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Merak at 19°26′ Leo has an orb of 2°10′

The Sun joins Merak on August 11

Fixed star Merak, Beta Ursae Majoris, is a 2nd-magnitude single star on the side of the Great Bear, Ursa Major Constellation. It is also one of the four bright stars that form the bowl of the Big Dipper.
      Magnitude 2.37, spectral type A1IVps, color bluish-white. ^[1]

β UMa is officially named Merak.
      Applied in recent times from an abbreviation of its name for the modern Arabic name maraqq al-dubb al-akbar, “the Flank (or Groin) of the Greater Bear.” ^[2]
      β, 2.5, greenish white. Merak, or Mirak, is from Al Marāḳḳ, “the Loin (of the Bear);” but Chilmead said Miraë, and Scaliger, Mizar. It may have been known by the Greeks as Helike, one of their names for the whole.
      The Chinese called it Tien Seuen, an “Armillary Sphere,” and the Hindus called it Pulaha, one of the Rishis. ^[13]
      In Chinese astronomy, α UMa is located in the asterism 北斗 Běidǒu, “Northern Dipper,” and is known by the following traditional names:
      北斗二 Běidǒuèr, “2nd star of North Dipper.”
      天璇 Tiānxuán, “The Celestial Rotating Jade.”
      从魁 Cōngkuí, “Passing-through chief.”
      天魁 Jùmén, “Huge gate.”
      法星 Fǎxīng, “Star of law.”
      枢星 Xuánxīng, “Whirling star.”
      天醫 Tiānyī, “Celestial medicine.” ^[4]

2000*	2050	Name	Orb
13♌38	14♌21	Acubens	1°20′
15♌12	15♌54	Dubhe	2°20′
19♌26	20♌04	Merak	2°10′
20♌42	21♌24	Ras Elased Australis	1°40′
21♌26	22♌08	Ras Elased Borealis	1°30′

Merak Astrology

Fixed star Merak has the spectral type A1, indicating the planetary nature of Venus.

The Venus-like stars in Ursa Minor emphasize Venus’s harsher nature, as both bears have an “evil reputation”. ^[10]

MERAK. β Ursae Major.
      A white, giant star, Spectral class Al, on the side of the Bear.
BASIC INFLUENCES:   The native has a ‘love of power’, the ability to get on in life, a creative ability, determination, the native can become dictatorial, is of a pragmatic nature. NEGATIVELY: The native can destroy what they build, be of a deceitful nature. ^[5]

Merak in the Side of the Great Bear, being the second-largest star of this constellation, has a Mars nature. Merak is of importance in a natal chart if the sign Leo is tenanted, and other configurations give a clue to love of command and domination. This star is credited with increasing the power of the native to get on in life, and this is especially so if in conjunction with the Sun, Mars or Pluto. ^[6]

Merak, the star beneath Dubhe, helps us point the way to the Pole for us. Merak is β Ursae Majoris, and the name comes from Al Maraqq, the loin (of the Bear). We need to take little note of that; its role is the same as that of Dubhe in every respect, and this will to play a guiding part, yet not quite in the leading place, is typical of the region of the Leo Sign, not quite equal to mighty Regulus. Merak has a Saturn-Mercury nature, perhaps with a little of the Mars drive that we find with ε Leonis, Ras Elased Australis just after it. ^[7]

Giant Gate Star

In Chinese astronomy, fixed star Merak is the second star of the Běidǒu, “Northern Dipper” asterism, within the Zǐ wēi yuán, “Purple Forbidden Enclosure.” This star was anciently called 天璇 Tiānxuán, “The Celestial Rotating Jade,” or “Jade Hidden in Stone,”  暗星, “Dark Star” and 天魁  Jùmén, “Giant Gate Star”, but is most commonly referred to as Ju Men. It is one of the Fourteen Main Stars used in Chinese astrology (Purple Star Astrology).
      The ancient Chinese associated this star with darkness and disputes, and used its trajectory to guide agricultural production.
      In Chinese astrology, the Merak signifies disputes and verbal conflicts. It gives both straightforwardness and a suspicious, argumentative nature, suggesting that one must undergo trials to reveal one’s potential. This star is suitable for professions that require debating skills, such as law and the judiciary.

