by Agni Jnana Yannanda
featured image by Jana Astanov JaDeive, digital collage, 2015
July 5th transiting Sun at 19°05′ Gemini where SIRIUS A & B resides, Sidereal
13° Cancer, Tropical
Sun Conjunct Sirius, Great World Teacher
Sirius, is the knowledge-holder of ancient hermetic wisdom. He represents high ethical standards, and inspires freedom seeking and human rights. Dealing with Sirius’ intense energy it is quite important to aim for a higher goal, seeking higher knowledge and spiritual wisdom. Sirius can be authoritative in nature, nevertheless his goal is to expand our consciousness so we can be active agents for the evolutionary change of our world. He acts as a catalyst on a global scale -whenever there are significant alignments in one’s chart or the transiting planets – linking individual missions to the universal causes. He impacts our discernment between good and wrong, with a sense of responsibility to direct others towards the expression of their soul’s destiny.
You can locate Sirius in your own chart at 19° Gemini, Sidereal and at 13° Cancer, Tropical with an orb of 3 degrees.
If you have pronounced aspects to Sirius in your chart you need to learn how to guide people towards their evolutionary experience without forcing your own will on them. He encourages us to be the teachers for others, and lead by example.
Sirius is visible in the night sky, in the Northern hemisphere during the winter months.
Gemini – Ardra – Rudra
As the Sun is transiting through the constellation Gemini, in terms of Jyotish astrology based on stars and constellations it is located in the Nakshatra Ardra which lies entirely in the sign of Gemini from 6°40′ to 20°00′. Ardra is associated with both Sirius, as well as Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion. With the rulling planet Rahu, it also has the influence of Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, reflecting the emphasis on the mind and a deep feeling nature combined with the passionate thinking.
Although Ardra is one of the feminine Nakshatras (perhaps the reference to the Egyptian Goddess?), its presiding deity is Rudra, the most fierce and destructive aspect of Shiva, here personified as the lord of storms and the god of destruction. The end of June and beginning of July is often when the summer storms bring the lightenings and rain, and it aligns with the other depictions of Ardra as “the moist one”.
Ardra’s symbol a teardrop is described as green, fresh, soft, wet, and “shining like a gem”. Ardra expresses the perception of clarity, direction and freedom that comes after a rain storm or the tears of sorrow that release us from suffering. It’s worth noting within this context that the color green was traditionally associates with the astral Goddesses of Egypt. A goddess of heaven is said to have “strewed green stone, malachite and turquoise as stars”. (“Astral Mythology in Egypt” Laszlo Kakosy).
Ardra Nakshatra is also symbolized by the diamond, “shining like a gem”, that relates to hard work and intellectual abilities. Alternative symbol is “a human head” representing brilliance and mental processes once again mirroring the Mercurial nature of this mansion.
The flooding of the Nile as metaphor for our awakening + Ardra Nakshatra
No surprise, there is an overlap between the energies of Sirius and the Ardra Nakshatra where the Sun resides on July 5th according to Jyotish astrology. Considering most of the ancient wisdom was passed through the millennia, even the image of the teardrop of Ardra is reflecting the Egyptian Goddess Sopdet ( whose name translates as ‘Triangle’ therefore relating to the gem or teardrop of Ardra or ‘Sharp One’ and of course that’s anther translation for the Ardra Nakshatra) and her life giving waters which stood for the flooding of the Nile, and can be interpreted as a metaphor for the awakening of the human race.
Sopdet – Sothis – Sirius
Thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, a culture that watched the sky carefully, the heliacal rising of Sirius coincided with the summer solstice, and the flooding of the river Nile.
Sopdet, was one of the Astral Goddesses of Egypt as she personified Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the southern sky. She was known as Sothis to the Greeks, and associated with many deities like Isis in the form of Isis Sothis.
In ancient Egypt, she was worshipped since the first Dynasty as the goddess who brings the new year and the inundation, as each year the coming of the flood coincided with the moment of its brightness on the horizon at dawn after its absence for about 70 days, the phenomenon known as a heliacal rising of Sothis-Sirius. A heliacal rising occurs when a star, after having been hidden by daylight for a period of time, can once again be seen shortly before sunrise.
This moment defined the ancient Egyptian new year, preparing them for the coming flood and the life-giving fertility that would arrive with it. Therefore, Sopdet was considered as a fertility goddess because of the soil brought by the flood.
Sopdet, Astral Goddess of Egypt
She preceded all the other stars, being the Queen to them all and described by such titles as “Lady of All Stars”, “Lady of the Heavens”. She is known under many avatars having been depicted in her human form, and as a cow, a lioness headed serpent, and a dog headed serpent.
Sopdet, representing Sirius, was a consort of Sah (also God of Thunder!), associated with the constellation Orion, near Sirius. Sopdet aka Sirius and Sah aka Orion (or perhaps Betelgeuse), had a child – the planet Venus personified by the hawk god Sopdu “Lord of the East”. Sopdet mythology also linked her to Osiris, and with time her cult was merged with those of Osiris and Isis.
Even though Ardra in the Vedic tradition lost its feminine life sustaining character, and is ruled by Rudra, the most destructive aspect of Shiva, if we dig deeper into the occult gnosis we can disregard the Vedic thundering fear-inducing authoritative aspect of Ardra and bring back the original Egyptian image of the Astral Goddess Sopdet known for her strength and fertility.
Western vs Eastern Zodiac
Whether you follow the Western, season (Tropical) based astrology or the Jyotish / Vedic system based on the actual constellations on the sky (Sidereal), Cancer season dates in both systems:
Tropical Cancer dates June 22 – July 22
Sidereal Cancer July 17 – August 16
About the author
Agni Jnana Yannanda, which translates from Sanskrit as Mystic Fire, is an astrologer living in the Shawangunk Mountains. Her natal Venus aligns with the Star Sirius (Gemini), her Ascendent aligns with Arcturus (Libra), and her Moon conjuncts Fomalhaut (Aquarius), and Mars conjuncts Aldebaran (Taurus).
