Much of the last year has had an undercurrent of examining and purging anywhere you may tether your productivity to your own self-worth or live (and measure yourself) according to expectations that aren’t true to you. With the South Node in Virgo still here until July of this year, the theme continues. Expression beats through your bloodstream, being a fire sign, there’s energy that wants to move, not just through you but out of you as well, be this through physical movement or creative self-expression. It’s individual to you but it's at the heart of your sign; being who you are and expressing yourself. Here’s the thing, a big part of how your sign regenerates its own energy is through play and fun, through the things that bring you joy. If you are living a life, you have allowed society or family to construct for you, it may not feel all that life-giving.

"If you are living a life, you have allowed society or family to construct for you, it may not feel all that life-giving."

As of July 26 (until March 2028), the South Node will enter your sign and its medicinal ally, the North Node, will enter your opposite sign of Aquarius. This means we will begin to have a series of eclipses in both of your signs for this duration, and this will be a particularly liberating time for you. The South Node flushes out anything base, immature or unconscious in the sign it falls in and so we could say you are entering a process of Leo mastery. A big part of Leo evolution is your relationship to validation. How much of it is tethered to the external versus the internal? Because you have an innate awareness of your audience, you can certainly play to the crowd but as you’ve been navigating, when your own life does not feel genuine, the pulse of your own vitality slowly diminishes.

"A big part of Leo evolution is your relationship to validation. How much of it is tethered to the external versus the internal?"

The medicine of Aquarius is leaning into self-validation and the energy of personal liberation. This relates not just to you out in the world, more importantly it's a liberation in how you experience yourself, your own life. This is brilliantly coupled with Jupiter, the experiential teacher and meaning-maker, moving into your sign on June 30 (until August 2027). This brings about a twelve-month period of naturally identifying what it is that makes life meaningful. This can be a philosophical time of questioning, it can feel like an incredible boost in optimism and largeness of perspective, as if standing atop a mountain range with 360-degree views of possibility.

"When a Leo is tapped into themselves and feels the freedom and courage to take up their own space (cue your medicinal astrology for the year), your generous spirit and the warmth of your own Sun spreads out like a permission slip."

You may find yourself looking at all areas of your life and really sitting with what is and is not life-juicy. When a Leo is tapped into themselves and feels the freedom and courage to take up their own space (cue your medicinal astrology for the year), your generous spirit and the warmth of your own Sun spreads out like a permission slip to all around you. Make friends with your talisman, the Lion, there’s nothing sheepish or false about them. This is a call to your wild self, an invitation to bring forward more of your untamed, genuine nature into your life. Don’t censor your own life force.

Leo 2026 words to live by

THE CALL OF THE WILD SELF

Want to understand why the zodiac signs are the way they are? Look no further than our comprehensive guide to the personality traits of each zodiac sign. Plus, you can find all the answers to the year ahead in our 2026 astrology forecast.

PHOTOGRAPHY Hugh Davison

FASHION Hannah Cooper

SET DESIGN Tom Anson Mesker and Dean Wall

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT Logan Bryan

STYLIST'S ASSISTANT Koby Dulac-Daley

PRODUCTION Olivia Repaci

Feature image: TIFFANY & CO. rings.