I realized in therapy that I had a fear of rejection so much so that I would do anything to avoid being rejected. And it was shown to me that I have been adjusting my behavior and making decisions based on this most of my life. I was unconscious of this for years. Now that I’m aware, I can face that shadow. I’m in my 8th house era. 

As I prepare for Venus retrograde in the sign of Scorpio, I am awake and ready to navigate the changes that are already showing up. Scorpio is the natural ruler of the 8th house. 8th house work during a Venus and Mercury retrograde with Mars square the two feels like being blindfolded, spun around and around, handed a stick and left swinging at air, hoping to hit the piñata.

Scorpio is the sign of hidden depths, like the spy and the ninja who move in the dark. It’s the master of hiding, which is exactly why it knows every hiding place, including the ones we use on ourselves. 

Venus retrograde in Scorpio stirs up whatever we’ve kept hidden, even from ourselves. It may feel dizzying, but you’re not alone. For me, it is the fear of rejection. For you, it might be something else. Scorpio might not be asking us to hit a piñata but to investigate inward, to look at what we’ve been hiding and who we’ve been hiding it from. 

Here are questions to sit with this retrograde.

What would I choose if I weren’t afraid?

What have I left unsaid because I was afraid of how it would land?

Where am I swinging at air, pushing to fix or break things instead of pausing to understand them?

I’m in my 8th house era. It’s dizzying some days, but I’m awake now. I’m sharing this because I don’t think I’m the only one swinging at air right now. If any of these questions stir something up for you, be gentle with yourself as you uncover what’s been hiding. 

Venus preretrograde shadow to retrograde then post shadow period (August 31st - December 15th, 2026). 
Mars square Venus and Mercury period Friday (Oct 2-Oct 6th). This is part of a T square on Friday, October 2nd.  

 Photo credit:  Mexico Christmas breaking the pinata, between 1909 and 1919 : National Photo Company Collection

How the king's expansion meets the underworld's demolition

Jupiter in Leo is asking you a question: What am I willing to give my life to? What does my heart fiercely protect? What crown of responsibility have I chosen to wear?

Pluto in Aquarius arrives with a devastating answer: Not that. Not that either. Try again.

This opposition isn't gentle. It's the moment when our ego's grandest projects collide with the universe's insistence on radical transformation. And that collision is exactly where we find our real power.

Leo: The Temple of the Sun

Leo is ruled by the Sun that glorious, life giving force that rises, reaches its peak at midday, then inevitably sets. Leo knows this cycle intimately. Its permanence is change itself; its constant is impermanence. In your chart, Leo rules loyalty expressed through service. What do you love enough to dedicate your time, your thought, your life force to? That could be a person, a creative mission, a group, an organization, a cause. Leo asks: What do I give the world? What's my offering?

Leo is also your ego not in the petty sense, but in the archetypal sense. Leo is the part of you that wants to shine, to be recognized, to lead with courage and heart. It's the crown you wear. And like all crowns, it carries the burden of responsibility to others.

Aquarius: The Dissolution

Opposite Leo sits Aquarius, Saturn's temple. If Leo is the summer sun at its brightest, Aquarius is the deep winter when darkness still dominates, but light steadies, building toward spring. Aquarius is the collective mind. Rational. Independent. Concerned with how resources flow through the whole, not just the individual. Aquarius sees what doesn't fit the system. The black sheep. The radical vision.

And Pluto is dissolving Aquarius right now. Breaking down old collective structures. Interrogating the status quo. Asking: Which ideals have we outgrown? What long-held systems must die so something new can live?

The Opposition: When Your Offering Meets the Wreckage

Jupiter in Leo wants recognition for the love you give. It wants your gifts to matter. It wants to build something that endures.Pluto in Aquarius is clearing the ground. Demolishing what was. Forcing you to release your attachment to being seen in the old way.

This is the paradox: You must give up your need to be recognized in order to offer something truly revolutionary. You must let go of the crown in order to lead differently. This opposition doesn't ask you to stop caring. It asks you to care about what actually matters not what you were taught should matter. It asks: Are you loyal to your ego's image of yourself, or loyal to what your soul actually came here to do?

What's Happening Now

Jupiter in Leo (through 2026-part of 2027) is inviting you to recognize and expand your unique gifts. To lead with heart. To stand in the fullness of what you've become.

Pluto in Aquarius (through 2044) is simultaneously asking the collective to re-imagine everything. Power structures. Technology. How we share. What we believe is possible. The old ways aren't working anymore.

For you personally, this means:

Your ego is being reconstructed. The version of "success" or "leadership" you thought you wanted? Pluto is asking you to examine it. Release it. Find what's authentic underneath. Your loyalty is being tested. What are you actually devoted to? Is it aligned with your values, or is it a habit? Your power is being redirected. You're not losing it. You're being asked to use it differently—in service of something larger than your individual recognition.

The Invitation

This opposition is asking you to become a revolutionary who knows their own heart. To lead not because you need to be seen, but because something in you insists on it. To give your gifts freely, knowing they matter regardless of whether the world applauds. The Sun always rises again, Leo knows this. But this time, you're rising into a different world. And you're helping to build it.

Work with this energy: Where are you still seeking recognition from a system that's dying anyway? What loyalty needs to shift? What would you create if you didn't need anyone's permission or approval? That's your real work under this opposition.

cover image credit: Some Kind of Moment Gabe Fraboni

Have you noticed how some people just “glow”? Like, they're not trying, they're just... lit up? That's Leo energy. And if you've felt that pull to be seen, to be celebrated for who you really are yeah, that's Leo calling too.

