I’ve wanted to write on the polarity of the signs Leo and Aquarius for quite some time. I’m an Aquarius, and historically, I haven’t been able to understand certain qualities the sign Leo expresses. I’d wonder (from MY perspective), why Leos needed to put up that much pride. Why does it need to be so hard to confess shortcomings? Why that notorious ‘me-centered’ attitude? But that’s only a tiny sliver of the story. I may be partial because Leo is my opposite sign, but this polarity in particular is fascinating to me. I’m going to describe some major similarities between Aquarius and Leo, while highlighting major differences that each sign can learn from the other. In doing so, hopefully we can better understand ourselves and those around us.
Both Leo and Aquarius have pride: What differs is what their pride is OVER. For example, Aquarius may be more inclined to hold pride over their opinions regarding social justice, while Leo may hold pride over their own personal talents; such as singing or acting. If you insult an Aquarian on their social beliefs, their pride will be hurt. If you insult a Leo on their performance skills, pride will definitely be hurt. Pride may be more of an issue for Leo than Aquarius, simply because of the individual vs. group mentality. But this is a slippery slope! That’s partially why I love these polar opposites.
Both Leo and Aquarius have leadership capabilities: While both may be born leaders in some capacity, their methods may differ greatly! For example, if both Leo and Aquarius were leaders on the island in ‘Lost.’ Leo may be apt to have sympathy for individuals, while Aquarius sympathy for the group as a whole. A Leo may be more inclined to become a leader to be personally noticed or to protect people they personally love, while Aquarius may take charge out of a humanitarian mindset if they see wrongs being conducted.
Both Leo and Aquarius have the ability to stand-up for the underdog: These signs LOVE a good underdog story. If there’s something I believe these two signs could talk about all day, it’s when people overcome difficult obstacles to make a better life for themselves. Two individuals of Leo and Aquarius might bond greatly over their passion for certain social issues. Taking this information, I’ll provide a small example that is culturally-relevant: Although I’m much more of a Lord of the Rings fan than Harry Potter (ugh what an Aqua), I remember my results from that Harry Potter ‘what-house-you’d-belong-to’ quiz. I thought I might get Slytherin or Ravenclaw, I believe, but I got Gryffindor! I furrowed my brow. Then I realized upon revisiting the Gryffindor traits and/or qualities, that it does make a lot of sense for Aquarians, too. Simply going over the small list I’ve compiled of these polar-opposite signs’ similarities iterates that point!^^ (For anyone somehow out-of-the-loop, Gryffindor is known for strength, bravery, leadership qualities, etc.)
DIFFERENCE: Although Aquarius holds the wonderful trait of humanitarianism, Leo holds a special quality that may always shine a light in any dark place–a true ability to be warm, bright, and supportive of the many people they love. Aquarius is known for having a hard time in developing (and keeping) personal relationships; also a life-long struggle for me. Paradoxically, because importance on personal relationships is less of a concern of Aquarius, they have a much easier time acting as themselves. Many Aquarians do feel comfortable acting as themselves and it certainly is a blessing. But loneliness and depression may be the rare (or not so rare) visitors to this incredibly ‘in-their-head’ sign. Bringing back the similarity of ‘pride,’ Aquarius definitely has pride in their unique individualism, while Leo holds the gift to BE that person for their loved one! Leo is more likely than Aquarius to follow through with plans with others, keep that promise to help this week, and simply build warm personal-relationships that add so much color to our lives. Aquarius needs to learn from this.
DIFFERENCE: Aquarians have an overall easier time taking PERSONAL criticism than Leos. An example would include someone telling an Aquarian that they tend to push their opinion on others or be over-authoritarian in their leadership approach. If they are evolved, even if bummed out, these Aquarians will graciously take someone’s perception because truth in all things is one of the most important things to them. In fact, they may even have a deeper respect for the person for telling them the truth. Leo is more likely, as a result of personal criticism, to lick their wounds and feel that their pride or ego is hurt. Leo can learn from Aqua’s uninhibited approach towards life and truth-valuing philosophy. These differences between the two signs simply highlight the gifts of one side relative to the other, and in doing so, hopefully help people understand their own astrology placements/charts better and how they can improve upon themselves! Oftentimes, we can learn the most from people who are ‘opposite’ us in some way.
