Humans and Lions: Mystery and Mythology
The ancient delivery of transcripts from the Shaman says…He who seeks the light becomes the guardian…and spreads the hope.
Such is the case of Siegfried & Roy and their resurrection of the Magical White Lion from near extinction to a strong future in the new millennium.
Siegfried & Roy believe that throughout the world, yesterday and today, that the message is the same: the white feline is the symbol of purity and hope in all men, signifying the birth of a new era. They also feel that there is not any present moment that is unconnected with some future one. The life of every man is a continued chain of incidents, each link of which hangs upon the future.
A testimonial to Siegfried & Roy’s thoughts about the feline is the lion.
People and lions: mystery and mythology.
Humans’ links to lion have always been magical. We seem to share a mystical bond with them in consciousness throughout time, even into the present. All of the major civilizations throughout time and back beyond the mists of living memory reflect this bond.
What ties lions and humanity together? It is certainly immortalized in the Sphinx.
Major cultures that have influenced our current civilization have had rich lion mythologies. Scour the Bible for references to lions and you’ll discover a plethora of mentions.
One of the better known references to lions in the Torah/Bible is the Lion of Judah (Genesis 49:9, Isaiah, Revelations 5:5). It refers to the prophecy that the messiah, or lion, will come through the image of Jacob’s son, Judah, Some of Judah’s descendents were King David, King Solomon and Jesus.
Lions appear frequently in art throughout Biblical times, especially is Palestinian, Assyrian and Sumerian art. Gods and Goddesses stand on lions in Syrian art. Lions appear frequently on thrones, on temple furniture and were used as guardians of temples. Yet, lions have been extinct in the Middle East since the 12th century A.D.
George Hunt Williamson’s book, Secret Places of the Lion, summarizes lion symbology throughout the ages. Williamson writes, “the sun rising over the back of the lion has always been considered symbolic of power and rulership. Anciently the corona of the sun was shown in the form of a lion’s mane, a subtle reminder of the fact that at one time the summer solstice took place in the sign of Leo, the Celestial White Lion. The lion was the emissary of the sun, symbolizing light, truth and regeneration.
“The lion is king of the animal family, and, like the head of each kingdom, is sacred to the sun, whose rays are symbolized by the lion’s shaggy mane. The lion symbolized Secret Wisdom (King Solomon was often symbolized as a lion); to overcome this beast is to become a master of such wisdom. It will be remembered that Samson and Hercules both conquered the lion. The lion also represents one of the Four Corners of Creation.”
It will also be remembered that Siegfried & Roy took the role of guardian so that the white lion will flourish.
