Tantra of the Lion

That afternoon, November 19^th, inside the Ashtabhuja Devi Temple, the conciousness of this goddess gave me the following instruction, part of the ongoing transmission connected to my previous post Cave of Love:

Hyderabad.  Find out about Hyderabad.

Hyder-abad.

Hyderabad. Hyderabad. Hyderabad.

Dear reader: what do you know about Hyderabad, in India?

Essential basics to know:

Hyderabad, the famed City of Pearls, is the capital of the state of Telangana. Legend holds that its first name was Bhagnagar (City of Fortune) and later Baaghnagar (City of Gardens).

Its origins trace back to Golconda, a 12th century fortress kingdom and a market of the antique, rare and precious Golconda diamonds (extraction ended by the 1830).  

In 1591, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah formally founded the new city along the Musi River and moved the capital from Golconda to this planned metropolis: Hyderabad. Almost a century later, both Golconda and Hyderabad were annexed into the Mughal Empire.

Things changed again in 1724, when the Asaf Jahi dynasty (the Nizams) took power and made Hyderabad the capital of the princely state.  During British rule, Hyderabad maintained its autonomy and identity.

Today, the city has reinvented itself once more: a booming tech and pharmaceutical hub, a city of cinema and culture. Locals love to say that Hyderabad blends the best of old and the new.

Three trips since March 2024 and I still haven’t tried the legendary biryani (locals swear by it), but I already have my favorite spots: Vibrant Living, E´voke and Naani´s. And for dessert, I always end up at Naturals Ice Cream.  It may have started first in Mumbai, but I tried it first in Hyderabad.  My favorite? The seasonal jackfruit, absolutely delicious.   

Why did Ashtabhuja break the city´s name into two? Hyder and abad.

hyder (Arabic/ Persian) = lion. Also, Ali ibn Abi Talib (Imam Ali), cousin, son-in-law and successor of Prophet Muhammad, a revered spiritual authority in Islamic and mystical traditions, was called Haydar (lion) and Asadullah (The Lion of God).

abad (Persian) = place that is inhabited (city, settlement), a land of growth and prosperity.

Before we continue, let me ask you, dear journey companion: when the lion appears in your mind, what thoughts or images stir?

Now, let me share what comes to my mind first:

Gold.

Fire. Tetrahedron.

Great mother goddesses (Çatalhöyük, Inanna, Sekhmet, Durga, Parvati): fertility, creation (birth and rebirth) and destruction (death), guardian, fierce compassion.

Leo (the lion in the zodiac) and Lion´s Gate (August 8). Solar alignment and amplification.

Winged lions (St. Mark´s lion, Venice, Mesopotamian lamassu).

If I let my mind wonder through the lanes of association, the following arise:

Christianity (Lion of Judea, Mark the Evangelist and his winged lion).

Hinduism (Narasimha – tha half man, half lion avatar for god Vishnu, Rudra – Shiva as the roaring lion).

Ancient Egypt (Spinx).

The Lion King (Disney animated musical movie).

Now, back to where we left off, at the etymology of Hyderabad.

With this definition, it would seem logical to say that Hyderabad is the Prosperous City of the Lion, holding the attributes of the divine masculine (presence, power, protection, boundaries, courage, strength, truth). However, Hyderabad is the Prosperous City of the Lion/Lioness, the union of the divine feminine and the divine masculine.

By splitting the word (Hyder and abad), Ashtabhuja dropped the first nugget: a spark of curiosity and the point where my research began.  She created polarity for me to inquire the hidden meaning behind form, only to then show the deeper unity: the tantra of the lion. The sacred sovereign flame of the feminine (Shakti awakened) and the masculine (Shiva enthroned).

She was pointing me toward the alchemical formula:

hyder = lion, fire, Sulphur.

abad = matter, Salt.

The lion as the heart of the alchemist. The inner solar fire that gives rise to the Philosopher´s stone (the perfect unity of Sulphur, Mercury and Salt).

Final (initial) thoughts: The lion is not limited to guarding the gate to the treasure.  The Lion is the fire that becomes the treasure, the means, and the path. The fire that transmutes and renders indistinguishable from the Philosopher´s stone.

So once again, I meet the archetype of the Lion, the same force that led me to Lyon, France in October 2025. With my friend Katherine Torres, we were taken on a cosmic initiation into the Divine Feminine with Mary Magdalene´s lineage in the south of France.

From there, we were called back to Lyon, to walk up the Fourvière Hill receiving solar codes that led us to Lugdunum, the ancient birthplace of the city in 43 BC.  There, through dragon codes and the frequencies of innocence, play and joy, the connection of Lyon with the Divine Feminine light codes of the South of France, the ancient Island of Avalon (UK) and Lake Bled (Slovenia) were recalibrated and anchored, while Lyon awakened and healed its heart. 

The activation continued as we walked up to the energetic node resting at the top of the sacred hill, an axis of the Divine Masculine, where the Basilica of Notre-Dame of Fourvière stands guarded by the winged lions who hold the threshold.

Thank you, beloved Ashthabuja Devi, for revealing and illuminating my own alchemical journey.  You have led me to recognize the Lion of my inner fire, not divided into feminine or masculine, but fused into a single roar of awakening.

I am the Lion that has opened its eyes.

I am remembering my path to my sovereign Self, the amplification of my I AM presence. First spoken in Hebrew as Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh and echoed in the teachings of the Great Alchemist of Consciousness, Saint-Germain: I am that I am.

And so, the journey continues.

PS: Thank you, Katherine Torres for your comments on this post prior to its publication.