Suns out, bums out, it’s time to spark it up in honor of the heat. We’ve made it past Eclipse season and now we get to celebrate. Summertime sadness WHOMST? We’ve officially departed from the emotive world of watery Cancer season and now we’re in the luxurious and loud vortex of Leo season. Represented by the glyph of the lion, there’s nothing quiet about this season or the height of summer it rules over. It’s said that you will always know a Leo is a Leo. This is partially because this is a sign and season that doesn’t skimp on presentation; drama and theatrics are the name of the game. Leo’s love to be the center of attention, and they love to be adored. Who doesn’t! This is also why you’ll know a Leo is a Leo; they’ll always tell you.
In Cancer season, your heart was the star of the show. In Leo season, YOU are the star of the show. If Cancer season was for CBD and chilling, Leo season is for lighting it up and living it up! A fixed fire sign, Leo season hits us in the height of summer, halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. A time of intense fervor and passion, this is when we can step firmly into our power, own it and be adored for it.
While I love smoking on the couch with some Netflix as much as the next stoner, this is a reminder that summer and Leo season specifically are a time to party. To have fun! To celebrate all that we’ve cultivated since the beginning of the year! To get the most of Leo Season I talked to astrologer and tarot reader The Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, author of Tarot For Troubled Times, The Tarot Coloring Book and the forthcoming Astrology For Real Life.
Since we just finished up eclipse season—with eclipses representing major moments of transformation and endings leading to new beginnings—I wanted to ask Theresa about what the stars have in store for us this summer. Thankfully, we get a spicy beginning to August after the New Moon, and some solace when Mercury, the planet of communication stations direct, streamlining our lives and our highs.
With the Leo New Moon we have an opportunity to reflect on the joy of summer, and all we’ve worked hard to achieve. And more than anything, we can take time to enjoy it.
“The New Moon in Leo arrives on July 31st, the same day that Mercury is direct. Mark this day on your calendar and set intentions around creativity, self-expression, and fame. How big do you want to be? Leo doesn’t play small and you don’t have to either,” Theresa explains. “There is nothing wrong with wanting a first-class life. Remember: fortune favors the bold. Don’t be afraid to ask the Universe for what you want on this day!”
Stage fright be damned, you deserve to be recognized for your hard work, and you deserve to bask in abundance! Leo season is a time to be lavish and luxurious, when your desires shall be catered to you on a golden platter. Cannabis, thankfully, can aid you on this journey to owning your fullest and most potent sense of self, by helping you find your center and gain the confidence to ask for what you want. Whether you’re looking for rituals to help with this, movies to watch to inspire your #drama, or stones to get stoned with, read on for a stoner’s guide to Leo season.
Method of Cannabis Consumption: Anything with Fire
Like fire itself, Leo season requires intention. There’s a dedication and loyalty here that ask us to be present- or else. You don’t play with fire unless you’re ready to get burned. In the case of us who are cannabis connoisseurs, we can connect to the moody and sensual energy of Leo season by smoking. Whether you pick a joint, bowl, bong, blunt, or dab is up to you. My only suggestion? Work with fire. Literally! Don’t be afraid to use some hemp wick and really admire the flame.
Before you begin to smoke, take a moment to ground, breathing into your body and finding a sense of peace as you find a steady inhale and exhale. You may wish to set an intention for your smoke session, whether that’s to connect to more to your passions, to honor Leo season by living boldly, to be present or something else entirely.
When you’re ready, light up what you’ll be smoking, taking time to witness the flame and flower interact. As you inhale, visualize or feel warm, golden light filling your lungs, as you exhale, this warm healing energy fills your physical and energetic body, cleansing it. When you’re finished, say thank you to yourself, the element of fire, and the flower itself.
What to Smoke: Chamomile or Damiana
Leo Season is a chance for us to shine as our fullest, brightest selves. This can be a frightening process of molting and becoming, as we reveal a new version of who we are. If this process of being truly seen is something that you have to get used to, you may wish to smoke a CBD-heavy strain, or use a tincture or vape with 1:1 CBD to THC to help you relax and open up to the possibility of seeing yourself from a new angle.
On the other hand, if you’re feeling obsessed or consumed with how others see you, you may wish to try a similar 1:1 CBD-heavy strain as well.
“Leo energy can be dramatic and when it goes into that direction, we can lose our objectivity. Cannabis can help us to calm down and get introspective. When we operate from that perspective, we can make brave but mindful decisions. That’s always the key to a magical life,” Theresa says.
If you’re already feeling calm, however, you may want to add some herbs like chamomile and damiana into your joint, bowl, bong, or blunt. Chamomile is an herb ruled by the sun that is associated with vibrancy, healing, confidence, and warmth. Chamomile is a relaxing and bright herb that can bring a sense of joy and ease to a high. Damiana is an aphrodisiac and an herb that can draw in and enhance sexual energy. This herb can help us tap into the erotic energy of Leo season, where we want to be seen, touched, heard, admired and lusted over.
