The Psychology of Giving & Receiving – Using Astrology to Understand – Learning How to Say Thank You. A teaching in the heart, where the fiery worlds preside. Last Day of Leo – a learning – How to Accept Praise – Words (of Receiving) to Use with Graciousness. Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.

Notice – Words within the word Praise – Raise – Rays –
Something alchemical occurs with Praise.
How do we Receive Praise?

A Teaching – Friday, Venus’s day – August 21, 2026. It is our last full day of Leo Sun. Tomorrow, Saturday, in the evening, the Sun enters Virgo.

And so, one last thought on Leo which I want to write about on our last day of Leo.

A Story today.
We had a birthday party for a friend whom we hadn’t seen in almost 10 years. A friend gathered us together. We loved this friend. We had known her for almost 30 years. She left our group for reasons we never knew, then recently came back again.
The party was for her birthday.
In preparation for our gathering several of us spent days preparing, making a painting, learning a dance, writing poetry & letters & words all about her (a Leo).

Because we know astrology we knew what words, thoughts, ideas, etc. would be best.
Leos we know, need praise, encouragement, recognition, for their gifts & talents. That is how they grow & evolve.

And so…in our writings we read out loud, we told her how important she was to us, how we recognized her talents & gifts, noting all the gifts she brought to our group, how we missed her.

We noted her dancing, her questions, her thoughts, her artwork, etc. Everything we could say about her we said, telling her how good & important she was.
A beautiful painting was created for her about dancing – she loves to dance.
All of this was offered to her along with foods & drinks & a special dessert she requested. It was for us a coming together in joy after a long time of not seeing her. We loved her.
At the end of the party we all left feeling quite happy & joyful to be together.

Two days passed. And on the 2nd day we received an email from her. The words were subdued, rather generic – she wrote how wonderful to experience our combined energies – her noticing that we had all changed and she said thank you.

We read it over & over.
I think I was trying to find some strand or thread of authentic heart felt love or true receiving of what we had done – a real thank you, some real love in her words. I think there was an attempt on her part.
It was a restrained & tepid response to all that several of us had spent days creating to honor her.

And so I realized what I needed – a real response of love.
I realized perhaps there was a restraint or perhaps an inability to express a thank you from the heart – perhaps this was all she could summon.

However, my response was my heart began to hurt & I became sad. All the love given to her seems like it fell to the earth & was swept aside. An emptiness ensued.

And so my thoughts, after pondering & feeling this for days.
1. That Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.
2. On how to say thank you that meets what is given as praise.
3. On how to do this with love in our heart.

A Teaching Under Leo.
Everyone of us has Leo in our astrology chart.
We can find the area of life Leo is in our charts & apply this teaching to our lives – how to say thank you with heartfelt love.

How to say Thank you with Presence & Authenticity.
Not shying away from praise but really receiving it.
Realizing, praise is an offering & a gift – an alchemy actually.
And how to respond to praise with love, presence and w/ authenticity.
How to receive from others (their gifts of praise).
How to be Gracious.
How to honor what is given. How to respond.

Praise given & received creates an alchemical response in the bodies of the giver & the receiver.
A Vesica Piscus, actually – between two the heart is revealed.
The Heart of the Matter (Leo).

About Leo – the sign of Leo on the last day of Leo.
When in the presence of Leo –
Working with the energies of Leo is not only about offering them praise & recognition. That is one side of the coin.
It is also about Leo themselves offering love & gratitude in return.

In my teachings about Leo I have emphasized what to GIVE & OFFER to Leo & why.
However, I realized there is another side to the teaching of Leo that I haven’t emphasized. And that is most important too.
It is for Leo – What Leo must learn when given to.
They must learn to offer gratitude & praise from the heart in return. An equality must occur. Or the praise falls flat.

Leos must learn to shift from being the personality focused dictator (functioning in the kama-manas, emotions/lower brain)
to living in and speaking from the heart.

Leo is the Light of the Soul
Offering recognition & praise to Leo helps this along (somewhat). However, Leo must also step forward & become the loving presence that the Light of the Soul proffers.
Because under Leo, the personality (benevolent dictator) slowly begins to offer itself to the Soul (which is Love, the heart of the matter).

And so, we had a discussion in our group about this.
And these are the notes – how to offer thank you when praised.
What words to use & why?

Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.

Notice in the world when saying thank you to a waiter or server – they respond with “NO PROBLEM!!!”
WHAT IS THAT RESPONSE?
How do we feel when we hear those words?
The response (No Problem) falls flat – they are not receiving the gratitude we are offering them – they are not trained to receive or to use the right words that create a line of light, heart to heart between two people.

We Too Need Training.
And so, we, as disciples, need to learn how to receive & how to use the right words when praised.
When being praised – looking into the other’s eyes, if present.
Or visualizing heart to heart – we say (from our heart to their heart) –
1. “Thank you for serving me/us.” (in the world to a waiter, server).
2. “Thank you for noticing” (when praised & recognized) –
3. “It has been my pleasure,” when we are thanked for something we have done.

Leo & Praise go together.
Both are #5 (the mental level, building an electrical bridge, positive/receptive between the two involved). The mind is what connects the lower w/ the higher.

Within the word Praise.
Praise has Raise & Rays in the word itself.
Raising everyone involved up to the level of the Soul.
Praise – the Art of Relating, Right Relationship. Giving & receiving equally. Creating harmony – Ray 4.

PRAISE – recognizing the goodness, gifts, abilities & beauty in others.
What we recognize is what is already within ourselves.
We cannot recognize in others what is not already within ourselves. We may not be aware of this within ourselves.
But the first level of recognition within ourselves is seeing it out in the world first.

Electrical Energy
With praise, an electrical energy is being offered.
From the heart.
We as disciples gladly receive & recognize this praise.
Disciples – being receptive to the ideas & gifts of God in order to manifest the Plan.
We begin with recognition & reception of one another.
With the use of the Right Words – The Word – Let There Be Light.
Heart to heart.

No Deflecting – Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.
We must allow the giving & receiving to be equal.
We must not deflect the praise or thankfulness when given.
When we deflect what is given (praise, recognition, gratitude), the other (the giver) feels it, they feel & know their words are not received. The heart felt energy falls flat on the ground.
It is a loss of an alchemical process called Goodwill & Right Relations.
We all need to learn how to receive praise & gratitude as a gift.
And receive that gift with graciousness.
Leo, the heart of the matter. Fiery Worlds of Praise.
love, Risa