Fortune Cookies
In ancient China, lions guarded the gates of temples and imperial palaces. Later, stone lions took their places at entrances in cities around the world. Time passes, and everything changes. It's hard now to say whom those stone lions are protecting bridges and parks from. Only their strength and courage, pride and majesty remain unchanged.
People born under Leo don't live for battle alone. They seek love and good fortune, too. Their talisman stones help: ruby, amber, garnet, carnelian, topaz, clear quartz, bloodstone, citrine, diamond, spinel, obsidian, and emerald.
Ruby
Ruby glass, ruby lasers, ruby-red Tuscan wine, the Schmidt–Rubin rifle. Even saying this stone's name seems to bring a surge of strength! People created glass tinted with gold and copper, weapons, and wine with this stone in mind—the stone called a "drop of dragon's blood."
Leo has a particular magnetism. This sign stands at the heart of the action, drawing everything inward. As with stories whose beginnings have been lost, no one knows whether ruby took Leo under its protection or Leo drew the stone close because it embodied their own nature.
True strength isn't all muscle, though. Ruby cultivates wisdom and fearlessness in Leo. It is a proud heart, standing guard over Leo's thoughts. Even the fiercest Lions feel like little cubs when bad dreams come. But in ruby's glow, with its promise of warmth and comfort, no nightmare can frighten them.
Amber
A lion lies among golden dunes beside a shore where the sea washes up amber, bright as the golden beast's eyes and the sand where wind erases great paw prints. Sand, lion, amber, and the Sun looking down on them seem to flow into one another. Leo and amber belong together.
This stone holds the energy of sun and sea. Amber restores Leo's strength and protects against the evil eye, washing away ill wishes as easily as water washes away dirt.
Garnet
A garnet bracelet appears in Kuprin's tale of a great love. He even describes it: a green uvarovite or grossular in the center, surrounded by five pyrites—all varieties of garnet. Kuprin surely knew this stone's power to awaken passion. Only strong people can handle garnet, and Leo is among them.
Leo is passionate about more than love. When pursuing a goal, this sign is steadfast and tireless. A garnet talisman strengthens and feeds those qualities, promising success in their endeavors.
Carnelian
Carnelian helps lovers and cools anger. Leo tries not to give in to anger, but pride and self-esteem run high—and an argument, like love, always involves two people.
Carnelian protects hot-tempered Leo from conflict and helps prevent misunderstandings. It has another useful gift: sharpening the senses. Touch becomes especially sensitive. By touching a conversation partner's hand, Leo can tell how that person feels about them.
Topaz
Topaz was once ranked second only to diamond, but second place doesn't suit Leo. This sign must come first! And all that brilliance ought to secure a fitting standard of living.
Topaz, incidentally, translates as "fire": Sanskrit named the mineral for its radiance. The stone passes that fiery brilliance on to Leo, chiefly through the wealth it helps them attain.
High status always attracts envy. Schemes are often hatched around Leo's proudly held head. Fortunately, the same topaz talisman that helps Leo grow wealthy can also protect against intrigue.
Clear Quartz
In seventeenth-century still lifes, every object carried meaning. Painters told stories of pleasure, wealth, love, futility, and pure intentions. A rose shedding its petals meant decline; a knife recalled the fragility of human life. But how could an artist show openness and purity of purpose? A cup of clear quartz spoke of honesty and transparent intentions.
As a symbol of sincerity and openness, clear quartz helps Leo in business negotiations, opening the hearts of conversation partners and associates.
Bloodstone
The Greek name heliotrope means "turning toward the sun." Anything connected with the Sun matters greatly to Leo. In one of Dresden's museums, wine cups made from bloodstone can be seen. The stone was used for church vessels as an expression of honesty and faith, but also for cheerful feasts.
Folk tradition connects this red-flecked stone with blood. Indeed, bloodstone can heal wounds and stop internal bleeding.
A bloodstone talisman helps Leo preserve health and longevity. It also protects against deceivers by helping Leo recognize ill intentions in advance.
Citrine
Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights must have been a Leo. A better storyteller is hard to find, especially since storytelling comes naturally to this sign—and people are strongest where they can use their abilities to the fullest.
Leo can turn the account of an everyday task into a captivating tale, winning listeners over and inspiring them to follow. Citrine is a patron of speakers. With it, persuading people and holding center stage come especially easily.
