Royal

I am inspired to be my royal me like the Lion king who commands the forest and land, sauntering across the whispering desert sand with pride in his pride. Oh don’t we wish as our world warms and ignites on fire that the Lion King could roar and command the raging forests to cool, the skies to rain, and the flames to retire. Alas, even this apex predator, the king of the forest, knows that Mother Nature commands all life and death wherever the wind blows. Imbued with this wisdom, he responds to his environment, moves when he must, and protects all those from harm under his trust. For the protection he gives, he is the respected head of his family clan— a harem of lionesses, whom his legacy they will expand. The lion’s family values and name then follow in train–also characterized by his strength and prominent golden mane. Charged with safeguarding his entire family reign, he’ll mostly perch on a rock outcrop, guarding his family post from other intruding males seeking their own estate gain. And when it comes to the hunt– surprisingly, the lioness is always on the forefront. Indeed, the female harem- works as a team and is superior to the singular male in their well- coordinated, collaborative attack, supplying the family abundant bush meat when from their exploits they return back. Now during this August electric storm and powerful astrological time, we find our protector, Leo, the Lion, digging his sharp claws into the land– deep cleansing the earth, purging dark energies, and uprooting dense roots entangled, forward progress to come, un-strangled. In ancient history, male and female lions were celebrated by Paleolithic peoples (e.g. as depicted in cave art in Lascaux and Chauvet in France–17,000 years ago) as rulers and fated by ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Mesopotamian mythologies to marry famous deities (e.g. the fertility goddess in Egypt, Ishtar). In the tale of Njaay, the Mali king heir grew up with the lions and learned to nurture, protect, and guide the family pride, however loud or soft they roared, rumbled, tumbled, or cried. And thus, the Lion King (Disney’s 1994 animated film) and Mowgli (Disney 2018) secured their royal roles in human history.

Reflection: How do we demonstrate love, respect, and pride for our family?

Challenge: Today, do something special that honors your father, the lion pride of the family and your mother, the nurturer and provider.