Here's a card spread for any astrologically and metaphysically minded readers that are looking for inspiration during the Lion's Gate Portal opening. The Lion’s Gate Portal is said to be open between July 28th and August 12th and is observed when the star Sirius aligns with the Sun in Leo. Some will say that the strongest time to feel the transformative and cosmic energy of the Lion’s Gate is on 8/8, but pay attention to your dreams and feelings during this entire annual period: some people say that they feel drained, extra sensitive, and/or extra intuitive during this time. It may be different from you - you may feel joy, eagerness, crankiness, or nothing at all. Take daily notes between 7/28 and 8/12 that plot out your moods, experiences, and what you are most inspired by in the moment. You can do even do this every year, making it a useful tool to uncover repeating moods and patterns during this period.
Each card represents symbolism or themes of the Lion’s Gate Portal — a time between 7/28 and 8/12 that honors the star Sirius aligning with the Sun in Leo. This is believed to be a powerful time for spiritual growth, personal transformation, and dream manifestation. Here’s a breakdown of the “why” behind the symbols and themes used in this spread:
The Numerology of 8: The numerology of 8 plays a big role in the Lion’s Gate Portal, and it is thought by some that the most powerful day to work with the Lion’s Gate lands on 8/8. The number 8 represents being focused, driven, and empowerment. Because 8 bears the shape of the lemniscate (infinity sign), many consider the 8 to represent cycles and balance between the material and spiritual worlds. In this sense the numerology of 8 allows us to review our goals and determine what is valuable to focus on right now for both our physical and spiritual wellness.
Astrology of Leo: The Lion’s Gate occurs during Leo season, giving the event its namesake. Leo’s energy is bold, determined, confident, and ambitious. Leo season allows us to express ourselves with confidence. Leo is all about being confident, creative, and outgoing. In this sense the astrology of Leo offers us ways to awaken our ambitions, follow our passionate callings, and express ourselves with confidence.
Personal Evolution: The Lion’s Gate season is said to be a time of personal evolution. Sometimes I think “personal evolution” is a cool way of saying “doing some intense work to overcome challenges, heal, and move forward for something better.” This time can allow significant changes to take hold in your life, perhaps giving you a space safe to “do the work” and lean into your emotions.
Manifestation Magic: This is considered to be a beneficial time for manifesting great things in your life. When looking forward, and seeing a prosperous outcome from a goal or plan, set your sights high. During the Lion’s Gate Portal there is no need to think small or put limitations on what you can bring into your reality.
Star Sirius: Sirius is the brightest star in our sky and is one of the stars in the constellation Canis Major. For the Ancient Egyptians, the rising of Sirius in the early morning skies in summer marked the flooding of the Nile and the replenishment of nutrients to crops: this was the marking of a new cycle of life. Modern-day spiritual practitioners associate Sirius with knowledge, ancient wisdom, and for some, a link to highly intelligent life beyond our planet.
DNA Activation: DNA Activation is another modern and metaphysical belief that suggests there are aspects of our DNA that lie dormant, derived from scientific studies that nonencoding proteins DNA called “Junk DNA” are inactive, and can be activated to support in healing. (Note: Please feel free to keep me honest, I’m an awful science student.) Some metaphysical and spiritual students believe that activating DNA can help heal the body and awaken extra-sensory abilities. Different techniques for DNA activation include mediation, listening to 528HZ frequencies, and positive visualization exercises. Whether this is something you hold true to your heart or not, it is still a valuable astrological time for self-improvement and healing. There is never any harm in meditation and chilling out to the sound of singing crystal bowls.
Akashic Records: Akashic Records are kind of like the Master Repository of the Universe, being a sort of spiritual log of everything that has ever happened in the universe. There are many who believe individuals can tap into this collection of records, and in doing so, gain deeper understanding of events that happened in this life and even in past lives. Therefore, working within the Akashic Records, we are said to heal our past wounds, better understand life lessons, and even realize our soul’s mission and desires.
Portal Opening: In a spiritual or esoteric sense, a portal can be seen as a gateway between two worlds or two realities. A portal can shift us out of our third dimensional experience into something Otherworldly, supernatural, and/or cosmic. For some, the portal can feel like a special place in our world that acts like a gate for spiritual experiences (think of the carved door Aramu Muru near Lake Titicaca). And, much like the Lion’s Gate, the portal can be something that resides in the spiritual world; a mystical space that we access through magic, astrology, spirituality, astral projection, and so on. By walking through the portal we allow ourselves the opportunity to access information on a psychic level, to make both deeper and wider observations of the universe, and to open our hearts up to potential within ourselves and with magic.