All about the Sun in Leo/the 5th house

What is the special light that you shine into the world? The Sun’s heat and energy radiates outward, warming all the planets. Without the Sun at the center of our solar system, there would be no life for us Earthlings. Symbolically, astrologers view the Sun quite the same way: Its position in the zodiac is central to your personality.

How you express yourself outwardly is greatly revealed through your Sun sign. El Sol can influence everything from wardrobe to social style, and even career path. As your astrological energy source, your Sun sign can reveal places to draw your strength, confidence and creative expression from.

What kind of fuel do you burn? Where do your passions lie? This heavenly body inspires humans to produce great, historical works; to garner applause and earn our bragging rights. But the pride ego and the ego are also the Sun’s domain. When imbalanced, those beams can produce arrogance, swagger or a mask of false confidence.

The meaning of the Sun in astrology

In astrology, the Sun is associated with the father and masculine figures. How well do you relate to your dad or the male-identified people in your life? Historically, indigenous people have prayed to “Father Sky,” pointing heavenward. Whether this resonates for you or not, the Sun reveals your leadership style and gives clues about how you deal with authority.

Whatever zodiac sign and house the Sun was orbiting through (from our vantage point here on Earth) at your time of birth determines your “natal Sun” or “Sun sign.” More specifically, this will guide you in the following ways:

Self-expression: How do you shine to the world? What color is your parachute?
Creativity: What ways do you like to be creative and playful?
Passion: What are you passionate about pursuing or expressing?
Pride: Where do you get tripped up by your ego?
Leadership style: What kind of a leader or boss are you?
Energy source: What lights you up and energizes you?
Authority: How do you deal with people in charge and how comfortable are you with your own authority?
Attention: How much attention do you like—and what lengths will you go to get it?

The moon orbits through all twelve zodiac signs in a 29.5 day lunar month, spending 2.5 days in each zodiac sign before moving on to the next. This is one of the key differentiators of people born under the same Sun sign. Since a friend whose birthday is three days before or after yours will already have a different moon sign, your emotional temperaments will differ notably.

Read more about transiting planets here.

What is your Sun sign?

Your Sun sign is considered your “main sign” and it’s the forecast you read on websites and in newspapers. The Sun changes zodiac signs approximately every thirty days, so people born in these clusters will share a Sun sign and many basic personality traits. For example, those born between November 21 and December 21 will have a Sagittarius Sun.

Use our cosmic calculator to discover what zodiac sign and house the Sun was in when you were born. To accurately determine the house, you will need to know your birth time. Note: The beginning and ending day of each solar cycle will vary based on your year of birth—and it changes at a different minute each year. Those born “on the cusp” will need to know their time of birth to accurately find their Sun sign.

Find your Sun Sign

Calculate Yours!

What if the zodiac sign and house are different?

This is common! Read both the sign and house description below. Do these interpretations feel like a paradox? That’s not uncommon. Astrology is an interpretive dance, a tool which provides a fascinating layer of self-discovery. Do some “astro mixology.” Reflect on how you can work with both energies to express your solar-powered radiance.

Special positions of the Sun in your chart

Domicile: Leo

The planet’s home base, an easy flow if placed here in the chart

Detriment: Aquarius

Opposite sign of home base, may need to work harder to integrate the planet’s energy if placed here in the chart

Exalted: Aries

The planet’s most powerful position; indicates ease and added fortune with using the planet’s energy if placed here in the chart

Fall: Libra

Opposite sign to the exalted position, can indicate struggles with utilizing the planet’s energy if placed here in the chart

Read more about the 4 essential dignities of the planets here.

The Sun in Leo or the Sun in the 5th house

If you were born with the Sun in Leo/Sun in the 5th house

Roll out the red carpet! Those born with the Sun in Leo or the 5th house are zodiac royalty, here to dazzle the world with show stopping style and unparalleled creativity.

Leo is ruled by the Sun

Huge-doses of praise and appreciation keep you high, but might cause people to think you’re self-centered. They’re not altogether wrong! Leo is ruled by the Sun, the center of our solar system. When the whole universe revolves around you, it’s hard to be humble! That great ball of fire heats up everything with sexy passion, but when the Sun sets, it’s ice, ice baby. That’s why friends know to keep you happy and shining…or else.

Warning: your ego is not your amigo! Without realizing it, however, you can upstage those around you, forgetting that each and every person is a valuable member to a team. Even if you’ve adopted a selfless persona, inside you still have a strong sense of what is “right” and “good,” and when that’s challenged, the claws come out as you defend your fierce ideals. As you mature, you become aware of the impact your supersized energy has on other people in the room. Direct your flair for powerful leadership and let everyone have their spot in the sunshine. Used properly, your energy leaves others awakened and revitalized in an empowering way.

Leo is a fire sign

The bright side of this trait? When you’re lit up about an idea, your enthusiasm is infectious. Leo is one of the three fire signs along with Aries and Sagittarius—and the 5th house is one of the three “fire houses,” (fire stations?) along with the 1st house and 9th house. One spark of genius can quickly blaze into a three-ring circus. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you don’t burn through cash and resources before you’ve built the metaphoric tent. (A very real issue when you become zealously optimistic!) Try to swing into the process like a graceful trapeze artist instead of shooting yourself out of a cannon and accidentally landing in a cage with white tigers.

Leo is a fixed sign

Leo is one of the four fixed signs along with Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius, which fall in the middle of every season. Similarly, the 5nd house is one of the four fixed—or succedent—houses along with the 2nd, 8th and 11th houses. Your role is to hold down the fort and make sure the work gets done between the planting and the harvest cycles. This pragmatic placement is a saving grace for your indulgently hedonistic Sun sign, teaching you the art of delayed gratification.

Note: Saving bottle service and stretch Hummers for a special occasion is not the same as “depriving yourself.” Before you start production, map out a project plan, including timeline and budget. This gives your brilliant ideas a fighting chance of becoming the epic legends you know they’re supposed to be.

Leo rules the heart and upper back

The heart and upper back are the body parts associated with Leo and the 5th house. Stand up tall and proud but don’t forget the difference between “lionhearted” and “coldhearted.” Ruthless aggression can overtake you at times when you allow your pride (the name for a group of lions, in fact) to overtake your loving nature.

The truth is, you have a huge heart and generosity is in your DNA. You’re always there to spoil, pamper and protect the people you love. So what if your appetite is huge? Your energy may be hard for others to match. Try to remember that people express love in different ways. Not everyone can show it with your level of magnanimity. But it’s never boring to be part of your glamorous world, so let your star shine. Somebody’s gotta rule, and it might as well be you!

People born with the Sun in Leo/the Sun in the 5th house also have these traits

Whether you’re captivating an audience with a stage performance or doing groundbreaking research in a lab, when you pour your unstoppable energy into a mission, people sit up and take notice.

Symbolized by the proud and fierce lion, Leos love to achieve—and you look like a boss doing it. Those born with Sun in the 5th house share this leonine gift, turning mundane moments into “launches,” celebrations or any excuse to treat oneself. A giant kid at heart, you want work to feel like play. Since Leo and the 5th house rule fertility, you extend your own childlike wonder by working with kids or having your own. You’ll get down on the floor to play educational games or take the little ones on field trips to science museums and amusement parks. (Hey, it’s fine if you enjoy the outing even more than they do!)

Fertility is ruled by Leo and the 5th house, which doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a giant family of your own. But you’re always “birthing” something, whether you’re producing a local talent show, recording music or flipping houses and turning them into stunning vacation rentals.

Our new podcast is here!