Love is the law!
Hello everyone - to kick off this little project, we'll be hosting a small informal meet-and-greet event in central London on August 26th. This will be an opportunity for those interested in what we're doing here to introduce themselves, share ideas and experiences, and generally get to know each other. By the end of the night we'll aim to have put together something of a plan for what we'll be doing next, based on peoples' interests and our capacity.
The date of August 26th approximately marks the heliacal rising of Sirius in our region of the northern hemisphere (around 54° N latitude) for 2025. For the priests and farmers of ancient Egypt, the rising of Sothis (Sirius) marked the beginning of their religious, astrological and agricultural calendars.
Sirius, also known as the dog star (hence its Latin name, α Canis Majoris), is a the brightest star in the night sky and carries important spiritual and astrological importance in ancient traditions all over the world, from ancient Egypt to the Dogon of present-day West Africa. Its annual heliacal rising marks the first moment when when it becomes visible above the eastern horizon at dawn just before sunrise, becoming the Morning Star.
Therefore at this our first, very humble get-together, we'll wish each other happy new year in the courtyard of St. Dunstan-in-the-East, a beautiful and somewhat gothic ruin in the heart of London, minutes' walk from Tower Hill and Monument tube stations. Around 8:00 PM, after taking in St. Dunstan's stunning scenery, we'll head to the Crosse Keys pub up the road to finish out the night with a few (optional) pints and some more discussion.
