My first introduction to Procyon was nothing special.
In my star studies, I would come across it in books but even then, I didn’t feel satisfied with what was given. As the primary star in Canis Minor, it gains its name from its proximity to Sirius, the Greater Dog Star and brightest star in the sky. “Procyon” literally translates to “before the dog”. Much of my initial findings on the star were limited to this association. Bernadette Brady tells us that Procyon “comes before The Shining One, Sirius, and so can indicate a quick rise but with no real substance”. Moreover, she advises Procyon natives to “capitalize quickly,” on their projects “rather than expecting these gains to last forever”(Brady, 199).
Procyon natives, in other words, can’t build things to last. Their gains dry up quickly and they have to shift between various activities to keep the spring flowing. And while I don’t want to discount this meaning, I want to take it deeper. What does it mean to be “before the dog”? What is at the core of this frenetic changeability?
First, let’s explore the symbolism of its namesake. Primarily, the canine gains it significance from its connection to humans. As “man’s best friend,” dogs are faithful guardians and messengers, though as animals they also were “felt to commune with the spirit world” due to their more instinctive nature (BoS, 296). We should generally approach any star in one of the two Canis constellations with a sense of intuitive knowing; we are not dealing with the human mind and its confines with this star. Because of its connection to people as well as its connection to nature, the dog also serves as a catalyst for human initiation. More specifically, “the dog initiates us into the infernal darkness, where, if he weren’t also so endearing and true, we might never find our way”. Darkness here connotes a place where the rational light of the mind can’t reach. This is where death lurks, the knowledge of the earth and the body, as well as the deep wells of magic.
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