“Sirius” is a word that entered Latin from Hellenic Greek. In Ancient Greece, it was used as “Seirios,” meaning “shining, burning, extremely hot.” In Arabic, its counterpart is “Shi’ra,” which means “sign, guide, beacon.”
Throughout mythology, astronomy, and esoteric traditions, Sirius has symbolized light, guidance, and intuitive awareness.
What Sirius Means to Me
Every year around this time, I share something about Sirius. But this year, I felt called to write something deeper.
After I moved to the U.S., people asked me, “What name will you use here?” The first name that came to me intuitively was Sirius as if it were already English! Then I wondered… was Apple’s “Siri” inspired by Sirius? (Spoiler: not directly, but the symbolic resonance is striking.)
Sirius is actually a binary star system composed of Sirius A and Sirius B. These two stars orbit each other in a complete cycle every 49.9 years (NASA).
This “brightest star in the heavens,” as ancient civilizations once called it, is found across numerous cultures: from Mu and Atlantis to Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, China, India, African tribes, the Hopi Native Americans, Norse mythology, and Turkish Shamanism.
With a luminosity 25.4 times that of the Sun, Sirius is a blue-white star often described as a “spiritual sun” that inspires higher levels of awareness and inner movement.
So What About the Sun Conjunction?
NASA does not classify Sirius as having a solar conjunction in the technical sense. This term is typically reserved for planetary alignments, like those of Venus or Mars. The idea that Sirius “aligns” or draws close to the Sun is not astronomical, but rather symbolic and spiritual.
In Ancient Egypt, however, the heliacal rising of Sirius (its reappearance in the sky just before sunrise) coincided with the flooding of the Nile a sacred annual event. Because of this, Sirius was seen as a cosmic signal for spiritual rebirth and intuitive awakening.
Why Is Sirius Significant?
The Sun represents life force: physical light, consciousness, ego.
Sirius symbolizes soul light: intuitive wisdom, spiritual identity.
When these two lights meet, it is said that a portal opens on both physical and spiritual levels.
In Ancient Egypt: The Tears of a Goddess
Isis and Osiris are central to Egyptian mythology and represent archetypes of conscious/unconscious, masculine/feminine integration. Since this piece focuses on Isis, we’ll mainly center her here.
Sirius was called Sopdet (or Sothis in Greek sources). Its heliacal rising in July marked the start of the Nile’s annual flood.
Egyptians believed the flooding was caused by the tears of Isis, mourning the death of her beloved Osiris. These tears nourished the land, brought fertility, and began a new cycle of life.
Sirius = the celestial form of the goddess Isis.
What Isis embodies: Feminine intuition, Rebirth, Creative compassion, Spiritual guidance
Why Is Sirius Called the “Spiritual Sun”?
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, but its light doesn’t burn like the Sun’s. It is felt more than seen a guiding, intuitive light.
In Hermetic tradition, Sirius is described as:
“The guide of the unseen, the light-gate to the soul’s origin.”
Its title as the “spiritual sun” stems from its resonance with inner light, intuitive perception, and the realms of the subconscious.
Psychological Reflections of Sirius
We can also interpret Sirius through a psychological lens:
- Birth of the Unconscious: Sometimes our repressed emotions rise like a river overflowing its banks. The rising of Sirius can symbolize these inner flood seasons.
- Wisdom from Darkness: Though unseen to the eye, Sirius was used for navigation. Psychologically, this parallels the observing self the awareness born of intuition.
- Psychological Reset: The Sirius-Sun conjunction marks a clearing of outdated self-concepts and the arrival of a new internal identity.
- Spiritual Sun as Archetype: In Jungian terms, outer symbols reflect inner dynamics. Sirius may symbolize the soul’s celestial image.
In Turkish Mythology: Şira and the Wolf
In Turkish lore, Sirius is known as Şira and has been linked to the mythic wolf figure Asena.
- The myth of the she-wolf Asena, a celestial guide and ancestral mother, is central to Göktürk origins.
- Canis Major = The Great Dog constellation → Sirius is its heart.
Some scholars propose that Asena’s celestial counterpart may be Sirius itself.
A Moment of Intention: Aligning with Sirius
Today…
An invisible star opens a doorway not seen, but felt. Sirius touches the heart of the Sun.
And something in your own heart… wants to be remembered.
Now is the time:
- 🌿 To move not from thought, but from intuition.
- 🌿 To stop asking “What should I do?” and instead ask “What do I already know?”
Intention:
“I trust the voice of my intuition. I open my inner light. I step into the unseen and receive the guidance flowing toward me.”
Remember the part of you that longs to be reborn in the light of Sirius.
Listen to your dreams, your body, your subtle whispers.
Written by: Ayse Turken Sarica
Sources:
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Sirius-star
- “Sirius Cult in Turkish and World Mythologies” – Research Project, Akdeniz University, Yaprak Pelin Uluışık
- Oxford Classical Dictionary: “The heliacal rising of Sirius was a key calendrical marker in ancient Egypt, signaling the beginning of the inundation of the Nile and the Egyptian New Year.”
