The Truth about the Lion's Gate Portal {A syncretic, multicultural & interdisciplinary perspective}
I’m spiritual, but also non-denominational - what I practice is closer to the face value of the word Gnosis or a Noetic- a person who seeks truth & knowledge through experience and thinking. I’m always careful of using that word because I’m not a Christian Gnostic nor part of any organized religion. Because I grew up across continents, cultures and religious traditions, I’ve always agreed with a piece of this, or a part of that, but going to a house of worship, it was always like it feels nice at first, like listening to a nice song that you are enjoying, but someone was singing slightly off-key. Does this analogy make sense? I hope so! If you are here & into this topic, please do me a favor and hit that like button and stick around by subscribing, or sharing it with your friend, as that really helps with the algorithm! Thank you!
I’m Liz the host of Athena’s Garden, welcome to my channel where I discuss topics relating to and the intersectionality between Spirituality, Science and Creativity. In this video, I’m discussing the joys of having all the information available at our fingertips, and how I decide what to believe, what to follow, and what to practice and why, while keeping the topic relevant to the time this video is released! As the title states, I am syncretizing a complex topic by touching on events happening this season. It has come to my attention that there are various videos and social media posts calling-out the Lion’s Gate Portal as a new age invention, a fake and made-up event, and that it actually doesn’t align with Sirius, Orion’s Belt, and the Earth and the Sun. Actually I’ve wondered about this myself because I thought the Lion’s Gate was a Sirius alignment thing, so whenever I saw Orion’s belt in the mix, I was like Hmm.
What I extrapolated from these various sources, the contest is related to 3 main things: 1) Precession of the Equinox and 2) The inaccuracies caused by our current calendar - the Gregorian Calendar and the misalignment between this and other older calendar systems. And 3) Diversity in Spiritual traditions.
I am no astrologer or astronomer, and honestly, my ADHD shuts down in boredom slightly where there’s detailed math & science involved - shhh…don’t tell and don’t judge me! But in sum, Greek Astronomer Hipparchus noticed that the stars were not in the same position from where they were previously charted in Babylonian times, and he concluded that it was not the stars that were moving, but rather, Earth, does this cyclic wobbling as the Earth Axis rotates; it is caused by the gravitational influence of the Sun & Moon on the Earth’s equator. It is not a very obvious or perceivable rotation, because each rotation cycle takes approximately 25,772 years (Or a rate of 1 degree every 72 years!) I first learned this fact that our North Star used to be Vega (in the Lyran Constellation, where my soul originates from, by the way. Can you tell I’m Lyran?). And now our North Star is Polaris - it will become Vega again in about 12000 years or so. I learned about this via Graham Hancock when he was talking about the Giza Strip lining up with Leo and why the Sphinx was a lion and later Robert Edward Grant also discussed the mathematics in his talks. The point is, it was in alignment in the past, during the Age of Leo, as we are now approximately at the end of the Age of Pisces going toward the Age of Aquarius, what was in alignment at the time the Pyramids were built, is no longer in alignment today. And to me this clearly applies to The Lion’s Gate Portal.
My second point is related to the Gregorian Calendar. I’ve linked a very interesting podcast about The Calendar on 99% invisible and how we decided on this one - it’s worth a listen after you finish my video of course. Certain holidays or special days now have inaccuracies due to the conversion into the Gregorian Calendar that we use now. I have a perfect example there’s a major Chinese cultural day called 七夕, QiXi in Chinese, that is observed on July 7th of the Lunar Calendar - this means each year it’s on a different date in the Gregorian calendar. It was known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, I won’t go into the whole legend, but it’s basically it’s the Romeo & Juliet story of literal Star Crossed Lovers, separated by the river which is the Milky Way, and only on July 7th these two star-crossed lovers can reunite with each other, when the stars Altair in the Aquilas Constellation and Vegas in the Lyra Constellation align. This holiday was spread across Asia over the centuries, and when I moved here to Japan 2 years ago, I learned that in Japan they celebrate Tanabata, the same holiday 七夕also known as The Festival of the Stars 星祭り (Hoshi Matsuri) but on July 7th of the Gregorian Calendar, my reaction was like What? You mean you celebrate it on a date where Altair and Vegas may not even meet or align with each other in the sky? How does that make sense? They wanted to adopt a Chinese Holiday, but remove the roots of the holiday and make it their own by celebrating it on the Gregorian Calendar when the stars aren’t even there? So I can relate to the astrologers calling this out - like Lion’s Gate what portal? Which stars are aligning with what? No it doesn’t line up. What is this fake holiday? Which brings me to ALL the calendars people used before we had to use this standardized one in 1582: Vedic, Sumerian, Babylonian, Mayans, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese Lunar Calendar and the Pagan and Norse calendars - these calendars existed and made sense to the culture who used it, especially if you are a person whose livelihood depends on the seasons, or if you are sensitive to energetic shifts that are caused by the moon and other planetary positionings, or if you are an alchemist, magician or practice any spiritual or religious traditions which requires items from special seasons, star and planet positioning for it to work. Because of mercantilism then, and globalization now, a standard calendar system was needed Look if the moon’s proximity to Earth can affect the tide and the whole ecosystem in the water, surely it affects us in some wayl. Following this thread, you can see how perhaps wherever the Lion’s Gate concept may originate from, it is most likely, no longer in alignment to a date by the Gregorian Standardized Calendar, outside of the 8/8 numerological significance and the reference to the Leo constellation. So yes! I can see how random it seems & I am in agreement about that based on this! But it doesn’t take away the cultural significance the archetype or symbolism has on our collective consciousness, which brings me to my next point.
