Leo Szn Self Care Kit <3
Bask in the glow of your own greatness...
Happy Leo Season! Here’s your zodiac-themed Self Care Kit to support you through this fun-loving season of joy, exploration, & inner strength.
This year, Leo Szn stretches from July 22nd to August 21st.
Leo season helps us accept & express our most authentic selves with creativity & courage following the protective & emotional vibes of Cancer season. Leo energy is all about loving our true selves, expressing our desires & dreams, building self-confidence, & standing in the spotlight to share our heartfelt message with the world. This is an excellent time for resting & reflecting on who you are & what you really want, kickstarting & expanding upon your passion projects, letting yourself be playful & finding joy in daily life, uplifting & inspiring others, & proudly using your gifts & talents to make the world a better place- then receiving the praise & applause you deserve for doing so.
Some fun facts:
Leo energy is associated with the Strength card in tarot. It symbolizes inner strength, courage, virtue, mastering emotions, & overpowering adversaries through compassion & a fierce commitment to sticking to your core values.
Leo is known as “the performer” & is symbolized as “the lion.”
Leo is ruled by the Sun- our luminary known as the “ruler of ego & self-expression.”
Leo is a fire sign, which accentuates risk-taking, leadership, passion, confidence, action, motivation, energy, sparkle, & the soul.
Leo is a fixed sign that holds lasting energy. Fixed signs are great at helping you stay focused & productive with projects that require passionate determination.
Leo is one of the middle four signs in the zodiac, making it an interpersonal sign. These signs help us learn about our relationships & share with others.
Leo attributes: warm, loyal, proud, dramatic, radiant, fierce, big-hearted, generous, creative, playful, fun-loving, spirited, & noble.
Leo interests: performing, sunbathing, cuddling, fundraising, playing, & expressing creativity.
Leo vibe: “I CREATE.”
Leo motivation: to impress.
Leo affirmation: “I bravely express my creativity.”
The Leo Myth: This passage comes from the book “The Stars Within You ~ A Modern Guide to Astrology” by author Juliana McCarthy…
“According to Greek mythology, Leo was a mythical monster known as the Nemean Lion. Heracles was required to kill this Lion as one of his twelve labors- thought to be an impossible feat. Since the Lion was impervious to weapons, cunning Heracles eventually succeeded by strangling the Lion with his bare hands. Realizing the protective powers of the Lion’s hide, Heracles skinned the Lion, making a cloak and helmet out of his fur & head. Then the spirit of the Lion was placed in the sky as the constellation Leo, reminding us of the Lion’s mythic power & magical strength.”
Famous Leos: These folks embody some serious Leo energy & they deserve recognition for it. May I present, The Leo Awards…
Most Bold & Inspiring Leader- President Barack Obama
Best at Unapologetically Letting their Gifts & Talent Shine- Whitney Houston
Most Brave & Adventurous- Amelia Earhart
Best Fundraiser- Melinda Gates
Most Notable for being a Roaring 20s icon- Clara Bow, aka “The It Girl.”
Most Notable for being Royal & Regal- Queen Elizabeth
Best at Taking Center Stage with some Serious Main Character Energy- Madonna
Most Notable for her Grace, Poise, & Beauty- Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Best at Being Super Talented & Also Silly- tie between Lucille Ball & Steve Carell
Best at Using Art & Creativity to Speak Truth to Power- James Baldwin
Best at Embodying Diva Energy- J Lo
Best at Bringing the Drama while Still Having Fun- Greta Gerwig
Best at Bringing the Summer Vibes- Charli XCX
Honorable mentions: Usain Bolt, Fidel Castro, Martin Sheen, Wilt Chamberlain, Dua Lipa, Napolèon Bonaparte, Mussolini, Mata Hari, Coco Chanel, Henry Ford, Bill Clinton, Marcus Garvey, Neil Armstrong, Orville Wright, Stanley Kubrick, Tom Brady, Kylie Jenner, J Lo, Louis Armstrong, Mick Jagger, Robert De Niro, Hulk Hogan, Andy Warhol, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlize Theron, Robert Plant, Robert Redford, Jennifer Lawrence, Joe Rogan, James Hetfield, Roberto Clemente, Mae West, Martha Stewart, Ben Affleck, A Rod, Jerry Garcia, Dorothy Hamill, Christopher Nolan, Meghan Markle, Slash, Herman Melville, Cecil B. Demille, Michelle Yeoh, Phoebe Bridgers, Jacinda Ardern, Carl Jung, Emmett Till, Taika Waititi, Ethel Barrymore, Elisabeth Moss, Anita Sarkeesian.
