The need to be loved is such a natural and inwardly-felt hunger that it does not need comment because it is an expression of the hidden urge in the soul as it seeks for harmony and unity amid the conflicting forces of life. To be the recipient of love is an enriching experience, but to be aware that one is capable of loving is even more wonderful, especially if the depth of love is such that it can continue to outpour when there is no responsiveness from the recipient. It seems that souls take their incarnations through the influences of the degrees of earth, water and air until they become sufficiently strong to approach the experience of mastering the element of fire in such a way that real love can become the motivation of their living, in the sense that they live to give love instead of expecting to receive it. This is a very difficult lesson to learn, and the Leo soul finds it no easier than souls born under any other influence. In the process of learning to love in this manner, these people will often endure considerable frustration for the simple reason that they have a tendency to idealise the objects of their affection and so they expect a high degree of perfection from the people to whom they give their love.
Because they are governed by the second degree of fire, the lovingness the Leo soul feels for others is frequently less of a consuming passion and more in the nature of a tender, idealistic attachment to the objects of their devotion. When teamed with the right partners, these people usually reveal themselves as very warm and gently affectionate. They frequently undertake tasks in which their quality of dedication can be lavished on the weak, the sick or the needy. Babies, animals and aged people will often call forth the best side of their nature. Sometimes they Will lavish their affection on such needy subjects to compensate for their disappointment when the partners of their choice fail to retain their place on the pedestals on which Leo people love to place them. Life being what it is and humanity being but rarely able to show forth all the noble characteristics, it is inevitable that most Leo's are continually afflicted by the feeling of being `let down'.
This leads to their showing the more negative side of their nature, causing them to forsake their shattered idols in order to look elsewhere for perfection: very often they find the new idol equally filled with human frailty. Their sufferings are very intense and frequently lead to terrible feelings of self-pity, often expressed in the exclamation: `why does it happen to me? I have done all I can. I have loved as much as I am able, yet I am still unhappy'.
These Leo subjects can easily lapse into melancholic states arising from pity for themselves. It is very difficult for them to overcome this because self-pity evokes a restless, swirling effect in the mind which irritates the brain, and tightens the muscles of the sensitive abdominal region which in turn affects the pancreas, kidneys, digestion and elimination, sometimes resulting in diabetes, ulcers and colitis. Such illnesses cause considerable depletions of essential minerals and especially of Magnesium Phosphate, which is a tissue salt needed by everyone, but especially relating to Leo people.
Indications of a shortage of this substance are often in the form of severe cramps in the legs and feet, also twitching in the muscles, which may appear in any part of the body, and such an excessive weariness that they feel unable to stand upright for any length of time.
Nuts are especially rich in Magnesium Phosphate and should be eaten whenever possible, though it is wise to grind them or use them prepared into a paste or butter, as many people find nuts difficult to digest, especially where they have dentures instead of teeth. Many food stores sell butter prepared from peanuts, brazil nuts, cashew and almond nuts, together with the valuable soya preparations.
Leonine people feel a great sense of injustice when their affairs are not as successful as they would wish. They know intuitively that loving is the most important aspect of living, and loving is the main object of their incarnation but when the negative side of their nature is uppermost, they rebel against this truth. They want 'to have and to hold' their beloveds and they refuse to accept that their life lesson is to 'love instead of being loved'.
They may often refuse to take the remedies needed to restore balance of health in mind and body. They will prefer to suffer from their cramps, weaknesses and lack of muscular tone as these add to their reason for demanding sympathy and justifying their own attitude of self-pity. These people require a lot of understanding and sympathy because, when the fires of love are unfed by reciprocal response or when the affections are unrequited, these souls will continue to love and lavish affection on the ideal, even if that ideal is in the form of a long-dead sweetheart, or a person known only by remote contact, such as the idealised partner of a friend or business associate. Quite often they prefer such ideals to a close and living partner because they can lavish love on such distant ideals without the disillusionment attending ordinary contacts in everyday life.
Many life-long bachelors and spinsters have their birthdays between July and August 20th. Quite often this is because they have not been able to find the partner for whom they have searched. The right person has not crossed their pathway. 'My ideal is not in this world'—they may say with a sigh: or they may smile gently and murmur: 'Some day, somewhere'—and only those who know them well can realise that their ideal is hidden deep within their own heart or contained in a symbolic religious personage such as a favourite saint, madonna, or philosopher. Idealistic figures of this kind are maintained and revered in this world by the idealising Leos more than any other kind of soul.
