People with Seasonal Affective Disorder get the winter blues. Deprived of sunlight, people see their mood drop and it stays that way until May or so when the days get longer.
I’m not prone to depression and I don’t have SAD but I do have Leo in my chart and people with Leo absolutely need to exposure to the sun.
I grew up in the desert so I never lacked sunshine but then I moved to Colorado. It’s was colder but very sunny so I didn’t notice anything until I spent a winter in a mountains living in a shack with northern exposure. It was eye-opening.
We shoveled the snow to keep the space in front of the shack clear. By February the snow around our home was more than twelve feet high. I realized we were living in shade… constantly.
This was a novelty to me at the time. But it did register because ever since I’ve insisted every home I live in face south! I don’t mind the winter and I don’t mind the snow but come February, which pretty much marks the end of winter in the desert, I start to get a little antsy.
Becoming aware I was sensitive to this, I bought one of those SAD lights for my home. I originally wrote this in 2006. I have used my SAD light to illuminate my workspace all day long, ever since! There is no doubt it spares me the blues.
If you have Leo in your chart and you’re feeling low as fall approaches, try opening the shades to let the sun in. If it’s especially severe, you may want to think about getting one of these lights because Leo has just got live in the light to thrive.
When I think of living in a north facing house in frigid mountains these days, I just cringe. Something is very wrong with that picture.
Do you suffer from SAD? Do you have Leo in your chart?
Leo Jupiter 9th. I hate the Sun. I love rainy days and fall weather.
I’ve always been a creature of the night. Scorpio Rising.
But my favorite thing in the world is a nice big warm fire on a cold winter’s evening. Chalk that up to my Aries stellium.
My chart is mostly fire, the rest water, a little earth and only Pluto in Libra for air (sag sun/moon/merc/mars/neptune, pisces rising, venus uranus in scorp, saturn in virgo).
I do have Jupiter retrograde in Leo, in the 5th, squaring my venus and uranus, trining my sun and most of my sag planets. My moon is the only one in the tenth. I tend to be depressive in general, but more so in spring/summer than winter/fall. October through December is my favorite time of year, January and February are the months I wish I could totally eliminate. I grew up on the East Coast, which is pretty varied as far as weather goes, big difference between summer and winter, spring and fall are pretty short, but great, and now I’m in Seattle and it’s been some years, but it’s still a little weird. It’s been feeling fall-like just until the last week or so, and I don’t think it affects my mood so much. My moods are affected more by what’s internal than external, I’ve noticed.
I do like the idea of buying one of those lights. Whatever helps is worth it, and that’s a small price to pay for feeling better. This is a great post, thanks for it!! I wish I had read it last year.
I did forget to mention that water makes me extremely happy, mostly open bodies of water, the ocean, which I do not think I can live without. But I love lakes and rivers as well, the bathtub is nice, but restrictive and gets bo-ring, I can’t move!
I’ve got 3 planets in Leo and just tonight I panicked when I went outside and it was dark already at 7:30. I really like having at least 4 hours of sunset every night.
I’m desert-born, Michigan-raised, with Saturn in Leo and horrendous SAD. It doesn’t matter how happy I am with other aspects of my life, my mood plummets around November or December and stays that way until the sun comes out again. I’m seriously considering getting one of those lights this year, particularly since I’m going to be having a baby in October and might get hit with post-natal depression on top of the seasonal bit.
Well, I don’t have SAD — in fact, I would say I have the exact opposite. I live in Texas and I want to hibernate through the summer. I’m very fair-skinned and don’t enjoy sunburns or heat strokes. I crave cool rainy days and love fall and winter.
But then, I’m a Pisces with strong Scorpio, so I’m just looking for my watery world. (evil smiley emoticon here)
Mars and mercury in Leo. I NEED SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!
I think Cancer suns (which I am) need sunshine too! Or at least all the ones I have asked. I am otherwise not even the tiniest bit prone to depression, but I live in vermont where it can snow in april! Gad! I hate that. At a certain point after Feb. I actually feel that winter is trying to kill me. Can’t move for a number of reasons….. I may just buy one of those lights.
I live in the sunniest area of Vancouver Island at the southern tip. Novemeber, December and January are the worst, it doesn’t snow all that much but it rains. We get about half of the annual rainfall of Seattle, so it’s not too bad. However we have weeks and weeks where it is cloudy and the air is cold and damp. If you don’t move around a lot the moss starts to grow on your north side. It does start to get to you after awhile that is for sure.