Personality traits:
      Merak makes you straightforward, outspoken, ambitious, quick-witted, eloquent, upright and principled, and often strong-willed, with clear likes and dislikes. You generally treat people with sincerity and earn respect for speaking frankly and honestly.
      If you were told to stay silent in a crowd, you would find it incredibly boring. You have the courage to debate, speak out for justice, uphold righteousness, and eliminate evil. Fearless of authority, you are willing to speak frankly and directly to superiors and offer advice. However, this often results in persecution.
      Merak makes you an opinion leader, like an outspoken lawyer, judge or censor (in charge of supervision, impeachment, and recommendations, who reported major matters to the emperor for decision and made immediate decisions on minor matters).
      But what kind of person can stir up trouble without being disliked? Lawyers, who are respected in modern society, were, in ancient times, wicked litigators who used their words to distort the truth and turn black into white.
      Merak also gives a suspicious nature. It’s important to note that suspicion isn’t necessarily problematic because a lack of suspicion can lead to recklessness. This is especially true in academic pursuits, where one should question even seemingly innocuous things. Suspicion is a form of thinking, a love of research, and a knack for finding flaws in details; therefore, you are also quite discerning.
      If you channel suspicion in a positive way, you can become a lawyer, judge, public official, member of a supervisory committee, academic researcher, or research and development engineer skilled at combating corruption.
      However, if suspicion is taken to an extreme and becomes a flaw, you can become an aggressive, nitpicky critic who is unpopular. You may also think you are a staunch believer in right and wrong, outspoken and righteous, so your interpersonal relationships are often a mess, but you don’t care.
      You are generally good at making a living through your words, like teachers and orators. However, not all people with Merak in their chart rely on their words for a living.
      For example, both singers and talk show hosts earn a living by speaking, but singers rely on their vocal quality, which is unrelated to this star, whereas talk show hosts or critics are more likely to rise to prominence through Merak’s influence.
      The drawbacks of having Merak in your natal chart include a tendency toward arrogance, causing trouble, talking too much, having difficulty convincing others, and verbal sparring. Your sharp tongue can easily offend people and you are not so good at getting along with others, which often leads to excessive and unhealthy interpersonal relationships. This is why, in ancient Chinese astrology, the Merak was described as “transforming into darkness” and signifying verbal disputes.
      Ancient Chinese texts describe Merak as “a hidden jade in stone,” meaning that jade cannot be made into a useful object without being carved. The young Merak is like a stubborn rock, both foul and hard; but once it has been tempered and its hurtful sharpness has been smoothed away, it begins to reveal the brilliance and roundness of jade, and can become a humble and virtuous person.
      Basically, you are destined for a life of hard work. Because those with Merak are unable to command respect and don’t readily receive help from others, they must rely solely on their own strength to accomplish tasks, inevitably leading to a life of toil.
      Overemphasizing details often leads to missing the bigger picture, focusing on minor issues while neglecting the broader context, and, from a management perspective, reflects a lack of broad-mindedness and perspective. Being overly critical can also backfire; as the saying goes, “too much clarity leaves no room for fish,” ultimately hindering organizational development.
      However, as an advisor or strategist, you are meticulous and draw upon a wide range of sources; when conducting research, you are extremely attentive and relentlessly pursue answers. Therefore, strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin; it all depends on how they are applied correctly.
      Merak people tend to be deep and thoughtful, think more quickly than they act, are reluctant to assume responsibility, and prefer to conduct in-depth research. They are more suitable to be staff members than leaders.
      In the workplace, planning, research, and public relations are suitable career paths for you. When in a leadership role, you are particularly suited to auditing, legal work,  logistics, materials management, and coordination.
      Merak makes men straightforward, suspicious, and eloquent, and they enjoy being opinion leaders. They make ideal legal representatives and politicians because they are skilled in expression and eloquent in debate, thereby increasing their likelihood of election. 
      Politicians with Merak in their charts are known for their quick thinking, sharp words, exposure of corruption, and eloquence. They have extremely high name recognition and influence that can stir up trouble.
      Advantages: Meticulous, straightforward, focused, comprehension- oriented, conventional, and direct.
      Weaknesses: Arrogant, suspicious, argumentative, sharp- tongued but kind-hearted; hard to gain support and difficult to convince others.

