Spirit Guide of the day is Lion! Hold yourself with dignity no matter the trials for you are stronger than you think. Now is the time to bring that strength and courage to the forefront. However, don't rush forward blindly. Listen closely before you act and follow your heart. The lion has held symbols as the sun and of gold, being a symbol for the son god Mithra. With lion, you may find that there are situations with a group or community that you need to work on. Since the females of a pride do most of the work, this spirit guide often represents the rising power of feminine energies. People who connect with Lion have a strong, dignified personality with natural leadership and organizational skills. They are at their best when functioning as a group, but can sometimes have a temper.

Lions, Panthero Leo, is the second largest big cat in the world after the Tiger. These tan colored felines are known as the "King of the Jungle" due to their majestic looking maned males. While some range of color can be seen in Lions, the mature male lions, in particular, can often sport darker brown or black manes. These heavy manes are used to help protect their vulnerable necks and throats during fights. Lions could once be found in most parts of Africa as well as through Greece, the Middle East, and northern India, but now now found only in the south Sahara desert and portions of southern and eastern Africa. Fewer than 21,000 lions remain in all of Africa. The preferred habitat for a lion includes savannas, open woodlands, grassy plains, and scrub country. The diet of these big cats is one of a carnivore. They feed on a wide variety of prey including impala, giraffe, buffalo, wild hogs, wildebeest, as well as smaller prey such as hares, reptiles, and birds. On rare occasions, Lions have also been seen to go after larger prey such as rhinos, hippos, and even elephants when food is scarce. These unique big cats are the only social member of the cat, or Felidae, family. They will live in large groups consisting of about 15 lions with most of them being related females and their young. A pride usually only has one mature male lion, but, at times, will have small groups of 2-3 males that will join. A male lion will join a pride for about 3 years or so before another male or group of males takes over. Within a pride, the lions are quite affectionate and often will rest with each other, rub heads, lick, and purr. The male of a pride will mark territory with deep roars and scent markings. Female lions can also roar, both gender's roars being able to be heard over five miles away. These nocturnal felines work in teams to stalk and ambush their prey with coordinated attacks. The sparse vegetation of their habitats is used by the lions to stealthily stalk close to their prey. Hunts are done primarily by females. These females can breed throughout the year and often have a litter size of between 3 and 4 cubs. These cubs will begin hunting at 11 months old, remaining with their mother for at least two years. However, young males will be pushed out of the pride while the females often stay within it. Cubs are generally taken care of by all of the females within the pride. When feeding, even though females take down the prey, it is the male who will eat first, followed by the females, and lastly by the young cubs.