The month of Av – Leo
According to tradition, as strange as it sounds, it was determined that The 9th day of Av (Leo), a day of mourning and fasting, will be the day of the birth of the Messiah and the end of all pain, suffering and anguish for mankind. Meaning that from that moment on, The 9th of Av (Leo) will become the only holiday on the Hebrew calendar. So what is so special about the month of Leo (Av) that this should be the month in which the Messiah should be born? What are the special powers that are in the Universe at this time?
In order to answer these questions, we should know first about the characteristics of the sign of Leo and the unique power it has to awake in all of us certain energies and feelings, only available during the month of Leo.
Leo, who are you?
Leos are known as people with a presence. A good example of this is the Ari (a world renowned Kabbalists). Not only does “Ari” mean Leo, the holy Kabbalist’s astrological sign was also Leo. It seems that the people of his time recognized his greatness, so much so that they called him “Ha’Elohi” (the divine). Note that Moses, one of the most well known leaders of all time, was not given such an exalted nickname. However, it is important to remember, that on the other hand, Leos also have the capacity to act in a very embarrassing manner.
The Hebrew letters of “Leo” (ARYE) are also the same letters of “seeing” (Reiya) – this indicates the ability of Leos to see the Light, to see what others can’t. One of the most famous myths of Kabbalah is The Merkava (God’s Chariot in Ezekiel Ch. 1). There are four sacred beasts: The Lion, The Ox, The Eagle and Man. The lion represents the Sefira of Hesed, which is the Light – the power of sharing, giving and unconditional love. Leo in Gematria (The numeric value of the Hebrew letters) is 216 which is also the same numeric value of “Gevura” – the power of judgment (din), of receiving, better known as left column energy. Meaning that Leos have dominion over Hesed (Light), and Gevura (Judgment) together. The power of Hesed (Light) is also connected to the element of water which dominates the astrological signs of the summer and is characterized by the energy of giving. Every sign of the Zodiac has its own defining characteristic. Leos have the ability to give advice because they can see, “Reiya”, things others don’t.
So in studying the nature of Leos, we see that they are very giving and have strong leadership abilities. These two attributes combined make the Leo a very powerful sign.
The Forces within the Month of Leo (Av)
As stated in previous articles, Sefer Yetsira (The Book of Formation) – attributed to Abraham the Patriarch – tells us that the 22 Hebrew letters are the building blocks of the Universe. Meaning they represent spiritual frequencies which created our Universe. Similarly, published in the 80’s, of the 20th century, the Super String Theory argues that the world is built from 22 basic frequencies. The problem however, is that modern physicists do not know how these much talked about strings/frequencies affect our life.
Sefer Yetsira teaches us that the 22 frequencies, represented by the Hebrew letters, are tools used for transferring spiritual abundance. According to Kabbalah each month is controlled by two Hebrew letters; one controls the star that dominates the month and the other controls the astrological sign of the month.
The month of Leo (Av) is controlled by the letters כ (Kaf) and ט (Tet). The letter כ controls the Sun, which is the star that dominates Leo, and the letter ט controls the astrological sign of Leo.
So what is so special about these letters?
The letter ט is built almost in the form of a complete circle with an extension hiding inside. The Zohar calls this extension “the hidden good”. Translated into common English, it’s a reference to the enormous power and Light hidden for The World to Come, also referred to as, “Or Ha’Ganuz” (the hidden light). This is the Light that was created on the first day of the Creation (“And God said let there be light, and there was light” – Genesis 1:3). This is the enormous power that exists in the Universe during the month of Leo (Av), the energy of Creation.
The letter כ belongs to the sun which controls the month of Av. As we know, all the planets surround the sun. This also gives us an indication about a Leo’s nature. Leos love to be the center of attention. The Sun has two common Hebrew names – שמש (Shemesh) and חמה (Hama = Hot). The inner, more spiritual, side of Leo is represented by the Shemesh and the external side from Hama.
Regarding the external side, what others see, it is known that Leos see themselves as leaders and as someone who knows best and also loves the show and drama. If we challenge their leadership they will immediately put us in our place. Their leadership can be hot and burning to their surroundings, in case of a dictatorship style of leadership. On that note, since their pride is their sensitive point, they are easy to calm by flattery and compliments.
The Hebrew word Shemesh (Sun) represents our inner self, the more hidden part of ourselves. It could also be read in Hebrew as Shamash, meaning helper or giving service, which is the primarily role of every leader – to serve his people. So once again, we see the positive power of the Leo reflected in their innate ability to lead and be in service.
It is important to understand that the moment the month of Av begins it will be possible to feel the power of Leo arise within ourselves and the Universe. Given that Leo is a fire sign; one should also be aware of the tempestuous nature of this month. It is also no accident that on The 9th of Av, that the first Temple was destroyed, burned by fire. According to tradition the temple was destroyed because of, “Hatred for No Reason.
At the beginning of the rebellion against the Romans (66 CE), the leaders of Jerusalem found that the population of Jerusalem had enough supplies to be under siege, inside the fortified city walls for twenty years. Their hope was that sometime during that timeframe, the Roman’s budget would run out and they would go home. Unfortunately quarreling and disputes arose rapidly as one thought he knew better than his fellow men how to deal with the Romans. This conflict culminated with people burning each other’s warehouses until they were left without supplies. It is no coincidence that this act of negativity – not to have respect and to act without tolerance towards each other, fighting brother against brother – was carried out with fire. Since then, every year, the powers of dispute and intolerance arise again and again, because we did not fix what was needed to be fixed long ago.
As the sages tell it, the Third Temple will come down from the sky in fire – the fire that destroyed will now build and reveal in every one of us the letter ט – (Tet) the hidden good, the hidden Light.
This will happen as soon as we will realize that we are here to serve each other, just as the sun serves and gives life and support to all the planets around her. If we want people to appreciate us, if we want to lead and create and find cooperation with others, we should have the awareness of Leo’s power. To understand that each one of us has a different vision and a different understanding of things, and that we are different from each other and that means that we could contribute something unique.
The question is what kind of world do we want to create and what form will our leadership take? Will we lead by fire, will we burn like the sun, or will we take our power from the mightiest source of all, the hidden Light, and lead with compassion, love and humility.
If we choose correctly, then we will discover the hidden Light within and be lucky enough to see the coming of the Messiah; meaning we could truly celebrate Tu B’Av (The 15th of Av), the holiday of Love, which is the ability to be united with another human being without pride and intolerance and in a state of unity, peace, and oneness.
For further study on the Zodiac signs you can go to Live Kabbalah University