Child Health

Venus, our planet of love, connection, attraction and wealth is setting up shop in the lion heart of Leo this week.

Named for the goddess of love, Venus changes signs every 20-45 days or about once every three weeks. As an inner planet, transits of Venus have a visible and immediate impact on us earthlings. Venusian transits influence our collective approach to love, pleasure, aesthetics, and our relationship with earning and spending money.

Crawling out of the crab shell of Cancer, where Venus expresses itself through sentimentality, aching nostalgia and a deep need for security, the planet will shift into the spandex-clad spotlight of Leo on Thursday, July 11 at 12:19 pm ET.

Since Leo is the quintessential pick-me-up sign of the zodiac, this transit of Venus is primed to make everyone crave a little more validation and a whole lot more levity.

Leo rules the heart and, in terms of the zodiac as a degree of development, represents the eternal adolescent, complete with willpower, self-centeredness and an irrepressible joie de vivre. This transit asks us to connect with the child we were, the skin-kneed child who was made for the sake of making without thought of judgment, monetary value, perfect form or second-guessing.

“Acting like a child” is usually condemned, but Venus in Leo reminds us of the richness of a time when we were more connected to what made us feel full, good and absolutely ourselves. Venus in Leo encourages play and dressing up, trying, trying and showing off until we find what feels right.

Leo is a brave man, and with Venus here, we can also feel brave enough to share the song in our heart and wear the lame gold suit in our closet. This is the sign of the stage, of sweeping romances, grand gestures, dramatic entrances and happy endings, making this transit an ideal time to start a project, declare your love for something or someone, make art and/or or to indulge in activities that make your life feel cinematic; artistic, beautiful and unforgettable.

Leo is a brave man, and with Venus here, we can also feel brave enough to share the song in our heart and wear the lame gold suit in our closet.

Leo energy is synonymous with confidence, but it’s not that Leo is never self-aware; it’s that Leo doesn’t let that self-awareness limit authentic expression, nor does it let fear of failure or fear of being laughed at stop them from taking the stage, cracking jokes, or leading the charge. We can all learn and borrow the courage of the lion in the coming weeks.

A healthy, actualized Leo loves himself and others with complete abandon and gives the rest of us the inspiration and permission to do the same.

Leo sings the lead single, will embarrass himself for a laugh, and will make no apologies for a seventeen-minute guitar solo or living loud at the amped-up level of 11.

For a prime example of the energy of this transit, see Venus in Leo native Jason Momoa, who created an entire TV series, HBO Max’s On The Roam, to celebrate what he loves; pink motorbikes, striped clothing and handmade knives. Venus the big cat of this type is also at the top of the show in this gesture, where he restored ex-wife Lisa Bonet’s first car … and documented the journey for the masses.

Typically, Venus’s spin through Leo is something of a sun dream, but the planet of love throws a shadow in its path when it forms a fierce opposition to power planet Pluto in Aquarius on Friday, July 12.

This juxtaposition between love and death, fire and air, fixed sign and fixed sign gives relationships an unwanted intensity and can trigger old hurts, new jealousies and sudden bouts of paranoia and possessiveness.

Compromise seems out of reach and matters of the heart take on a leaden weight.

At its best, Venus in Leo sees love as an act of creation.

Happily, and at its best, Venus in Leo sees love as an act of creation. I hope you will approach the rigors of the Pluto confrontation with a mind to bring something unexpected out of your relationships, to release the reigns to give all parties the slowness they need to run freely from or to each other. the other.

While you’re loosening your grip on the strings of your heart, keep an eye on your purse strings, as part of a Leo’s self-care routine is spending lavishly on luxuries and often beyond their means.

As a challenge, get curious about what and who makes you feel rich without spending and loved unconditionally. Maybe this looks like flowers you pick yourself, wearing your best friend’s T-shirt, a nap in the sun, a poem read aloud by your lover, or a tomato between your teeth.

Allow yourself the excitement of this transit and all the tactile pleasures of summer by focusing on how it feels versus what it costs.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and reports irreverently on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience.