Sirius

Mythology

The brightest star in the night sky. Sacred in ancient Egypt: the Nile's flooding began with its heliacal rising, identifying it with the goddess Isis. The Sothic calendar is built on Sirius' rising. Greeks read it as "scorching"; in Rome the "dog days" of summer take their name from it.

Astrological reading

Sirius lends a conjunct planet brilliance, visibility, and excess heat. The native carries not an ordinary gift but a "rising" one; success often arrives early and suddenly. Risk: loneliness or scorch from the brightness itself. Fixed at 14° Cancer.

Themes

• brilliance
• fame
• sacredness
• overflow