The image is a warrior of terrible beauty: a soldier whose face is that of a red lion, whose eyes burn with flame, and who rides a great horse. This is no mere beast but a conscious vehicle of will, the horse representing the controlled, dynamic force of the lower self. The soldier’s leonine aspect is the royal, solar fire of Tiphareth, while the red color and flaming eyes point to the martial, purifying fire of Geburah. The figure is a synthesis of the King (Tiphareth) and the Warrior (Geburah), a manifestation of the divine will in its most active, conquering mode.

Position on the Tree of Life

This image is the magical image for Path 20, the path of Tzaddi (The Star) on the Tree of Life. This path connects Hod (Splendor, intellect, communication) to Netzach (Victory, emotion, nature). The soldier’s ride is the journey of the aspirant from the analytical, formal world of Hod into the passionate, instinctual realm of Netzach, a crossing that requires the disciplined fire of the lion-faced warrior to succeed.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

In the system of Liber 777, Path 20 is attributed to the element of Water in its most refined, astral form, and to the zodiacal sign of Aquarius. The soldier’s fiery, leonine nature is thus paradoxically expressed through the fixed, airy sign of Aquarius. This is not a contradiction but a synthesis: the fire of the will (the lion) is poured into the vessel of universal consciousness (Aquarius), becoming the “water of life” that flows from the Star. The great horse he rides is the vehicle of this current, the controlled animal nature that carries the divine spark into manifestation.

Historical context

The image of a lion-headed warrior on a horse has deep roots in the Western esoteric tradition. It is a direct descendant of the Mithraic lion-headed god (Aion/Chronos), who is often depicted with a lion’s head, entwined by a serpent, and holding keys. In Mithraism, this figure represented infinite time and the unbounded power of the cosmos. The Qabalistic adaptation in Liber 777 refines this: the serpent is gone, replaced by the horse, symbolizing the controlled, directed nature of the magical will. The image also echoes the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” from Christian apocalyptic literature (Revelation 5:5), a messianic warrior-king. In the context of the Golden Dawn and Crowley’s system, the soldier is the perfected Magus, the adept who has mastered the lower self (the horse) and whose will is one with the divine fire (the lion’s face). The “flaming eyes” are the “Eyes of Horus,” the all-seeing vision of the awakened consciousness.

Closing

In Liber 777, this image stands as the magical image for the 20th Path, a stark and potent symbol of the will in action—a warrior of light riding the beast of nature into the heart of the Star.