Jesse, the rising of Sirius (known as the Dog Star) also heralds in the "dog days of summer" and portends stressful times. My mother died on the first day of the dog days and my Bruno as well, to the day five years hence. Dogs, my mother and the Dog Star are intertwined forever.
Thanks for sharing, as always. I've wanted to reply to your earlier post regarding the ocean as it's a place/theme/metaphor that has been prominent in my own work, but I'll leave that aside, suffice to say, your writings do inspire thought and I appreciate it.
Two thoughts immediately come to mind:
One, August 8th is Father's Day in Taiwan where I live, the number 8 being pronounced 'ba' and 8-8 being 'baba' or 'father'. I have a son, so he always makes a card for me at school when the holiday comes around. Every year he gets older feels like the closing of one period of his life giving way to another. I love him dearly and if I ever wanted to be a lion, it's for his sake. (His mother is already a lion! :^D)
Two, the idea of the Lion's Gate Portal brings to mind the image of door or temple gods that are prevalent throughout Asia. It might've been in a Joseph Campbell book that he described their fearsome aspect as terrifying to the uninitiated, but to those who are bold enough to cross the threshold, they become helpers providing spiritual support or even bestowing boons. It becomes symbolic of how we view and approach the challenges in our life, but seeking support (whether from lions, gods, or the people in our lives) is an essential first step to overcoming difficulties or working towards a goal.
Valuable thoughts to keep in mind! Thank you for giving me a reason to remember these things.
I have been having a good deal of anxiety and stress lately and couldn't figure out why, and the memory loops were so annoying, I really had to take myself to task for letting them spiral...now I know, the lion's gate! Goodness, it's been a little rough, hard to focus on my projects and wanting to lay low, sort of being protective of my spirit by being quiet. Yet I still made time to write, draw, and make things. I would go to the garden to harvest and weed every morning, keeping in mind next year's garden projects, my Fred is going to build a little studio/ garden shed for me in the old section of the lower garden that had become overgrown while I was very sick a few years ago. It seemed I had one thing after another for several years in a row, it was a very disheartening period of time. And then the years after my parents passed seemed to knock the wind out of me as well. I've finally been doing better since I retired in 2022. Anyway, some progress was made in spite of this weird spell during the Lion's Gate Portal time. Lion's have been part of my life in a symbolic way, I was born in Lyons, NY, and of course, our school mascot was the Lion. They are very noble cats, and I love that they will go sit in a cardboard box just like a regular house cat (If I fits, I sits!)
I spent most of the last day of the portal playing old time fiddle tunes on banjo or mandolin. For those not well versed in old time music jams, the players don't solo as they do in bluegrass or jazz, but everyone plays the melody over and over until whoever started the song decides it's over. As is often the case, most don't know the song (there are a lot of obscure tunes in this genre) so we pick it up as it goes along. I was feeling rather spacey, perhaps due to medication for poison ivy or tired after a busy weekend and just riding the music, finding and feeling the notes under my fingers. I didn't know about the portal but it seems like a perfect way to spend the day as it closed. Today is my birthday, so that seems a good day for new beginnings as one portal closes, another opens, yes?
Jesse, your writing reminds me so much of an old friend of mine. We used to work together in a clinic. He is a seeker and very generous with his light (and he helped so many). We are lucky to have people like you with us on this spinning ball!
August has been full of big changes here; some fast, some slow, some great, others not. The thermodynamics have made it difficult to manage my responsibilities because it’s been so hot for so long, I’m am salty and damp, crossing the liquid-gas boundary and converting into vapor.
This is a fascinating post that gives me so much to think about and to reflect on for the month of August thus far. My own brother’s passing day is Aug 2. On Aug 1 this month, a lifelong family friend passed away just 2 weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He was a lionhearted person in his own right. The imagery of the Lion’s Gate as well as the psychic function itself is profound and helps me understand these recent passages. Courage. Courage.:) Thank you so much.
Thank you Heidi so much for sharing these thoughts and about your brother and family friend, these individuals from your life. <3 What is your brother's name? And your friend's name, too? Thank you for what you said about the Lion's Gate as a 'psychic function to help understand recent passages,' this is profoundly stated and beautiful. Thank you, again. :) Much love.
I really can’t thank you enough for this post on the Lion’s Gate. Thank you, Jesse. My brother’s name is Michael. Our family friend is Jerry. May their memories always be for a blessing.
