Wow, I really am a Leo.

I found this online after a conversation with a fellow feline.

The Lion is considered the king of the jungle, and likewise you Leos have an air of royalty about you. Some Leos even have hair resembling the thick mane of the Lion. But Lions are more than roar, for they are truly magnificent beasts. The Lioness proudly cares for the young, hunts and takes care of survival with relentless intent and ferocity, when needed. And proud are you Leo! Perhaps that's why Leo often chooses work that puts you in the center of stage or in the spotlight of appreciation.

Leos are warm of spirit, eager for action and are driven by a desire to be loved for what you bring to others. Leos are magnanimous leaders and faithful servants. Once scorned in love, however, Leo will withdraw your affections and the light, once brilliant, can go cold.

The Leo motto might be "What you see is what you get." You tend to live your live straightforwardly and with a flair for drama. In fact, many Leos are attracted to the theater, the performing arts and public relations, for you truly understand the importance of putting on a good presentation. As you blaze gloriously through your life, remember to take time to acknowledge the feelings of those around you. If you forget, you could unconsciously hurt someone you love. But, if you remain aware your impact, others can benefit from your presence.

http://horoscopes.aol.com/astrology/zodiac-central/leo


Yep, with a few non-noteworthy exceptions, that pretty much describes me. Faithful, enthusiastic and passionate but cold as ice once burned. I didn’t choose to be this way, but over time I have come to accept it. It has served me, if not well, then at least adequately in my life. And at least it is the one consistent thing about me.
Anyway, I blab and blab... My point is as follows:

As thick as my mane might be, I am a scardy-cat in one notably significant area of my life. I am DEATHLY AFRAID of
S N A K E S! See, even to type the word I have to space it out and move a-w-a-y from the keyboard. I also have to move the ponytail on the back of my head away from my neck to speak of these creatures so that I don’t freak myself out. Let’s let good ol’ Wiki describe them for you and tell me this isn’t creepy…

Snakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales.

Come on, their description alone is less than flattering and most certainly not healthy for my dreamscape.
Anyway, on to my point.

I am planning a trip to Costa Rica next month and the snake issue has plagued me. I mean PLAGUED me to the point of nightmares. This is really silly, I know. I have braved skin grafts and amputations, yet the thought of some teensy, weensy poisonous viper haunts me. I have told myself, “Get over it.” I have watched videos of snakes. I have read about them to reassure myself that they are really more afraid of me than I am of them (thanks to the Aussie who told me about the Brown Snake, you so DON’T rock, dude). Fear and loathing of these often harmless creatures is not healthy, and all this as the KING of the JUNGLE (a truer Leo there never was). I should damn well know better than to be intimidated by some silly reptile! Finally, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Pictures to follow, but on Saturday night I cuddled with an 8 foot Boa Constrictor. When I say cuddled, I mean it. I put the muscle-bound menace named Berlin around my vulnerable neck, cradled her butt (is there such a thing as a snake butt?) and let her wind her articulated neck (?) and head around my arms. I sat dead still while trying to relax my body. My line of thinking was, if dogs can tell when you are scared, why not snakes? As my body relaxed, so did hers. I let her wind herself around me, and back up and over again. As she started to feel my warmth, she obviously breathed a hiss of relief. Her tongue licking the air, she wound herself around me and just chilled out. If you have the fears I have, I know you will find this hard to believe. As the snake relaxed, so did I. The tension she was exerting around my neck dissipated. If she were a human, I would say she just reclined and got comfy. An hour later, I lifted her heavy, drowsy body from mine and mentally placed a check mark next to snakes on my ‘biggest fear’ list. Costa Rica, here I come!

One might ask, “How does all this related to being a Leo?” Well, for starters I have difficulty being conquered by anything. This is a decidedly leonine trait. While many others might share this trait, it often defines Leos. It might be considered a weakness or strength, but it is what it is. In addition, the reason this snake was available to me is that it lives with my good friend and fellow Leo who adopted it, with the sole purpose of overcoming her fear of snakes. She says this is a Leo thing, and I will take her word for it. I wouldn’t want her to sic her snake on me if I disagreed!

And when all else fails I will re-watch this video and remind myself that we are born open and trusting and that we learn our fears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oh0v_DHFrw