The
Significance of the Astrological Sun.
First Published at Suite101.com
Continuing on from my introductory article
about the Sun,
Moon and Rising Sign, we'll have a closer look at the
meaning of the Sun within a birth chart.
As mentioned in my introductory article, the
Sun Sign is what most people are aware of because it is
easy to calculate. This is one of the reasons it is used
most frequently by the general population.
If you think about the Sun, when it shines
in the sky it brings us warmth, light (and the ability to
see what is around us) and life. At the same time too much
of it can damage our bodies. It is also the centre of our
Universe.
Symbolically, the Sun gives us a pointer
to what we need to 'shine' or to 'feel alive' and whether
or not this process has been encouraged in our lives. Another
way to put this is to understand how we need to be treated
and recognised to feel at the 'centre of the universe'.
The Sun also represents the father figure
when growing up and extending this theme further, men in
general as we get older. This is particularly true for the
majority of women because sometimes they relate to the symbolism
of the Moon more easily than the Sun. Therefore the energy
of the Sun ends up being projected onto important males
in a woman's life.
Like the physical Sun, too much of this symbolism
can be detrimental to our self-development. For example,
if we demand to be at the centre of attention or become
so absorbed in ourselves that we neglect the people that
need us.
When I have a look at someone's birth chart
I usually ask the individual how he or she experienced their
relationship with their father. This tells me a lot about
how they see themselves, males and authority figures. On
another level the symbolism associated with the Sun in a
birth chart also indicates how the process of discovering
the self is likely to progress. These indications are found
through the house placement, and relationship to the other
planets.
The Sun sign tells us who we are, while the
Rising Sign shows us who we feel we have to be to fit in
to our environment. Since the Rising Sign represents the
moment of birth (you can't calculate your Rising Sign without
your time of birth), the first place we have to fit into
is our family. From there most of us have to learn to fit
in to various situations - school, life in general, relationships,
etc.
Where the Sun is a conscious, masculine and
an outgoing energy that is easy to spot, the Moon is an
unconscious, internal, feminine and an illogical energy.
I look at the Sun as being what we want, while the Moon
symbolism is what we need.
If you want to look into more information
about the Sun, I have collected the following links that
may interest you:
