Astronomy

Procyon is the brightest star in the unusually small constellation of Canis Minor. It lies about 11 light years away and is the eighth-brightest star in the sky. Interestingly it has a white dwarf star orbiting it, very similar to the companion of Sirius, the brightest star in Canis Major. Procyon is coming to the end of converting its hydrogen into helium. As the available hydrogen runs out, it will grow larger and its surface will cool. Eventually it will become a red giant star, much larger and brighter than the sun, but that is still some millions of years in the future.

Finding Procyon

Look for Orion first, with its three distinctive stars forming his belt and the bright stars marking his shoulders and knees. If you imagine a line between the reddish star Betelgeuse and Sirius, the brightest star in the whole sky, forming the base of an equilateral triangle, then Procyon is roughly where its apex would be.

Mythology

Procyon’s name derives from the Greek for ‘before the dog’, referring to its rising above the horizon before Sirius the Dog Star. Together these two stars were seen as Orion’s hunting dogs, while beneath Orion is Lepus the hare, crouching low in the hope of being overlooked. For the Macedonians however, with a more agrarian way of life, the two dogs were wolves threatening ploughman Orion.

In one Greek story Canis Minor was the dog of Icarius, the man whom Dionysius taught to make wine. Icarius was attacked by some shepherds who thought he was trying to poison them. The dog ran to fetch his daughter Erigone, but they arrived too late to save her father and in their distress took their own lives. Out of pity the gods placed them in the sky as Canis Minor and as Virgo.

To the Inuit it was known as Sikuliarsiujuittuq, ‘the one who never goes onto the newly formed sea-ice’. This refers to a man who stole food from his village’s hunters because he was too fat to hunt on ice. They persuaded him onto the sea ice and he fell through. Procyon typically appears red as it rises during the Arctic winter and this red colour was associated with Sikuliarsiujuittuq’s blood.

The star has also been associated with the Egyptian god Anubis, while in Babylonian myth Procyon was known as Nangar the Carpenter, an aspect of Marduk involved in constructing and organising the heavens.

Spiritual Qualities

Key Qualities: Calm, Congruence, Expansiveness

Procyon is a star similar in many ways to our Sun, though further on in its life. It is close too, one of the closest stars to us, so we might think of it as showing us something of our own future. The soul of the star has a deep awareness of humanity and, together with beings for whom Procyon is their sun, transmits light of solution and resolution: there is a way through. At its heart is a spirit of generosity; it encourages us to be generous to ourselves. It reminds us that if one thing doesn’t work, another will. We can afford to be kind to ourselves, to expand outwards from a limited view of who and what we are to appreciate our infinite potential.

Our inner journey

We will explore the relationship of the heart centre with Procyon, looking especially at how the star can help us to allow the heart centre to sustain a steady state of expansiveness.

Please note: This inner journey may take you into deep states of relaxation. Do not listen while driving.

Listen

Music on Track 2 is by Thaddeus: Surrendering from Initiation.

[mp3-jplayer tracks=”1. Christopher: Procyon Talk@AS0181T_Procyon.mp3, 2. Sananda: Procyon Inner Journey@AS0182J_Procyon.mp3″]

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