The transits of the planets

The Sun - Introduction

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The Sun is one of the most important planets in the natal chart. This is because the Sun represents both the principal physiological energy of the body and the psychological energy of the mind and soul. Its symbolism therefore has a very general quality. The ancients saw the Sun as the visible manifestation of the cosmic mind, known in Greek as Nous. For this reason, the Sun is associated with the idea of consciousness as light.

As the Sun is the driving force of the entire solar system — a status it held even in ancient times, despite ancient and medieval writers regarding the Earth as the centre of the cosmos — it has been recognised as the driving force of the cosmos, as well as the solar system. Therefore, in a human chart, the Sun represents all aspects of the body and mind that lie at the centre of any significant physical or mental system.

Qualities of The Sun

In ancient classifications, each component of astrology was interpreted in terms of the four primary qualities: Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry. In the case of the Sun the two dominant qualities are Hot and Dry, with Hot dominant over Dry. The quality of heat gives the Sun its active power and driving energy.

The quality of dryness symbolizes the Sun’s ability to make things clear, defined, and distinct, just as we see more clearly in daylight than we do at night. It is also true, of course, that the heat of the Sun causes things to dry out. However, the tendency of the dry quality to break connections and cause separations (which is apparent in the two other dry planets, Mars and Saturn) is not so evident in the Sun.

Rather, the power of the Sun enables entities to integrate with one another, not in spite of but because of their differences. When this happens, the entities that come together retain their previous distinctions. This is the result when the Sun’s energy functions properly.

Sect

The Sun is the dominant, defining, and leading planet of the diurnal or daytime sect, which is often referred to as the solar sect. Therefore, the Sun is much more effective and true to its own nature in the charts of people born during the day (sunrise to sunset). This is not to say that the Sun is weak at night, but its expression is not quite as powerful as when it is situated in a diurnal chart. However, even in a nocturnal chart the Sun represents the central source of energy within oneself for both the body and the soul. The Sun, of course, also benefits from being in the odd-numbered signs of the zodiac ( ), for these are the diurnal signs.

Ease or Difficulty of Dealing with the Sun

Unlike some planets that are usually described as “malefics” or “benefics,” the Sun can have either attribute. This happens in two cases. First, because of its own nature the Sun tends to blot out any planet that is less than 17° away from it, and especially any within 8°.

The second is that astrology exists in parts of the world that are temperate as well as in parts of the world that are tropical or desert. In temperate climates astrologers usually regard the Sun as benevolent (except to another planet that gets too close to it). But in tropical and desert climates the Sun is more likely to be regarded as difficult or harsh, which makes a great deal of sense to anyone who has ever experienced a hot climate without adequate air-conditioning or water.

In the charts of human beings, the effects of the Sun’s energy are so essential that, even when the power of the Sun in a chart operates with difficulty, that power is still necessary for an individual’s proper functioning.

Function in the Natal Chart

Inward Manifestations

As stated above, the Sun represents the basic energy and vitality of a living being. Carl Jung referred to the basic energy of the psyche as the libido and related it to the ancient symbolism of the Sun. Libido means ‘desire’. However, as Jung used the word, this energy functions more like will and intention. The stronger and purer the expression of the Sun is in the natal chart, the stronger the native’s will and the clearer his or her intentions. People who act decisively without equivocation are more likely to have a well-configured and powerful Sun in their charts than those who are not so gifted.

It is the practice in modern popular astrology to describe the entire personality in terms of the sign occupied by the Sun. This is, of course, born of a desire to present astrology in a simplified manner suitable for the general public in newspapers, magazines and annual volumes for “your year ahead.” Aside from the enormous oversimplification that this represents, the main flaw of this method is that the Sun does not represent the totality of the personality. In many individuals, other symbolism can completely overwhelm the Sun’s energy and submerge it in favor of stronger signs or planetary symbols.

What the Sun represents is the active energy of the personality in its most general form. It tends to express itself through what an individual does and the activities each person is attracted to. It does not say much about emotions, general behavior or other matters of that kind. Ultimately, the entire chart must be consulted for a complete understanding of individual character.

On the purely physical level, the Sun has traditionally been related to the heart and the circulation of the blood. Many have also related it to the brain. However, as the Sun relates to the brain, it does so because of the central function of the brain in the body. The Sun generally concerns anything in any system that is central in importance and in governing the functioning of the whole. This is well expressed in the astrological symbol for the Sun, which is a circle with a dot at the center ().

Outward Manifestations

The Sun in a natal chart may be experienced as external people or powers you may have to deal with. These include the following: the father in a traditional family, or the mother if she is the dominant or only parent; persons in authority including employers, heads of corporations, heads of state, persons who dominate groups or organizations and even government officials with whom you must deal as if they were authorities.