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The Festival of Sirius  [Festival of the Nations]
Malvin Artley, astrologer and leading occultist, is a regular contributor to Astrology on the Web. Malvin also publishes a regular astrological newsletter, to which you can subscribe by clicking the link at the end of this article. The Full Moon in Aquarius is the Full Moon period for Leo, because the Full Moon is always in the opposite sign to where the Sun is placed on that day. This festival coincides with the Festival of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is the Sun of the Sun, the central star of our galaxy.
Greetings Everyone, and a happy full moon period to you! This full moon, as the title suggests, coincides with the Festival of Sirius (more on that shortly), and marks the Leo full moon festival. I have called this particular festival the "Festival of the Nations", or the "Festival of Government", for Leo carries the torch of leadership within the Zodiac, and it has a particular emphasis upon the organization and leadership of groups of all types, even though the sign of Leo is most often associated with the cult of individualism and egocentricity in most people's eyes. From my childhood I can recollect my father (who is a Leo) walking into rooms full of people on several occasions and exclaiming to all gathered within: "Here I am, all you lucky people!" No ego there, just truth--or so says the Leo. And, if the Leo in question is possessed of their usual big, lion heart, zest for life, and natural ability to infectiously motivate people, then--yes--the ones who stand in the presence of one so endowed are lucky. The fact that this full moon coincides with the Festival of Sirius this year is auspicious, too, as we shall see. With that being said, I will get to the full moon in due course, but this Sirian Festival bears some investigation first so we get the greatest measure from the meaning of this full moon. The Festival of SiriusWhat follows regarding Sirius is more technical than what I would normally send out, so I ask for the reader's forbearance. I doubt I would have to be this technical again. But I do so because it is vital that we come to understand what this star and its associated system really represent to us. Just what marks this Festival of Sirius? Astronomically, it is linked to the date of the heliacal rising of Sirius, i.e., when Sirius rises at the same time as the Sun. This occurs around the 8th-9th of August, when the Sun is at about 15 degrees of Leo.For this reason some people equate the full moon of Leo with the festival of Sirius, but this is not strictly correct. It is only so from our present point of history, but it has not always been thus. In the days of ancient Egypt the pyramids were all aligned so that certain portals within the walls of those structures channeled the light of Sirius straight into the king's chamber on the date of the Sirian heliacal rising. In Egypt in those days that marked the summer solstice--the point of 0 degrees of Cancer in the zodiac--and the hottest part of their summer. It also marked the coming of the rainy season and thus ensured prosperity for the people. Precession of the EquinoxesBut, due to the precession of the equinoxes that alignment no longer occurs at the summer solstice. It would be fascinating to learn if the solstice in those days corresponded to the 0-degree point in both the sign and the constellation of Cancer, for that would mean that the pyramids were erected not just as indicators or markers for their time, but for all time. That would mean that all the solstice and equinox points would exactly coincide with their constellation namesakes when this alignment with the portals took place. This would indicate much to esotericists and occultists, but it is beyond the scope of this article.History and Meaning of SiriusSirius has a fascinating history and meaning behind it. It is the most revered on our planet of all the fixed stars, for good reason. Sirius is Alpha Canis Major, an A1 (bluish-green) variable class star of 2.4 solar masses with a visual magnitude of -1.46, making it the brightest fixed star in our heavens. It is called the Dog Star, hence the term "dog days of summer", and is also known as Canicula and Aschere. The Chinese knew it as Lang, the Celestial Wolf. It is a binary star, having a white dwarf companion star (a "solar moon") orbiting it, hence making its light to our globe variable due to periodic obscuration by its companion. It lies at a distance of 8.7 light-years from us, which is significant because it means we are closely connected with it in more ways than one. Due to its mass, it will end its days in a spectacular explosion (nova) and become what is known as a neutron star --a very small but incredibly dense dark body in space--a "gravity body" and potent source of x-ray and cosmic ray emissions (only the most massive stars become black holes). I mention all these facts because they will be highly significant to some readers.A Benefic InfluenceAstrologically, Sirius is largely seen as a benefic influence. Of it, it is said to produce great things from small beginnings. It is said to bring honor, wealth, renown, faithfulness and devotion. It makes natives who have it prominent in their charts custodians, curators and guardians. In aspect with planets it gives success, gain and fame with trines, sextiles and certain conjunctions, and brings violent death and loss with squares and oppositions. The Chinese said that when it is unusually bright or changed color (was not obscured by its "moon" or by atmospheric conditions) it portended theft and attacks from pirates. Projected onto the ecliptic it is found at 14 Cancer these days, but it is actually some 40 degrees off the actual zodiacal wheel, so interpreting it in a zodiacal manner is somewhat questionable, unless one uses spherical aspects, for the more technically-minded.But, when we get into the esoteric side of the matter the true importance of Sirius to our corner of the universe becomes potently clear and also shows why it should be considered in some manner when looking at any horoscope. The Star of Mercury, the Guide of SoulsSirius was called the star of Mercury or Budha (spelling is correct)--the great Instructor of mankind before the Buddhas (before the Lemurian race). At the early stages of the Lemurian race there was a tremendous influx of force from Sirius and Venus onto our planet and the great event called Individualization took place--the human Souls were brought to Earth and our true humanity was born.This brings us to the crux of the matter: Sirius is said to hold an analogous position to our Sun as the individual human Soul does to the persona. It is analogous to the Soul of our solar system. Now--that being said--there are some who will balk at the statement just made, because Sirius has connotations of mind control to them. And, in fact, that is exactly what it does. But, we have to put certain things into perspective regarding that. In Part Two of this article, Malvin discusses the concept of "Soul" and the idea of the Cosmic Mind, in the light of esoteric teachings. The eternal conflict between the armies of the Dark Lords and those on the Path of Light is a map for the growth of the human spirit and the teeming souls that inhabit our galaxy. Read part 2 of The Festival of Sirius 
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