Diamond
Ambitious business owners often name their companies and associations "Diamond," taking a cue from the fictional Captain Vrungel's belief that the name you give a yacht determines how it sails.
If the physical properties of this remarkable stone could be translated into personality, Leo would share them. "Strength and brilliance!" is a motto any Leo would put on a shield. These qualities of a diamond talisman help Leo win.
Spinel
Spinel promises Leo happiness in love. More than any other sign, Leo needs a listener and an assistant, a comrade and an audience. Spinel helps them find just such a companion.
Obsidian
Obsidian stands guard over honor and won't allow its owner to act dishonorably. Living by a code of honor matters deeply to Leo. Unlike the speaker in Alexander Blok's poem, Leo never forgets "valor, great deeds, and glory." Leo wants to be the center of attention, and that spotlight exposes every questionable act. Obsidian protects this sign from gossip.
Emerald
A patron of poets and women in childbirth, emerald supports the original ideas Leo brings into the world—ideas promising both recognition and material reward. To borrow an image from Pushkin's fairy tale, these projects are nuts with "kernels of pure emerald."
Leo Stones at a Glance
- Ruby gives Leo wisdom, fearlessness, and hope.
- Amber restores strength, protects against the evil eye, and removes ill wishes.
- Garnet awakens passion and feeds persistence and tireless pursuit of a goal.
- Carnelian helps lovers, cools anger, guards against quarrels, prevents misunderstandings, and sharpens the senses.
- Topaz helps Leo attain wealth and protects against envy and malicious schemes.
- Clear quartz carries sincerity and openness into Leo's business negotiations.
- Bloodstone protects against deceivers and grants longevity.
- Citrine strengthens Leo's speaking abilities and helps them lead others.
- Diamond helps Leo win, lending strength and brilliance to their nature.
- Spinel grants happiness in love.
- Obsidian helps Leo distinguish good from evil.
- Emerald leads to success and prosperity.
The Best Stone Colors for Leo
Gold, Red, and Yellow
The Sun, the source of life, seeks to pass its strength to Leo through golden, red, yellow, and transparent stones.
- Red tourmaline awakens desire and a thirst for life, giving ordinary days a festive glow.
- Heliodor turns Leos into artists and poets, bringing inspiration even to everyday tasks.
- Opal gives Leo the warmth and support they need on the cold heights of thought.
- Onyx helps Leo understand a situation and adapt as circumstances change.
- Rhodonite helps Leo win people over.
Stones Leo Should Avoid
In the film Buratino, the crafty fox Alice and cat Basilio sing that there's no need for a knife to deal with a boaster: flatter him a little, and you can do whatever you like. Leo often finds just such a chorus nearby. Sensitive to praise and sometimes too trusting, this sign may come away merely disappointed in people—or face much more serious consequences. Keeping insincere people at a distance is the best way to avoid that.
Leo is easily hurt. Routine is unbearable; they always want a celebration, never silence. Boredom sets in when there is no chance to shine. Quiet and oblivion are disastrous for Leo, so certain talisman stones should be chosen with care.
Amethyst sobers Leo up after the thrill of victory. In effect, it takes away what matters most: the love of brilliance and fame.
Chrysoprase attracts false friends.
Turquoise points Leo toward victory in love and leads them onto the battlefield. But the victory will be quiet and unnoticed, the happiness quiet as well. Leo won't settle for that: it removes their reason for being—to announce themselves as loudly as possible.
Silver and Gold in Leo Jewelry
Silver
At night, when the Moon spills silver light, the Lion rests its noble head on powerful paws and listens to a ballad of great deeds and glory. It is a tribute to everything beautiful. Silver makes the pipes of organs and the trumpets of heralds. This metal helps Leo relax, gather strength again, and give others a reason to compose a ballad about them.
Gold
"Fortune favors the young and ardent," sings Nikolai Karachentsov as the marquis in The Dog in the Manger. Spanish noblemen adorned themselves lavishly with gold. It is the metal of strong, energetic people who always feel young. Leo chooses gold by the right of the strong, convinced that the very best is theirs to claim.
People are happy where their abilities are needed, where they meet the moment, where they feel as free as a lion stretching and sharpening its claws. So let those born under this sign shine and lead, earning the admiration they deserve.
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