The Nemean Lion, born as the offspring of Zeus and Selene, is said to have fallen from the moon. The lion is ferocious and ravaging and terrorizing those who live in the area of Nemea.  It is said to have claws that were so sharp that they could cut through armor. The lion could not be killed with mortal weapons as its skin resisted penetration. Hercules’s is instructed by Eurystheus in this labor is to find, kill, and bring the skin of the Nemean Lion to Eurystheus.

Hercules takes only the club that he fashioned from the olive tree with him into this labor. On the journey, he acquires a bow and arrows as well. He searches from place to place seeking the lion, but it remains elusive. He continued the search in ever-narrowing circles until eventually, hearing Lion’s roar, he sees him at the edge of a thicket. Using the bow and arrows, and with a steady aim and eye, he directs an arrow, straight and accurate, right at Lion’s shoulder. But, the shaft and all those that follow bounce off the lion’s golden skin and fall to the ground.

Hercules drops his bow to the ground and rushes the lion with wild shouting. The lion then turns and disappears into a thicket. Hercules continues the chase in ever smaller circles until the lion suddenly disappears. Now armed with only the club that he fashioned himself, he sees a cave and hears the Lion roar from deep within. Hercules enters the darkness of the cave but discovers that the lion has escaped out a second entrance.

Around and around they go until Hercules creates a blockade to prevent the lion from exiting the cave. With the exit from the cave blocked, the lion finds himself trapped within the cave. Hercules creeps through the dark, and comes face-to-face with the lion. Striking him with a blow from his mighty club, the lion is stunned. Hercules then grabs the lion by the throat and chokes him until he is dead.

Hercules attempts to remove the lions hide but it is so tough, he must use the lion’s own claws to remove its skin. After removing the lion’s hide, he wears the coat as a cloak and returns to Eurystheus, who is terrorized by the sight of Hercules. He vows never to be alone with Hercules again.

The Lion of Nemea was said to be born of the moon. His moon association provides important clues about the lion’s affinity with the emotional body. He is an intelligent and coordinated hunter, tricking and trapping his prey, which he then devours. But his nature is wild and unregulated, and his presence in the environment brings terror to those sharing his community.

The Nemean lion signifies the integrated, effective, yet uncontrolled personality. The myth mentions two specific aspects of the lion’s physical form, and this helps us to understand his impact. He has claws that can cut through armor, and his skin is impenetrable to the weapons available to Hercules to kill from a distance. Through these details, we understand that he is the representative of the unawakened Leo.

The lion’s skin is impervious to arrows, and they bounce off his coat. So, Hercules chooses to use a club that he fashions out of olive wood. The olive tree is a significant symbol as it represents the intention of creating peace. The soul wishes to make peace and form relationship with the leonine personality. A club is a blunt, brutal, and personal weapon so it requires that there is close contact between the lion and Hercules in order for the lion to be defeated. The intimacy necessary in the task helps us to understand that we need to get close to the wildness of the personality. In the process, it is likely to get messy in battle. We learn here that we must use the right tools when dealing with personality (ego) for transformation.

The lion is clever and elusive. He “plays” with Hercules, leading him on a chase. Their circular cat-and-mouse game symbolizes the need for the soul to maneuver around the integrated personality in an environment with which it is comfortable. The wild and elusive aspects of personality want to remain independent and un-redeemed, and so the soul-self must persistently be “in pursuit” to capture and arrest it’s personality aspect.

The cave is an essential symbol of the heart (Leo rules the heart). Esoterically, we understand that there is a cave within the heart (the birthplace of intelligent love). But, also there is a cave within the head (the place where loving intelligently is refined). When accessed and activated, the cave acts as the portal where we re-unite with Gaia, earth mother, and goddess so that we gain access to deeper levels of consciousness. Within the cave (notably, the cave within the head) the soul and personality unite in divine marriage.

The myth has Hercules using the lion’s own claws to remove its skin. At some point, our personality nature is chased, trapped, and ultimately transformed by the very tools of destruction that the unintegrated personality uses against others. This ‘skinning of the ego’ is a necessary step so that the soul can manifest fully. When Hercules dons the lion’s skin, he is demonstrating how the personality in Leo, when in service to the soul becomes a powerful and awe-inspiring figure.

Then the transformed Leo radiantly expresses the loving wisdom that is the jewel of their integrated nature.

The personality in Leo is driven to establish identity, independence, and leadership. The quest for leadership, however, can drive the unawakened Leo to dominate and rule others. This lower Leo lives with a self-absorbed preoccupation with himself. Like the planets rotating around the Sun, the lower Leo believes everyone must revolve around him. His reality can be self-absorbed and self-referencing, leading to a disregard for those he interacts with.

Through his desire to dominate and rule his world, the unawakened Leo can wound, dominate, and belittle those around him. These shadow qualities are aspects of an unawakened and unintegrated Leo personality. When left unregulated, this personality is destructive to those he contacts. A quote from 1st Peter in the Bible provides an emphasis on this.

Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about, seeking those he might devour.

1 Peter 5:8

To understand, rule, and love others, the personality in Leo must first understand, rule, and love him/her self. Without this Leo will never be a good leader. There must, however be a growth where there develops a recognition of ‘other’ as one who deserves to have a voice and attention in the world. As self-knowledge develops, the enlightened Leo learns to use their will for purposes beyond self-interest. But they must be willing to brave the dark cave of their inner drives and energies. These shadow aspects of self can be elusive and must be relentlessly pursued and captured so that they can be transformed.