What the Lion’s Gate Portal is … and isn’t.
Anytime someone says “portal,” you can color me excited. I love a good galactic energetic funnel right into my third eye – sign me up.
As such, I love the idea of the Lion’s Gate Portal every August 8th, a time to open the comm lines to the spiritual world a little wider, download some new info, get manifesting, tap into transformative energy, yum.
In trying to write from an astrological perspective this week, and I noticed … that was difficult. There didn’t seem to be anything super clear explaining what the LGP actually *is.* The deeper I got, the less sense any of it made. I believe in this portal, but I struggle with the explanations of it that are floating around.
So here’s what I can tell about what this Portal is … starting with what it isn’t.
(All the following examples come from online articles which are easily accessible – I’m not attributing because I’m not here to bash any one particular author … and, really, I’ve seen the same concepts restated over and over again in the last couple weeks.)
🌟🌟🌟 “Sirius rises during the middle of the summer.”
Okay I mean, technically that’s not wrong. But this is the full explanation given, and as such, it’s confusing and/or misleading. Sirius is a star, and it’s not circumpolar (meaning, not always in the sky) unless you’re below the 73rd parallel south, or in Antartica. So for most of us, it’s rising and setting every day.
What they mean is, Sirius has it’s “heliacal rising” in the middle of summer. This may sound picky, but to me, this means something very specific that is different than just “rising.” “Heliacal rising” means, “the rising of a celestial object at the same time or just before the sun, or its first visible rising after a period of invisibility due to conjunction with the sun.”
Okay. Next.
🌟🌟🌟 “This is when the Sun is in Leo and the star Sirius moves closer to Earth and aligns with Orion’s belt.”
So ironically, Sirius IS moving closer to Earth … all the time. It doesn’t just move closer on August 8th. I couldn’t find anywhere else that mentioned this, even as optical illusions on the horizon or whatnot, so I’m not sure what this one is about. (It’s also always aligned with Orion’s belt.)
🌟🌟🌟 “August 8 is considered official activation day, when the Sun and Sirius move closest to Earth and align with Orion’s belt.”
Maaaaybe this means, “when the Sun and Sirius rise together along the Earth’s horizon.” Maybe. But just to be clear, the Sun is closest to the earth in January, and Sirius is always aligned with Orion’s belt (in this millennium, anyway).
🌟🌟🌟 “Every year on 8/8”
No. Sirius rising with, or just before, the Sun, happens on different dates every year. The 8/8 power comes from numerology, not astrology. Also the alignment doesn’t just happen for one day – there’s a solid stretch of a couple of weeks where this energy is considered to be “open.”
You’ll also see a number of explanations that say that 8/8 has been worshipped since 3000 BC in Egypt. That’s a misrepresentation – Egyptians recognized that, when Sirius first rose in the morning sky after being gone for the summer, that the floods were coming and would bring water to their crops and was a time for celebration (though I’ve also seen some accounts that say flooding = difficulty, so hard to know without digging more). It also marked the new year. … and in 3000 BC, this alignment would have happened in June.
🌟🌟🌟 The best description I’ve found yet came from a meme (from 2019): “Now open: July 26th until August 12th: The Sun & Sirius’ synchronised rising is now clearly visible, appearing as two Suns in the sky. This activates a gateway between the physical & spiritual worlds.” – Alex Myles
Yes! Phew. All that is accurate to the actual behavior of the stars. Sirius is a massive star – far bigger and brighter than our own, thus “two suns.” Sirius is considered a connection to the spiritual realm, protection and safe passage from one realm to another, a messenger … all lining up nicely with “a gateway between the physical & spiritual worlds.”
And I find that to be a wonderfully powerful explanation. Two suns rising together, increasing our connection to the spiritual realms, enhancing abilities, etc.
Not to mention. Regardless of *why* you believe in the Lion’s Gate Portal, the sheer number of people who believe in it _give it life_. This is why I believe 8/8 will hold extra energy for many years to come – the sheer number of people who are opening themselves to the possibilities of that day will be palpable for those tuned in to energetic shifts.
So to review:
– Sirius rises every day, unless you’re in Antarctica
– It becomes visible again each year, after having been part of the daytime sky, in August (exact date dependent on where you are in the world). This is called “heliacal rising.”
– It’s always aligned with Orion’s belt
– It was seen as the harbinger of the Nile floods in ancient Egypt, and marked the beginning of the new year
– The Sun is closest to the Earth in January, not August
– The internet isn’t always right
