Both Sirius and Venus are emerging from the Solar Light, and rising just before dawn on the eastern horizon.  Sirius rises first, and is further south of east on the horizon line.  You will see the distinctive constellation Orion above.  The belt stars of Orion act like a pointer line to Sirius, below the 3 star belt and cloudy nebula.  Venus is brighter, and rises close to due east.  It is visible for longer as well, being brighter.

When a star is close in the sky to the sun, we are not able to view it.  When it moves out of the light sphere of the sunlight, and we can see it rising on its own again before dawn we are witnessing the Heliacal Rising.  This revelation moment, the Heliacal Rising, is an age old important noted time by sky watchers.  In Ancient sky watching cultures (which is all ancient cultures) the heliacal rising of stars was used a marker of time and a way to seat seasonal and annual calendars.  The ancient sky watchers and shamans were the ones who guided and informed the people of the important dates and were "keepers" of the calendars, set by the skies.  An important role would be the Keepers of the Dawn - to awake in the darkness and watch the skies.  A clear open vista to an eastern horizon line was a precious potent important point of observation.  Many a sacred site included a observatory temple space and often stone structure monuments to accentuate and highlight these celestial body rising - stars and planets, sun and moon risings.

Modern devices (calendars, moon charts, observatories) have made the role of rising and watching somewhat redundant. We can use the phones in our pockets to connect with many charts and data sets.  The task of being the Watcher, the Keeper of the Dawn is less critical to village life and has largely faded.  Yet, so many of us are remembering and re-awakening our innate skillsets as Celestial Shamans.  

Many of us have this sky watcher tendencies encoded in our being.  Where we feel the call to rise as Keepers of the Dawn.  It is truly why some of these traditions of waking and connecting in the cosmos have permeated so many sacred practices and rituals. Because this time of the day has a potent opening or gateway quality which is precious and pure.  the light that shines as day breaks is called brahmamuhurtha, the ambrosial hours, the amrit vela, the nectar of the gods, the honey of immortality. A similar ambrosial gateway exists at sunset.

As modern day Celestial Shamans, we rise at this hour for the love, the light, the joy of it.  To connect with the cosmos.  To receive inspiration and illumination.  To uplift the soul!

In early September, The Keepers of the Dawn are graced with TWO important celestial bodies rising before dawn.  Sirius and Venus.  Both became potentially visible mid/late August.  This visibility depends on your location, both longitude placement and sightline specific, as well as clear sky and weather influenced.  

My region has been blessed with much moisture this summer, which includes copious cloud cover.  I myself got my first clear glimpse of these celestial light beauties on September 1.  
The pictures above I took on that special first sighting morning.

September 3 is of note as Venus & Sirius Cosmic Rising.  Cosmic Rising is when two celestial bodes rise together.  Venus completes a period of retrograde motion, and turns direct on September 3, so like a pendulum swing, that Venus turn direct point is as close as these two (Venus & Sirius) get together in the sky.

These two Celestial Beauties will grace our low east horizon early morning skies for the first few weeks of September.  Get up early to catch a glimpse.  This week Venus is rising around 4:20 am.  Venus is brighter.  Take note of Procyon, which triangulates between them.  Use the pointer stars of Orion's Belt to track your way to Sirius.  Venus in her diamond light will be obvious. Procyon is between them.  

Click the white box above to dive deeper into this topic, utilize our alignment charts and get all the details and information about the Gateways of 2023 - August Gates, as well as previous months.
https://www.innerspacevoyages.com/2023-celestial-alignments.html
2023 Celestial Alignments

CYCLES OF SIRIUS
​​
Sirius, the twinkling bright disco ball star is prominent in the winter evening northern hemisphere sky,  It dips lower and lower every night of spring, until it begins to join the sun, rendering it "invisible" to us, as it comes close to the sun in the daytime sky.  We are in that part of the cycle now, Sirius is a "daytime star" - and thereby not visible to us humans here on earth.

The last time we can see Sirius, low in the western sky just after sunset is early/mid May.  This last time you can see a star (or planet) in the twighlight sky is called the Heliacal Setting.  Heliacal means "near the sun".  The date varies by your latitude - and for the whole globe it is Mid May this year.  At my 42 degrees, this year it was around May 3-5.

Other poignant Celestial Stargate of note are the Cosmic Setting and Cosmic Rising.  This is when two celestial bodies set or rise at the same time.  On August 4, 2023 - The Sun & Sirius rise together !! ​(the day I am writing this blog).  The Sun & Sirius set together May 28, 2023.