My third point is regarding Diversity in Spiritual Practices and Spiritual Traditions. Nothing exists in a vacuum - Christianity adopted and incorporated many traditions from Pagans and Judaism, when Buddhism made it to Japan, they incorporated the local Shintoism and created a separate branch of Buddhism. So what makes the Lion Gate any different? My perspective is that once it made it to the Internet and social and the collective consciousness, we as a collective have decided and assigned meaning to this date and portal, therefore, we created it and it co-exists with us. Our reality is our agreed-upon reality - If I was good at finding meme clips, this is where I insert Neo trying to bend the spoon in the original Matrix movie. French sociologist Emile Durkheim coined the term Collective Effervesence when he studied community and groups. When society or community comes together and simultaneously share the same thought and participate in the same action, collective effervescence is created - he used the word effervescence which means that fizzy, excitement bubbling up like in a carbonated drink, it also means vivacious or lively, to describe what happens - and collective effervescence is used to unify a group, and bond us together. Durkheim’s whole thing is about what bonds a group together, what holds us together as a society. There is a functional element to any event that causes collective effervescence - in hunter/gatherer societies, it was coming around in a circle by the fire. Now in 2024, it’s The Olympics, Taylor Swift Concerts, The Elections, The announcemen of the latest Iphone. And apparently, the Lion’s Gate Portal. What I’m trying to say is - if we as a collective agree that 08/08 is a special day great for manifestation, promoting Unity Consciousness, honoring the Sirius star system, so what if it’s created by a group of people? Because hello - so is everything single thing in this world! One person or a group of people got together, imagined it from their thoughts, to made plans and executed it, and brought it into reality.
I compare my experience with The Lion’s Gate, to The Ghost Month, which is Lunar July in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. I’ve never felt good during this time of the year - by the way, Lunar July this year is So that Qixi Chinese Valentines Day, was on 08/10 this year, a whole month later than when Japan celebrates it. If by chance it’s supposed to be 08/08 of the Lunar Calendar, then Lion’s Gate would be on 08/11 this year. But I digress. Growing up, I would feel a great deal of anxiety, sleeplessness in the summertime, leading up to when school starts. Before moving back to Taiwan in high school, I thought - surely - it’s because I am anxious about going back to school or starting a new school, since I moved alot, remember. Or I can’t sleep because it’s summer, it’s hot and the sun rises earlier, I’m nauseous and tired because it’s too hot. But why can’t I fall asleep at night either with AC. I thought - surely this is anxiety and insomnia.
So is it related to The Ghost Month? Which, in Buddho-Daoist and Taiwan cultural practices, it’s the month when the Gates of Hell opens, and Ghosts are allowed to come to Earth to visit family, or if their family is long gone, go on vacation. So not only are Ghosts go on Vacation, Gods and Angels go on vacation too. If you think about it, it makes sense - if we need vacation, and if the Gods created us in Their image, then if we need vacation so do they right? In Taiwan, we avoid major decisions like Surgeries, Signing Contracts, getting married, moving to a new place, going out late at night, going to the Mountains and Oceans, because an angry ghost may want to trade places with you and take your life. But also if something happens to you, the Gods and Angels are on vacation, so they can’t help you either! Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the idea is to be respectful of spirits that has passed on, and both Buddhist and Daoist temples perform rites and rituals to assist and honor those who have passed. Growing up, I just had a respectful attitude towards ghost and spirits. I can’t see them, I don’t know for a fact they exist, I am reasonably afraid of them thanks to horror movies and ghost stories. It wasn’t until I was 18 or 19 when I had a session with Master Huang which I previously talked about, where she told me I was psychic, I have certain licenses (think of this as Lightworkers who are assigned to work in specific areas) and that’s why people like us have more disturbances during this time of the year. She said I can’t see them, but they can see me and they can see my licenses if they pass by, and may want to knock on my door. Think of it like a Hospital sign, if you are injured and see the hospital sign, you may reasonably go in and ask for help to treat your wound. I’m like OH! That’s what this is. I’ll be turning 38 next month, and so this means I’ve had 20 years to observe whether this is true for me or not as a gnostic seeker of truth. And consistently, I do not sleep as well this month, I get more nauseous and exhausted- sometimes anxious. And it’s not always my anxiety if that makes sense. It’s just a reaction I get with energy sometimes.
