Sirius
BehenianAlpha Canis Majoris · Canis Major
Position (2026)
♋ 14°27' Cancer
Magnitude
-1.44
Planetary Nature
Jupiter / Mars (robson)
Alvidas: Moon / Jupiter / Mars (Adds Moon to the Ptolemaic Jupiter and Mars)
Spectral Type
A0m...
Appearance
A brilliant white binary in the mouth of the Greater Dog, the brightest star in the night sky
Behenian Correspondences
Gemstone
Beryl
Plant
Juniper
Read: The 15 Behenian Stars → background on Agrippa's list, the magical tradition, and how each star was historically used.
Name Origin
Language
Greek
Original Form
Σείριος (Seirios)
Meaning
The Scorcher, the Glowing One
Alpha Canis Majoris. The brightest star in the night sky. From the Greek σείριος meaning scorching or sparkling. Homer, Hesiod, and Aratos all wrote of it. Its heliacal rising in midsummer was anciently associated with the oppressive heat of the 'dog days.' In Egypt, the heliacal rising of Sirius (as Sopdet or Sothis) predicted the annual flooding of the Nile, making it the most important star in Egyptian astronomy and the foundation of their calendar.
Known As
Sirius in Astrology
Sirius, the Dog Star and brightest star in the night sky, confers ambition, devotion, and brilliance that demands expression. Its Jupiter-Mars nature combines expansive vision with forceful drive, producing individuals who burn brighter than their peers. Sirius grants fame, honor, and exceptional achievement, but also carries the risk of excess, the flame that burns twice as bright can exhaust itself. You are devoted to your purpose with a faithfulness that echoes the Dog Star's ancient association with loyalty and guardianship.
When Sirius Is Angular
Sirius carries additional weight when it falls on one of the chart angles, independent of any planet conjunction.
If Rising
Sirius rising on the Ascendant bestows a dazzling personal presence and the potential for extraordinary worldly success. The native may be drawn to occupations connected with metals, engineering, or martial affairs, and tends to command respect through sheer force of competence and ambition. When well aspected, this is a placement of supreme distinction, historically associated with the highest levels of public authority and recognition.
If Culminating
Sirius culminating at the Midheaven is an extraordinarily powerful placement for worldly success, conferring positions of high governmental or institutional authority combined with substantial material reward. The native's professional reputation benefits from the star's dazzling brilliance, attracting recognition and opportunity on a grand scale. This culmination favors those in public service, administration, or any field where visible, sustained achievement is the measure of worth.
Mythology & History
The ancient Egyptians called Sirius by the name Sopdet, the star of the goddess Isis, and built their entire calendar around its heliacal rising, which heralded the annual flooding of the Nile and the renewal of all life. Priests watched for weeks from temple rooftops for its first glimmer before dawn, and its appearance was the most sacred celestial event in Egyptian civilization, binding the rhythms of heaven to the sustenance of the earth.
Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the night sky and takes its name from the Greek Seirios, meaning 'scorching' or 'glowing.' The ancient Egyptians called it Sopdet (Sothis in Greek) and built their entire calendar around its heliacal rising, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile and the beginning of the agricultural year. The appearance of Sirius before dawn was the most important celestial event in Egyptian culture, heralded by weeks of priestly observation from temple rooftops. The Romans called the period of its conjunction with the Sun the dies caniculares, the dog days, believing the combined heat of Sun and Sirius caused the oppressive summer weather.
As a Behenian star, Sirius was associated with beryl and juniper, and its talismans were said to grant the goodwill of the spirit world, honor, and peaceful relations. Ptolemy assigned it the nature of Jupiter and Mars, a powerful combination of expansion and drive. Sirius is perhaps the most discussed star in all of astrological literature, associated with brilliance, burning ambition, and the danger of excess. The Egyptians' profound reverence for Sirius elevated it beyond ordinary stellar influence: it was the star of Isis, the great goddess, and its appearance meant the renewal of all life. Medieval astrologers considered it supremely powerful for worldly success.
Canis Major Context
Sirius marks the nose (or the eye, depending on tradition) of Canis Major, the Greater Dog, who follows the hunter Orion across the sky. The Greeks told various stories about this celestial dog: it was Laelaps, the hound that never failed to catch its prey, given by Zeus and eventually turned to stone along with its quarry the Teumessian fox when Zeus tired of the paradox of an uncatchable fox pursued by an inescapable dog. The constellation represents faithfulness, pursuit, and the relentless drive to reach one's target.
Learn more about Canis Major and its stars.
