It can even been seen in daylight with a telescope. Sirius is 23 times as bright as our sun and has almost twice its diameter. Being only 8.7 light-years away, Sirius is the fifth nearest star to our solar system, and the nearest after Alpha Centauri among the naked eye stars. Throughout recorded history, and probably long before, Sirius was the subject of much veneration and myth making throughout the world. Even as late as the 1970s it became the subject of a very controversial theory linked to extra-terrestrials and the Dogon tribe of Mali published by the scholar and author Robert Temple.
There is much speculation on the origin of its modern name which is generally thought to be derived from the Greek word "Sirio" meaning "scorching" or "sparkling", apparently because it rose in the height of the summer heat. Some etymologists, however, have suggested a connection with the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. But of all the various names and epithets that this star was given, none can match the notoriety of its role in history as the "Star of Isis". Since earliest times the ancient Egyptian paid particular attention to Sirius, which they identified to the 'soul' of the Goddess Isis. There was a time, very long ago, that Sirius could not be seen in the sky from Egypt. This was because of a phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Precession is a very slow wobble of our planet taking the polar axis of the Earth in a circular swing of 47 degrees every 26,000 years.
The general effect is that the stellar landscape appears to swing up and down like a pendulum. Before the 12th millennium BC Sirius was below the horizon line as seen from the region of Cairo/Giza. It made its first appearance in the skies at that place in c.10,500 BC. Then it had a declination of about 58 degrees 43', which meant it would have just been visible in the south about 1.5 degree above the horizon line. For early man to witnessing the 'birth' of such a bright star must have been a very impressive sight rich with meaning and messages from the gods. Also the rising of Sirius occurred when the constellation of Virgo was rising in the east, which may partly explain why the star became the symbol of a virgin-goddess. We do not know when exactly Sirius became identified to the goddess Isis, but the idea certainly goes back to the origin of Egyptian culture. It was from the 'womb' of Isis-Sirius that was born the divine child, Horus. Since earliest times the ancient Egyptian paid particular attention to Sirius, which they identified to the 'soul' of the Goddess Isis.
There was a time, very long ago, that Sirius could not be seen in the sky from Egypt. This was because of a phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Precession is a very slow wobble of our planet taking the polar axis of the Earth in a circular swing of 47 degrees every 26,000 years. The general effect is that the stellar landscape appears to swing up and down like a pendulum. Before the 12th millennium BC Sirius was below the horizon line as seen from the region of Cairo/Giza. It made its first appearance in the skies at that place in c.10,500 BC. Then it had a declination of about 58 degrees 43', which meant it would have just been visible in the south about 1.5 degree above the horizon line. For early man to witnessing the 'birth' of such a bright star must have been a very impressive sight rich with meaning and messages from the gods.
Sirius and Orion. The myth of Isis and Osiris.
Also the rising of Sirius occurred when the constellation of Virgo was rising in the east. This event, the rising of Sirius at the same time that Virgo was rising in the east partly explains why the star became the symbol of a virgin-goddess. We do not know when exactly Sirius became identified to the goddess Isis, but the idea certainly goes back to the origin of Egyptian culture. It was from the 'womb' of Isis-Sirius that was born the divine child, Horus.
To understand how Virgo was connected with the "virgin birth" we need to understand the myth of Isis and Osiris. We find that Isis and Osiris were among the four children born from the womb of the sky-goddess, Nut and fathered by Ra, the sungod. The other two children were Seth and Nephtys. Osiris took Isis as his wife, and they became the first rulers of Egypt. At the age of 28 Osiris was brutally murdered by his jealous brother Seth and his body cut into fourteen pieces. Isis recovered all of the pieces of Osiris' body except the phallus, which she could not find. Isis fashioned an artificial phallus for Osiris, placed herself on it in the form of a kite, and became pregnant with his seed.
This was a type of virginal insemination by other means than natural intercourse. She then went into hiding in the marshes of the Nile, and gave birth to Horus. This as you can see begins to pattern the Jesus story of the virgin birth from being overshawed by the Holy Spirit of God and the hiding from an evil one who desired to kill the new born child. From the Pyramid Texts and various other religious writings, it is clear that this myth has its counterpart in the stars, with Isis identified to Sirius and Osiris to the constellation of Orion.
