What’s so special about the Lion’s Gate or the Lion’s Gateway Portal and why, when & how did it become so celebrated?
Most Lightworkers and those on any sort of spiritual pathway have been connecting in with the ‘auspicious’ energies on the 8th of August (aka the 8/8 portal) for a few years now. Me being me, despite not being a lover of history, is still ever fascinated and intrigued as to the deeper meaning behind such things, particularly if there is some starry / cosmic relevance. So I set about trying to find out a bit more as to who came up with the idea and when, where and how it all came about.
Curiously I didn’t find much at all of any real ‘fact based’ historical (or even current) significance. There’s plenty of sites and posts about the ‘transformational energies’ and ‘alignment of the stars’ all informing us about what an incredible time this is to let go of all the things that hold us back so that we can come through the other side of this portal, vibrationally renewed and ready to manifest our dreams. But there’s nothing specific about when, how, where or why it became such a supposedly pivotal and awesomely imbued time.
There seems to be loads (probably hundreds if I researched further) of things called Lionsgate, Lion Gate or Lion’s Gate - such as bridges, ancient monuments and even businesses such as the Lionsgate film production company - so this title has been used for thousands of years and presumably for some good reason! Is it just because lions are understood to be strong, powerful and ‘fearsome’ beasts?
The earliest reference to any architectural Lion’s Gate I have found so far is to the Bronze Age Lion Gate built in Mycenae (Greece) around 1250 BC. Then in the mid 1500’s in Jerusalem it is said that Suleiman was motivated to include four lions in the decorative ‘arched portal’ of the Lion Gate, following a dream he’d had where he was devoured by wild beasts for not rebuilding the walls around the city. He subsequently set to rebuilding the walls and included the lions in the Lion Gate.
So, honouring lions in such architecture has been a thing for centuries, but what of the connection to the stars, sun or anything cosmic?
Everything I’ve read makes reference to the Lions Gate Portal ‘opening up’ around the end of July and ‘closing down’ around the second week of August with the ‘peak of energy flow’ being on the 8th August every year. Most will make reference to Sirius, Leo and Orion being in alignment with the Earth on the 8th August, which is what makes this date in particular so special and powerful. However, from the investigations I’ve made - which to be fair was not extensive and I would be really happy to hear from any astrological, astronomical and cosmic experts to shed more light on this - it would appear that this line up doesn't always happen on this date, but, it seems not to matter what is going on in the skies around this time. Maybe this is because many people attribute the vibration and symbolism of numerology to the date.
The significance of the number 8
The 8 in numerology is said to represent wealth, abundance, good fortune in business, never ending flow and manifestation of dreams and on its side it represents the infinity symbol. So, to many, the 8th day of the 8th month would seem an auspicious date. Writing this in 2022 the overall day vibration was actually 22 (8+8+2+0+2+2) - a great ‘master number’ in terms of numerology, which combined with the 8 is indeed a brilliant vibration for building foundations for awesome things to come. Seriously though, most people ‘missed’ that and focussed solely on it being an 8 day.
The links to the stars and Ancient Egypt
If we look to the stars; Leo is the Sun Sign for those born 23rd July - 22nd August and appears in the night sky as the constellation Leo Major which is of course represented by the Lion. Sirius is in the constellation Canis Major (big dog) and is known as the Dog Star. Both the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed Sirius to be the star that, with other stars, including those of the constellation Orion, brought the hottest weather because it shone the brightest and generated the most light and heat (along with the Sun). Maybe it is the brightness of these stars and constellations that make us feel like they are shining down on us at this time of year, and therefore bringing more metaphorical light to the planet for us to tap into. In Ancient Egypt it was believed that the rising of Sirius also linked with the rising of the River Nile which brought sustenance to the crops and thus also became a symbolic time of abundance. There are also many theories around the three Pyramids of Giza having been built to align with the three stars of Orion’s belt and whilst this may be the case as far as I can tell this alignment only happens every few thousand years. Then, amongst all this we have the building of the Sphinx!
Lion symbology
Whether you follow Ancient Greek or Ancient Egyptian mythology, one thing both agree on is that the Sphinx has the body of a lion! Some stories will say that the Sphinx was originally built entirely as a lion, but had a human head added many years after construction. The Egyptians believe this to be the head of Ra - the Sun God, who (like lion) was there to protect and oversee the kingdom. To this day the male lion in particular with his flowing mane is still thought of as a solar symbol and is connected with strength, sovereignty, power and courage.
Excerpts from the Conscious Creatures Oracle
White Lion says :-
“I share with you the mysteries of the universe and of tribal law. Be still. Be curious. Be creative. Be passionate. Honour the Sun. Honour your Ancestors. Reach for the stars and look up into the night sky often, for that is as much your home as mother Earth. Look deep into your soul and uncover the deepest wisdom and teachings. Never be afraid as I will always be there for you with my majesty, strength and love. I come to teach you about freedom. Be free. Roam free. Love free.
Without the Sun there would be no life as we know it and Lion shares with us what an important factor this is for us to consider. Lions are considered special and sacred gifts from the stars and there are many people who strive for their protection. A reminder that others will often be standing in your corner even though you might not realise it. Remember too to stand in your power and sovereignty as your presence alone can make a difference.
White Lion also has links to Giza and the pyramids and it’s quite possible that the Sphinx was created with a White Lion in mind. If Lion shows up for you it’s likely a pointer to remember your ancestors' wisdom and how deeply connected we are to All That Is”
In summary
All we know with any certainty is that lightworkers and spiritual practitioners have been honouring the 8/8 Lions Gate and tapping into its 'auspicious' energies for a few years now and will no doubt continue to do so for many moons and earth cycles to come. So does it really matter whether there is an actual underlying cosmic, multidimensional, numerological 'power' to the 8th August and the Lion’s Gate or not? Isn’t it okay for thousands of people to focus their positive intentions on their hopes, wishes and dreams? Isn’t it good for us all to attend events or meditate on letting go of limitations or things and people that no longer serve us in order to create a better version of ourselves? When we are at our best, we can assist others to be the same and ultimately this has to have a knock on effect on the overall well-being of the collective and the planet, surely?
So, despite there being no definitive answers to the where, when, why, how and who of the Lion’s Gate there is absolutely one thing for sure :-
We have the collective power to be strong, courageous and lion-hearted and we can create amazing things in this world - cosmic portals or not !!!
© Sharon Lynn 2022