Meeting your Inner Sun

bringing astrology back to our bodies

(source)

This newsletter is part of a series on the magical-creative properties of the planets, as well as how to begin embodying them yourself.

So much of astrological study nowadays is confined to book learning but my understanding of the planets improved dramatically when I began engaging them directly. By doing this, I could conjure feelings, deeply-impressed images and great meaning behind the words I used.

This newsletter offers you a portal to have your own connection to the Sun. It’s one thing to say the Sun is about identity or sovereignty but it’s another to be in the midst of a karaoke session or throwing a party for your friends and realize “the Sun would like this too”.

If you want help connecting to your unique sun, and the rest of yourself through the stars, my books are currently open! My readings are meant to lift you up, to secure you against difficulty and remind you that there is always space, creativity, play. Book now to remember your place in the cosmos

This writing is intentionally not technical and meant to be understood even by those who have not studied astrology but want to connect more deeply to their world and themselves. Remember: these planets all describe fundamental parts of us. Whether you try to or not, you embody the Sun everyday. By learning what functions and activities with which the Sun corresponds, you learn more about yourself and your life, with nothing added but attention.

By reaching this felt understanding of the Sun (and the other planets), I believe we are also able to be better magicians and artists— two categories whose differences are slowly shrinking in my eyes. Do we not need the same centeredness and momentum to create a piece of art as we do to create a spell or scry into the future? Aren’t we vessels for something beyond our small self in both? This essay also delves into where in your creative-spiritual practice a dose of the Moon could serve you well.

To read Part I, on the Moon, click here

I have done it again.   

One year in every ten   

I manage it——

A sort of walking miracle,

• Sylvia Plath

The Sun is our solar system’s chosen star. He provides us with warmth and light. He marks our day with his continual rise and set and though he may seem dimmer some days from behind the clouds, his light stays consistent.

In many ways, we take the Sun for granted in astrology. It was most likely the first sign of yours you learned, so many assume all of them can be explained by this planet and may discredit astrology when they can’t make it all fit. But in my experience, we experience our Moon sign, which rules our moods and daily shifts, more immediately.

Accordingly, the Moon was the original time keeper. Its 28-day phase is the model for our months and eventually the Sun’s cycle through the sky, moving high in the summer and low in the winter, became our year. But the centrality of the Sun, only emerged gradually. I want you to chew on this: that the Moon, ever-present, is more immediately felt while the importance of the Sun in your life may take a deeper look to access.

The above quote comes from Sylvia Plath’s poem, “Lady Lazarus,” a fantastical recounting of the poet arising from the dead. While she may not be able to pull off this resurrection all the time, she is always someone with the capability to be that “walking miracle”. The Sun is highly tied to our innate gifts which shine through in each moment, even if you can’t always see it. It may emerge in time.

---

a practice:

Weather permitting, sit outside in the Sun (with proper protection of course!). Feel its warmth and light. Pay attention to its sensations and let any distractions pass through. Notice how it makes you feel and what sort of thoughts or actions it may inspire. Keep sitting and taking it in for as long as you can. Does it feel comfortable or uncomfortable? When does it switch?

Now try the same exercise on a cloudy day and compare notes.

---

The Inner King

“I am your opus,

I am your valuable,   

The pure gold baby”

Ali Olomi, in his podcast on the Sun in Islamicate Astrology, tells us the Sun was most central in Ancient during eclipses, when the Sun’s light was blocked out.¹ Eclipses were seen as events that portended danger to the king. Some societies even employed a “king for a day” during these shadowy times by choosing a random peasant to sit in the throne while the danger of the eclipse was in effect. This connection comes from the fact that the Sun was always associated with rulers, or those in visible positions of power.

Abu Ma’shar lists the following as ruled by the Sun: “rulers, kings, renowned leaders, those with a commanding presence, council of rulers, those who are praiseworthy and commendable, renown and fame [for something good]”.² Though royalty and all public heads of government are Solar in some way, so are those given awards and fame: celebrities, influencers, actors, singers, socialites, reality stars.

But, more than just attention, the Sun speaks to the untouchable “it” factor that draws and keeps eyes on us; not just due to surface looks but because they are embodying something that inspires us. Juan Eduard Cirliot writes that “the Sun represents the moment…when the heroic principle shines at its brightest”.³ The Sun is on display, diurnal and thus meant to perform in the public sphere (though your own Sun may look different in practice). We activate out Sun when we "turn on" for a presentation at work or a party with people you may not know but want to impress. When we are awarded for our talent or ability— like how Sylvia Plath becomes their "gold baby" in her resurrecting act, as quoted above, we feed our Sun.

Now not all of us will be famous, nor will we be given a hero’s welcome for our deeds. But we all have that star power, that unique thing that only we can do and, given the right circumstances, can be celebrated with the same pomp and circumstance as a king.

Because the Sun in our natal charts represents *who* we are always; the core of who we are meant to be. While we may feel unmotivated or anxious today, those shifting moods don’t touch the confidence and certainty inherent to the Sun. We can look at our natal charts to see where this star factors lies. Say you were born during the Sun’s trip through Virgo, then you find your steadiness through caring attention to detail and are celebrated for your ability to see a project to completion. If it’s in the 3rd house, you may be the queen of your local coffee shop or community center, or remember who you are with the help of your friends or certain divination methods.

But, keep in mind how much performance is required when you are given the power and attention of the Sun. Just as the Sun “damages and harms what draws too near,” whatever doesn’t fit into the perfectly-constructed image of our Suns may be forgotten or overlooked. A poorly fed Sun may feel that the praise of others is something taken away from them. It may need outsized attention from others to fuel itself. Our public self, or the self that receives praise, may not have room for less confident or softer parts we contain.

As Leo Rising, and thus ruled by the Sun, I often feel like it’s my job to be at my “best” around others: not necessarily powerful or high-achieving but magnanimous and generous.

There’s also this “suchness” about the Sun that I feel worth mentioning. Though we call people with audiences and fame “stars,” true solar power comes through even if you’re a “nobody” at the party. It comes through in all you, if you dare follow your own genius. The Sun’s power does not rely on action or the recognition of others. It just is, even when others can’t see the shine.

But that does not mean the sun is without the power to act.