My Mom just died during this Lion's gate. I see now what an auspicious portal this was for her. She had so many maladies and as my Aunt, her sister said... She was so brave! Lionhearted in the face of downward spiraling intertwining illnesses. She always kept her ability to laugh together and shine like the holy halo of the lion hearted. 💛
This is so incredibly beautiful. Thank you for sharing about your Mom with us. What is her name? Sending you and your family so much love, and sending good energy to your Mom. She sounds so inspiring and magical. <3
Thank you so much dear Jesse! Our dear mother Lilian was born the 10. of August and, as Robin wrote here before me, she was so protective in a very positive and lovely way. When our dear husband / father Gino died at the age of 41 in 1973, she became, as a very delicate woman, very strong an so protective ❤️. And when I got Aids around 1985 she was so sweet and helpful and also with my dear younger brother Stefano that still lives together with me.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this info, Jesse. I had no idea! But a good friend of mine was born on 8/8/87 (missing quadruple 8 by just one year!), and she had been in a heightened state of anxiety and distress over the past couple of weeks. I experienced increased anxiety and restlessness during this period as well (uncontrollable obsessive thought loops and confusion). This just goes to show that there is so much going on at the cosmic level that we are unaware of, but we are all effected by it whether we are aware of the source or not.
I talked to my friend yesterday and she was feeling better - less anxious, and more focused. Phew! I'm feeling better now too. I'm glad we all made it through another Lion's Gate intact!
Also, I completely resonate with the words in your poem, especially these lines:
"I think I'm not equipped for the modern world
of those enforcing unholy procedure"
Unholy procedure is everywhere, but we don't have to let it in.
I'm gonna share your post with my friend so she knows there are other sensitive souls like hers (and mine) out there.
New to the magic of the Lion's Gate Portal. The last few weeks I have not been grounded, attributing it to overwhelm and the floral evidence of fall approaching. Goldenrods in full bloom and the start of asters. Queen Anne's Lace almost finished. Foxtail grass starting to show its seed heads. Am harvesting seed pods of milkweeds. Having a late Leo birthday makes it more significant for me. Peace and blessings to all.
Hi Jesse. Thank you for sharing your poem and wisdom of the Lion Portal. I knew nothing about it until yesterday, and now reading your words I understand why the last weeks were so difficult! But we made it. I think I will paint about it as well! Peace.
Thanks for sharing the poem. It’s beautiful. I also love those vintage Valentines cards. August always is the most stressful month for me. I always have to remember most of that stress is just the universal energy making me a stronger/wiser person. This is the fire season out here so awareness and preparation is key. So along with the constant unknown is also the magic of the stable- the scent of a thousand roses on a warm summer day, the belladonna reminding us that autumn will soon be here, the smile and sound of laughter, and the stillness of sunrise. A prayer for peace in the world. All lions sleep. All dreams manifest into compassion for all. Sending peaceful well wishes for the world and to you. 🌳🐝✌️
So wild, I have two photos of myself from August 8, one from 2021 and one from 2023, in bed with Covid, feeling just awful. It seems to be the time when I crash and burn - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, everything.
I always find myself wondering if I should prepare for the August “crash and burn” or just let it unleash its power and try and find new new ways to counteract its trickery. I suppose I do both but maybe days I lose track so your words od awareness are super helpful.
Yesss I think you're right, we succumb to the power and allow it all to happen,, to spotlight the rough patches and teach us the lessons we need to learn, even when they are difficult or painful, uncomfortable or strange feeling.
Robert, this message was so comforting and brought me such peace to read. It really calmed my nervous system in such a nice way. Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. I will save this and read it again and again whenever I need it. :) Sending the same peaceful well wishes to you, as well, always. <3
Thank you for this, Jesse. I have a strong connection to the Lion because my late brother was a Leo. I always think of lions as protective because he was so protective of me.
Thank you so much, Jesse. When you wrote the post on siblings for your brother’s birthday, I noted that your brother is a Leo too. My brother’s name was Andrew. With all my heart, I thank you for asking. You are so right: a brother is a good example of a protector. None better.
Jesse, the rising of Sirius (known as the Dog Star) also heralds in the "dog days of summer" and portends stressful times. My mother died on the first day of the dog days and my Bruno as well, to the day five years hence. Dogs, my mother and the Dog Star are intertwined forever.
Hi Jesse,
Thanks for sharing, as always. I've wanted to reply to your earlier post regarding the ocean as it's a place/theme/metaphor that has been prominent in my own work, but I'll leave that aside, suffice to say, your writings do inspire thought and I appreciate it.
