You may have heard about the Lion’s Gate Portal on August 8th in various corners of the social media platforms – or maybe this is your first time.
During the 2000’s the concept of Lion’s Gate really started to win momentum and like most spiritual practises had a massive reboot during the Covid lockdowns, when we as humans were offered a pause button and time to look within.
It’s the time of year, where we again look into a Lion’s Gate energy, so let’s look into ways to prepare.
But before we do that; what is Lion’s Gate? Where does it come from? And how do you practise it?
The Definition of Lion’s Gate Portal
There are a few points or concepts that together shape the experience of the Lion’s Gate Portal.
Let’s start with the obvious:
Leo Season
The season that August 8th falls on is Leo season. Leo provides it’s magnifying, selfconfident energy to the portal, further amplified by also having the Sun as it’s ruler. So in a sense you could say that Leo season gives the portal it’s mark up, it’s flavour.
Why is the Sun an important issue here?
The Sun and Sirius Rising
Another thing that takes place during the Lion’s Gate Portal is the heliacal rising of Sirius. You will sometimes hear that Sun, Earth and Sirius aligns, but it’s important here, that this doesn’t mean that the three fall on a straight line.
What actually happens is, that sometime during late July seen from Giza, Sirius reappears on the morning sky just before the Sun comes up.
At this point Sirius has been hiding in the light of the Sun for some months, a general estimate is 70 days, but it depends on location. Sirius being a massive influence to ancient Egypt as a precursor of flooding the Nile and offering new life resources to the people, has a strong spiritual status in many cultures. From being a force of spiritual clarity and gateway to higher realms to providing it’s Mars/Jupiter-esque energy of ambition, devotion, success, Sirius covers a full package in terms of manifestation primed energy.
Add on top of this, the energy and frequency of Leo and it’s ruler, the Sun, you start to see the landscape of Lion’s Gate Portal.
The Ancient Egyptian Link
Sirius was, together with Orion, highly revered in the ancient Egypt. And this ancient Egyptian link is partly was gives the Lion’s Gate Portal it’s air of ancient mysticism.
While the ancient Egyptians did acknowledge and honour the rise of Sirius (Isis), that followed Orion (Osiris), the Lion’s Gate Portal did not however exist as a concept.
There are no texts or scripture that mentions anything about the Lion’s Gate, let alone a portal from that time. So the Lion’s Gate Portal is not an ancient practise, like some would refer to it as.
In fact one of the “evidence” often given, is that the Pyramids of Egypt was build to mirror the Belt of Orion and that the Belt of Orion aligns so it points to Sirius.
This hypothesis was stated first in Discussions in Egyptology, vol 13 from 1989 by Bauval and while it spread like wild fire in fringe science and spiritual circles, his hypothesis has since been revoked on numerous occasions, one of many issues being that an image of the Pyramids in the article was flipped upside down to fit the layout of the Belt of Orion.
So it would be more accurate to say that the Lion’s Gate Portal is inspired and evolved from an ancient reverance of Sirius, rather than claiming it’s an ancient tradition.
But the Egyptian connection is important, because from a Northern Hemisphere perspective for instance, Sirius is a Winter Star and doesn’t appear until much later.
The Numerological Connection
Today, we say that the Portal opens at 26th of July and lasting until August 12th, with it’s peak on August 8th (8/8).
This is widely described as an energy of karmic resolutions, spiritual and material abundance and if we look back at the energy of Leo season, the Sun and Sirius and then again add the energy of the 8 – actually the double 8 – the circle closes on why the Lion’s Gate Portal comes with such a powerful energy.
The peak does not mean that this is where Sirius rises – as I wrote before, it rises differently depending on your location.
In fact there is not a reoccuring set movement that dictates August 8th, other than Sirius rising in July. The date is chosen for it’s corresponding numerical value that adds to an already existing energy.
How to Prepare for and Practise the Lion’s Gate Portal
If we gather the previous information to say something conclusive about the Lion’s Gate Portal it could be something like this:
When the Lion’s Gate Portal opens, it opens up an energy for karmic resolutions, for getting clear on your purpose and goals and for expanded consciousness and higher guidance.
Many will, not unlike a powerful Full Moon, feel an energetic build up. If I should put my own words to it, it would be exactly that: an amplified Full Moon. And much like a Full Moon this can have different expressions.
