In ancient symbolism, the lion was the animal chosen to represent the Sun, divine energy and spiritual power. Sometimes it formed part of a “tetra-morph,” a celestial creature combining the lion, bull, bird and human attributes, particularly to the Egyptians, Greeks and Babylonians. The Sphinx in Egypt combines a lion’s body with a human head. In India, the Buddha is said to occupy a throne called Simhasana supported by lions, (from Sanskrit simha meaning lion and āsana meaning seat), and Vishnu had the ability to change himself into a lion. In the Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, China, the Manju-shri Bodhisattva called Wen Shu Shih-Li is represented as the golden-maned celestial lion. Jesus has been called the Lion of Judah. The lion has been adopted as the emblem of kings, used on coats of arms and used by banks and other commercial enterprises.

In Central and South America, where there are no lions, the jaguar represented the Solar divinity, and the jaguar-deity Ai Apaec was seen by the Maya, Inca and Aztecs “to embody the golden Sun”. He had a cat-like face and was covered in brown spots (Sun spots).

Was it just fanciful that ancient cultures connected these great felines with the Sun? No, it was our Solar Ancestors themselves who chose them as good examples of the dual nature of the visible orb of the Sun: both creative and destructive; majestic and ferocious; generous and demanding; serving and dominating – this same duality also exists within the human psyche. Ancient fifth-dimensional Solar entities sometimes manifested themselves as a combination of human and animal. The intention was to stand out from mortal humans, and they chose creatures that demonstrated qualities aligned with their own particular character. Most famously, the Solar deity Sekhmet, daughter of Ra, manifested herself with the head of a lioness. She bore the Solar disk and the Uraeus, indicating the authority of the Eye of Ra. She was the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare as a divine arbiter of Ma'at (Justice, or Order), making the leonine symbol most fitting.


Credit Source for Images Featured on this Page:
(Top Left: LION): http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/07/150730_SCI_Cecil_lion.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg
(Top Right: Jaguar): http://www.rainforestalliance.org/sites/default/files/styles/responsive_breakpoints_theme_rainforest_wide_1x/public/slideshow/header/jaguar.jpg?itok=DmxW73sp
(Below Left: Sekhmet): http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/sekhmet.jpg?itok=_MXSmttZ
(Below Right: Jaguar Deity) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Tepeyollotl_1.jpg