This is the actual Leo/Ox chapter from my book, The New Astrology©. After Obama was elected, I grew curious to know more about him and went to the chapter on his combined New Astrology© sign. It was eerily true! How could I have known back in 1986 that one day Barack Obama would materialize and embody all I had said about the Leo born in an Ox year? See for yourself. It’s uncanny. And accurate to a fare thee well.
Leadership and dominion combine here to create an unforgettably forceful personality type. The tone of rapport with Leo/Oxen never feels quite intimate or cozy enough. One wonders if there is really a heart beating inside their dense ribcages or whether they are propelled by some remote control device in their garage. This assessment of the indifferent attitude that the Leo/Ox emanates is perhaps harsh, or may seem unfair. But the Leo/Ox is so austere in manner that it’s difficult not to imagine him as obdurately insensitive.
Leo/Oxen get places. They never cease pushing and advancing and arriving at goal upon goal despite hurdle after hurdle. We usually admire the Leo/Oxen that we meet and we cannot help but admit that they are amazing: strong, courageous and, most of all, effective. Leo/Oxen take the reins in every situation and when they are onto a project or idea, they never let up until they have mastered it.
These people are opportunists and do not hesitate before the dark wall of the devil. They plunge through fire and never flee conflict.
Normally, Leo/Oxen don’t talk very much. Around the house or office, they come off as strong but silent, even stodgy personages. It’s always obvious that Leo/Ox feels himself individual and separate from the group. And if he involves himself at all in any group endeavor or communion, he must have center stage, do all the talking, crack all the jokes, and generally hold forth. Now, all of a sudden, in company with a captive audience, the Leo/Ox becomes gregarious. When he is listened to, the Leo/Ox is an orator, a performer, a fabulous synthesizer of information and a raconteur par excellence.
Leo/Oxen are “know-it-all” types and rarely let anyone get a word in edgewise when they speak. They are not too curious about others’ opinions or reflections on their views. Leo/Oxen is the personification of the Father Knows Best approach. He is the first and final judge of what is suitable and intelligent. If you have a different opinion, keep it. When there is a Leo/Ox in the room, everybody present is on his show. He is intransigently, tenaciously, and arrogantly there. You are mere decoration.
The Leo/Ox character seeks permanence and longs for solidity in both personal and public ways. He is as earthy as they come and seems to need to sop up warmth from the outside, to hold on tight to love and marriage and dreams of home and family for dear life. Yes, he is successful and unbeatably strong. But it can get lonely inside that autocratic head. And the Leo/Ox needs somebody else to turn on the heat. He can build and make and do anything at all humanly possible—except simple tenderness. Expressions of affection are not given to the Leo/Ox, and when you get to know them well, you realize that what’s lacking weighs them down.
These people have great minds and good memories. In fact, they have trouble forgetting—and forgiving. Humility escapes them. If they goof, they don’t want it to show. Failure is not acceptable. If someone near to their heart disappoints them, they don’t just pass it off as unfortunate or even sad. They take it as a personal affront to their dignity. And they cannot, will not, humble themselves to retrieve lost love.
Although this person is brilliant at order and runs a tight ship, his life might be missing a certain spontaneity. He prefers plans and schedules to the impromptu gathering or hurry-up picnic in the park. He’s rigidly concerned about his image and maintaining same vis-à-vis his subjects. This, of course, cuts down on the Leo/Ox’s jolly times. He’s active and busy and energetic in the extreme. But the Leo/Ox is nonetheless ponderous and somehow, despite the velocity of his life, leadenly slow.