Professional Relationships:
      When your subordinates are pioneering types: You are a meticulous manager who loves to find problems, but can easily become overly involved and micromanage. Innovative subordinates, by contrast, dislike being disturbed and prefer not to follow instructions. Therefore, you should avoid being too nagging or overly critical of details; otherwise, your innovative subordinates may deliberately rebel, causing you endless headaches
      When your subordinates are leadership-type: You think you are a judge, that nothing escapes your watchful eye, but your subordinates, who are also leaders, can’t stand your nagging and ignore you completely. Your approach is to excel at goal management. Learn to focus on results, not processes.

When your subordinates are support type: Don’t forget, you’re the same type of person. When leading a subordinate, listen more to their opinions. Consider that you were like that when you were a subordinate, so give them more space to express their views.
      When your subordinates are cooperative: Collaborative subordinates complement their supervisors well, being willing to follow advice, cautious, steady, and methodical. However, you need to be mindful of their emotions; constant correction can undermine their confidence, making them feel you are being overly critical. Occasionally, you should offer encouragement.
      When your supervisor is an innovator. You appear strong and decisive on the outside, but inwardly, you are often turbulent, fearing that your decisions are wrong, though you refuse to show it. A pioneering manager, on the other hand, puts a lot of pressure on you and doesn’t pay much attention to the process. Therefore, if you both misjudge each other’s emotions, it can lead to serious consequences. You should appropriately express your anxiety to your manager to obtain clear instructions.
      When your supervisor is a leader: Sometimes you feel that your leaders lack charisma, while leaders often mistakenly believe that, because you speak in a strong and forceful manner, you must also have excellent action and execution abilities. Only in the end do they realize that they have misjudged you, causing unnecessary trouble and necessitating a relatively long period of adjustment.
      When your supervisor is supportive: When communicating with your manager, it’s easy for them to hold differing opinions and refuse to yield. Note that a manager at a higher rank possesses greater knowledge and strategic vision; their position is naturally different. Debate doesn’t yield truth; practice is the sole criterion. Remember, do the work first. If you are ultimately proven correct, your manager will naturally respect your opinions in the future.
      When your supervisor is a collaborative type: You complement cooperative managers well, but can be too straightforward and not appreciate their meticulousness. Your speech is often too assertive, threatening the manager’s position and making it difficult to gain the boss’s trust. ^[8]

Constellation Ursa Major

URSA MAJOR. The Greater Bear.
      Influence.   According to Ptolemy, Ursa Major is like Mars. It is said to give a quiet, prudent, suspicious, mistrustful, self-controlled, patient nature, but an uneasy spirit and great anger and revengefulness when roused. By the Kabalists it is associated with the Hebrew letter Zain and the 7th Tarot Trump “The Chariot.”
      Magical.   Gives craft, ingenuity and valor. ^[9]

Astrologically both Bears were said to presage an evil influence. They are particularly injurious as regards to the affairs of nations and kings. ^[10]

Fixed Star Merak Conjunctions

Ascendant conjunct Merak: Good fortune, happiness, gifts, fortunate for love and marriage, gain by legacies and inheritance (Venus). ^[9]

Christopher Reeve 0°19′ (and S. Node), Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 0°19′, Corey Feldman 0°41′ (and Mercury), Catherine, Princess of Wales 0°48′, Muhammad Ali 0°54′, Marilyn Manson 1°51′, Petrarch 1°53′, Michael Moore 2°06′.