Two thoughts immediately come to mind:
One, August 8th is Father's Day in Taiwan where I live, the number 8 being pronounced 'ba' and 8-8 being 'baba' or 'father'. I have a son, so he always makes a card for me at school when the holiday comes around. Every year he gets older feels like the closing of one period of his life giving way to another. I love him dearly and if I ever wanted to be a lion, it's for his sake. (His mother is already a lion! :^D)
Two, the idea of the Lion's Gate Portal brings to mind the image of door or temple gods that are prevalent throughout Asia. It might've been in a Joseph Campbell book that he described their fearsome aspect as terrifying to the uninitiated, but to those who are bold enough to cross the threshold, they become helpers providing spiritual support or even bestowing boons. It becomes symbolic of how we view and approach the challenges in our life, but seeking support (whether from lions, gods, or the people in our lives) is an essential first step to overcoming difficulties or working towards a goal.
Valuable thoughts to keep in mind! Thank you for giving me a reason to remember these things.
All the best!
I have been having a good deal of anxiety and stress lately and couldn't figure out why, and the memory loops were so annoying, I really had to take myself to task for letting them spiral...now I know, the lion's gate! Goodness, it's been a little rough, hard to focus on my projects and wanting to lay low, sort of being protective of my spirit by being quiet. Yet I still made time to write, draw, and make things. I would go to the garden to harvest and weed every morning, keeping in mind next year's garden projects, my Fred is going to build a little studio/ garden shed for me in the old section of the lower garden that had become overgrown while I was very sick a few years ago. It seemed I had one thing after another for several years in a row, it was a very disheartening period of time. And then the years after my parents passed seemed to knock the wind out of me as well. I've finally been doing better since I retired in 2022. Anyway, some progress was made in spite of this weird spell during the Lion's Gate Portal time. Lion's have been part of my life in a symbolic way, I was born in Lyons, NY, and of course, our school mascot was the Lion. They are very noble cats, and I love that they will go sit in a cardboard box just like a regular house cat (If I fits, I sits!)
Magic abounds. Even though the portal has closed, we just need to stay open and aware. Not
an easy ask, but surely a life affirming one. Thank you, Jessie. Your last 4 posts (including this one)
have been filled with energy, newly found or mined. Maybe the new workspace has it's own powers.
Well, they're your powers actually. Allow me to go back to Ocean and Rain for a moment - that
sound scape held its own special magic for me, as waves of sound conjured memories of summers
on the Outer Banks as a child. Who knows what's to come, but I have experienced a number of
emotional shifts over the past few weeks. Coming to terms maybe? Not sure - so I'm trying to
roll with it. Again, thank you for all the work you put into these posts, and their supportive nature -
that would be your supportive nature shining thru.
I love your poem it made me think of how the fear is almost no longer here ❤️
I spent most of the last day of the portal playing old time fiddle tunes on banjo or mandolin. For those not well versed in old time music jams, the players don't solo as they do in bluegrass or jazz, but everyone plays the melody over and over until whoever started the song decides it's over. As is often the case, most don't know the song (there are a lot of obscure tunes in this genre) so we pick it up as it goes along. I was feeling rather spacey, perhaps due to medication for poison ivy or tired after a busy weekend and just riding the music, finding and feeling the notes under my fingers. I didn't know about the portal but it seems like a perfect way to spend the day as it closed. Today is my birthday, so that seems a good day for new beginnings as one portal closes, another opens, yes?
Happy Birthday!
Jesse, your writing reminds me so much of an old friend of mine. We used to work together in a clinic. He is a seeker and very generous with his light (and he helped so many). We are lucky to have people like you with us on this spinning ball!
August has been full of big changes here; some fast, some slow, some great, others not. The thermodynamics have made it difficult to manage my responsibilities because it’s been so hot for so long, I’m am salty and damp, crossing the liquid-gas boundary and converting into vapor.
This is a fascinating post that gives me so much to think about and to reflect on for the month of August thus far. My own brother’s passing day is Aug 2. On Aug 1 this month, a lifelong family friend passed away just 2 weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He was a lionhearted person in his own right. The imagery of the Lion’s Gate as well as the psychic function itself is profound and helps me understand these recent passages. Courage. Courage.:) Thank you so much.
Thank you Heidi so much for sharing these thoughts and about your brother and family friend, these individuals from your life. <3 What is your brother's name? And your friend's name, too? Thank you for what you said about the Lion's Gate as a 'psychic function to help understand recent passages,' this is profoundly stated and beautiful. Thank you, again. :) Much love.
I really can’t thank you enough for this post on the Lion’s Gate. Thank you, Jesse. My brother’s name is Michael. Our family friend is Jerry. May their memories always be for a blessing.
