The Lions Gaze
Lions Gaze Astrology, "what do you mean by that?" you might have wondered. First, it is not a mispelling to avoid any apostrophe in "Lions Gaze". Lions Gaze as it is spoken, certainly sounds like "Lion's Gaze"; the gaze belonging to a singular lion, yet my non-apostrophed spelling of "Lions Gaze" carries another meaning. Lions (more than one) Gaze. A plural noun and a verb. What do they gaze? Astrology. The implication here is that Lions are beings who are simultaneously projecting something while taking something in...like a sense of humor, perhaps, (the sixth sense).
Regarding astrology, cosmic energy and meaning is not coming from "out there" to affect us like Greek Gods are kicking the destiny of mortals around to alleviate some restless Olympian ennui, instead there is a feedback loop occurring which bridges the within and without. The inner light show and outer events have an interplay with each other. There is a vast difference between being affected by something beyond us, and being a co-creator. The difference is the gulf between a child and an adult, between dependency and response-ability.
As an esoteric symbol, The Lion, (who was originally a Panther), stood for the courage, wisdom, mastery and spirituality of the Initiate.
Excerpts from Richard Cassaro on the meaning of "The Lion's Gaze"
https://www.richardcassaro.com/the-lions-gaze-an-occult-parable/
The ancient Lion symbol conceals a hidden meaning that was once known to our ancient ancestors but has been lost over time. This hidden meaning was shared across all the high centers of civilization, including the Egyptians, Hindus and Chinese. These cultures knew that there was something special about the Lion. What is it? What´s that special “something” that has made the Lion symbol the centerpiece of so many high civilizations?
The secret is revealed in an ancient Buddhist teaching called The Lion´s Gaze, a basic but powerful parable that, when understood and implemented properly, has the power to change your life. The teaching is pretty simple...When you throw a stick at a dog the dog chases after the stick. But when you throw a stick at a Lion, something different happens. Instead of chasing after the stick, the Lion chases you, the thrower of the stick.
Here the stick thrown signifies a “problem” that arises in our lives, bringing on feelings of annoyance, frustration, anger, and even hostility, as problems often do. By focusing our attention on the problem we are chasing after the stick like a dog, trying to make the problem go away. This is a mistake. What we don´t realize is that the real problem is not in the physical world, but in the inner world, the world inside us. The problem that appears in the outer world is just a symptom of this deeper, inner problem because the outer world is a mirror-reflection of the inner world.
Having the gaze of the Lion means turning our attention inward and looking within ourselves for the real problem. The Lion´s gaze is direct, focusing at the source; and the Lion is wise and fearless, charging directly at the source. By addressing the “inward imperfection” or “inward imbalance” that is causing the outer world problem, we are addressing the source of the problem, rather than the symptom.
When we have the Lion´s Gaze, we begin to see problems in the physical world no longer as problems but as blessings that help guide us in our lives. Problems show us where we need to concentrate our efforts inward, in our ongoing Great Work of self-discovery, self-understanding, self-development and self-mastery. Looking within ourselves to try to understand why a “physical world” problem is occurring puts us on a kind of “fast-track” to better understanding our true nature and remembering who we are."
The Lion, astrologically associated with Leo, is the Sun. The Sun is at the center of things, the center of perception and experience, the center of oneself. The Sun is the Hero/Heroine that rises to the challenge of reality, who respects the evolutionary path, undistracted by "temptations", (or that "stick" which diverts awareness from the center).
"Heroes always emerge in a time of dying--of self, of social sanctions, of society's forms, of standard-brand religions, governments, economics, psychologies, and relationships. In answering the call of the eternal, they discover the courage to perform the first great task of the hero or heroine--to undergo all the gestations, growth and trauma required for a new birth. This occurs so that they can serve as midwife in the larger society for the continuum of births necessary to redeem both the time and the society in which they live and bring them to a higher level of functioning"-Jean Houston (The Hero and The Goddess)
We are certainly in that situation today, and society is charging full-steam ahead into a new paradigm which would replace what was problematic with something even worse, for going with general inertia or "chasing the stick". Different from tradition, many of the changes we see in the mainstream appear to be progress, but they are not, what we see is REGRESS.
The new secular religion which means to move in and establish itself, is materialistic, atheistic, hedonistic, anti-human, collectivistic, nihilistic, and devoid of authentic spirituality. So we find ourselves at a forking path, as old institutions crumble at an accelerating rate. One road is "Chase the stick---- into a final disconnection with nature, the other road leads to the restoration of truth to the world, a re-alignment and harmonization with nature, and authentic spirituality. This is the path requiring "The Lion's Gaze", astrology is a key means of finding one's way along the path.
The metaphors of "Dog vs. Cat" have long been a cartoon antagonism. Considering the following quotes from Tony Bushy, we can discern that on a symbolic level "canine vs. feline", in their original sense as stages of consciousness, parallel the rift between simpletons and the sophisticated, or those who are, as Jimi Hendrix would put it..."experienced".
"A wolf or dog was always the symbol of the lower mind attached to desire, fierce and cunning".-Tony Bushby.
"To the temple priests, the cat-family was symbolic of the ancient teachings of the Panthers and they surrounded themselves with those animals in pious respect. Egyptians paid homage to all sorts of cats, especially when its fur was of three shades or its eyes of different colours"-Tony Bushby.
Dogs will chase the stick of political action without taking an interest in their own psychology, and the Lion knows that this ultimately leads nowhere.