Sun, Moon, Mars in Leo and, oddly enough, I prefer the shorter days. I also don’t like the heat up here (home), since it goes hand in hand with my arch-nemesis: Humidity. Grey and cloudy, please.
saturn in leo (conjunct pallas, aspecting a gazillion things.)
and i notice my mood improved dramatically when i started taking vitamin d. so maybe.
i also find the sunlight a mood uplifter….
The furthest north I lived got dark at 4:30. The sun didn’t officially rise until half past 8. I dealt with it, but when the sun came back, my mood definitely lifted. I moved a bit south after that winter! I’ve got nothing in Leo, but I’m a Cancer sun – omie, perhaps you’re onto something!
Leo Sun and Mars, with a lot of Virgo and Libra. I actually DON’T like the summer months that much, because I hate humidity.
My favorite time of the year is fall. It’s not too cold, not too hot, it’s dry and sunny most of the season where I live, and I go out a lot–pumpkin and apple picking, and looking at the fall foliage.
I don’t like winter, but as long as the sun is shining, I feel fine.
I definitely feel differently about this than I did a couple of years ago. So much so I visited a suntan booth last winter 3 times. It elevated my depression, that’s for sure.
I also have decided, very seriously, to orient my life around the ultimate goal: moving somewhere warm and sunny from November-May. I’m hoping it can happen in the next 20 years (I’m 31).
Saturn in Leo in aspect to nearly every planet in my chart except my Moon and Jupiter.
My Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Leo aspects most of my personal planets and last year about this time I got a “Happy Light”. Made a real difference in stabilizing my moods, especially during the gray inversion days mid-Winter.
I spent a winter at 60 degrees N (same as Anchorage, AK). Sun didn’t come up till 9-9:30AM, made a teeny arc scarcely clearing the horizon and it started getting dark around 3PM. HORRIBLE!!! This Libra decided she couldn’t live with extreme light & extreme dark cycles.
I like the sun so much that I used to just stare at it. I’ve since stopped because I think I was ruining my eyes, lmao. Looking at it always makes me smile and I like to call it Rama. Leo rising. However, I like cold weather (get to wear sweaters and stomp around in boots, which I do year ’round but still), rain puts me in a great mood, fall is my favorite weather, and this moon-pluto says that it enhances my “brood” factor, haha. That being said, I could have SAD because I usually suffer my worse bouts of depression during the winter.
Oh! and I have a tattoo of a sun symbol (see icon). How’s that for leo rising?
I have way too much fire in my chart that I guess it does affect me when there is so much gloomy weather going on.
Especially my Moon in Leo.
i have sun tatoo as well, alphaxys. it’s a yin-yang with sun flames on my leg. another leo rising. 🙂
nice! mine is an egyptian symbol called an aten.
I suffer from severe depression, I have all my life. It gets worse in the winter when there is less sunlight. I have one of those special lamps at home with a bulb that gives off sunlight-type light, which helps a little.
Going by my tropical natal chart there is no Leo in my chart, other than it being the sign on my 12th house cusp – although I do have 3 planets in Virgo that fall in that 12th house. If I use the sidereal zodiac, all those Virgo planets and my Virgo Ascendant move back into Leo.
Interesting thoughts though. I think that in general people need a certain amount of sunlight and many people suffer at least a bit in the winter, when the days are colder and darker. Most people I know experience some degree of lower mood and energy at that time, with or without Leo in their charts. But I could definitely see where Leonine people could be more sensitive.
I suffer from SAD. I also have a Sun tatoo (on my foot). No planets in Leo, just MC. Sun in 4th in Pisces.
It’s still sunny where I live, but days are shorter and soon rain will come, and snow too. 🙁
I don’t suffer from depression, I’m generally optimistic, but I need sun to feel alive, to be energetic and bright. During fall and winter I’m in kind of hibernation. auto pilot. There are times when there’s no sun for a month. Then I have a really hard time.
And artificial light doesn’t help.
maybe that’s why i came back to the desert. even when its freezing it’s sunny.
saturn.
Sun in Leo at nadir 10th house–I need Sun like the air I breathe. What light is this and where can I get one? Thank you. The thought in winter depresses me and I am even now getting depressed in advance!
Moni, just get a light specific for SAD. It is a high octane bulb… these lights are not cheap but I have had mine for 3 years (this will be the 4th) and have had no problem with it.
I also leave it on for hours per day and have not had to replace the bulb yet. I did hear the bulbs are cheap though ($10??) so the lamp is the expense.
So they are not cheap but also no expensive, less than a dinner our with drinks and will do you a lot more good.
