August, the month of the lion, where nature celebrates itself in light and power. The lion: what an image in human culture! A relief of two confronted lionesses stands guard over the entrance gate of the citadel of Mycenae, the palace of Agamemnon, and two stone lions with wide open mouths—the male with a ball under one paw, the female with a paw on a lion cub—impress visitors in front of the imperial palace in China. One hundred twenty lions with dignified strides flank the processional path to the Gate of Ishtar in Babylon. The lion is a symbol of dominance and rulership. We can flaunt our hair like a mane, we can hide our feelings like a lion, we can roar and frighten like a wildcat, but the lion is an image of foregone power. Whereas in ancient times the symbol of rulers was the lion, in our time it has become the eagle—from will to reason. What comes after the Lion? Does goodness follow the virtues of strength and wisdom? In the zodiac, it is Virgo, Demeter—the one who brings forth and nurtures life, and who loves peace. She could and should tame the lion and the eagle in us. Nature shows us how: the blossom of August becomes the fruit of September.
Image Aerial view of the Goetheanum garden park. Photo: Xue Li.
