Fixed Star Mirzam

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Mirzam is at 07°11′ Cancer with an orb of 1°00′

Fixed Star Mirzam [Stellarium]

Fixed star Mirzam, Beta Canis Majoris (β CMa) is a blue-white star in the left fore-leg of Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

It is a Beta Cephei variable, exhibiting small rapid variations in its brightness due to pulsations of the star’s surface.

The Name Mirzam comes from the Arabic مرزم Al Murzim, (The Herald), because Mirzam “announced the immediate rising of the still brighter Sirius”. Anne Wright found that the fixed star Mirzam was prominent in the horoscopes of “Many radio and TV announcers”. [1]

In Chinese astronomy, β CMa is called 軍市一 Junshiyi, “Market for Soldiers I.” It is the 1st star in the asterism Junshi (Market for Soldiers) in the 22nd Chinese lunar mansion Jing (Well).

Asterism Junshi, the Market for Soldiers

07♋12 to 18♋10

Asterism Junshi represents a marketplace for military forces, where goods and resources are exchanged. A large number of stars in the center indicate surplus military provisions; a small number indicates that the troops face hunger and scarcity.

The moon’s entry into the market signifies war and unease for the ruler. If any of the Five Planets guard Junshi for an extended time, military provisions are cut off entirely. If a guest star enters this region, assassins emerge, and generals become estranged from their troops while soldiers desert or flee. If meteors emerge from Junshi, it signifies the departure of a great general for military campaigns. [2]

Constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog

03♋50 to 01♌58

CANIS MAJOR. The Greater Dog.
Legend. This constellation is said to represent the dog set by Jupiter to guard Europa whom he had stolen and conveyed to Crete. According to other accounts, however, it was either Laelaps, the hound of Actaeon; that of Diana’s nymph Procris; that given by Aurora to Cephalus; or finally one of the dogs of Orion.
Influence. Ptolemy states that the stars of this constellation, with the exception of Sirius, are like Venus. It is said to give good qualities, charity and a faithful heart, but violent and dangerous passions. There is some danger from, or fear of, darkness and the night, and liability to dog bites, though the latter characteristic is probably associated more particularly with Sirius. Canis Major is connected by the Kabalists with the Hebrew letter Tzaddi and the 18th Tarot Trump, “The Moon”.
Magical. Cures dropsy, resists plague, and preserves from beasts.