Leo isn't just about sparkle and ego. It's so much deeper than that. It's about figuring out what's actually worth your loyalty, what you'd devote yourself to, and then showing up for it so authentically that your gifts naturally shine through. Let's get into what Leo's really teaching us, especially right now as Jupiter moves through this sign (June 30, 2026 through July 25, 2027).

The Real Heart of Leo: Loyalty Over Flash

Yeah, Leo's got the whole royalty, confidence, center-stage vibe. We get that. But really, the deepest thing Leo is trying to teach us is loyalty. Loyalty to what matters. Loyalty to a cause bigger than yourself. Loyalty to what you love so much you'd actually serve it. Here's the thing about true power: it's not about ruling over people. It's about being so committed to something real that your power just naturally supports that thing. Your ego gets its biggest shine when it's lifting something you love.

Look at a lion. It doesn't practice looking majestic. It just is majestic because of what it is. That's the message Leo has for you. Not, “How do I look better than everyone?” but "What am I devoted enough to that I naturally become excellent at serving it?"

What the Sun Reveals (and Why You Want to Be Seen)

The Sun rules Leo, and here's what the Sun does: it shines on everything. Nothing stays hidden. It just reveals what's there. And honestly? A lot of us have this deep Leo craving: I want to be seen. I want to be loved. I want to be validated. That's not shallow. That's real. It's your soul saying "I want to be recognized for who I actually am."

But here's the beautiful part Leo teaches us: your uniqueness and beauty don't come from being better than anyone else. They come from how you love. Seriously. The way you love is your unique fingerprint. The way you love distinctly, passionately, and authentically—that's what leaves your mark on the world.

So if you want to be truly seen? Love as genuinely and uniquely as you can. That's your real signature.

Pride as Excellence, Not Arrogance

Pride usually gets a bad rap. We've been told it's ego, it's gross, it's the downfall of humanity. But Leo says, hold up. Pride isn't arrogance. Real pride is just excellence rooted in what you care about. Think about the things you're genuinely good at and truly devoted to. That's where healthy pride lives. It's the pride of someone who's aligned with what matters—growth, beauty, divinity, things worth caring for just because you find them so beautiful. And here's the difference: arrogance says "I'm better than you." Pride says "I'm devoted to something real, and that devotion shows in everything I do." One's about putting others down. The other's just about standing in what matters to you.

The Shadow: When the Sun Sets

But Leo also sits with something real and sobering. What happens when my light fades? How will I be remembered? Every sunset teaches us something. The light goes. It disappears into the west. And a mature Leo doesn't freak out about that. Instead, they get quiet and ask, What did I actually serve? What cause did I give myself to? Will it keep going after I'm gone? That's where Leo gets sacred. It's not about your personal glory or your fame. It's about your legacy. What carries forward? What kingdom, what responsibility are you actually serving? What crown are you willing to wear, even when nobody's watching?

 Working with Jupiter in Leo: Practical Guidance

So Jupiter's moving through Leo right now, and that's actually a big deal. It's like the universe is saying: expand. Grow. Get bigger and clearer about these Leo themes. It's a time to sit down and actually ask yourself some real questions.

About Purpose:

- What am I actually here to embody or serve?

- What deserves my loyalty and my gifts?

- What's going to feel meaningful when I look back?

About Visibility:

- Am I ready to be more seen and recognized?

- How's my ego going to handle that?

- Can I stay grounded in service while I'm stepping into the light?

About Ambition:

- What am I actually ambitious for? 

- Is it rooted in something I care about serving, or just in looking good?

- How do I make space for both my drive and genuine service?

About Legacy:

- What role am I meant to step into?

- What do I want to leave behind?

- Where does my real loyalty actually live?

Practical Medicine for Leo Energy

So if you're working with Jupiter in Leo right now or just want to lean into your Leo nature more here's what actually helps:

1.Know what you love and what you're willing to serve. Get clear on your cause. Your mission. What you're actually devoted to. That clarity is your anchor.

2. Keep your focus on the main thing. When stuff gets complicated (and it will), don't get lost in the noise. Come back to what you actually care about. Let go of the drama you create for yourself.

3. Take pride in your role, not in being better than others. Develop genuine pride in how you're showing up for your responsibilities. That's real pride.

4. Your gifts aren't yours to own.They're entrusted to you. They can come, they can go. Real power comes from serving something bigger than yourself, not from holding tight to what you have.

5. Lead from your heart. As you become more visible or step into leadership, stay heart centered. That's your real authority. Your love. Your loyalty. That's what people actually follow.

The Real Crown

Here's what Leo's really trying to tell us, true royalty isn't about being liked or celebrated. It's about finding what's worth your whole heart, and then giving yourself to it so completely that your uniqueness just naturally shines through. 

The crown you wear? It's not about power over people. It's about responsibility. It's about serving something you love. And when you actually wear that crown with loyalty, with purpose you don't have to try to shine.

You just do.

 

What's calling for your loyalty right now? What lights you up so much that serving it would feel like coming home? That's your Leo invitation. What does it feel like?

 

This post draws on teachings from Adam Elenbaas of [Nightlight Astrology](https://www.youtube.com/c/NightlightAstrology). If you want to dive deeper into Leo's wisdom and current transits, his YouTube channel is a beautiful resource. 

Cover image credit: Leo illustred by Alyssa Winans