Leo is a solar archetype. Helios (Greek), Apollo (Roman), Ra (Egyptian), and Narashima (Indian) are Leo gods. Hercules (Greek), Samson (Judaic), and Parcifal (English) are Leo heroes. Goldilocks and Lion King are Leo fairy-tales. Everyone has Leo in their story. Who are your heroes? Which hero are you? What’s your holy grail?

You don’t need a Leo sun, moon, ascendant, planets, aspects, or houses to be Leo. Intuitive types  have long rectangular palms and short fingers. Leo hand shape and proportions are identical to Sagittarius and Aries. These highly spirited, enthusiastic individuals dislike details and need to grasp the whole picture. They require a lot of freedom to express themselves naturally. They take pride in their honesty, integrity, and dignity. They also pride themselves on being independent objective thinkers who must set inspiring goals through which they can channel their abundant energy and passion. Leo loves being center of attention. Creative, dramatic, generous, enthusiastic, and fiercely loyal, Leo embraces you with ‘pride’ and then expects you to worship, admire, and appreciate him. Many fans look forward to his or her humor and stories.

Leo is a fixed type. Leo hands are stiffer, denser, and firmer than Sagittarius hands. Sag tends to be lazier and more self-indulgent, which softens hands. Leo’s skin is less elastic than Aries skin. Aries acts and then bounces back. Leo reacts and then procrastinates. Leo’s life and head lines often intertwine where a rosy bump meets strong stiff thumbs on a firm pink hand. Head and life lines that are closely braided at their beginnings care a lot about what others think, want to be liked, need to feel appreciated, and should never ever allow themselves to be taken for granted. That’s the beginning of the end.

No matter what your sun sign, people with square fingertips and stiff knotty joints are more methodical and cautious than those without them. They have more inertia and tend more to procrastinate at beginnings and at endings. They prefer to arrange their material objects and ideologies in designated places. Intuitive types are challenged to keep them there, especially when the middle phalanx of their pinky finger is shortest.

Many Leos have long and strong ring fingers. Shapes of tips, proportions of phalanges, knots, nails, lengths of fingers, directions of lines, and breaks, along with other qualities of topographical markings reveal what a person chooses to create with their free will. A seasoned palmist can readily see a person’s people skills, career potentials, behavior, and health issues. Consistency and flexibility of hands and elasticity of skin reveals the three modalities. Whorl fingerprints (concentric circles and spirals) add originality, spontaneity, eccentricity, and unconventionality. It’s important to note that even though palmistry is a science, human nature cannot be defined through exact details, but subtleties of details affected by free will, choice, and context. Palmistry is my favorite of many wonderful ways to observe and understand human character.

Ring fingers reveal artistic and aesthetic abilities, drama, versatility, salesmanship, showiness, gambling proclivities, satisfaction, and reputation. No matter your archetype, strong ring fingers add adaptability, creativity, and expressiveness. Cultivated Leos love beautiful things and savor a developed sense of taste and style. Long ring fingered folk are likable and they work at it. A ring finger is judged for length against the middle finger. When the tip is shorter than the middle of the first phalanx of the middle finger, it’s considered short. When longer, it’s considered long. Hands of actors, artists, architects, designers, craftsmen, photographers, curators, businessmen, teachers, salesmen, politicians, and diplomats have long ring fingers. I’ve seen similar ring fingers on hands of gamblers. Their problem is they win, but don’t know when to stop.

Leos love being boss. Last time I checked, there were more Fortune 500 and NASDAQ (over 10%) LEO CEO’s than any other sign. Our most recent four Presidents are all dominated by Leo. Stay tuned for a post generalizing the best and worst of Leo ruled Presidents.

Leo’s strength and courage shines like the sun. He’s naturally charming, talented, and very versatile. Leo liabilities are self- consciousness, emotional insecurity, and vanity, clinging to obsolete behavioral patterns, cultivating challenging circumstances, and nursing fruitless relationships. Don’t ever take Leo for granted. He takes criticism personally, even when it isn’t. Leo must choose an inspiring quest or risk mediocrity. Leos become easily bored when life gets mundane and routine. As big picture types, too much detail makes them nuts. If you can’t help them, stay out of their way.

Leo must learn to cultivate clear vision and enduring patience. That’s not easy since he’s naturally impatient and impulsive. Frequently accused of ‘being opinionated’, his point of view is so very important. Communicating clearly and effectively is a must. Extroverts in general flourish best when they’re behaving responsibly, honestly, patiently, and naturally in their relationships. Leo’s hardest challenge is to establish clear boundaries and limitations.

Leo’s physical sense is sight. The esoteric equivalent is enlightenment. Leo must burn brightly without judgement or expectation, embrace truth, learn to see the handwriting on walls, cut their losses, and let go of false pride. Too many multi-talented Leos spread themselves too thin and become the proverbial jacks of all trades, masters of none. Potential health problems are eyesight, heart, and poor circulation.