Heliacal Rising is the moment we can see a celestial body (star/planet) rise just before sunrise on the eastern horizon.  Just like the setting - this is subjective to your location and vistas - and most of the globe sees them within a week of each other.  In 2023 - the Heliacal rising of Sirius takes place during the window of August 14-17 ish.  For my location, i have my target date of August 16 to being to look.  While some of this can be "predicted" it is a real time moment, you being awake and looking at a clear line of eastern horizon - and weather and could cover and such.  It is a sacred special moment of connection right to the Star itself.

This year - we have another celestial light player - the bright planet Venus - adding in the cosmic dance party.  

Venus is with the sun in the sky now too - and conjuncts close on August 13.  The Sun, New Moon & Venus rise together (Cosmic Rising) on August 16.  

The early mornings before dawn through the end of August - we will be able to see BOTH Sirius & Venus low on the eastern horizon (and higher every day) - a very special celestial treat!

CROSS QUARTER AUG 1 FULL MOON TAKES US INTO THE LEO GATEWAY 
I went out to watch the moon rise last night...and the orange pinky salmon glow of the Lunar Disc and the sky had me looking at the solar and lunar alignments for this Full Moon.  Every Full Moon creates an "opposition alignment gateway" where one celestial body rises as another sets. Moon Rises in the East as Sun sets in the west plays out every full moon evening.  On this moon, the horizon rising spot was well south of east (a natural part of the Lunar Standstill Cylcle alignment fluctuations).  

Finding the moon so far South of East, coupled with seeing many cardinals (the red birds) pinged me to pay attention to the cardinal directions - and the seasonal cross quarter point - the "southwest" qualities of the seasonal marker as we tip from high solstice to halfway point to equinox.  Tipping point!

Working with Solar Zodiac Gateways 
 
We use zodiac constellations as markers to define and “section” the sky as the sun moves on its path across the sky. The Sun’s path Is called the Ecliptic.  Along the ecliptic are 12 Constellations – that we call the Zodiac.  Anyone who has dabbled in astrology will be familiar with their names…Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
 
Each constellation has its own boundaries (like a city or town) on the landscape of the night sky.  Just like you drive by an “Entering Grafton” sign when you drive into town, there are divisional markers that act like Zodiac Gateways along the sun’s ecliptic path.  In one Solar Year, the Sun passes through them all, returning around the circle to the beginning again.
 
Every June, July & August, the Sun passes through the Solar Zodiac Gateways of the Cancer and Leo constellations. The constellation Cancer is home of the Beehive Cluster, and this is its own Gateway, preceding the Leo The Lion’s Gateway.  The Sun crosses over into Leo on August 11, 2023.  
 
During the Lion Gateway of 2021 – we had the triad of The Lion’s Roar – Head Heart Core content come through strong.  During this gateway I identified three sectors of the Lion Energy – that define and distinguish the Leo zones HEAD HEART AND CORE.  I chose marker stars in Leo – that are close to the ecliptic (Sun’s path) and also close to the depiction of these areas of the Lion shape drawn by the stars.  We have demarked:
 
Head/Skull Leo Star – 8 Leonis
 
Heart of the Lion – Regulus (Alpha Leonis)
 
Core Leo Star – Rho Leonis (ρ Leonis)
 
Star Fact Corner:
You can read more about these stars here – I chose these beauties, you are to play with this and make it yours!  Regulus is a well know, bright “popular” star, and folks are well acquainted with this associated with the Leo the Lion Heart.  The other two were selected for their location and ecliptic proximity, they are not very bright or visible without a scope.
 
https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/8-leonis-star
https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/regulus-alpha-leonis-star
https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/rho-leonis-star

The Pleiades, or “Seven Sisters” is a star cluster of hundreds of stars that has captured humankind attention since ancient days.  Because of where it sits on the ecliptic, it is visible for much of the year.  The brightest 7-9 brightest members of this star family trace out what looks like a "little dipper" - seen best through binoculars or telescope.

When the sun moves into the constellation Taurus every spring, the Pleiades become invisible to us on earth, as the stars are lost from sight into the glare of the sun - in conjunction. The stars rise and set with the sun like this for about a month (30-40 days).  The last evening where you can see the Pleiades setting in the twilight darkening sky is called the heliacal setting. Similarly, the morning that the Pleiades are visible rising in the morning sky is the heliacal rising. (Helios = Sun, heliacal = with the sun).

These stars are now conjuncting, or lining up with, the sun in the sky.  That means, that the sun gets a “boost” of light from these stars, and that the light coming to earth from the sun also contains light and codes from this star cluster. Energetically during this time the Pleiades star are merged and delivered on and with the Rays of the Sun.
 
Those of us that work with, anchor and conduct light and light codes onto planet earth, know that this time of sun aligned with celestial body is an extra special potent time to work with the information and light codes from the stars.