My Mom just died during this Lion's gate. I see now what an auspicious portal this was for her. She had so many maladies and as my Aunt, her sister said... She was so brave! Lionhearted in the face of downward spiraling intertwining illnesses. She always kept her ability to laugh together and shine like the holy halo of the lion hearted. 💛
This is so incredibly beautiful. Thank you for sharing about your Mom with us. What is her name? Sending you and your family so much love, and sending good energy to your Mom. She sounds so inspiring and magical. <3
Hi Jesse,
Thankyou for your beautiful message, love and good energy to my Mom and me & family.. 💜 Her name is Judith. She always went by Judy. 💛
And thank you so much for the beautiful poem you shared with us Jesse.
🦁❤️🦁
Thank you so much dear Jesse! Our dear mother Lilian was born the 10. of August and, as Robin wrote here before me, she was so protective in a very positive and lovely way. When our dear husband / father Gino died at the age of 41 in 1973, she became, as a very delicate woman, very strong an so protective ❤️. And when I got Aids around 1985 she was so sweet and helpful and also with my dear younger brother Stefano that still lives together with me.
A big, strong and sweet hug 🤗 dear Jesse.
Luca 😊❤️🌸☮️🌸❤️🦢
Wow. Thanks for sharing this info, Jesse. I had no idea! But a good friend of mine was born on 8/8/87 (missing quadruple 8 by just one year!), and she had been in a heightened state of anxiety and distress over the past couple of weeks. I experienced increased anxiety and restlessness during this period as well (uncontrollable obsessive thought loops and confusion). This just goes to show that there is so much going on at the cosmic level that we are unaware of, but we are all effected by it whether we are aware of the source or not.
I talked to my friend yesterday and she was feeling better - less anxious, and more focused. Phew! I'm feeling better now too. I'm glad we all made it through another Lion's Gate intact!
Also, I completely resonate with the words in your poem, especially these lines:
"I think I'm not equipped for the modern world
of those enforcing unholy procedure"
Unholy procedure is everywhere, but we don't have to let it in.
I'm gonna share your post with my friend so she knows there are other sensitive souls like hers (and mine) out there.
New to the magic of the Lion's Gate Portal. The last few weeks I have not been grounded, attributing it to overwhelm and the floral evidence of fall approaching. Goldenrods in full bloom and the start of asters. Queen Anne's Lace almost finished. Foxtail grass starting to show its seed heads. Am harvesting seed pods of milkweeds. Having a late Leo birthday makes it more significant for me. Peace and blessings to all.
Hi Jesse. Thank you for sharing your poem and wisdom of the Lion Portal. I knew nothing about it until yesterday, and now reading your words I understand why the last weeks were so difficult! But we made it. I think I will paint about it as well! Peace.
I love this comment. It feels validating and empowering. We are all in this together!! <3 Thank you so very much.
Thanks for sharing the poem. It’s beautiful. I also love those vintage Valentines cards. August always is the most stressful month for me. I always have to remember most of that stress is just the universal energy making me a stronger/wiser person. This is the fire season out here so awareness and preparation is key. So along with the constant unknown is also the magic of the stable- the scent of a thousand roses on a warm summer day, the belladonna reminding us that autumn will soon be here, the smile and sound of laughter, and the stillness of sunrise. A prayer for peace in the world. All lions sleep. All dreams manifest into compassion for all. Sending peaceful well wishes for the world and to you. 🌳🐝✌️
So wild, I have two photos of myself from August 8, one from 2021 and one from 2023, in bed with Covid, feeling just awful. It seems to be the time when I crash and burn - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, everything.
I always find myself wondering if I should prepare for the August “crash and burn” or just let it unleash its power and try and find new new ways to counteract its trickery. I suppose I do both but maybe days I lose track so your words od awareness are super helpful.
Yesss I think you're right, we succumb to the power and allow it all to happen,, to spotlight the rough patches and teach us the lessons we need to learn, even when they are difficult or painful, uncomfortable or strange feeling.
Robert, this message was so comforting and brought me such peace to read. It really calmed my nervous system in such a nice way. Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. I will save this and read it again and again whenever I need it. :) Sending the same peaceful well wishes to you, as well, always. <3
Thank you for this, Jesse. I have a strong connection to the Lion because my late brother was a Leo. I always think of lions as protective because he was so protective of me.
Ohh this is so beautiful. What is your brother's name? My brother is a Leo, too. A brother is a good example of a competent protector.
Thank you so much, Jesse. When you wrote the post on siblings for your brother’s birthday, I noted that your brother is a Leo too. My brother’s name was Andrew. With all my heart, I thank you for asking. You are so right: a brother is a good example of a protector. None better.