Sirius
Sirius, known as the "Dog Star", is the brightest star in the sky. Located in the constellation Canis Major (Biggus Doggus), Sirius is nine times more brilliant than a standard first magnitude star. Canis Major is the larger of two dogs which follow Orion, the Hunter, as he faces Taurus, the Bull (materiality, the fixed earth sign). The dog days derive their name from the fact that the ancients associated the extreme heat of summer (in the northern hemisphere) with the conjunction of our Sun and Sirius. That is, those who could conceptualize the geometry necessary to understand astronomy and celestial mechanics. It's not every one's cup of tea. July 4 - January 3 Every year our sun conjoins the star Sirius, at 13.5 degrees Cancer, during the first week in July; that is, as seen from the earth, the sun lies in front of Sirius which lies at the same celestial longitude as the astrological sign of Cancer in the sky. Today, this occurs on July 5th, but it occured earlier in the past, since the background of stars shifts 1 degree every 72 years. We call this the "Precession of the Equinoxes" , and it accounts for the occult significance of the number 72. Since we celebrate July 4th as the birthday of the US in commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and we know that the timing of this event has moved three days (or degrees) in the last 210 years, we must presume that either the Founding Fathers were a little off in their celestial reckoning, or that they adjusted their date to account for the slippage into the future. Interestingly, the major axis of the earth's orbit is such that we are farthest from the sun on July 4th and closest to it on January 3rd each year, so that at the beginning of our current calendar year, the earth lies between the Sun and Sirius, and Sirius culminates (is at it's high point in it's nightly path and dirctly on the north south meridian line) at midnight; that is, the midnight new year's fireworks celebrations serve as a celebration of the meridian passing of Sirius as we pass between it and the sun, while the fourth of July celebrations mark the conjunction of the Sun with Sirius. Cross-Quarter Days While the sun makes it's high pass on the globe in late June, it takes six weeks for the northern hemisphere (NH) to reach it's maximum temperature for the year, just as it take six weeks for it to cool all the way down after the December solstice. Statistically, the NH temps peak high on August 6th, and low on February 6th. The first week of August and February coincide with two of the pagan sabbats; the others two being in early May and Novemeber. These are the cross-quarter days which occur half way between the equinoxes and solstices. The August 6 date marks the middle (peak) of the dog days.] The beginning of the second week in August is when Ovason points out that the sun sets down Pennsylvania Avenue as seen from the Capitol Building. The Sun also sets there in May. Looking to the southwest from the CB, the sun sets on Maryland Avenue in February and November. Penn and Maryland Avenues depict the cross-quarter days in the DC map. Ovason introduces us to the idea of the solar arc, that being the movement of the position of the sunrise (or sunset) at sucessive days during what we call "the year", but he wants to focus our attention on just one of the four solar points designated in the map design, the sunset over Penn Ave. in early August. Continue

Sirius

Sirius, known as the "Dog Star", is the brightest star in the sky. Located in the constellation Canis Major (Biggus Doggus), Sirius is nine times more brilliant than a standard first magnitude star. Canis Major is the larger of two dogs which follow Orion, the Hunter, as he faces Taurus, the Bull (materiality, the fixed earth sign).

The dog days derive their name from the fact that the ancients associated the extreme heat of summer (in the northern hemisphere) with the conjunction of our Sun and Sirius. That is, those who could conceptualize the geometry necessary to understand astronomy and celestial mechanics. It's not every one's cup of tea.

July 4 - January 3

Every year our sun conjoins the star Sirius, at 13.5 degrees Cancer, during the first week in July; that is, as seen from the earth, the sun lies in front of Sirius which lies at the same celestial longitude as the astrological sign of Cancer in the sky. Today, this occurs on July 5th, but it occured earlier in the past, since the background of stars shifts 1 degree every 72 years. We call this the "Precession of the Equinoxes" , and it accounts for the occult significance of the number 72.

Since we celebrate July 4th as the birthday of the US in commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and we know that the timing of this event has moved three days (or degrees) in the last 210 years, we must presume that either the Founding Fathers were a little off in their celestial reckoning, or that they adjusted their date to account for the slippage into the future.

Interestingly, the major axis of the earth's orbit is such that we are farthest from the sun on July 4th and closest to it on January 3rd each year, so that at the beginning of our current calendar year, the earth lies between the Sun and Sirius, and Sirius culminates (is at it's high point in it's nightly path and dirctly on the north south meridian line) at midnight; that is, the midnight new year's fireworks celebrations serve as a celebration of the meridian passing of Sirius as we pass between it and the sun, while the fourth of July celebrations mark the conjunction of the Sun with Sirius.

Cross-Quarter Days

While the sun makes it's high pass on the globe in late June, it takes six weeks for the northern hemisphere (NH) to reach it's maximum temperature for the year, just as it take six weeks for it to cool all the way down after the December solstice. Statistically, the NH temps peak high on August 6th, and low on February 6th.

The first week of August and February coincide with two of the pagan sabbats; the others two being in early May and Novemeber. These are the cross-quarter days which occur half way between the equinoxes and solstices. The August 6 date marks the middle (peak) of the dog days.]

The beginning of the second week in August is when Ovason points out that the sun sets down Pennsylvania Avenue as seen from the Capitol Building. The Sun also sets there in May. Looking to the southwest from the CB, the sun sets on Maryland Avenue in February and November. Penn and Maryland Avenues depict the cross-quarter days in the DC map.

Ovason introduces us to the idea of the solar arc, that being the movement of the position of the sunrise (or sunset) at sucessive days during what we call "the year", but he wants to focus our attention on just one of the four solar points designated in the map design, the sunset over Penn Ave. in early August.

Continue