With your natal Mars in Leo, this summer Fire sign will furthermore empower the red planet, prompting it to shine and excel in whatever is connected with leadership. It operates quite well in the hot and masculine surroundings of the sign; so strongly that many times it can lead to extreme pride and arrogance. Leo is the most theatrical sign, and the natural outcome of Mars in Leo is showing off in every possible circumstances. Usually, such an individual chooses to show off exactly those traits that are connected with Mars: his physical power, victories, achievements, athletic or military abilities and more. Anything that he considers as something that could place him above the other “mortals” will frequently be used for boosting his ego too.
Mars is generally governing activity and our drive, what we fight for and what we conquer too. The red planet rules our actions and where we place our energy to receive results, yet also can show life areas where fighting for our goals receives resistance from other people (or life itself). Naturally, this planet is also connected to any types of violence and anger, as it is rather abrupt, impatient and explosive.
Since the ancient times, the fiery planet has taken the name of the Greek god of war, Ares, and his Roman equivalent Mars. His energy is extremely masculine, symbolizing (together of course with the Sun, one side of the Sun-Moon dual axis) the archetype of the male. His opposite counterpart is of course Venus, creating with him the Mars/Venus axis as another archetypical Yin/Yang. An interesting fact is that even the ancient ones were being careful while handling the powers that god Ares (Mars) represented.
There were very few temples of Ares, compared to all the other gods of the Greek Pantheon, and they were not invoking him. Of course, he was naturally receiving his share of respect, yet without specialized priests and cults of worshippers – as war and violence was always undesired. By analyzing this through a psychological filter, the sole fact of not making a lot of festivities in his name made him difficult to reach in the subconscious and unconscious of the masses and individuals. This way, he was in a rather idle mode, being invoked only when war had already erupted in order to raise the spirits and create a holy frenzy to the warriors.
In the sign of Leo, Mars is in peregrine condition. Peregrine is a rather neutral condition, where a celestial body does not function very potently (as it does when in domicile or in exaltation), nor is very weak (as it does when in detriment or fall). Mars has no real problems when in Leo, except from the overall flamboyancy it will give as a trait. Like in all fire signs, it can adjust its functions easily. Such people are destined to shine, and even their physical appearance does not pass unnoticed.
They appear as real alpha males in the eyes of other people, even when the native is a woman. Mars in Leo makes them become the center of attention, even if this happens forcefully. Mars placed here simply cannot stand not being the first, the leader, the object of admiration. Leonine energy can be very beneficial if assisted by other planetary positions, when Mars deploys his best traits and does not just indulge in a repetitive circle of narcissism and self-promotion.
Once every two years Mars has a period of retrograde motion, where it appears to move backwards on the celestial canvas for apparently two months. Additional information about Mars’ potency in each sign can be read in the article about Mars’ Essential Dignities.
Natal Mars in Leo is great for people who are somehow connected with performing in front of other people’s eyes. They are very creative and always ready to improvise, with Mars giving them this extra pace of doing it quickly, without any doubts about their abilities and their outcome. This placement is great for sports too, and such people not only concentrate on winning but also on providing a beautiful show for their audience.
They adore being admired, and that’s why they often try as hard as they can to create awe in their viewer’s minds. In addition, when winning some competitions, they have strong tendencies of deliberately demonstrating their victory. In ancient times, they would be probably carry around the cut head of their opponent; nowadays they are the ones more prominent to do a dance of victory or walk near their supporters to be applauded.
On the other hand, failures are something they cannot stand –shame and embarrassment are, for Leo Mars people, feelings that must be avoided by any means. Thus, they will frequently choose to compete only when they are sure about their victory, and not for the sake of competing itself. Losing is no fun, and any type of atmosphere that feels diminishing for their ego is apparently unacceptable.
Mars in Leo usually helps the native handle any possible anger in a rather healthy way, as Leo does not obstruct the channeling of Martian energy. Many times, anger and similar Martian feelings are even transformed into some type of art (usually involving performance), or is expelled through other forms of physical exercise. The only complication that can appear is some dramatic hues that the individual might give during the moments of negative expulsion. Naturally, Leo wants to be the center of the universe even in such situations, yet it might be wiser to keep these procedures more private and not indulge in becoming drama queens to gain attention even in those moments.
Natal Mars in Leo gives a powerful drive for romance and sex, and people who have it will love flirting and conquering. Naturally, a strong aphrodisiac for them is also feeling victorious, during their quests, and showing off their conquests to other people. They will engage in showing a lot of signs of affections in public, proudly presenting to people their prey. In extreme situations, such people can even develop some forms of exhibitionism, as Mars is a planet connected with sexual energy, and will not hesitate to perform sexual acts in public with the risk (or even the intention) of being seen/observed.
Generally, Leo Mars individuals are highly passionate and their libido can be awakened rather easily. Lust is for them both a way to fill their batteries while also to boost their ego – that is why they always prefer partners that admire them and will never resist to flattery and compliments. A common trait that can appear with this placement is demonstrative generosity, which in the end can create personal problems or even financial ones if their natal Mars is connected with some planet or house responsible for his wealth and assets.
One trait that Mars in Leo grants is stubbornness, especially in life areas where the native feels competition. Subconscious fears of possible humiliation prompt them to wisely choose the fights they give, or even staging some. After all, Leo is the king and no servant is allowed to compete full strength with him, or else he will awaken real fury. This is when the beast can awake, and there is no more artistic expulsion of Martian energy. This is when such individuals get into a “win or die” mode, and if they finally lose and get disgraced, they may even exit the stage and never return to the same jungle- not being able to handle the mocking of other animals.
Considering sports, people with Mars in Leo will adore participating for recreational purposes. They will prefer a friendly game where everyone can develop his abilities and even play in a beautiful way, than some hard competitive game where only victory is the goal. In such surroundings, they will have a lot more fun and will also be able to show to any possible audience, tricks and movements that can bring a standing ovation. We should not forget that Leo is the ruler of the 5th house which rules games, and definitely gives a childlike approach to any activities that are performed. Of course, such occasion involves a lot of laughter and humor, and it is one of the best ways for channeling the red planet’s fierce force into something both productive and good for the soul.
With Mars in Leo, one should be a little bit careful of health issues connected to his heart. Even though their body might be very athletic and well-functioning, difficult aspects to Mars may bring some heart problems which may even be connected to over-exercising. Thus, it is always necessary to monitor the heart, and to watch out for difficult transits to natal Mars by malefics (or even by transiting Mars itself), and not impose to the most important body muscle more pressure than it can stand.
When a Leo Mars is well aspected in a natal chart, the native will be very active in the life area that the sign of Leo rules, winning his battles concerning those house matters. He will tirelessly dedicate his energy, confronting any possible difficulties and problems successfully and enjoying the conquest of the desired goals. The victories in those areas will gift him the drunk-like feeling of the warrior who raises his sword and yells when the battle is finished and the opponent defeated. On the contrary, bad aspects to Mars can bring quite a lot of problems mostly connected with anger and putting too much efforts in vain. Also, when the darker traits of Mars are awakened by difficult natal aspects, the Leo Mars person may experience war-like situations from rivals, too much turmoil and even defeats.