Grind up some chamomile and/ or damiana with your cannabis as you thank the plant for its help. This combination, alongside some ganja, will have you feeling relaxed and assured in your presence. Let your aura draw people and opportunities to you; the king of the jungle rushes for no peasant!
What to Watch: Moulin Rouge, Showgirls, Hairspray, Pose, Almost Famous, Bohemian Rhapsody
Leo season is the perfect time to go out with your best foot forward; the bigger the hair and redder the lips the better. But, it’s also a perfect time to get baked out of your mind and watch a musical with all the fit and flair you’ve been longing for. Dualities—we all contain them.
My picks this season feature saturated color pallets, plenty of sex, and the unyielding desire to chase ones dreams. You can’t take down a lion without a fight! This is the season to wear your fiercest gold jewelry and sit on the couch with your babes, lighting it up to your favorite drama that inspires you to live a little more loudly and a little more daringly.
What Stone to Get Stoned With: Fire Agate
Fire agate is balanced with lunar and solar properties, which means this is a great stone to work with during the Leo New Moon on July 31st and the Aquarius New Moon on August 15th. This stone is activating while also helping us to let go so we have more room in our life to bring in, to tend to the pyres of our inner and outer world. A stone of earth and fire, Fire Agate can help us tap into the expansive and commanding qualities of Leo season without getting absorbed in ego.
The stone of the hero’s journey, fire agate can help us keep ourselves rooted and inspired, even in moments of intense transformation. If you have this stone, hold it in your hand while you smoke or meditate to foster your purpose and passion. If you don’t have this crystal, you can meditate on a photo of it or keep a photo as your phone background to channel its intensity.
What to Listen to: Lizzo, Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, ABBA
There’s an infinite amount of good dance music, but anything that makes you want to stay up until 4am shaking what your mama gave you is absolutely invited to be on your Leo Playlist. My picks are all of the shining women above and Sweden’s greatest contribution to America: ABBA.
Eat your edible, smoke your j, dab your dab, and then put on something shiny, cheetah print or leather and go out and dance. Theresa’s suggestions for this season all have the same vibe too: “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 ft Christina Aguilera, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, “Wonder Woman” by Lion Babe, and “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps.
You can’t expect to be seen if you’re not out on the town, and there’s nothing that Leo wants less than to be ignored. Hit up your favorite gay club or your trustee rooftop bar to make sure you’re look and attitude don’t go unnoticed. Don’t forget to take photos so the Internet knows how good you look too.
Ritual: Burn it Up
Fire is a potent tool for release, and with Mercury stationed retrograde on July 31st (when all things communication and travel straighten out after a few weeks of misdirection), there can be quite a lot that we are ready to release. Ritually burning something is an easy and potent way to do this.
Before you begin your ritual, take a moment to set up the space. Turn your phone off, put on some ambient music, let partners or roomies know not to disturb you. Find somewhere safe you can burn paper, either in a pot of water over the stove, or outside in a fire safe bowl. You can of course, work with cannabis as an addition to your ritual. You can ask for the plant spirit to help you let go of what you no longer need, to bless the ritual, or to aid you in finding compassion for yourself and others in this situation. When you’re ready to begin the ritual, light up, grab a pen and paper and get ready to burn some shit up.
“Take a minute to think about what has held you back from expressing yourself fully. Did someone make you feel ashamed for who you are? Have you ever been told to “not outshine” a sibling or classmate? Was there ever a situation where you were made to feel small or scared? Journal about these experiences. Then burn that paper. Let all of those old situations and limiting beliefs go,” suggests Theresa. ”When we release those thoughts and old stories, we make room for the big life that Leo loves so much.”
When you’re done burning this paper up, you can flush it down the toilet, throw it out or cast the ashes to the wind. Take a moment to breathe into your body and thank the cannabis and yourself for the ritual.
What to Wear for Leo Season
This is no time to play it subtle, darling. Leo yearns for the spotlight, for the attention their glamour will finally get them. Think silk robes and joints in long gold holders, magenta blouses in silks unbuttoned to show lace or a bare chest. Nothing screams summer like an animal print, and monochrome looks coordinated with gold jewelry are sure to kill it.
If you feel like you’re wearing something that’s “too much,” then you should definitely wear it. Go big or go home, muchacho. Don’t be afraid to live it up as the sun smiles and shines on us at the height of his (literal) season.
“In tarot the Sun card is full of joy, optimism, and abundance. Leo is ruled by the Sun. Let the focus of these few weeks be on joyful activities and positivity. Look at the sunny side of life – and think big!” Theresa suggests.
No matter how you celebrate this season, may it inspire you to live up as your fullest, shiniest and most vibrant self.
You can keep up with The Tarot Lady on her Instagram, and check out her books as well. Here’s to the most being stoned in style, all season long. So it is!
