"Lion" in the positive sense signifies divine truth in power! That is why Christ is called "the lion of the tribe of Judah."

When the Prophet Daniel saw a winged lion emerge from the sea, he saw the symbolic representation of a [new era] in which Divine Truth sets out to conquer new spiritual territory.

The "lion" denotes the fearlessness of one who is imbued with Divine Truth …

Candidates who successfully passed the ancient Mithraic initiations were called "lions" and were marked upon their foreheads with the Egyptian cross. Mithras himself is often pictured with the head of a lion and two pairs of wings.

The reference to the "Lion" and the "Grip of the Lion’s Paw" in the Master Mason’s degree have a strong Mithraic tinge and may easily have originated from this cult.

The sun rising over the back of the lion has always been considered symbolic of power and rulership. The Egyptian priests in many of their ceremonies wore the skins of lions, which were symbols of the great solar orb, owing to the fact that the sun is exalted, dignified and most fortunately placed in the constellation of Leo the Lion.

Among the Egyptians the sun’s rays are often shown ending in human hands. Masons will find a connection between these hands and the well-known "Paw of the Lion" which raises all things to life with its grip.

Anciently the corona of the sun was shown in the form of a lion’s mane, a subtle reminder of the fact that at one time the summer solstice took place in the sign of Leo, the Celestial Lion.

Initiates of the Egyptian Mysteries were sometimes called lions or panthers. The lion was the emissary of the sun, symbolizing light, truth and regeneration.

The lion is king of the animal family, and, like the head of each kingdom, is sacred to the sun, whose rays are symbolized by the lion’s shaggy mane. The allegories perpetuated by the mysteries (such as the one to the effect that the lion opens the secret book) signify that the solar power opens the seed pods, releasing the spiritual life within.

There was also a curious belief among the ancients that the lion sleeps with his eyes open, and for this reason the animal was chosen as a symbol of vigilance. The figure of a lion placed on either side of doors and gateways is an emblem of divine guardianship. Therefore lion figures were erected over buried treasure.

For ages the feline family has been regarded with peculiar veneration. To the Egyptian priests the cat was symbolic of the magnetic forces of Nature, and they surrounded themselves with these animals for the sake of the astral fire which emanated from their bodies. Such animals were symbols of eternity, for when they sleep they curl up into a ball with their head and tail touching.

The lion symbolized Secret Wisdom (King Solomon was often symbolized as a lion); to overcome this beast is to become a master of such wisdom. It will be remembered that Samson and Hercules both conquered the lion. The lion also represents one of the Four Corners of Creation.