This week I was influenced by the barrage of content on instagram surrounding the importance of the Lion’s Gate, and set aside my Saturday to follow intentional steps and energy in using what Is said to be a powerful astrological alignment for manifesting and inviting in abundance.
To be clear I am an equal opportunist when it comes to spirituality and faith, and astrology for me is like an additional member in my success advisory board, it lives right alongside my education, my training and experience, my therapist, my conscious leadership collaborators, friends and mentors. More on this later…
According to Astrology.com the Lion’s Gate is a modern spiritual-astrological concept tied to Leo season and the heliacal rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It occurs roughly between July 28 and August 12, with August 8 as the peak.
During this period, the Sun’s energy in Leo — symbolizing courage, leadership, and self-expression — is said to be amplified by Sirius, the “Spiritual Sun,” and the alignment with Orion’s Belt.
While the modern “Lion’s Gate Portal” term is recent, its roots trace back to ancient Egyptian astronomy, where Sirius’s rising was a sacred event marking the start of the Nile’s flood season, a time of fertility and divine renewal.
So who am I to argue with ancient wisdom from civilizations that that have walked this earth in 3150 BC. So this is my justification, which I don’t actually need- but here we are.
I made a list of 8 actions that I would do and a list of 5 actions to avoid, crowd sourced from the plethora of astrological content that once I clicked one, Instagram inundated me with for the entire week. I curated my own list of 8 items or actions of clearing, releasing, acknowledging and inviting. I was also interested in the 5 actions to avoid, a script of mindset preparation.
Saturday came- and the list was put into action.
Here is the list of 8 actions and the lessons I learned from each action.
8 Minute Meditation: I meditate daily and did this one at the end of the day. Meditation for me not only serves as a grounding but as an opening. I have a highly busy brain-which I am grateful for, but meditation helps me to slow it down to access more intentional, clear and careful energy to make decisions from. Lesson: Meditation is free, accessible and truly effective.
Donate or throw away 8 items: If you are like me, I like and prefer order, and take consistent action to maintain it. That said-I often have areas that could use more order that take last place in terms of prioritization. The act of identifying things that I no longer value, need or want to take up space always feels good- what I liked about this is that 8 is a small morsel that can be built on. Lesson: Keeping the number small and optionality highgave me freedom of choice allowing me to choose more swiftly. The stakes were lower which meant the action success was higher and faster.
Complete something that should have been completed a month or longer ago. For 6 weeks I have had three packages and two returns sitting in the packed, unsealed and ready to be sent stage. Getting these shipped felt amazing- again I really liked the direction and simplicity of choosing one thing to complete. Lesson: completion of tasks gives instant satisfaction. Clearing the space on the island where those packages had sat and even been moved around no less than 6 times. This one definitely supports the tiny habits philosophy by BJ Fogg. Incremental action is the sustainable way to change, grow and generate big results.
Chose a power word that you want to govern your mindset. The act of reaffirming that we are governed by our thoughts, and have control or choice over what those thoughts are is a great reminder. The month of July was a challenging one in our family for a multitude of life events- Lesson: having a moment to reset how we want to filter this world felt like capturing a glimpse of light and optimism.
On a piece of paper draw a big infinite sign -in the loops of side write what you want to receive and manifest. Outside of the infinite- write what you want to release. Lesson-tapping into our creativity allows for a flow of ideas and options. I call it creating an infinite board- and the act of using sharpies and a poster board was a playful creative way to breathe life into our desires. Neurologically speaking, the act of writing with a pen is shown to boost memory, engage the sensorimotor cortex and visual areas formed from each letter and deepen our focus.
Write down 8 things that you have in abundance right now. This one!!! Whenever you feel that you are out of solutions, ideas or resources-take a moment to write down and acknowledge what you have in abundance. If your fridge has food in it, if you have shelter, if you have a human or animal that loves you- you have abundance. Lesson: We lose sight of what resources we have when we focus only on what is missing.
Say the true good things about you outloud-This was a new one and felt a little uncomfortable( at first) I should mention here that my friend Jill and husband Greg also participated in this Lions Gate Day with me-and both are more internal than I am. We decided to share the true good things about ourselves outloud with each other, and the result was pure magic. What a delight to observe people I love claim and share with confidence the things that they feel good about themselves. Lesson: claiming what we are good at and sharing it audibly not only affirms it for ourselves(it allows our brain to register positive feedback) but also is a gift to those who love us. I love knowing more deeply the things they see as good in themselves because it also informs me on how to nourish those qualities with them.
Wash your front door inside and out. Empty a drawer and leave it empty. Ok this one seemed a little hokey- like I get the metaphors of the act of cleansing and leaving an empty drawer to receive, but admit to feeling a little suspect about it. but since I was committed to being open- I kept it on the list and completed it. Plot twist- I loved the action of cleaning my door- the physical action ofcourse felt great-but it was the symbolic action of preparation to recieve that felt amazing- similar to how I feel when I make my bed, or when I do a “mise en place” to prepare a meal. Lesson: The ritual of tending to the preparedness for what is to come is ceremonial and nourishing, it is a physical representation of an emotional wellbeing.
Overall, this was a day well spent. It combined productivity with creativity which fueled momentum and energy. It felt great knowing that others were doing it with me- that felt supportive in a collective way, (my sister jumped on board too.) We ended the day taking a field trip to a sunflower nature reserve where we relished some golden light amongst the symbolism of the Sunflowers that instinctively know how to turn to the light of the sun and also tilt their heads down when it is time rest.
I asked my husband how what his observations were about the day. He agreed that having a list of actions and trusting the list felt freeing and energizing. He also commented that the action of writing down and auditing where you actually are, what resources you have and where you would like to be shifts the paradigm of belief and capacity in your head, heart and body( I added that last part-but he did use the words “shifts the paradigm”). Final Lesson: Whatever fuels your belief in your capacity is worthwhile and deserves to be included in your toolbox. Taking a day a month to invest in auditing yourself and your life is a beneficial and worthwhile action- If you need astrology to be the excuse, don’t overthink it, trust what your guides are offering.
☀️ Sirius — the spiritual sun 🙌