Natal Conjunctions
Find your conjunctions →Sirius Conjunct Sun
Sirius conjunct the Sun produces a personality that radiates exceptional vitality and ambition. You shine with uncommon brightness in your chosen field and draw attention through sheer force of presence. Fame and honor are strongly indicated, though you must guard against burnout from the intensity of your own drive.
Sirius Conjunct Moon
Sirius conjunct the Moon creates an emotional nature of passionate devotion and ambitious feeling. The inner life burns with purposeful intensity, and you possess powerful instincts for achievement. Emotional fulfillment requires a cause or person worthy of complete dedication.
Sirius Conjunct Mercury
Sirius conjunct Mercury bestows a mind of exceptional clarity and ambitious scope. You think in grand terms and communicate with authority and persuasive force. Intellectual pursuits carry an intensity that elevates the ordinary into the brilliant, and you are often recognized for the originality of your ideas.
Sirius Conjunct Venus
Sirius conjunct Venus attracts through radiant charisma and devoted affection. Relationships are pursued with focused intensity, and you offer a loyalty that is both touching and demanding. Artistic expression carries exceptional brilliance and a quality of devoted craftsmanship.
Sirius Conjunct Mars
Sirius conjunct Mars amplifies drive and ambition to extraordinary levels. You possess exceptional physical energy and competitive instinct, with a capacity for sustained, focused effort that outlasts all rivals. Achievement comes through tireless devotion to the chosen pursuit.
Sirius Conjunct Jupiter
Sirius conjunct Jupiter doubles the star's own Jovian nature, amplifying your expansive vision and appetite for greatness to a degree that can border on hubris. You possess an almost prophetic confidence in your own destiny, and your philosophical convictions burn with the intensity of religious devotion. The risk is overreach -- when boundless faith meets scorching ambition, you can mistake grandiosity for wisdom and promise more than any mortal can deliver.
Sirius Conjunct Saturn
Sirius conjunct Saturn disciplines brilliant ambition into structured, enduring achievement. You learn that sustained brilliance requires a foundation of patient effort, and build lasting success through the combination of exceptional drive and methodical perseverance.
Sirius Conjunct Uranus
Sirius conjunct Uranus channels brilliant energy into revolutionary or technological innovation. You blaze trails in cutting-edge fields and often become famous for breakthroughs that redefine what is possible. The combination of intensity and originality produces exceptional results.
Sirius Conjunct Neptune
Sirius conjunct Neptune channels devotional energy into spiritual or artistic pursuits of extraordinary intensity. You possess a visionary brilliance that operates at the boundary of inspiration and obsession. Creative or spiritual work carries an otherworldly luminosity.
Sirius Conjunct Pluto
Sirius conjunct Pluto binds your ambition to an all-consuming compulsion that cannot be negotiated with or set aside. You are psychologically destroyed and rebuilt by your own drive for greatness, and the fame you attract carries a shadow that follows you into the most private corners of your life. The devotion Sirius demands becomes obsessive under Pluto's influence, and you may sacrifice your own wellbeing on the altar of an ambition that feels less like a choice and more like a possession.
Sirius Conjunct North Node
Sirius conjunct the North Node charts a karmic arc from obscurity toward undeniable, scorching visibility. Your soul evolves by growing into the full weight of public brilliance rather than retreating to safer, quieter paths. The challenge is learning that the recognition you are destined for requires you to become worthy of the spotlight, not merely hungry for it.
Sirius Conjunct Ascendant
Sirius on the Ascendant bestows a luminous, commanding presence that draws attention in any setting. You radiate vitality and purposeful energy, and others instinctively recognize someone operating at an exceptional level. The life path demands visible, ambitious engagement with the world.
Sirius Conjunct Midheaven
Sirius on the Midheaven marks a career trajectory aimed at the highest levels of achievement and recognition. Professional success carries an exceptional quality, you do not merely succeed but excel in ways that set you apart from all competitors. Fame and honor in the profession are strongly indicated.
Paran Interpretations
Parans describe what happens when Sirius and a planet simultaneously occupy the four angles (rising, culminating, setting, nadir) at a given location.
Sirius in Paran with Sun
Rising
Sirius rising with the Sun marks a life ignited by exceptional ambition and early recognition of outstanding talent.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with the Sun places brilliant achievement at the apex of public recognition.
Setting
Sirius setting with the Sun indicates a legacy of devoted service and enduring brilliance recognized after the peak years.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with the Sun conceals extraordinary drive and luminous ambition at the deepest foundations of the personality.
Sirius in Paran with Moon
Rising
Sirius rising with the Moon awakens passionate devotion and ambitious emotional instincts from the earliest years.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with the Moon brings devoted emotional energy to its highest public expression.
Setting
Sirius setting with the Moon indicates deepening devotional and emotional intensity in the mature years.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with the Moon harbors a burning emotional core that fuels all outward achievement.
