The lion

I watched a U Tube clip last night with three stories about how lions had attacked people. All these people survived, despite their extensive injuries. One was a vet and after she recuperated, she had to face her fears in order to work with wild animals again. She managed this and apparently became respected among her colleagues for her bravery and continuing work. One story involved a drunk member of the public who jumped into a loins’ enclosure and was attacked by one of the bewildered lions. A zoo keeper eventually tranquilised the lion. He wasn’t punished for his attack as this person should not have been in his space. I can’t remember what happened in the third story.

Early this morning, when I found myself awake at 4.30am, I decided to put on an inner-child meditation. As I was guided to my younger self, I saw a lion come bounding towards me. Initially I ignored the creature, until I realised that the lion was there for a reason and that was to protect my younger self and give me strength. It had probably been a totem of mine in my younger days. I always loved my cats, cuddling them and petting them endlessly. They were the ones to whom I sought refuge during my unhappier times. They were always loving towards me and were the main reason for the love of animals I had as a child. I had always wanted to be a vet growing up, but was discouraged from such a profession due to being a female.

This morning, when I opened my computer, the initial screen shot had changed and there on my screen was, you guessed it, a majestic lion.

Now that is three times that lions have featured for me in the last 24 hours, not a coincidence.

In my pack of cards, The Animal-Wise Tarot, by Ted Andrews, the Lion represents the major arcana card, Strength.  Here is a quote from the message: The appearance of lions always indicates the need to assert the inner sun, the feminine qualities within us. These qualities are patience, gentleness, and the strength of gentle love…. The sun gives birth to new days, warming and nurturing us. Because of this, the appearance of Lion in our life will most often reflect the importance of asserting feminine energies to bring forth new birth and power. When Lion shows up, there are always additional opportunities to awaken new sunshine and new expressions of our own power. Trust the feminine aspects that live within us all – the creativity, the intuition, and the creative imagination. That is where the power exists right now. Do not force anything; rather use strength of will, organisation and creative imagination and your power will grow.

I find it interesting that this animal, with its message of using the feminine aspects of oneself, has shown up when I have been practising the womb meditation, also a place of utilizing the feminine aspects of oneself. In this mediation, one is told that all the answers one requires lie in the womb and the seeds for manifestation can be planted there.

As Ted Andrews points out in one of his books, when we see images, or when animals or birds cross our paths, we should take note, as these animals always carry a message for us.

In this morning’s inner-child meditation I was taken back to a period in my life that brought me shame. Each Friday afternoon, my parents would pick me up from school, for their weekly shopping. They would arrive early and park under one of the large oak trees nearby. At the same time each Friday afternoon, our class would have PE and we would be out playing some game on the field across the road from the oak trees. I was ashamed of my parents, because my father was so old and my mother looked it. That was my stuff, as I had such low self-esteem. So that last period always brought me anxiety as I watched my parent’s car manoeuvre its way into its favourite spot under the trees, generally 20 minutes or so before class finished. Probably no one noticed, but I did and felt immense shame each week as this occurred.

It was time to heal this part of myself. It had shown itself for a reason.

The lion had accompanied me into this scene of my parents arriving on a Friday afternoon, and I realised the lion was able to make my parents’ car invisible. In the car’s place was a lion that only I could see. I watched him bounding along the road, knowing the lion was my parents arriving and I was the only one to see him. No one could see the car either, including me. When school finished and I had to find my parents’ car, I just needed to locate the lion. That was hugely healing for me and I felt the wave of shame I had stored in my body, leave me. I had so much love for the lion and I knew he was out to make my life a better one.

Obviously, I am not going to meet a lion on my beach walk, but these three separate lion-encounters have made sure I get her message – strength of will from the inner sun. Wonderful.