Mane Character Energy: Tapping Into Your Power This Leo Season

From July 22 through August 22, Leo season reigns supreme. This summery sign is one of the four fixed signs of the zodiac, a Cherubic aspect whose element is fire, ruled by the Sun. During this window, the collective energy is imbued with fierce inner light, creativity, confidence, and the courage to step into your power and tap into “mane” character energy.

Lions, as a metaphorical guide, offer wisdom in the qualities they embody and emit. Across cultures and spiritual traditions, they’ve represented strength, courage, autonomy, super-star levels of solar power, protection, and magnetic charisma.

The Lion Across Traditions

In ancient Egypt, Sekhmet, the lioness-headed goddess, was the daughter of the sun god Ra and the fiercest weapon he had. She was looked upon as a goddess of both war and healing, and it was said that she breathed the desert into being. Her gentler counterpart, Bastet, began as a lioness before softening into the beloved cat goddess of home, protection, pleasure, and music. Lions were also considered to be threshold guardians, and the god Aker was drawn as two lions seated back to back, one facing sunrise and one facing sunset, keeping the horizon where the sun slipped underground each night and climbed back out each morning. He watched over the gateway between life and death.

In alchemy, whose very name is often traced to Khem or Kemet, the “black land” that was the archaic name of Egypt, the Green Lion is the raw, unripe force at the very start of the Great Work, so hungry for the light of knowledge that it is often shown devouring the sun itself.

Let’s consider a few more places lionesque energies prowl:

In Hinduism, Narasimha the man-lion is an avatar of Vishnu who tears through injustice, while the warrior goddess Durga rides a lion into battle against demons.

In Buddhism, the “lion’s roar” is the fearless proclamation of truth, and enlightened teachers sit on a lion throne. In Tibetan tradition, the Snow Lion embodies fearless joy and the vibrant energies of earth.

In China, guardian lions (the stone shishi that flank gates and temples) ward off harm, and the lion dance drives away bad spirits while simultaneously summoning good luck and positive auspices.

In Mesopotamia, the goddess Ishtar was attended by lions, and the famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon was lined with them as emblems of power and protection.

And of course, in the tarot, the Strength card is imbued with lion-hearted energy, showing a woman calmly holding the jaws of a lion, reminding us that real power lives in gentle mastery, not brute force.

This archetypal amalgamation across time and space is emblematic of the energies of this portal, as the raw fire you begin to kindle now is exactly what can transform, over time, into something fierce and formative.

Channeling Feline Power in Daily Life

I wrote about ways to pounce into your own power in my most recent oracle deck, Feline Mystique Oracle (Running Press, 2026), illustrated by Amelia Rose. This deck offers practical ways to channel feline energies in daily life by tapping into the magic, mystery, and appeal of these unique beings. Unlike dogs that needed to be domesticated, cats domesticated themselves, which is a very meta evolutionary trait that beckons us to remember we, too, can create our life on our own terms.

That said, I’d love to share a few lion-inspired, cat-like practices to help you recharge and up-level this season.

Relax

First of all, give yourself permission to do nothing. Our modern world often makes us feel guilty for taking “off” days, but sometimes doing nothing is actually accomplishing a lot. Take time to daydream, nap, rest, and relax completely, guilt-free.

Trust your instincts

Sometimes the first reaction is the right reaction. Trust your instincts and listen to your gut. Your sixth sense can manifest in multiple ways: clear seeing, clear hearing, clear knowing. The more you listen, the more you’ll hear, and the more open you are, the more you’ll receive.

Be fearless

Speak your truth and live boldly. If that means tapping into your glam, or stepping into center stage, do it. No time like the present to be fierce!

Play

Adult cats still pounce at random, and find joy chasing sunbeams and laser light. Let yourself be delighted in simple pleasures and enjoy the boundlessness of imagination and playfulness.

Keep a feather-light heart

Stay away from things that feel too heavy, and gravitate toward the moments that feel warm, both literally and metaphorically. Laugh, smile, find joy, and stay tender when possible.

Speak your truth in public

Roar! Speak up in the meeting, sing in the car, say what you’re actually thinking, even if it’s an “absolutely not.”

Affirm it in private

Create your own affirmation. Start with “I am powerful, I am courageous, I am…” and finish it in your own words. Practice being the author of your own story, and say the affirmation in the mirror every day until you believe it.

Stay golden

Get some sun. Leo’s ruler is the Sun, so bask in its warmth to charge your inner light. Also, experiment with wearing gold to tap further into solar energies. Jewelry, eyeshadow, or a single gold accent. In alchemy, gold is the perfected substance every aspirant reaches toward, and it carries the spirit of transmutation and abundance. It is the glittering promise that even the densest base material can become brilliant with hard work and pure intention. Wearing it is a small act of claiming that frequency for yourself, and imbuing it into your everyday life.

Keep a generous spirit

Be generous. The pride hunts together, and eats together. Share credit, tip well, hype your favorite folks, signal boost, and leave the five-star review for your friend’s new book launch. A small amount of effort goes a really long way, and little ripples can create great waves.

Be seen

Allow yourself to be seen. Perform, post, host, create content outside of your normal comfort zone. Leo rules self-expression and the joy of being witnessed…shoot your shot, and do the thing!

Be hair now

Fix your mane with a fresh cut, a big blowout, a new style…haircuts change people, so use your change for good.

Books, Decks, and Movies to Tap Into This Power

Some other ways to tap into Leo energies right now include tapping into ancient powers made modern with the new Initiates Oracle by Marcella Kroll, illustrated by Adam Smith. Explore the feral feminine with Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine by Kristen J. Sollée, an untamed history of the cat archetype in myth and magic. Go deeper into the grander astrological influences at play with The Book of Astrological Returns by Theresa Reed, a user-friendly guide to every life cycle from the Sun to Pluto. Watch Lion (2016), a gorgeous film starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, about the true story of Saroo Brierley, a five-year-old separated from his family and lost across India. It’s an incredibly inspiring film about the courage to find your way home no matter what adversity life throws at you.

Of course, it would also be a treat to divine your unique cat-infused energy with the Feline Mystique Oracle (Running Press), too!

Ultimately, this window is a time to shine as you mean it. Prowl into August like the world is yours, because right now it absolutely can be. Stop waiting for permission and step into the light you have been carrying all along. Remember, you are the “mane” character, and nobody will ever be able to dull your shine when you’re glowing in your truth.

TAKE ACTION: Want to dive deeper into your intuition and get clear vision for your path and purpose? Book a personalized intuitive card reading with Jennifer and map what comes next with clarity and precision. Book three reports and she’ll gift you a package of her three best-selling oracle decks, a thank-you for trusting her with the road ahead.