In the Pyramid Texts it is said of Osiris-Orion:
"Your sister Isis comes to you rejoicing for love of you. You have placed her on your phallus and your seed issues in her, she being ready as Sirius, and Horus Sopd (a star) has come forth from you as Horus who is in Sirius…" [Pyr. Text line 632]
Recreating the ancient skies of the early Dynastic Era (c.3300 BC) which took place just before the great Pyramid Age (c.2750 - 2100 BC) we find that the star Sirius performed a very evocative cycle in the heavens which readily explains why it was associated to a magical birth. Because the earth moves around the sun, the fixed background of the stars appears to shift throughout the year in relation to the sun. Yearly observations of Sirius, for example, would show that there is a time when the star sets in the west immediately after sunset.
After that the star is no longer visible for a period of about 70 days. It will reappear again, however, just before sunrise in the east. This reappearance is known as the heliacal rising of the star. In c. 3300 BC the heliacal rising of Sirius occurred exactly on the day of the summer solstice (21 June Gregorian).
The striking conjunction of the heliacal rising of Sirius and the summer solstice in 3300 BC was, in itself, a powerful omen; but there was something else also occurring at the same time which, quite literally, caused the whole of Egypt to be reborn. This was the annual flooding of the Nile. In ancient times the Nile would begin to swell in early June caused by the huge volume of water brought down river by the melting snows in the highlands of Central Africa.
By late June the water would begin to spill over the banks to eventually flood the whole Nile Valley by end July. We know for certain that the ancient Egyptians considered the heliacal rising of Sirius to be the magical cause of the Nile Flood. To a land that gets little if any rain the flooding of the Nile was their salvation from God above and it was connected with the rising of Sirius and Virgo in the east. The heliacal rising of Sirius became the celestial sign that marked the beginning of the New Year. There are many ancient texts which refer to the conjunction of the 'New Year', the summer solstice, the start of the Flood and the appearance of Sirius which shows that this event was of the utmost importance to the Egyptians. The oldest of these texts is carved on a small ivory tablet dated to the 1st Dynasty (c. 3100 BC) where it is said that "Sirius is the Opener of the Year's Flood". The very same notion is given in the Pyramid Texts (c. 2200 BC), where it is stated that: "It is Sirius, the beloved daughter (of Ra, the Sun-god), who prepares yearly sustenance (the flood) for you in her name of 'Year'".
In his book Echoes of Ancient Skies, the archaeo-astronomer Dr. Ed Krupp writes that, "After disappearing from the night sky (for 70 days) Sirius eventually reappears in the dawn, before the sun come up. The first time this occurs each year is called the star's heliacal rising, and on this day Sirius remains visible for only a short time before the sky gets too bright to see it. In ancient Egypt this annual reappearance of Sirius fell close to the summer solstice and coincided with the time of the Nile's inundation. Isis, as Sirius, was the 'Mistress of the Year's beginning', for the Egyptian new year was set by this event. New Year's ceremony texts at Dendera say Isis coaxes out the Nile and causes it to swell. The metaphor is astronomical, hydraulic, and sexual, and it parallels the function of Isis in the myth. Sirius revives the Nile just as Isis revives Osiris. Her time in hiding from Seth is when Sirius is gone (70 days) from the night sky.
She (Isis) gives birth to her son Horus, as Sirius gives birth to the new year, and in the texts Horus and the new year are equated. She is the vehicle for renewal of life and order. Shining for a moment, one morning in summer, she stimulates the Nile and starts the year."
So we must envision that the Virgo was rising in the East at the same time Sirus was visible in the east as well. But also Orion, called "The Three Kings" by oriental astronomers, was in proximity to these other two constellations as well. Also the line of the ecliptic, of the equator and of the horizon all met in the constellation of Virgo. This was a site to behold and captured the minds of men and yet do today at this myth lives among us today. It is interesting also to note that the brightest and largest star in the constellation Virgo is called Spica; it is to be found in the "ear of corn" (sign of fertility) which the Virgin holds.
Bethlehem means the "house of bread," and there is therefore an obvious connection between these two words. These are astronomical facts. The interpretation of the symbolism attached from ancient days to these constellations is as old as religion itself. Whence came the signs, and how the meanings and symbols associated with them came into being, is lost in the night of time. They have existed in men's minds and thoughts and writings for thousands of years, and are our joint heritage today. We find it at the very heart of Christianity.
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