a social summer indeed, dearest Libra, and that’s not about to change anytime soon! With lots of fiery Leo energies lighting up the area of your sky to do with friendship groups and connecting with communities, no one can stop you from making new and exciting bonds, and basking in laughter. However, be careful not to fall into an easy trap. Leo energy at its best is a protective armour that coats us in a cool confidence, but can quickly devolve into boastful cockiness or shallow frivolity. Be sure to not solely focus on “how it looks” this month. Treat the motivations you have behind new friendships with as much honesty as you offer your oldest, dearest relationships. Arm candy is nice, but that’s what cute handbags, bracelets, and shimmery temporary tattoos are for!

The Full Moon occurs in fellow air sign Aquarius on 15 August in a swirl of excitement and whimsy. Around this time, really consider what creates a perfect night out (or in) for you. Is it a cute living room hang with your besties, or hitting up the hottest venue in your area? Whatever it is, treat finding your favourite form of playfulness and fun as just as valid a “truth-seeking” journey as you would any other important aspect of life. Enjoying the body you are in and limited time we spend on this planet is not something to deprioritise. Flaunt your fun fearlessly.

SCORPIO

Your public image is on your mind this month, Scorpio. Social media can feel like a constant struggle between deciding how to portray your public and personal life, especially when working within creative fields. Leo season asks you to practice creating boundaries with your scrolling and to intentionally set aside time to relax and decompress without doing any work-related tasks. The purity of certain times being just for you is crucial to getting back in alignment with your passions outside of the grasp of capitalism, and remembering what (and who) you really care about – the hallmark of all this Leo energy flooding the skies for most of this August. This rings especially true when communication planet Mercury enters Leo on 11 August, putting a hard line through any hesitance you have in fighting habits that inadvertently contribute to you overworking yourself as well.

When the Full Moon in Aquarius occurs on 15 August, it’s time to spend some time together with your besties or romantic partner(s) and remind them why their presence in your life is so deeply meaningful to you. Invite them over for a meal, or revisit an old spot that grew your relationship with them. Whether it’s a restaurant you used to frequent or the stoop you sat on where the conversations always got a bit deeper than intended, the way this Moon’s unconventional Aquarius energy is situated in your sky urges you to retreat into comforts and places that fill you with familiar ease.

SAGITTARIUS

August holds so much potential for spiritual growth and significant studying, Sagittarius. You’re really feeling the release that comes with Mercury Retrograde ending, especially because it’s closely coupled with your ruling planet, Jupiter, finishing a retrograde cycle as well. When Jupiter, the planet of luck and fortune, goes direct in your sign on 11 August at the same time that communication mistress Mercury enters Leo, the skies really start to push you towards developing bodies of knowledge that play an important role in your decision making processes (and by extension, the larger direction your life takes).

Don’t waste time guilting yourself about not taking enough advantage of these kind astrological energies over the next few weeks. Remember that Leo season is all about acting from the heart. Trust that its influence will guide you easily to any “gut feelings” you need to tap into when learning new, profound concepts, and discussing them with others. The deepest lessons we learn aren’t usually as simple as wandering into a library and reading a book, but rather through being present each day. When the Full Moon in eccentric Aquarius on 15 August invites you to share your newfound ideas and sources of inspiration with others, don’t hesitate or hold your cards close. Speak freely with your peers and friends to help process the rapid-fire bits of inspiration and knowledge you’re encountering around this time.

CAPRICORN

You’re not afraid of tackling new tasks and working dynamics, Capricorn. The stars admire you for your ability to “crack on” with each duty (no matter how small) you devote yourself to in order to accomplish your big-picture goals. However, this Leo season is asking you to reshuffle some of your daily routine and workflow in order to address some uncomfortable, deeper feelings related to your intimate partnership(s) and romantic bonds that you’ve been keeping below the surface throughout Mercury Retrograde. Use the forward-moving, confident energy of Leo season to make time to confront what you’re feeling within yourself and raise it with others. Passion planet Mars is in Leo until 18 August, and ready to come to your assistance with feeling the urgency of this matter as well.

August’s Full Moon occurs around the middle of the month in socially conscious Aquarius, shining a light on an area of your sky that helps you wrap up contracts that need signing and put final touches on projects that you lost some momentum on during the Mercury Retrograde season. Hustle to your heart’s content around this time, but set aside some time to treat yourself to an indulgent impulse purchase or tasty treat! Full Moons are a reminder to celebrate completion and endings in our lives, so take stock of what’s worth patting yourself on the back for – there’s bound to be plenty!

AQUARIUS

Your head was either in the clouds or deep in nostalgic waters during Mercury Retrograde, dear Aquarius. Now that Leo season has arrived like a bolt of lightning through the sky, it’s time to check in with friends, family and lovers that you may have subconsciously ignored during Cancer season. Your independence and firm grasp on what you like and dislike was slightly shaken the past few weeks, but Leo is a fellow fixed sign who arrives ready to resituate you at the center of your life and remind you that even when you feel like no one understands, there’s a beauty to the irreplaceable, unique space you occupy in this world. The Leo energies coming from love planets Venus and Mars at the beginning of the month help you have some potentially difficult conversations with romantic partners, and whether the goal is resolution or ending, the Full Moon shows up on 15 August in your sign to pick up the pieces.

A Full Moon in your sign is always a great time to embrace a major change, and being that the theme of this Leo season is change and healing, the skies are setting you up for a big shift. While it might be a shift you hadn’t anticipated, you’ll feel in your soul just how realigning the change is; even if it feels like chaos at first. If it all feels like too much, do some wardrobe purging, speak to friends on the premise of needing to take up a bit of extra space, or even get a new haircut! This Moon is all about you, as is the energy of Leo season, so let the cosmos guide you back to your gut-feelings all month long.