Midheaven conjunct Merak: Honor and success, dealings with and help through women, success in occupations of a Venus nature. ^[9]

Padre Pio 0°00′, Rudy Galindo 0°20′, Marc Edmund Jones 0°29′ (and Moon, Saturn), Hugo Spatz 0°50′, Bernadette Peters 0°52′ (and Saturn), Sid Vicious 0°55′, Amélie Mauresmo 1°01′, Gustave Flaubert 1°08′, Matt Prokop 1°14′, Edward Higgins White 1°29′, Chaka Khan 1°31′, Rafael Nadal 1°39′, Mel B 1°46′, Niki de Saint Phalle 1°46′, Vito Genovese 1°48′, Eva Braun 1°50′, Chris Pratt 1°53′, Katharine Hepburn 1°57′, Linda McCartney 2°03′, Hera Mirtel 2°05′, Christian Dior 2°10′.

Descendant conjunct Merak: Michael J. Fox 0°16′ (and Mars), Whoopi Goldberg 0°26′, Lucky Luciano 0°40′, Barack Obama 0°49′, David Bowie 1°10′, Manly P. Hall 1°16′, Eric Gill 1°17′, William Lilly 1°34′, Ivan The Terrible 1°53′

Part of Fortune conjunct Merak: Jeremy Renner 0°05′, Jimi Hendrix 0°42′, Charlton Heston 1°08′ (and Neptune), Richard Nixon 1°31′, Chris Brown 1°36′, Adam Driver 1°44′, Hugh Hefner 1°47′.

Imun Coeli conjunct Merak: Machine Gun Kelly 0°01′, Reinhard Heydrich 1°21′, Henry Kissinger 1°25′, Edward Snowden 1°40′, Cara Cunningham 1°47′.

Sun conjunct Merak: Preferment in government, astrology, occult, science, writings, and affairs connected with public matters. The native has drive and determination, the ability to get ahead, become dominant in their activities. ^[5]

Increased power to get on in life. ^[6]

Kylie Jenner 1°00′, Joe Rogan 1°09′.

Moon conjunct Merak: Leadership ability may be developed, if so such natives will be recognized as leaders in their fields of activities and can gain high preferment. The native can be very determined; has the ability to get on in life, is pragmatic and has a desire to be dominant without the dogged persistence of an Algol conjunction. ^[5]

Paul McCartney 1°10′, Beau Bridges 1°10′, Marc Edmund Jones 1°20′ (and MC, Saturn), Volodymyr Zelenskyy 1°24′.

Mercury conjunct Merak: The native is ingenious, can become active in many careers or areas. There can be indications of the native being indecisive and possibly easily influenced in making decisions. These natives tend to follow what they believe is the popular trend. ^[5]

Yves Saint Laurent 0°07′ (and Venus), Mata Hari 0°14′ (and Mars), Bonnie Parker 0°54′, George Wallace 1°44′, Nick Fuentes 1°58′, Corey Feldman 2°05′ (and AC), Ed Gein 2°07′ (and Mars). 

Venus conjunct Merak: The native has creative abilities, imagination. Domestic problems are possible. The native will be socially inclined and generally outspoken. Attracts many, some of great influence. Native may excel in many fields of activities. ^[5]

Yves Saint Laurent 0°02′ (and Mercury), Tyler Perry 0°33′, Tom Cruise 0°58′, Phil McGraw 1°23′ (and Pluto), Caligula 1°45′, Michael Jackson 1°46′. 

