The Keepers of the Dawn: Sirius & Venus

The Keepers of the DAwn: Sirius & Venus

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.