The Significance of Sirius

Wisdom Teachings
Sublime Beings
Lord Dattatreya

There are two types of knowledge, speculative and operative knowledge. Both complement each other and help us to enter the realms of light. Speculative knowledge informs us about the cosmos, its intelligences, laws and activities. This knowledge can help to free us from pride and illusions so that we can reach the truth. Operative knowledge is intended for practical application. Gathering information does not make us knowers. It needs regular practice and years of application for knowledge to become a living experience.

As we begin to live as a soul through daily practical application of knowledge, we also gain the cooperation of the kingdoms of nature and the planetary and cosmic principles. When we relate to the planets and the stars with speculative wisdom and think of Sirius, the Pleiades or galaxies, it is to open up ourselves. When we are open to receive, we can receive the wisdom in many dimensions and from many directions - not only in meditation or reading books. The best wisdom messages come through simple routine activities. The message of a grand Master can come from a small child’s talk or through a madman, because all are channels to the Divine.

However, we should not fancy contacts and claim being a channel for Sirius or the Pleiades. When you become a channel for the cosmic energy, it brings an immense power to the planet, and this completely changes the planetary energies. If someone talks about being a channel, we should find out if he is balanced and expresses substantial service in his life. As long as he is not of some benefit to people, such claims are just wild ideas. Thinking a lot about oneself leads to the smoky path into astral realms where he loses his clarity and vision. He might start talking about great concepts and believing to receive knowledge from Sirius or the Pleiades. An initiate, on the other hand, remains simple; he thinks of what he should do for others and works. He has no time to think of himself.

The Vedic seers are deeply rooted in the practical part of knowledge and can therefore visualize planetary or even systemic activities. They perceived that the energy of love and compassion is received in our system from Sirius. In Sanskrit Sirius is called Sarama, which means 'dog'. Sirius is called the Dog Star because the constellation looks like a dog's head. Lord Dattatreya has manifested himself through the great sun Sirius. In Vedic symbolism, Lord Dattatreya is the only deity always depicted surrounded by dogs.

The personification of the Lord as Dattatreya is very mysterious. The seers of the ancient-most times conceived that He expresses in one person the cosmic dimension of will, love and intelligent activity. He is the Lord with three heads. The Logos is One, but appears as three. He brings us the energies of the three Logoi and also the male-female God - the male-female energy takes a threefold form to manifest something. The symbol for Dattatreya expresses this; it is an equilateral triangle with a centre or the symbol of the decad with the ten points. Dattatreya goes beyond the comprehension of the humans on this planet, and he is only recognized by the initiates. Trying to share information about the Lord as contained in the scriptures serves to cause an expansion to our consciousness. The very information about him does a magical work. When we relate to this sublime figure, certain magical transformations happen.

The Puranas say that there is a Hierarchy of Teachers and that Sirius is the headquarters for all Teachers. From there the wisdom teachings and also the yoga has come. Dattatreya is considered to be the cosmic Lord of Yoga, who transmits the science of Yoga into all planes of existence. Whoever is the teacher through whom we learn, he is an expression of the Dattatreya principle. For our planet, Lord Maitreya acts as the World Teacher; his teacher is Dattatreya. In the teachings of Master Djwhal Khul, he is called 'the Christ to the Christ' and he is also referred to as 'the energy of Sirius'.

Maitreya is the head of the White Brotherhood of the Earth, which has its headquarters in the Himalayas and at other places. It has its origin on Sirius, where Dattatreya is the head of the Great White Lodge. The great sage Agastya, called Master Jupiter in the theosophical movement, also has his abode in Sirius. On Earth he is functioning from the Nilagiris, the Blue Mountains of South India. His ashrams are located at various places in the south of the planet. Sirius is also called the Southern Star. The South stands for love and compassion as well as for the sun sign Leo.

The great seers of the past attuned with deep attention to the planet, the solar system and even groups of solar systems. They were able to perceive and receive the energies of the Great Bear, the Pleiades and Sirius without using any astronomical instruments. They recognized Sirius as the Teacher who takes care of the development of our solar system, while the Great Bear and the Pleiades play the role of Father and Mother. They are also Father, Mother and Teacher for four other solar systems.

In our body, the Pleiades can be visualized on the forehead. The Great Bear with its seven stars exists in the upper dome of the head; the seven stars also find their equivalent in the spine with the seven chakras. Sirius is located in the Muladhara, the base centre at the end of the spine. The seers imagined the upper northern celestial sphere as the convex shell of a turtle or as the cave of the Great Bear. The energies at the lower southern pole look like an inversed dome or a dish. In this dish, the Dog Star moves around the South Pole. Symbolically it means that the dog is tied to the pole, tied like a watchdog to a house.

A dog is very alert and can hear even the finest sounds. An initiate is compared to a watchdog, which is always alert and therefore hears more. He listens to silence and receives messages through silence and symbols. A normal human being cannot hear so well because he speaks more and listens less. Attentive listening and observation are the first and basic qualities we should learn for discipleship.

The great initiate Shirdi Sai Baba was always surrounded by many dogs. They were attracted to him, it was not he who wanted them. If we are attracted to dogs, it is our desire; we do not know how it feels. But when a dog comes of its own accord, even a street dog, we should not refuse but take care of it. It is said that there may come a time on the yoga path when a dog is attracted to us and stays with us for a few years. He then brings us the energies of Sirius.

In Greece, the three-headed dog that guards the gate to the netherworld is called Cerberus. It exists in the Muladhara, and his serpent-like tail that stings reaches down into the infernal worlds. When our thoughts or actions are not in order, we hurt others and get into difficult situations; symbolically we are then in hell. We must be alert like a watchdog and not allow any disordered thoughts. For the cosmic system, the Dog Star is the guardian, ensuring that no disturbances from the underworlds reach the higher worlds.

While the dog is at the South Pole, the bear is at the North Pole. The bear, the Hierarchy from the Himalayas, inspires the development of consciousness from above. Through the southern ashram of Agastya, the energy coming from Sirius works from below upwards. Like in a tunnel construction, drilling is done from both sides in order to accelerate evolution. This reality is too profound to be fully explained, but it can be followed intuitively by the interested student.

We can visualize the working of the energies as they descend from above into our bodies. This channel is opened when we say the invocation 'Namaskarams Master'. Master CVV called the channel MTA. It is through it that repair work is done to our system. At the same time, the energy works from the base of the spine via the Sushumna up to the Sahasrara. Thus, there is push from the dog and pull from the bear, so that the disciple in the path of yoga is doubly assisted.

MTA refers to the path of the descent of energy from the highest planes. The Absolute descends from Sahasrara to Muladhara. It corresponds to the path of the descent of the energy of the synthesis from Brahman via Sirius in Scorpio to Regulus, the central sun in Leo, and via Uranus into our system. Halley's comet brought it to Earth in 1910, where Master CVV received it on 31 March and began to distribute it two months later. It is very good to recollect this path during prayer, because this speeds up the transformations and will result in de-localisation.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: The Aquarian Cross. Div. seminar notes. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India