This Self Care Kit is a curated collection of resources to help you work in collaboration with all this Leo energy. Below you’ll find:
Your personalized tarotscope reading, based on your Sun sign.
A yoga playlist with practices that center around themes that align with the current astro energy.
Some card pull prompts for you to try with your own deck at home.
A tarot deck recommendation.
A few book recommendations.
A music playlist recommendation.
& a collection of recipes for healthy & delish things to make sometime during the season.
Use this Self Care Kit throughout Leo Season to help you harness this powerful Leo energy & use it for good. Let it support you through all the ups & downs of the days ahead, & feel free to share this amazing resource with others. Enjoy!
Your Leo Szn Self Care Kit:
Your personalized tarotscope reading- a tarotscope reading is structured similarly to a horoscope. I wanted to pull a card for each zodiac sign to offer you specific guidance meant especially for you & your energy. Follow the link to learn more about tarotscopes, & scroll down to find your personal reading. Make sure to do your tarot homework in order to fully benefit from the wisdom your card is offering to you!
Your yoga playlist- I curated this youtube playlist to center on themes that align with Leo energy. All of these videos are from the Yoga With Adriene youtube channel, & you can access them all for free. They are a great fit for beginners, as well as seasoned yogis. I suggest doing one practice each day of the season, & going through the playlist chronologically. (The first day of Cancer Szn is July 22nd, so if you’re starting that day, begin with vid number one & make your way down the playlist in order). These practices also sync up with the energy in each lunar phase, as well as popular holidays or culturally significant events. I included a full month of yoga videos in this Self Care Kit because yoga is the one movement practice that has helped me not only stay physically fit, but also mentally strong & resilient. It keeps my nervous system feeling grounded in challenging moments, & that translates into my day to day life quite often. If you’ve been meaning to start, or get back to, a yoga practice- this will help you ease into it in a free, fun, no pressure kind of way.
Card pull prompts- If you have your own tarot deck at home, you can pull cards between our Card for the Collective readings that are sent out in each weekly newsletter. This will add more clarity & depth to your tarot practice. Use the prompts below that resonate with you the most & challenge you to explore questions you don’t already know the answers to. You can use these as individual daily card pull readings, or do a bunch all at once as a larger spread. Stay focused on what seems most useful & helpful to you. Remember to give yourself an action step to take following your readings in order to integrate the messages you receive into your daily life.
What is my main intention, goal, or theme I should focus on during Leo season?
What energy will support me as I embrace more rest, more playfulness, & more exploration this season?
What hidden fear is holding me back from being my most authentic self?
What inner strength can I use to fully believe in myself to bring my creative dreams & ideas to life?
What do I need to know about the power of receiving praise & being an inspiration to others?
What message does the Universe have for me about sharing my heart & my mission with the world?
What action step can I take this season to be more visible, take up more space, & speak my truth in a way that leads & inspires others?
What affirmation can I use to help me prioritize time & energy for my passion projects & tapping into a creative flow state?
Why is it important for me to accept my true self & receive compliments & accolades without resistance?
How can I use my uniquely magical strengths & talents to give back generously to my family, friends, & community?
What challenge will I face this season that will require my self-belief, confidence, & courage to get through it?
What hidden truth do I need to know about surrendering my ego in order to move forward towards achieving my goals?
What heartfelt message am I meant to share with the world this season?
What does my highest self want me to know about being brave, independent & saying “no” to things that rob me of my joy?
What energy will help me stop taking myself so seriously, & have more fun as a form of self care?
How does being my most authentic self help uplift others & make the world a better place?
