Manifesting from Wholeness vs Shadow

A prominent spiritual theme for the month of August is abundance. Lughnasadh on August 1st marked a bountiful harvest, and the full moon on August 30th also symbolizes prosperity. The natives referred to it as The Sturgeon moon or The Corn Moon as a plethora of fish and corn are available during this time. Lastly, today marks Lion’s Gate, an astrological event that is connected to manifestation, abundance, and bringing our deepest desires to fruition. Now, I’m going to be honest and say that my research has not convinced me that Lion’s Gate is a significant astrological phenomenon. However, I’m all about speaking to symbolism, so that’s what this article will cover.

Lion’s Gate is believed to occur when the sun, Sirius, Orion's Belt, and the Earth line up on August 8th, a number in numerology that is connected to wealth and abundance. Many speak of Leo’s involvement in this celestial alignment, but not many touch on the significance of the Dog-Star (also known as Sirius). It’s part of the Canis Major constellation, and is the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is derived from the Greek word Seirios which means ‘glowing’ or ‘scorching’. So how does this shed light and wisdom on the theme of abundance? Sirius’s message is just that - honor your light. This might sound hokey, but what honoring your light truly means is being in integrity with your WHOLENESS.

When it comes to manifestation, integrity is everything. The word integrity comes from the Latin adjective integer, which means whole or complete.

Wholeness means that we remember who we truly are - pure love and source consciousness. It is the desire for this remembrance that is actually at the root of all other surface desires. We just go about attaining this remembrance the wrong way because we’re moving from unconscious shadow. We often view manifestation from the lens of what we can get or don’t have, versus what we already are, and this is often a reflection of ‘not enoughness’ or shadow. It is rooted in the illusion that we are fragmented or separate from our light, which is what causes suffering. Thus, We constantly seek light outside of ourselves in hopes it will make us feel whole. We endlessly consume in order to fill the insatiable dark void within, moving from a space of hunger versus fullness. For as long as you manifest from a place of ‘what you can get’, you’ll confirm the story that you’re ‘not enough’.

This isn’t the path to true abundance - not really. You may achieve and get things, but you aren’t in integrity. ‘Getting’ isn’t the same thing as wholeness, and it is integrity that generates true happiness and fulfillment. Of course we need to surround ourselves with material things for security and well-being, but this isn’t what I’m speaking to. I’m speaking to manifestation as a practice of staying in integrity with and returning to truth. This is about feeding the light that’s already there, versus filling a void.

Wholeness is a mindset, practice, and choice to remember who we are - that we’re enough and always were. It’s something we commit to over and over again because we have the bravery to recognize, protect, and feed our light. This is what leads to manifestation of true abundance. We don’t just put an intention out into the universe willy nilly. We do the shadow work to see where we believe ourselves to be broken, rise above that illusion, and remember our light.

Sirius reminds us that light doesn’t define its surroundings. Light illuminates its surroundings.

The key to manifesting from a place of wholeness is illuminating the darkness and revealing what’s there so we can let go of the attachments to ‘not enough’. It’s about doing the shadow work to address where these beliefs came from and healing them from the inside out. The symbolism of Lion’s Gate teaches us that we must have the bravery to love and accept the authentic version of ourselves that lie underneath layers of shadow, and feed THIS. We have to have the courage to feed our light, not our shadow. This is an opportunity to get intentional and curious about what we’re calling in and why.

Where does ‘not enough’ show up in your life? How would your desires change if you were moving from wholeness? How would your behaviors, thoughts, and actions change if you were moving from this place?

May you recognize the wealth and riches within and without.

Your Shadow Work Coach and Astrologer,

Riss Cottrill