The Pleiades with Sun Gateway runs from early/mid May until early/mid June.
It varies slightly depending where on earth you observe from, and your local surrounding matter too - light levels and landscape factor in. Here at my longitude and latitude the period of Sun and Pleiades alignment in the sky began this week, around May 13 and runs through early June, when the Pleiades rises before dawn and becomes visible again. 

We are here in the Pleiades Gateway Now
Drink it in, rise up to meet it, pay attention to the messages.  It is a potent time!

The Sun moved into the Taurus Constellation on Monday May 15 - and will flow along the section of the sky demarked as Taurus the Bull. Within Taurus, is a Gateway, very recognizable in the sky.  The Golden Gate between the Pleiades & Hyades Star Clusters.

May 18 - Moon Conjuncts Uranus - Sun enters Pleiades Gateway

May 19 - ​New Moon & Sun with the Pleiades - Sun & Moon within the Golden Gate

​May 20 - Sun inches closer to Pleiades, dark Moon visits horns of the Bull of Taurus

May 21 ~ Sun with the Seven Sisters ~ Sun Conjunct Pleiades

May 22 - Sun Conjuncts Pleiades ~ Crescent Moon near Venus

​May 23 - Sun with Star Mother, Earth Father: Pleione & Atlas

​May 24 - Sun in The Golden Gate of the Ecliptic: Between The Pleiades & Hyades

May 25 - Sun with Hyades & Aldebaran

​I just heard and felt the Sirius Gateway Open
Sirius came flowing into my awareness
And I went to my Star app (I use SkySafari)
And Sirius was rising on the eastern horizon
It is a special moment for me, as I recognize how I have cultivated this skill within me. To be able to listen (with all of my senses) to the stars.
They are so wonderfully communicative.
SIRIUS GATEWAY
The Sun moves to its close point in the sky near Sirius.
When stars align, they speak star codes to each other, and broadcast these Star codes more loudly to us here on earth.
The Sirius Communication Gateway is this whole next week- 10 days.
The closest alignment of Sun Sirius happens over July 4-5.
This culminates when Sirius moves out of the solar glare and we can see it again in the morning sky. This first glimpse before dawn is also known as the Heliacal Rising.
Helios = Sun
heliacal = relating to or near the sun
This happens in 2022 on around August 12 at my latitude of 71.4, this changes slightly based on your latitude, and tracks the same around the 41-42 latitudes across the globe.
It is also subjective to the landscape and your sightlines - mid August is the date range - somewhere in the August teens in your local zone.

​Good Morning!!
Pleiadian Sunrise Andara Activation

We move into many astronomical alignments this powerful weekend
Jupiter Venus Conjunction April 30 (close on the 29th too)
Mercury with Pleiades April 29/30 (thru May 22)
New Moon Solar Eclipse  April 30

We have both Sunrise and Sunset Gateways to pay attention to 

MORNING GATEWAY ALIGNMENTS
In the predawn sky look for Jupiter and Venus to merge as ONE in the sky
They rise around 4:30 am EDT, and predawn for all time zones too

EVENING GATEWAY ALIGNMENTS
In the evening sky just at and after sunset, you can look for Mercury sliding in beside the Pleiades Star Cluster.  Binoculars or telescope will help you see them, but some may get a glimpse with the naked eye.  

April 30 we have a New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse.
Visible from the southern tip of South America, and the southern seas
Partial Solar Eclipse flows from 2:45 pm - 6:30 pm, with Max Peak at 4:40 pm EDT
all times listed here are EDT - East Coast USA time zone
See time and date website link below to get your local times...

From TIME AND DATE website
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2022-april-30

The position of the Sun and Moon when they meet in the sky and the moon eclipses the sun is right near the throat of Cetus and M77 - CETUS A.  Cetus, the Whale or Sea Dragon Constellation contains a barred spiral galaxy.  This Galaxy (M77) is a strong radio source.  It broadcasts massive codes from its supermassive black hole.  This Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), positioned like it is in the throat of Cetus, codes like WHALE SONG.

This eclipse is going to be an amazing opportunity to SING YOUR CREATION SONG.
What kind of life, what kind of world do YOU want to sing and speak into creation??
​It's TIME!!

Photo share from my early morning Grid/Gate Keeping adventure
Venus, Mars and the Snow Moon
Venus as brilliant morning star
Mars faint below and to the right
Snow Moon, close to full
Aptly named for our February in New England
Moon + Snow + Andaras + Sunrise = Major Magic

This Andara Set is available for purchase, so it can come live and play with YOU.  Here is the link:
​https://www.liveaslight.org/store/p79/Twighlight_Sparkle.html#/

This Andara Set is available for purchase, so it can come live and play with YOU.  Here is the link: