Not Running Away, But Breaking Through: Venus in Leo – The Brave Enjoy the World First

“No one knows what it’s like to be unmarried at 45, so whatever I do can be their example.” If going to school, getting a job, marrying, and having children is a predetermined track, many women prefer to live outside this “order.”

Wang Xiaoli, 45 and single by choice; Su Min, 50 and traveling the world by car; Aunt Mai Zi, heading south after harvesting wheat; and Liu Xiaoyang, who told CCTV twenty years ago, “I’d rather be painful than numb.” In stories about “breaking away,” more and more women no longer want to be defined by others—they simply want to be themselves.

The innocent longing to explore the world, the excitement about unknown horizons—it’s all part of an awakening of self-worth. True heroism is the inner tsunami in a calm life, pushing us toward our authentic selves with overwhelming force.

Breaking Through, Not Running Away

In astrology, Venus is associated with our sense of self-worth and ability to love. As Venus transits into Leo, we explore the influence of this feminine planet to discuss why being yourself is the smallest unit of heroism.

On August 26 at 00:27, Venus entered Leo, forming a trine with Saturn and an opposition to Pluto. Venus relates to value, and its transit into a zodiac sign temporarily imbues us with that sign’s way of expressing value. For Leo, this means creativity, sincerity, courage, generosity, joy, and radiance.

During this transit, we feel our self-worth most strongly by bravely expressing our true selves. When we “perform” as someone else or diminish ourselves, we feel unhappy and unfulfilled. In other words, the universe is inviting, encouraging, and even rewarding us for unapologetically shining our unique light.

However, the Venus-Pluto opposition also suggests that we might chase external extravagance while neglecting our true self-worth, leading to a crisis of value. Our beliefs about worth will face intense challenges from deep within or from the outside. We may fiercely question, “Am I truly worthy?” or “Does what I have really hold value?”

Venus, the planet of love, beauty, value, and harmony, entering Leo is like an artist stepping onto the stage. No longer satisfied with understated elegance or playing a role to please others for superficial harmony, they demand the spotlight, flowers, and applause—a grand performance that is heartfelt and true to themselves.

This isn’t vanity; it’s a deep life force, a desire to say, “I am for myself.” Over twenty years ago, Liu Xiaoyang, a woman from rural Shaanxi, expressed this same desire when she told CCTV, “I’d rather be painful than numb.” She yearned for knowledge, to see a bigger world, and to break free from the plains’ windless, suffocating calm.

Her Venusian awakening came from imagining “another world,” and her self-worth sprouted as she painstakingly read her children’s textbooks between heavy farm work and chores. “In the countryside, you can use money to build a house, but not to buy books; you can play cards and chat, but not go to Xi’an. You can’t socialize, can’t be too flashy, too individual, too good, or too bad.”

After her CCTV interview made her famous, she worked in various places but eventually returned to the plains for her mother-in-law’s health. This wasn’t the runaway story people wanted—many were angered because she didn’t go far or enough. Yet, over twenty years later, Liu responded softly: “I don’t like the word ‘runaway.’ ‘Breaking through’ is personal, voluntary, and active. I broke through; I didn’t run away.”

Running away implies being forced out by a bad environment, while breaking through means actively something. Venus in Leo teaches us that while culture may support women “running away” and romanticize their stories, it’s a misconception to think a decisive departure solves all problems and brings a life.

The self-worth awakening sparked by Venus in Leo requires more than just leaving. “Running away” suggests the solution is external, while “breaking through” our internal war. We must realize that Venus’s “enemy” is within, not outside—the intangible walls of that self-worth must break. “Breaking outward” has its and goal internally, within the self.

This active choice itself completes the first step of “being yourself.” And heroes don’t only live in epics; often, they’re the ordinary people around us who silently choose to “break through.”

Walking Your Own Path at Your Own Pace

Venus in Leo brings to mind the Strength card in Tarot. The card depicts a gentle woman calming a lion, symbolizing our inner beast—passion, fear, and desire. She doesn’t use force but love and inner strength to make the “king of beasts” willingly submit.

Taming the lion of “numbness, mediocrity,” and “reality” with gentle inner, while transforming it into a force loyal to oneself—this is why being yourself is the smallest unit of heroism. True strength isn’t about eliminating instinct and fear but accepting, guiding, and fully expressing them with a heart full of love and compassion.

Venus in Leo calls us to bravely be ourselves, requiring us to mobilize all our inner strength to face external judgment, inner doubt, and ancient survival fears—since being ostracized in tribal times could mean death. But a lion destined to be king must choose loyalty to its heart.

Thus, one lesson of Venus in Leo is to find strength from within. Many asked Liu Xiaoyang if she regretted her “mild” return to the countryside years later, but she said, “Being avant-garde isn’t about smashing things; I have my own clear limits. Too radical means following others.”

The true avant-garde is. She knew her boundaries—what daily compromises were acceptable and what bottom lines were non-negotiable. Her “being herself” manifested in a stable core: not drifting with the tide nor being swept by extreme emotions.

Establishing self-boundaries is the second part of Venus in Leo’s lesson. When Leo can’t see itself, it craves an audience, needing external feedback to confirm its existence. This can create invisible barriers to selfhood when outside voices become too noisy.

During Venus in Leo, we too may crave attention and applause, which can confuse and distract us, making it hard to communicate directly with our unconscious or express ourselves—sometimes leading to accusations of being too self-centered. This is when we need to set our own boundaries.

As Liu Xiaoyang said, “I have my own clear limits. Too radical means following others. I go out when I want, I return home when I want.” All choices should come from our inner scale, not external noise. Like Leo’s core, be simple, direct, and trusting as the sun, yet defend your domain like a monarch.

Chasing Freedom Without Being Captive to It

Viewing Leo through the lens of the “child” archetype reveals deeper truths. The spirit of living in the moment is Leo’s essence: celebrating oneself, maintaining childlike innocence, naturalness, and freshness. Leo must learn to say “yes” to life—its path is as bright and straightforward as the sun.

Thus, it must remove all criticism, narrow-mindedness, fear, doubt, and anything hindering self-expression from its mind. Leo’s highest strategy is “play”—an uncontrolled, gushing imagination. Venus represents pleasure and beauty.

Take off the mask, allow yourself to be passionate, make mistakes, rejoice in small things, and say “yes!” to life without reservation. Venus in Leo is the universe’s courage boost, inviting us to transform “” into brighter, more creative self-expression.

Though some may question, Leo’s energy asks us to affirm who we are now. It demands we say to life at this moment: I love you! I celebrate you! Leo represents “self-development,” meaning it must accept and revel in itself.

Liu Xiaoyang did leave once, working away to seek “poetry and distant horizons.” But one day, she found two unknown flowers at the factory gate and asked passersby their names—no one knew. She realized: people are so busy chasing distant lands they don’t recognize flowers at their doorstep. What good is seeing fields of flowers afar if you don’t appreciate them at home?

Freedom isn’t about distant places but oneself and that innocent heart living in the present. She returned home, filled her yard with flowers she could name, cared for them well, and channeled her indescribable urge to be herself into writing. Though not published, her records brought joy—she learned to be with herself in the moment, playing with her inner child.

Chase freedom without being captive to it. This is what Venus in Leo expresses: even if the world says life isn’t just tracks but wilderness, listen to your inner child—is the wilderness more important, or you going there?

Leaving isn’t about escape but rediscovery. The end of heroism isn’t breaking from the world but preserving childlike innocence after navigating inner depths, rekindling love for life.

Conclusion

The Venus in Leo transit will pass, but the courage to “be yourself” can become a permanent life force. We may not all be stars center stage, but we can choose not to be pebbles smoothed by life. We can choose to actively,, even with a touch of romance, “grind” life.

May you, under the universe’s blessings, dare to be the smallest unit of hero—fighting for your inner value in every ordinary day, shining in your unique way. Because your light, however faint, is the most powerful breakthrough against a numb world and the sincerest celebration of life.