Some will feel absolute depleted of energy, almost like not having slept for days. Some will, in fact, have a very hard time sleeping during the build up.
Others feel a stronger pull towards their goals and feel almost fired up by motivation. A motivation that sometimes come from a sudden, almost tangible, clarity on one’s purpose in this lifetime.
I myself have known about Lion’s Gate for some years and used it for meditations, but here in 2026, as I write this, I was hit hard by a very clear sense of where this website, what I call the Bardensbo project, was supposed to go – and the measures I would have to take (and risk) in order to get it there.
The interesting part is, that it hit me around July 16th – and only at August 1st as I saw the first Lion’s Gate reminder, did I look back at this sudden rise of purposeful energy and connect the dots.
How you should practise, depends very much on what type of energy you sit with. At the end of the day, any ritual, meditation, manifestation work etc will do.
I will be centering my personal Lion’s Gate practise around this project and manifestation work, but also use the time for meditative inquiries on where I have blockages that may hinder or disturb the path.
So sit for a bit and allow your self to feel into what energy is around you. I’ll offer you some suggestions, but remember, they are only suggestions.
An awakening energy
You may feel like you are really internally and externally being forced to face or own up to your own authenticity. It can be a pattern of circumstances, where you catch yourself being unauthentic, playing a role. It can be realising a pattern of wanting to follow a dream, but getting stuck on procrastination or “life happens”-events.
The awakening energy is rarely comfortable. One can fall prey to a sense of victimhood, and usually this is maintained by the fear or grief of stepping out of what is known (but not beneficial). There is a sudden sense of clear realisation, as clear as gazing at the Sun and feeling the eyes sting. The veil, the filter, the mask gets torn off and once you see what lies underneath, it can’t be unseen.
It’s either beginning the work of moving forward authentically – or remaining consciously unauthentic.
If this is the energy, it can beneficial to put an extra effort into shadow work, more precisely where the fears and griefs stem from.
Understanding the foundation of your fear or sense of hurt, will ease up the tension, that can make the portal window feel too heavy.
For most people, this revolves around inner child work, holding space for the little being, that experienced the original wound.
Another leg to the practise should be a lighter theme, such as vision work where you feel what it’s like being an authentic and healed version of you in the world. What does your day look like as that future Self? How do you feel, when you wake up in the morning? How does this version of you meet other people? What do you work with?
My personal recommendation will always be circeling around creating balance in your practise; if you do a ritual that carries some hard energies going in, have another ritual that levels out the weight, such as affirmations, vision work etc.
The energy of fatigue
If you sit in the Lion’s Gate Portal with a feeling of being depleted and exhausted for no apparent reason, I would keep the practise simple.
First I would look into potential underlying emotions of the fatigue, because the fatigue itself can very easily be something going on on a more subconscious level, such as awakening or the first signs of clarifying purpose. Do you feel lost? In what aspects do you feel lost? Do you feel optimistic but lack any energy to do stuff? Is there a specific theme tied to the optimistic feeling?
This gives you some indications on how a practise could look like.
For instance, if you sense an optimistic underlayer, but just feel exhausted, rituals of gratitude can be a very potent way to make use of the portal energy.
And if you discover a sense of lostness, maybe regarding a relation or work, a meditation or pulling cards on what you feel would uplift the situation, is simple but effective ways to adress the energy of the Lion’s Gate Portal.
Energy matters
The most important thing is to align the nature of the energy you sit with with fitting practises.
In my perspective the Lion’s Gate energy will reveal the areas, it touches and the year after, it can be something different. So I personally don’t have a fixed Lion’s Gate ritual. That would have been very counterproductive for me this year, where I more sit in a energy of realisation of purpose, rather than an introspective, self-healing energy.
I also want to note, that I don’t feel the Lion’s Gate energy as something that demands certain epiphanies. For me, Sirius is at the core of Lion’s Gate and for me Sirius is a Master Teacher.
I am not expected to know, but rather encouraged to see and to learn.
But like with any good teacher, there will be a hope and expectation that I make good use of what I have learned and seen.
The point here is; it’s a process and in my perspective the Sun of Lion’s Gate Portal lets its light shine on where you can take the strongest first steps.
Ideas for practises
Having talked about the energy, maybe you already know how you want to approach it. But if you feel a bit disoriented, or indecisive, let me share some practical ideas. I should also mention, that you can choose to work with this energy through out the portal – or you can choose to “just” do a meditation on August 8th – there is no right or wrong way, so work with it in a way that resonates with you.