Sirius in Paran with Mercury
Rising
Sirius rising with Mercury bestows early intellectual brilliance and a commanding communicative presence.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with Mercury elevates intellectual achievement and persuasive power to career-defining heights.
Setting
Sirius setting with Mercury deepens intellectual devotion over time, producing increasingly brilliant work with age.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with Mercury conceals a mind of exceptional power that operates beneath the visible surface.
Sirius in Paran with Venus
Rising
Sirius rising with Venus initiates a life marked by radiant attraction and early experiences of devoted love.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with Venus achieves peak recognition through artistic brilliance or magnetic social presence.
Setting
Sirius setting with Venus brings enduring devotion in relationships and deepening artistic power in later life.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with Venus conceals depths of devotion and aesthetic sensitivity that few ever fully perceive.
Sirius in Paran with Mars
Rising
Sirius rising with Mars produces an individual of exceptional drive and competitive fire from the earliest years.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with Mars places tireless ambition and physical achievement at the career apex.
Setting
Sirius setting with Mars channels extraordinary energy into sustained pursuits that yield results over a lifetime.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with Mars conceals phenomenal reserves of drive and competitive energy beneath a composed surface.
Sirius in Paran with Jupiter
Rising
Sirius rising with Jupiter expands ambition and fortune from birth, granting early confidence in large-scale vision.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with Jupiter achieves the widest possible recognition through visionary achievement.
Setting
Sirius setting with Jupiter brings expanding wisdom, generosity, and philosophical depth in the mature years.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with Jupiter builds on hidden foundations of vast inner faith and expansive ambition.
Sirius in Paran with Saturn
Rising
Sirius rising with Saturn demands early discipline as the foundation for exceptional future achievement.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with Saturn achieves lasting brilliance through structured, patient mastery over many years.
Setting
Sirius setting with Saturn builds an enduring legacy of disciplined excellence recognized across generations.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with Saturn establishes rigorous foundations that support the brightest outward achievements.
Sirius in Paran with Ascendant
Rising
Sirius rising with the Ascendant stamps the entire personality with luminous vitality and unmistakable ambition.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with the Ascendant projects personal brilliance onto the broadest stage of public life.
Setting
Sirius setting with the Ascendant draws others who recognize and are inspired by your exceptional presence.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with the Ascendant grounds identity in deep reserves of devoted energy and driving purpose.
Sirius in Paran with Midheaven
Rising
Sirius rising with the Midheaven launches a career trajectory of exceptional promise and early professional recognition.
Culminating
Sirius culminating with the Midheaven represents the summit of career brilliance and public honors.
Setting
Sirius setting with the Midheaven indicates a professional legacy of devoted excellence that endures across time.
At the Nadir
Sirius at the nadir with the Midheaven builds career success on hidden foundations of tireless ambition and inner fire.
Star Connections
The Cutting Flame
Sirius, when the Moon conjoins it while a malefic stands with Alpheratz, activates a condition associated with sharp, fiery violence or danger from animals. The Dog Star's associations with burning ambition and faithfulness darken here, as Sirius's scorching brilliance combines with Alpheratz to warn of sudden, fierce peril.
The Star and the Deluge
Sirius's connection to Scheat creates a dangerous compound: when the Moon conjoins Sirius while a malefic stands with Scheat, the Dog Star's themes of devotion and burning intensity become weaponized. The tradition warns of sharp, fiery violence or animal attack, as if Sirius's faithful hound nature turns feral under Scheat's malefic influence.
Notable Charts
Oprah Winfrey
Midheaven conjunct Sirius
Sirius' themes of brilliance, public honor, and enormous influence expressed through media empire
David Bowie
Mars conjunct Sirius
Dazzling creative intensity and the burning drive to transcend ordinary artistic boundaries
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sirius conjunct the Midheaven mean?
Sirius conjunct the Midheaven is one of the most powerful placements for worldly success. The brightest star in the sky on the career angle grants fame, authority, and the capacity for enduring achievement. The Jupiter-Mars nature amplifies ambition with fortune. Many prominent leaders and public figures have this contact.
Is Sirius the most important fixed star in astrology?
Sirius is the brightest star visible from Earth and has been the most observed and revered star across human civilizations. While Regulus holds the title of 'most royal,' Sirius may be the single most impactful star in chart work due to its brilliance, its associations with fame and burning ambition, and its deep mythological roots across Egyptian, Greek, and Arabic traditions.
What does the name Sirius mean?
The name Sirius comes from Greek: Σείριος (Seirios), meaning "The Scorcher, the Glowing One." Alpha Canis Majoris. The star is known by 10 different cultural names across world traditions.
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