I heard a talk from a Daoist Master who talks about FengShui, and he explained that the in 1 lunar calendar year, January to June is Yang Energy, and July to December is Yin Energy, and about 2 days before lunar July, there is a huge energy shift that starts and prepares the world for the energy shift, and on July 1st of the Lunar Calendar, when the ‘gates of hell’ open, it’s a very abrupt energy shift. So in 2024, July 1st was 08/04, and so you would have felt the energy shifts starting 08/02 of this year if you are sensitive. Which … coincides with the Lion’s Gate Portal. Do I feel there is an actual Gate opening? Absolutely. I see the gate and portal as a Figure 8, so it connects to your highest timeline, as well as your deepest shadow. I’ll be exploring this in a future Reel on my instagram. Anyway - moving on, for me personally, as soon as lunar July ends, when it’s August 1st of the lunar calendar, I sleep just fine, and it’s still incredibly hot in Tokyo in September, so I know that my sleep disturbances is not just because of the weather. So, I want to share that for some people, like me, there is an extreme energy shift that's felt this month. Traditionally, we are encouraged to stay indoors etc . For me, I’m a person with a lot of Yang Energy, and so a sudden shift to the Yin Energy it’s like a dip in Ice Water, it flips my circadian rhythm around. So in the past 20 years since I was made aware of this, I try to take it easy this month, especially with the sleep disturbances, not do anything major, take the time to self-reflect. Which is why, maybe 8 years ago when I learned about the Lion’s Gate Portal via my friend Melissa, I thought - why not! I like the Archetype of Leo and the Lion, I like the Sirian connection with the Sirius star system, I like that it coincides with a time where I need to charge up and keep up my Yang Energy - and the Lion is the perfect energy to tune into for me. In Taiwan, there is a large population that don’t believe in the Ghost Month, don’t practice any rituals, don’t do anything special than any other day, even though it’s very ingrained to our culture and folklore. And that’s perfectly fine too! It doesn’t affect them, doesn’t bother them - and that’s called Sovereignty right there - in this day and age, we can read up on what may resonate with us, and leave out the things that really don’t make sense to us.
I am sharing all of this here because I want to show you that a lot of thinking, listening, and experiencing goes into why I personally choose to celebrate or practice one tradition over another. I do my research, and observe something over time, and I will reevaluate as well. I will give you an example, when I moved to the United States, I thought how can we even celebrate Thanksgiving - this fake holiday that we made up, reenacting a peaceful dinner between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans breaking bread. The remembrance of the genocide of Native Americans made my stomach turn inside and out. How is an event tied to genocide transformed to having Gratitude and Thanks. It took me over 10 years living in the U.S. to be like you know what - it’s a national holiday, we have time off, I’ll make this holiday my own by focusing on my friends and family if we meet up with them and share a meal around the table, and have gratitude and thanks for having them in our lives. I have to completely dissociate the history from the day itself. I can choose to stay in alignment to my highest timeline and my highest purpose if I am able to stay true to myself, my heart, & my values.
As to whether or not there is a portal, with the wisdom of My Council, I think there is a portal, it just doesn’t look like the same one when Lion’s Gate was ‘originally’ conceived, and I use originally in quotations because how would we know when that was if time is relative anyways. Is a tradition only valuable if it’s older than 30 years? Who decided that? Like the Bible being barely 2000 years old, isn’t that actually New Age because we have much older texts, especially if you then compare it to something timeless and infinite like the Akashic Records. Time and Origins may not have as much significance to Truth if you Zoom all the Way out to look at it from a bird’s eye view.
In conclusion, we discussed a little about astronom y and astrology, Fake and Created Holidays, the diversity of spiritual traditions and Collective Effervescence from French Sociologist Emile Durkheim, The Lunar July month or Ghost Month and how it influenced my decision to observe Lion’s Gate, and how I believe anyone should and can decide for themselves whether a big event, or holiday, or spiritual portal, is in alignment with their highest timeline! If you also agree with this, and have thoughts and reactions to this topic, I would LOVE to hear about it in the comments!
Thank you for Watching/Reading!
Sources Mentioned in the video for you to check out;
🔗 The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl (七夕QiXi Origin Story)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cowherd_and_the_Weaver_Girl
🔗99% Invisible - The Calendar
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-calendar/
🔗Precession of the Equinox explained by Graham Hancock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FunVM44dy_c
🔗Precession of the Equinox on Encyclopedia Brittanica
https://www.britannica.com/science/precession-of-the-equinoxes
🔗Precession of the Equinox Medium Article
🔗Graham Hancock demonstrates when the “Sphinx” would have aligned with Leo and the Pyramids with the Orion’s Belt
