Last week, everyone was talking about the Lion’s Gate portal opening of August 8th — 8/8. Eight is a powerful number in numerology. Also, this is when each year the fixed star, Sirius (honor, faithfulness, pride, wealth) lines up with the Sun (power, identity, choice, hmm—pride again). And, we happened to have a New Moon on that day in the sign of Leo the lion, making it particularly auspicious.
I have to admit, I tried to ignore the event.
At this point I’ve been through many bedazzled “consciousness shift” points. I’ve led rituals on mountains to celebrate them, and set alarms in the middle of the night to do world meditations to activate potent astrological events.
Despite trying to minimize the meaning of the 8/8 portal shift, I felt dizzy and ungrounded for a few days, and many individuals I know reported similar physical reactions. It was as if gravity didn’t exist. Definitely something potent and energetic was happening. Many reported they were extraordinarily tired, and then felt bursts of joyful energy as well.
I want to point out that fixed stars are an important part of Jyotish (Vedic astrology), and in that system, in which the sidereal zodiac is basically fixed to the stars, Sirius is in the sign of Cancer (everything is 23.5 degrees earlier). Sirius is part of the constellation Alpha Canis Majoris, and in that way of seeing and naming celestial bodies is a Dog Star, bright and powerful.
So we have the lion, the dog, and Cancer the crab somehow mixed in together in our portal-induced enlightenment stew.
I have a felt experience of the Lion’s Gate portal opening—and—I want to live each day to the best of my ability. I want to evolve and open every day, every breath. I do want to celebrate moments of energy shifts; I have no doubt we are in the midst of a radical change time. However, an energy shift isn’t meant to be like showing up for Easter church services while being a jerk the rest of the year. God/Goddess/All-That-Is notices the other 364 days.
Can we all settle down, just a bit, and live in the moment? The pandemic is teaching us to simplify and remember what truly matters.
I know now more than every our focus is on healing ourselves and the planet.
I wish that we might all hold a tender candle of compassion for the suffering in the midst of our Lion’s Gate dance. When I opened the New York Times this morning, I was struck by the continued exposure of government corruption, the painful fall of Kabul after twenty years of war, the fires burning outrageously, police killings of Black folk all over the world, and serious water shortages. I know the media focuses on the negative, but these painful events, the result of our human history of unconscious living, do exist.
How do we hold this expanded view of Lion’s Gate conscious awakening and recognize our shared humanity?
Yin and yang. There is always a balance of the all. We can aspire to 99% consciousness and 1% darkness, and know we are in a process.
As for our Enlightenment stew, we’re going to need the courage of a lion, the loyalty and perseverance of a dog, and trust the forward and backward motion of the crab.
We’ll get there, somewhere, with sustained vision and shared action. I believe focused vision on the positive will help us create a better world. I also know we need to take immediate and potent actions, and not deny the fact of many holding the vision of dystopia, greed and hatred, and they’re creating their world all around us too.
Here’s to a grounded view of Lion’s Gate and the manifestation of a healthy planet.
And, may we remember to enjoy each day of the journey.