PISCES

Since the haze of Mercury Retrograde lifted on 1 August, you’ve been feeling energised and ready to tackle matters of your routine and workflow, Pisces! You’ve been fully soaking in the radiant summer vibes (chaotic as they may have been through Eclipse season) throughout June and July, but this month there’s a sense of restlessness that has you itching to move your body, and create structure around tasks you need to get done. While organising the abstract aspects of life can feel rigid and induce impulses of rebellion, remember that being your own bedrock is a journey you’re always on, dear Pisces. A crucial part of developing independence is creating structure where there was none before, and sticking to it.

Use Leo’s energy to help cultivate these bold boundaries and schedules, especially when energetic Mars enters work-oriented Virgo on 18 August, providing a boost in these areas. When the Full Moon in Aquarius casts its light over you on 15 August, ancestors and the occult will feel very near. Be cautious about the people and energies you allow to close to you around this time as you’ll be very open to absorbing the emotions and burdens of others. Spend some time alone, and if you use crystals, be sure to carry black onyx or tourmaline with you!

ARIES

Fellow fire sign Leo is helping you flaunt what you’ve got this August, Aries. With so much movement happening in an area of your chart that embraces creativity and fun is, there’s potential for you to live out your best “hot girl summer” in the coming weeks. But between having fun and flipping looks, it’s important that you put energy towards mending any turbulences that tornado-ed through your July skies. Venus, planet of love and relationships, is in Leo until 21 August when it will move on into cool, collected Virgo. Before Venus moves into Virgo, there’s amazing potential to use this sign’s charm and confidence to resolve conflict, so have that difficult chat with your bestie, sit down and apologise to your partner(s), or show yourself some love if you’ve been living life over capacity in general.

The Full Moon in quirky Aquarius on 15 August brings you into a full embrace of your social spheres. You’re ripe and ready to chat with friends and groups that you’re involved in through shared politics, which could provide you with the inspiration you need to start new, unconventional creative projects. Reach out and see what the craic is around this time, and don’t be afraid to put energy towards organising a social gathering yourself! There’s nothing like being surrounded by your favourites to get you excited about the endless possibilities life holds.

TAURUS

It’s time to cozy up and retreat into your home this month, Taurus. Leo season is leading you to lounge like a lion in the sun for the final half of summer. Stimulate your senses by spending time nesting in your home and refreshing your space with new types of furnishings. As a sign that’s ruled by Venus, the planet of aesthetics and indulgence, it’s important to make sure your space is thoughtfully curated in terms of smell and touch. Not only does this keep your creative energies flowing, it prevents you from feeling stagnant in your routine. Use the cosmic shift that occurs on 11 August, when communication planet Mercury enters Leo, to change your environment in a way that reflects who you are. Buying a new mirror might be a literal way of making this happen!

Remember that this Leo is low-key the most stubborn sign of the zodiac. That’s right – the archetypal quality you’re usually given is easily surpassed by these stubborn lions. This fellow fixed sign knows what it wants, so as we embrace their confident, self-assured vibrations this Leo season, make sure to keep in touch with those deep, empathetic feels that Cancer season mixed with Mercury Retrograde brought you to. The Full Moon in Aquarius on 15 August asks you to make a change with your working life, as well as interrogate some of your motivations behind where you devote your energy. Release thoughts that might be stopping you from seeing the bigger picture in your career decisions, and be open to entertaining new passions – they may unexpectedly evolve into a facet of your working life!

GEMINI

Your ruling planet Mercury has finally finished its retrograde, Gemini! August finds you ready to reconnect with friends and peers, whether that’s at work, around your neighbourhood or in your home. Any recent miscommunications are now showing a clear path towards resolution as well, and the best way to move into them could likely involve a pen and paper. Write down your thoughts, leave yourself voice notes, or even keep an ongoing note on your phone to index even the most fleeting of thoughts. As usual, the answers you need have probably already crossed your mind, and it’s just a matter of trusting yourself to listen. Leo season is opening up a floodgate of energy for you to pick from with new ideas and creative solutions, especially around 11 August when Mercury enters Leo.

When the Full Moon occurs in rebellious fellow air sign Aquarius on 15 August, the skies have you questioning the belief systems you use as a moral guide. This rings especially true in its application to your spiritual practices and rituals – pushing you to engage in your studious tendencies and spend time with your nose deep in a philosophical book, or speaking with mentors. Amorous planet Venus moves into tactical Virgo on 21 August, showing you how the questions you’re asking around these ideas can be answered and changed to help align you with the greater theme of this Leo season – seeking your individual truth.

CANCER

Leo season is pulling you out of the foggy headspace that your season combined with Mercury Retrograde induced, dear Cancer! Now, the August skies are asking you to dive into money matters and make some potentially difficult decisions regarding your relationship to your material possessions. It may be time to do a closet purge or evaluate potential funding opportunities you’ve been fielding for creative projects. Leo is ruler of the heart, and shines a light on knowing who we are at our core. In order to immerse yourself in this fire sign’s self-assured attitude, think about the objects you keep around you, how they contribute to your headspace, and more broadly, the long term goals you want to accomplish.

The Full Moon in Aquarius on 15 August surfaces some thoughts and emotions that you might have been subconsciously hiding from friends or intimate partners. As a conflict-avoidant sign, it can be difficult to confront others (especially those close to you) about issues you’re feeling. Remember to trust that your friends are in your life because they love you. Have confidence that the people who want to be around you aren’t just there just by obligation, and be honest about what impact their actions are having on your mental state. Honesty is a crucial facet of loyalty – something that comes naturally to you – but like all trust-based dynamics,needs constant maintenance.

Read more about Marissa Malik and horoscopes here.