Deck recommendation- I’ll be the first to admit that I treat my tarot practice with a massive amount of reverence. Sometimes, I take tarot a little too seriously. I don’t often do casual card pulls for myself- preferring the less frequent deep dives when I really want to dig into some big life questions & conundrums. This is not the best strategy for manifesting a life you love through the art of tarot, though. A more chill approach to a daily practice is sometimes a better way to go. For this month’s deck rec- I wanted to suggest something that would help us loosen up, have fun, & infuse our practice with a fresh perspective on the symbolism we all know & love. I have yet to add this deck to my own collection, but it’s been on my wishlist for quite some time. May I present… The Pasta Tarot. There are a bajillion silly decks out in the world now, but this one is my fave. First of all, Leo Szn is about finding joy & pleasure in daily life & my favorite food of all time is pasta with a top notch homemade red sauce. I’ve been perfecting my own recipe for years. This deck just makes me happy with every card representing a different kind of pasta shape. Personally, I’m a fan of the suit of Wands in this deck- Corta pasta- all short shapes. Typically, I’m a fusilli kinda girl, but campanelle when I’m feeling fancy <3 Since Leo Szn inspires us to have more fun & let our creativity shine- why not host a dinner party for your friends, mess around with your own red sauce recipe & make a big batch of your fave pasta to share, & do some low-key casual readings with your new Pasta-inspired tarot deck! I love how the symbolism, inspired by classic Rider-Waite Smith artwork, still reflects imagery we’re familiar with. The vibrant & over-the-top energy offers plenty of room for new insights & inspires us to embrace bolder, louder, & more creative interpretations of our readings. The deck is pretty inclusive featuring a diverse range of representation when it comes to age, race, & sexual orientation. The vibe is silly, but not impractical. I could def see myself using this deck for readings when I want real guidance, but without a lot of heavy reflection or intense tarot homework to do afterwards. The creators of the deck share this short blurb on their website about the origins of this project: “The Pasta Tarot was cooked up after we saw a hunky Italian on the beach and proclaimed "GNOCCHI!" It was then we realized pasta shapes carried meaning for us outside our bellies. Combining that insight with our knowledge of the traditional tarot and our queer Italian-American identity, we've concocted a deck to spread joy, love, and provide insight into life's mysteries—served al dente.” Check out more details about this deck, including pics of every single card(!!), & purchase your own through the button below.
Book recommendation- Here’s a short list of book recs I’ve curated for you to read while you lounge on a picnic blanket in the sunshine. Enjoy!
For unplugging from reality & getting lost in a magical fictional tale of committed love & involuntary time travel. My actual favorite book that I’ve read over 11 times- The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
For unleashing your true self & accepting that “you’re not crazy; you’re a goddamn cheetah.” A book rec my sis gave me on a camping trip years ago that introduced me to the work of the brilliant & beautiful Glennon Doyle- Untamed.
For an offline alternative to your new hope scrolling habit- We’re Speaking- The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris: How to Use Your Voice, Be Assertive, & Own Your Story." By Hitha Palepu- a self described “feminist, lifelong politics enthusiast, daughter of immigrants, mother of feminist sons, & entrepreneur, investor, writer, & speaker.”
Music recommendation- Enjoy this playlist that is *EXTRA*, featuring over 15 hours of music performed entirely by all Leo artists, & including albums that fit the vibe- like Brat, Charm, Confident, Illuminate, Radical Optimism, & Pageant Material. Put it on shuffle, dance around to it with your hairbrush, sing badly & loudly, & have a good time…
Recipe recommendation- I love including recipes in these Self Care Kits because I consider nutritious food to be essential for self care. I recently turned 40 & celebrated with a pizza party! Pizza parties hold a nostalgic place in my heart, & remind me of summer gatherings with good friends, late nights, & tons of laughter. Here’s an entire collection of over 35 recipes for vegan pizza, including 18 different kinds of crust, multiple sauces, different plant-based cheeses, vegan pepperoni, tons of other toppings, & flavor combos that will take you on a delicious & adventurous trip around the world. Get creative, try something new, go nuts, make a mess in the kitchen, have fun, invite your friends, throw a vegan pizza party feast, & bask in the youthful fun times of summer <3
I loved putting together this Self Care Kit for you! If you found anything particularly helpful, have a favorite link or resource from this article, or want to send me any suggestions on what kinds of things to include in next season’s Self Care Kit, leave me a comment & let me know your thoughts! This is a free resource, so go ahead & share this with a friend or two who you think might truly benefit from it. If you want to receive more Self Care Kits at the beginning of each new zodiac season, & if you’d love to receive the weekly newsletter & Card for the Collective reading in your inbox every Tarot Tuesday, make sure you’re signed up as a free subscriber. Consider upgrading to paid to get access to all the amazing content I put so much love & energy into for this rad community <3 Happy Leo Season! I hope you spend this season being silly with your friends, singing badly at karaoke, feeling wildly enthusiastic about the passion projects you’re kickstarting, unapologetically indulging in lots of naps in the summer sunshine, & roaring out a message of love & optimism to the world <3
xoxo Maddie
PS- All Leo fun facts at the top of this article were sourced from the following books:
“The Moon Journal” by Sandy Sitron
“The Stars Within You ~ A Modern Guide to Astrology” by Juliana McCarthy
“You Were Born For This ~ Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance” by Chani Nicholas
“Holistic Tarot” by Benebell Wen