Getting to Know the Sun in Astrology

Astrology is a vast subject, but the doorway in is pretty straightforward. Once you cross the threshold, it can be like walking through the wardrobe from our world into Narnia, which makes astrology a rather amazing spiritual tool if you are willing to plumb its depths, either on your own or with the guidance of a professional astrologer. Come explore this subject with me. I want to show you how beautifully complex the subject is and how useful it can be in many different ways in your life journey.

This article will be the first in a series that looks at the many points that make up your chart when cast by a professional astrologer. The astrology chart is a two-dimensional representation of the layout of the solar system when you took your first breath, and each astronomical point relates to an aspect of consciousness. Not only are you so much more than your Sun sign, but each point, including the Sun, is packed with an immense amount of information that you can only get with a fully rendered chart.

When I am out in public and someone finds out I do astrology professionally, they often say and ask, “I am a Taurus, what can you tell me about Taurus? What can you tell me about me?” Well, truthfully, not much. If you want to know about YOUR Taurus Sun, then I need to be able to cast your chart so I can find out the MANY DETAILS of your Taurus Sun SPECIFICALLY. I can tell you no more about your Taurus Sun than you can read in a basic astrology book or online service that outlines what the Sun in Taurus means. But if I can get your birth information: birth date, birth location, and birth time, then I can tell you an immense about your Sun in Taurus.

What Does the Sun Represent in Your Astrology Chart?

The Sun is the light and energy of your chart; it represents your Life Path. And while it is the best-known piece of astrological knowledge by most people. Nearly everyone can tell you “what their sign is”, meaning their Sun sign, but most people cannot tell you what their Moon sign is, or their Mercury, or any other point. Not knowing the chart leads to some pretty sweeping claims and confusions. “I understand that I should not date a Leo because I am a Scorpio.” Or conversely, “my partner, who I love dearly, is a Leo and I am a Scorpio, astrologically we should not get along; what gives?”

Well, first of all, if you are wanting to know about a romantic relationship, the Moon, which helps us understand how you give and receive love, Mercury, which helps understand how you communicate, and Venus, which show us how you relate, are potentially more influential in a successful romance than the Sun. What makes the depth of astrology so powerful is the very thing that knowing a point in isolation makes it essentially of little merit or value. With this complexity in mind, I want to explore each point by using an in-depth example, which will hopefully get you excited to get your chart done professionally if you have not done so already.

A Full-On Sun Sign Interpretation

I was born with a Sun in Aries. When I started reading about astrology, the inevitable first book I pulled off the shelf at the mall bookstore was Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs. I was 20 at the time, a college student, and a budding scholar. Even then I was a critical reader with a “prove it” attitude. Astrology fascinated me and I wanted to see if its “secret” knowledge could wow me with information based on my Sun sign. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. I read about Aries and found much of it simply did not apply to me. I was disappointed, but I did enjoy reading the description, so I read through other signs just to see how they were explained. Interestingly enough, I found a lot about Libra and Scorpio that made more sense to me about me than Aries. I put the book back and bought a tarot deck instead.

Years later a “new age” bookstore opened in my area (circa 1995) and I went to check it out. There I found Alan Oken’s Complete Astrology and read about the birth chart for the first time. This book I bought, and soon after I started to work the calculations to cast my own chart, by hand, just before astrology software arrived. In doing so, I found out why my Aries Sun did not really feel like the typical Aries of Linda Goodman’s Sun sign book, and why Libra and Scorpio, connected with me. Turns out I have my North Node merged with Sun, meaning I am “learning” to be an Aries in this lifetime, and my Moon is in Libra, while my Rising Sign is in Scorpio.

The Meaning of the Sun is in the Details

I also discovered the following details. My Sun was at 23 degrees of Aries when I was born, and another point, my North Node was at 18 degrees of Aries. Not only was my North Node merged with my Sun, but Saturn was also nearby and close enough to be considered merging with my Sun. Additionally, Vulcan, Chiron, Mercury, and Venus were all in Aries, sharing co-presence, with my Sun, in Aries. My Moon was opposite my Sun at 21 degrees of Libra and also opposed by the South Node. I discovered that my Sun is in the 3^rd Decan of Aries (each sign is divided by 10 degrees into Decans that shape the flavor of that point by degree position). The first decan of Aries is Aries/Aries, the second is Aries/Leo, and the third decan is Aries/Sagittarius. I have an Aries/Sagittarius Sun.

Even each degree of the position of the Sun has a value that is different from another degree. Marc Edmund Jones, working with Elsie Wheeler, determined special meanings for each degree of the Zodiac called the Sabian Symbols. Mine is 23 to 24 degrees of Aries, thus the 24^th Sabian Symbol interpreted as “blown inward by the wind, the curtains of an open window take the shape of a cornucopia”, suggesting that my Aries Sun allows the flow of energy to see and develop all kinds of possibilities. The person with an Aries Sun one degree before or after me will have a very different symbol and thus express their Aries energy distinctively from my own.

Where Does your Sun Reside?

Last but not least, with an exact birth time, we can determine which house or “domicile” your Sun resides in. In the case of my chart, my Sun is my 6^th House of Service and Skills. The 2^nd, 6^th, and 10^th House are earth domiciles and relate to how we get our needs met (2^nd), using our skills to help others (6^th), to build our career and obtain the prosperity we need to take care of ourselves and others in our family (10^th). With my Sun in Aries in my 6^th House, my “primary drive manifests through my independent and heroic quest for and attraction to maverick and individualistic service for others.” (Astrology Unlocked, page 63). I make my living working one-on-one with clients and have found an ideal way to express my primary drive with my occupation.

If you want to know about YOUR Sun, really know, then you need to get your chart cast and either do the study to learn about all the different pieces of information that make your Sun unique or pay a professional to help you really learn what it means to have the Sun you have. Once you dig deep into your Sun sign, you will want to know the depth of all your other points. With that in mind, please join me next month to learn about the Moon.