Mars conjunct Merak: This conjunction gives to its natives the inborn ability to become a leader and dominate situations. It is almost a ‘do or die’ type conjunction. They will attract attention to themselves, generally through their own efforts and most likely they will not care to have someone else perform for them. The native can rise to an authoritative position or make such a position for themselves. Negatively, the native has the same drive for power and excitement, it could prove difficult to hold them in check. Caution should be exercised in selecting their associates, they should avoid becoming involved in intrigues and those that do get involved could find themselves engulfed in situations from which there is no escape. Natives with this conjunction could receive recognition, but it might not be lasting. ^[5]

Increased power to get on in life. ^[6]

Danielle Carolan 0°02′, Nicolás Maduro 0°08′, Michael J. Fox 0°16′ (and DC), Michael Wolff 0°17′, Brigitte Bardot 0°23′, Al Gore 0°34′, Mata Hari 0°38′ (and Mercury), Marshall Applewhite 0°40′, Maximilien Robespierre 0°58′, Charles II of England 0°59′, Amy Winehouse 1°20′, Jodie Foster 1°20′, Bella Hadid 1°24′, Anne Frank 1°28′, Thomas Jefferson 1°44′, Helen Keller 1°56′, Ed Gein 2°10′ (and Mercury).

Jupiter conjunct Merak: Preferment in sports, writings, philosophical matters. These natives will be recognized for their good deeds or contributions, or other actions. They will not go unnoticed. ^[5]

Hasan Piker 0°13′, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard 0°34′, Sirhan Sirhan 0°38′, Rudy Giuliani 1°23′, Oliver North 1°55′. 

Saturn conjunct Merak: Tom Brady 0°04′, Hillary Clinton 0°06′, Stephen King 0°34′, Marc Edmund Jones 0°38′ (and MC, Moon), Clarence Thomas 0°47′, Alice Cooper 0°50′, Bernadette Peters 1°02′ (and MC), Sidney Gottlieb 1°13′.

Uranus conjunct Merak: Prince Andrew, Duke of York 0°19′, Charles Cullen 0°27′, Adam Schiff 0°28′, Richard Ramirez 0°41′, Michael Hutchence 0°55′, Ivan Lendl 1°00′, Sarah, Duchess of York 1°23′, Ayrton Senna 1°26′, Jeffrey Dahmer 1°36′, David Koresh 1°42′.

Neptune conjunct Merak: Benjamin Creme 0°13′, George H. W. Bush 0°14′, William Blake 0°40′, Charlton Heston 1°21′ (and POF), Malcolm X 1°30′, Linda Goodman 1°32′.

Pluto conjunct Merak: Increased power to get on in life. ^[2]

Robin Williams 0°04′, Phil McGraw 0°14′ (and Venus), Donald Harvey 0°22′, Pablo Escobar 0°33′, Jeff Bridges 0°35′, Caitlyn Jenner 0°38′, Harvey Weinstein 0°42′, Benjamin Netanyahu 0°43′, Christina Onassis 1°01′, Chuck Schumer 1°06′, Richard Branson 1°37′, David Duke 2°04′, Charles III 2°08′.

North Node conjunct Merak: Sean Hannity 0°05′, Jim Carrey 0°44′, Steve Irwin 0°52′, Kim Kardashian 1°35′, Mikey Madison 1°55′, Sabrina Carpenter 2°04′, Jimmy Carter 2°06′.

South Node conjunct Merak: Vladimir Putin 0°08′, Yuri Gagarin 0°28′, Pierre-Auguste Renoir 0°47′, Larry Fink 1°12′, Mark Wahlberg 1°18′, Christopher Reeve 1°54′ (and AC). 

References

1. Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris): Star Facts.
2. A Dictionary of Modern Star Names, Kunitzch, Smart, 2006, p.56.
3. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Richard H. Allen, 1889, p.438.
4. Ursa Major in Chinese astronomy.
5. The Power of the Fixed Stars, Joseph E. Rigor, 1979, p.117-118.
6. Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation, Elsbeth Ebertin, 1971, p.43.
7. The Living Stars, Dr. Eric Morse, 1988, p.146.
8. Giant Gate Star – Baidu Encyclopedia.
9. Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, Vivian E. Robson, 1923, p.65, 101, 232.
10. Fixed Stars and Judicial Astrology, George Noonan, 1990, p.7.