The link above will take you to a search on Amazon. What I do is order the search by ‘most popular” because usually what sells good, is good. 🙂
I’m living in the one of the Northernmost countries of the World, and foreigners living here constantly tell how the whole population seems to change the mood according to the Season. Yet, talking to the people I feel I’m particularly affected by them. I pull through December – I’m blessed to have a family I love to spend the Christmas with – but January has been a terrible month for me. So, when I read about SAD the first time I immediately realized I’m affected.
Interestingly, I only have Saturn in Leo. And interestingly, people I know with a lot of Fire at their chart here aren’t that affected by the darkness. They may need more sleep, but don’t get moodier. Maybe it’s because they manage to “recharge” during the Summer months.
Elsa, thanks for all the good info. Will definitely get one of those SAAD lights, and tell all my friends. Why be SAAD when you can be GLAD! 🙂
I voted : I noticed but its tolerable.
I live in Cyprus and it is sunny all year long. Even if it’s raining, the sun will appear regulary.
I noticed a bit of a mood change, when I lived abroad for a couple of years. I used to look forward for the sun to come out, so I would run to the nearest park and just sit there.
I have Leo in my chart
Interesting topic. I’m a Leo asc. with a good Leo/Sun influence in my chart, but also a Cap Sun with a significant Saturn influence. I love the winter. I love winter clothes, sleeping under heavy blankets, warm drinks, soup, etc. 🙂
However, I do live in central California, and the winters are pretty mild here. It hardly gets lower than 50 degrees (F) on the coldest days. It snows once a decade. And I can tell you most definitely I do not like the snow.
I want to move away from here in a couple of years, and I do not want to move somewhere the winters are harder. I just don’t want to live anymore where the summer days get up to 100+ degrees. That’s too much sun.
I don’t think I suffer from SAD but I can definitely tell when the sun starts to get lower in the sky, as it does this time of year. It DOES affect my mood, used to more than in recent years but it still does. Makes me feel a bit down and I don’t like the feeling at all.
I live in the SAD capital of North America! I live in Vancouver, Canada and its very, very noticable in the dull, grey winter months. I live in North Vancouver, which is right up against the mountain so we get the worst of it. I remember January of 2007….it rained for 30 days straight! Seriously. Costco was sold out of their SAD lamps. That’s why we drink so much coffee here….we seriously need the stimulation. Well, that’s my theory, but I think its a good one. We definitely need sumthin’. I’m a double fire, and whilst I adore the fall, and the change of the seasons, and even winter for a little while, after a month or two of dull grey I’m about ready to kill myself. I’m very affected, but I’ve been lucky enough to find ways to increase my serotonin levels naturally, so that makes a big difference. Still, nothing compares to good ‘ol sunshine! I’m an Aries Sun and Mercury with a Leo rising, and come alive in the summer. The fall is my true favourite time of year really though.
I have some SAD. I never really notice it until the sun comes back. I don’t get depressed, but I am not my sunny happy self. I only realized it after I moved to the PNW and became sun deprived. Without even realizing it I always walk on the sunny side of the street too.
Elsa where did you get your light, can you get one on amazon?????
I have SAD, my only Leo planet is Mercury in Leo opposite Saturn. I suppose my depression isn’t helped by my Moon in Capricorn in the 8th, either. I’ve been wanting to get a light, although I may have to put it off another year.
Wow, theres a lot of people dealing with this. I had no idea, I thought I was just being an oddball again! I don’t have any leo at all but I do have my [naturally somber cap] sun on the ascendant, thats really interesting! I’ve been living in Florida for the past few years, after living my whole life in northern Jersey. I didnt’t realize just how much happier I was living there, just because of that fact.
I’m spending a few months with my family now, boy did I pick the wrong time of year! Im getting serious anxiety about this with each day growing colder, shorter, and darker. So thank you sincerely, so much for this post. Not only do I not feel like such depressed weirdo anymore, but I’m totally getting one of those lamps! =) Thank you thank you Elsa!
i’ve got a leo moon but i think for me it is the exact opposite.
i get depressed in the summer when the sun is bearing down and oppressive.
got red hair and freckles—i’ve the fire bit covered—don’t need anymore!
grew up in florida and was MISERABLE, settled in minnesota to escape for awhile.
I definitely get SAD in the winter, but over the past few years I’ve gotten pretty good at managing it by making it a point to see the sun every day. I never thought it could be tied to my Leo sun. Makes sense.
I’ve got Pluto in Leo like all my age group, but other than that I have no fire in my chart whatever. I’ve got Saturn in the first house opposing my sun in Capricorn – my chart is about 60% earth. I’m depressive in general and I suffer badly with SAD so it’s a pain being English!
