“Leo says celebrate life and, while you're at it, be somebody.”
— Elizabeth Rose Campbell
As we move toward the Lion's Gate Portal at the end of July and into its peak in early August, I find myself reflecting on courage.
Not the courage to do more. The courage to become more fully ourselves.
Last week, I found myself standing quietly in front of the magnificent statue of Sekhmet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
People walked by, pausing for only a moment before continuing on.
But I stayed.
As I looked into her ancient lioness face, I was transported back to my journey to Egypt years ago—a pilgrimage that profoundly changed my life.
While meditating in Sekhmet's sacred chamber, I experienced something I'll never forget.
I felt a powerful surge of energy enter through the crown of my head, and in that stillness I heard these words:
“I will work through you and guide your journey. All I ask in return is love.”
As we left the temple, my friend Terry Iacuzzo, a gifted psychic, turned to me and said she had seen brilliant electric-blue feathers streaming from Sekhmet into my crown chakra, filling me with light.
I knew I had received an invitation—to work with the qualities Sekhmet embodies courage, healing, fierce compassion, protection, and transformation.
Since then, I have returned to her wisdom again and again whenever I find myself standing at a crossroads.
Many of you who have traveled with me to Egypt have shared your own powerful experiences in her temple, each one unique and deeply personal.
Today it feels especially meaningful as we approach the Lion's Gate Portal—when the Sun moves through Leo and Sirius rises into alignment, a time many traditions recognize for heightened intuition and transformation.
The fiery energy of Leo naturally evokes Sekhmet, reminding us to lead with courage and an open heart.
Whether you experience the Lion's Gate as a cosmic alignment, an ancient tradition, or simply a beautiful invitation to pause and reflect, I believe it offers us something precious:
A doorway. A doorway to release what no longer serves us.
A doorway to step into our greatness—not by becoming someone else, but by becoming more completely ourselves.
If you've been feeling that something is shifting within you, perhaps this is your invitation to pause, listen deeply, and consciously step across that threshold.
I'd be honored to guide you during my Lion's Gate Portal Ceremony on Thursday, August 6, where we'll gather online for an evening of ritual, meditation, reflection, and renewal.
Because the Lion's Gate opens the doorway. Ritual is how we step through it.
With love,
Barbara