The Lion's Paw - He really looks proud of his gesture, doesn't he?
"The grip of a lion’s paw is as important to the Freemason as the Leo is to the astrological charts!!"
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Leo - the Sun - Royal Arch Degree - Masonic and Egyptian Significance
The Standard of Judah – Is, in both Royal Arch Systems mentioned, symbolized with the Lion, and represents the fifth zodiac sign of Leo. The grip of a lion’s paw is as important to the Freemason as the Leo is to the astrological charts.
Leo, Robert Hewitt Brown in Stellar "Theology and Masonic Astronomy" writes, "On the 21st of June, when the sun arrives at the summer solstice, the constellation Leo – being but 30 degrees in advance of the sun – appears to be leading the way, and to aid by his powerful paw in lifting the sun up to the summit of the zodiacal arch. … This visible connection between the constellation Leo and the return of the sun to his place of power and glory, at the summit of the Royal Arch of heaven, was the principal reason why that constellation was held in such high esteem and reverence by the ancients. The astrologers distinguished Leo as the sole house of the sun, and taught that the world was created when the sun was in that sign. The lion was adored in the east and the west by the Egyptians and he Mexicans."
The Lion as a symbol of the Sun also holds deep Egyptian significance.
Reference: http://www.hariam.org/CHWR/urasweb.html