Ways to work with the energies, could be through:
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Crystal healing
- Crystal grids
- Dream journeys
- Vision work
- Affirmations
- Manifestation rituals
- Card divination
– and the list could go on. A kitchen witch might choose to cook with intention, using herbs and spices that corresponds with the Sun.
A druid like myself might choose to start the day by watching the Sun rise from the horizon, while drinking cinnamon infusion.
So maybe we should look at some remedies of correspondance, that you can use to further support your practise.
Herbs and Spices
Going into the kitchen – or the garden, you will find some helpful and supporting remedies in cinnamon, sunflower (seeds), bay leaves, chamomille, calendula, saffron or St.Johns Wort
Crystals
Look into your crystal cupboard, if you have one.
If you have Citrine, Tigerseye, Blue Tigerseye, Sunstone, Topaz or Clear Quartz, these can be worked with in the portal energy. Meditate with your chosen crystal in your hand or on your forehead or on your heart chakra. Make a crystal grid with intention. Or maybe just a crystal arrangement in a room where you spend most of your time.
Colours and other symbols
Typical aiding colours is gold, yellow, orange (for the Sun) and blue, lightbue, silver (for Sirius) – these colours can be implemented in candles, in your clothing, a table or altar cloth, a bouquet of flowers, a piece of jewelry… or if you are creative, you can let them be the palette for a meditative art piece.
If you have a set of tarot cards, you can take out The Strength, The Star and The Sun cards and have them on display or maybe meditate with them in front of you.
Most oracle decks have cards that align with the energies of the Sun and Sirius, so if any resonate, let them come out and be felt.
Other than that, we have obvious star and sun symbolism, so there are no requirements to go Lion’s Gate shopping. It can be something as simple as drawing the Sirius/Orion constellation or a sun and a star on a piece of paper.
It can be as simple and as elaborate as you wish it to be.
The Preparations
When you are set on the way you want to practise, you also know more precisely which preparations to take.
It can be finding a designated journal, locating crystals and cleaning and setting up a meditation space.
What many tend to forget in all the physicalities, is the self preparation.
Get some good nights sleep and make use of lavender and chamomille teas. This way you allow your body to be rested and as comfortable in the energy as possible.
Make sure you get good and healthy foods and plenty of water. A physically well prepared body aids in whatever mental or spiritual work you plan for.
Preparations are of course more than just for the August 8th. When you become more familiar with the portal energy as it applies to you after a few years, you can start leaning into the heightened energy mid July. If you find yourself fatigued by the energy, eventually you will know to avoid big plans when possible in this time frame.
I have always been and will probably always be a big advocate for journal keeping. Not just for a spiritual practise but in general. A journal can hold so much valuable information, that we otherwise tend to forget, but that can be useful for these seasonal events. In many ways it’s not much different than keeping a Moon Diary or women tracking their menstrual cycle, to understand how their energy shift in each phase.
Patterns become clearer when they can be seen on paper. So if you haven’t already gotten a journal, I would absolutely recommend getting one.
A Deeper Layer
There is much more to Lion’s Gate Portal and it’s history and like I said above, the real work with this website have just started.
I have from day one of knowing about the portal been highly intrigued by the energy it comes with and as a druid, I have a high reverance for the field being objective facts and lived, personal experience.
For instance, much social media work around Lion’s Gate numerology draws on Pythagorean numerology, where I am also looking into the Chaldean numerology.
I am also researching Bauval and his thesis on the Belt of Orion and the pyramids and looking into the critique it received. And then I also work on my own practises and refine my connection to the Lion’s Gate Portal.
All of this to say, that if this article did something for you and you’d like to know more about Lion’s Gate Portal, spiritual practises and generally ways of living a more connected life, then do consider signing up for the newsletter.
This way I will be sure to let you know, whenever there are new articles and I also include in the newsletter set up something I call Letters from the Hearth.
Letters from the Hearth are seasonal updates, inspirations, ideas for practises and much more.
If you are new to Bardensbo, I also recommend checking out the pages Supported by Community and The Heart of Bardensbo – this will introduce you to the vision of Bardensbo and – incase you want to contribute – show you ways to offer support.
Thank you so much for making it so far in the text, my friend.
May the Lion’s Gate Portal serve you well.