All my best winters have been spent down in the Mediterranean – in Israel, Spain, S of France or Italy. Down there, though nights are cold and you get the odd storm, you never get more than a few grey days running, and there’s lots of sunshine over a short winter. I never get badly down when I’m in sunshine.
My suicide attempt was in February – go figure. By February, usually after a bad Xmas (I live alone and *hate* it) and an often ‘neglected’ birthday shortly after, I’m always at rock bottom. When the sun shines I love to be out there, soaking it up – I love high summer with endless days of sun, light clothes and easy living. the only good things about the cold season are winter food (Taurus Moon, ?Cancer Asc) and an open fire, which I love.
My bf who is Leo Sun with a Leo stellium is like a sunsoak – he’s fair with grey eyes, but only has to sit in the sun for half an hour to get a deep mature tan, and his hair has developed gold highlights! – it’s amazing to see. He loves the summer sun but doesn’t suffer from any kind of depression.
I don’t have anything actually in Leo, but my Sun has a lot of trines to it, is at the end of the 5th house, and my 5th has Leo on the cusp, so it’s like a Virgo Sun with Leo sprinkles.
I’ve been diagnosed with some pretty nasty SAD…it rolls around about mid-November and doesn’t leave till about April, and Christmas-time through February is the worst. I’m not a huge fan of the sun/summer though, I will hike in the shade all summer. I’ve been trying to spend more time outdoors during the winter, and it makes quite the difference, but it looks like I’m still going to need a lamp.
I also suffer from co-existent Bipolar Disorder II, and apparently bipolar disorder and SAD tend to go hand-in-hand. I have placements with aspects that seem more related to the potential for bipolar disorder, so I wonder how much those factor into the SAD…
Here’s my take on SAD: the closer to nakedness we are, the happier we become! More sunshine, more warmth = less clothing. 🙂
My mom has 4 planets in Leo- she “recharges” by laying in the Sun. She’s solar-powered.
I don’t think I have a single ounce of leo in my chart, and I’m perfectly fine with long winters and gloomy weather. 🙂
Yeah, I really noticed the change in sunshine between Texas and Virginia. There’s a lot more overcast days here, which means a lot less sunshine. So I finally got one of the lights and it certainly seems to help a lot.
max
[‘I really need a south-facing house though.’]
Leo Ascendant/Moon here – definitely need the sun. I try to get out and walk, bundled up, in the winter to get some light. I live in New England and we get a good amount of sunlight in the winter. My dad lives in Michigan and it is deadly gray out there when I’ve visited in winter months. I couldn’t stand living in the Pacific Northwest where it rains so much.
In tropical Koch/Equal I have saturn in leo and a scorpio stellium in my 5th house with a strong mars and according to DC tests a strong sun too.
In Sidereal- either method -astrology I have a leo moon.
I love being in the warmth and sunlight.I can’t stand the cold. My husband calls me solar powered. 🙂
During the winter or even if I’m just inside too much I tend to get edgy and depressed.
I forgot to mention my husband has a leo rising and leo moon with an Aries sun and his chart is dominated by Cardinal Fire with 4 retrograde planets. He gets S.A.D too.
He hates the cold and the snow,but he also tends to get too warm easily.
Re-SAD, Seasonal Affective Disroder,it is real, specially under Moon/Saturn or Moo/Pluto-Neptune, or Mercury/Saturn etc. in the winter months.
J
Im in the southern hemisphere & im not totally sure i get S.A.D. officially. I have pondered it fir a few years, BUT i am brutally affected by my house not absorbing the rays/energy flowing in. I am extremely affected by heat yet i need the North facing energy or light of the sun [re australia 😉 ] flowing into my house. Im a leo moon 2H. I get extremely effected by rental houses & the common theme these days to keep some heat out, so they build a brick wall shuts out the whole sun- particularly without a door, they put the door on the side so cant even flow the natural energy in through it.
I am a feng shui sensor even if my beain doesnt understand it. Im a radar. Also known to regularly move my furniture around, again likely a seasonal thing.
I feel like i should expose i have a libra sun & ic 4H stellium. Soo technically mine could be related to that. Because i actually despise the heat love cold weather, but must have the energy of the sun into my home.
WoW elsa. I just noticed ive just commented 10 years after the original post & comments. I hope those people are getting on okay now. Would be interesting to see if they have discovered new info by now. I wish you all weLLness {~*~}
Yeah, light quite last year and I bought the exact same light. That’s how happy I’ve been with it. 🙂
Ooh cooL. That sounds like a winning buY!
I have Leo Jupiter, and I get so down as soon as October arrives. Really don’t like the cold and dark. My partner, Leo rising and sun, gets on great with winter – in typical Leo style, he puts on a flashy coat and gets on with it.