New Moon at the "Lion's Gate"

Happy new moon to you all! I’ve had several requests, lately, around my take on the “Lion’s Gate” from a sidereal perspective. From my point of view, there IS something to this very hyped-up time period. Many call this a “portal,” and, while I think this claim is, often, exaggerated and overused around celestial events, the Lion’s Gate seems to be a very charged time within my own experience of the energies. The following will be how I understand it (thus far in my studies) as it relates to the sky, and to this day of our new moon: 8-8,2021.

There is a clear astronomical connection to the dates including and surrounding 8-8 and its name of “Lion’s Gate.” In our current place in precessional history, around August 8th every year, the sun is leaving the constellation of Cancer and entering the constellation of Leo. From the system of True Sidereal Astrology which utilizes the stellar midpoints to delineate sign boundaries, the beginning of Leo usually falls on the 7th. Utilizing the constellational boundaries set by the International Astronomical Union, Leo begins on the 10th. Thus, the “gateway” spans several days, and, likely, beyond the ones I’ve mentioned here. The 8th is considered the climax of the energy. This Lion’s Gate is, particularly, interesting to me, as the new moon falls at this gateway and culminates with a full moon receiving the light of the Leo sun conjunct the Royal Star, Regulus. In addition, many other bodies will also be in Leo at this cycle’s inception, including Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Thus, this lunar month, the fiery cat energy of Leo reigns supreme.

Prior to the sun’s alignment with any major stars of Leo, it first aligns with the Alpha and Beta stars of Ursa Major—the Great Bear constellation, also known as the “Big Dipper.” At the time of the new moon, both the sun and moon will be aligned with the Alpha star—the star known as Dubhe. Dubhe (from an Arabic word meaning “bear”) is also known as “The Eye,” as well as “The Pointer.” The sun and moon will be applying to an alignment with the Beta star—Merak—known as the other “Pointer.” Both of these stars point the way towards our current pole star (akin to the concept of the “World Navel”)…Polaris in Ursa Minor (the Little Bear). Pointing the way to Polaris is like pointing the way towards the center of ourselves. The bears are the circumpolar guardians, either never setting (in the Northern Hemisphere) or never completely being seen (the Southern Hemisphere). They watch over us from the land of the immortals. These constellations reside pretty far North of the ecliptic (the natural direction of the Bear), and, thus, are perhaps more connected to the realm of the spirit.

I am reminded of comet Neowise, who graced our skies…possibly as an omen of things to come…back in 2020. Neowise was, predominantly, glimpsed beneath the stars of the Ursa Major—the goddess in her form as a bear. Just a memory I’'ll have to consider more…

Ursa Major, within Hindu cosmology, represents the Seven Rishis. There are seven major stars of Ursa Major, which greatly mirror the stars of the Seven Sisters—the Pleiades. The Seven Sisters are seen as the seven wives of the Rishis. Thus the masculine and feminine aspects of these wise beings are represented by the mirroring constellations of Ursa Major and the Pleiades. Within the ideas of Esoteric Astrology, both bears and the Pleiades form what is called the “Spiritual Triad,” and the brightest star in the sky (other than our sun)—Sirius—is an intermediary, linking the frequencies of this Spiritual Triad to us on Earth. The principal star of the Pleiades—Alcyone—is considered the “Central Sun.” Madame Blavatsky (acclaimed occultist and pioneer of theosophy) also wrote of this concept.

Thus, this is a specific connection to the Lion’s Gate with Sirius. Another important link to Sirius has to do with its heliacal rising. This is when a star rises just before the sun, returning to the sky after a period of invisibility. The rising star heralds the sunrise, and, thus, the stellar frequencies (and, in this case, that of Sirius) become infused into our solar awareness. Where as Alcyone is called the “Central Sun,” Sirius is often termed the “Spiritual Sun,” and the effects of Sirius can be witnessed through endless astrological case studies of influential events, people, and organizations. When something completely captivates the collective experience, you can expect Sirius to be configured to the chart somehow.

In the Northern Hemisphere (and I apologize for not yet knowing the specifics for the Southern Hemisphere), the heliacal rising of Sirius occurs throughout August, depending on your latitude. In Egypt, where Sirius has long been regarded as an essential star, the rising occurs, currently, around August 3rd. The date becomes later, progressively, as you ascend in latitude. In ancient Egypt, Sirius was the stellar goddess, Sopdet. Eventually, she became conflated with both Isis and Anubis. Like the jackal-headed Anubis, Sobdet was often depicted with the head of a dog. This star is called the “Dog Star” to this day, and the phrase “The Dog Days of Summer” refers to the hottest time of the year, when our Dog Star graces us with her presence.

The number eight also corresponds to the eighth Major Arcana card in the tarot (though this numerical assignment shifts to eleven in another prominent system of magick). This is the card known as “Strength,” and, most often, depicts a lion and a human interacting. The powerful, instinctual energies of the lion have been integrated into the human’s core sense of wholeness and strength. They are at peace with one another. The raw potency of this lion energy (when in balance) is a source of great creativity and personal authority.

This is the potential within this new lunar cycle at the Lion’s Gate. The full moon I alluded to earlier in this writing will occur on the 22nd. This is a master number within numerology, and the sun will be conjunct the heart of the lion—Royal Star, Regulus. I do want to note that these numbers are coming to us from the flawed system that is the Gregorian Calendar. I still believe these numbers have validity, but are, simultaneously, masking over other more wholistic time systems and “realities.” Regulus is known as the “Watcher of the North” and is the guardian of this cardinal direction, and is associated with the archangel Raphael. Regulus was known as the “King Star” in ancient Babylonia, and continues to be like the nucleus of Leo energy…the heart of the Great Lion. The full moon will be illuminated by the sun within the throne of Regulus, and will be conjunct our planetary king—magnanimous Jupiter. Thus, in terms of this Lion’s Gate having the potential to propel us further into our personal power is great…we shine with luster when we are aligned with our heart’s desire.

There ARE some major challenging aspects happening in the sky during this cycle. Ideally, these will not thwart us from shining forth our Leonine radiance, but some tests and obstacles are inevitable. The sun and moon will be square Uranus in Aries, and thus, there will be changes, disruptions, and fiery demands for liberation. Too, there could be innovations, as well as uprisings. The new moon will also be separating from an opposition to Saturn in Capricorn, and this Lord of sound structures, governmental systems, social responsibilities, AND personal integrity will inform the cycle. Likely, there will be significant friction within the collective, as the next exact squaring between Pluto (planet of power, death, transformation) and Eris (chaos, strife, acknowledgement of the shadow, catalyzer of revolutionary change) will perfect. As this moon is also on the cusp of the Cancer constellation, themes around home, family, emotional security, belonging, and nurturance will also be present.

Utilize this time for breaking through any patterns of conditioning which are preventing you from encompassing your authenticity. Become your own benevolent (the Jupiter piece) king or queen or nonbinary, non-hierarchical warrior-artist. As the heliacal rising of Sirius signified both the new year and the flooding of the Nile River—the source of life both both within the ancient world as well as today—step through the Lion’s Gate and into your next chapter of becoming.

*The image I created comes from the replica of the Great Gate of Ishtar, which is housed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. This is a replica of the 8th gate to the inner city of Babylon. The lion was associated with many ancient goddesses, including Ishtar, Inanna, Sybil, Sekmet, Durga, and more. Thus, I think it is important that we remember Leo as, intrinsically, connected to the goddess as well as with the mighty-maned “king of the jungle” we, typically, associate with these stars.