July 26th marks the annual heliacal rise of Sirius (meaning, "with
the Sun"). This date heralds both the ancient Mayan and Egyptian New Year
— for the latter, it also coincides with the flooding of the Nile, which
Egyptians believed Sirius' rising caused.
Sirius has long been known as the "Dog Star". (Trivia: in the
Harry Potter series, Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, is an animagus: one who
can shapeshift — and when he does, he transforms into a large black dog.) The
Dog Star also gives us the "dog days of summer":
Ancient Egyptians called Sirius the "Dog Star" because
pictograms of the head of their god Osiris resembled a dog. In Egypt, Sirius
shines for most of the summer, and since it's such a bright star, the Egyptians
believed the additional light it radiated was responsible for the summer heat.
This isn't true, of course, but the phrase "the dog days of summer"
springs from this belief.
The Greeks named the star Sirius, which meant, "scorching or
burning".
And as we move through the Great Turning, this time that's been
prophesied for millennia, it's wise to balance our blazing inner and outer heat
with the heart of the dog, which of course is all about Love. Lots more on that
in the August issue of my e-newsletter, What Shines.
Posts
