About the Sun

Step outside on a warm summer day and contemplate the Sun.

It floods the sky with its light. It brings energy, heat, and growth. If you are in temperate latitudes, it may be pleasantly warming; at the equator or in a desert, positively scorching. But wherever you are, it’s from this experience of the Sun, astrologers derive its symbolic meaning.

The Meaning of the Sun in Astrology

The Sun is quite literally the source of life on Earth; without its warming rays, no plants would grow, and the ecosystem would collapse. So “vitality” is an essential function of the Sun. So is “energizing” life.

The related fields of healing and purifying are also the Sun’s forté. Just think of opening the windows to air out a sick room or hanging sheets in the bright sunlight to bleach them.

Illumination is self-evident. The Sun turns night into day. By its light, we see and comprehend the natural world. Because the Sun is the thing by which we see, its functions also include witnessing and prophesying.

As the brightest sky-wanderer, the Sun stands for leaders of all kinds, and those benefits of leadership, including honors, praise, and rewards.

And, as the main light generator in our solar system, the Sun also represents the power to make choices over our own destiny. In other words, our free will.

Conversely, an unskillful expression of the Sun would be the opposite of these functions: overly prideful, arrogant, obscuring, or a lack of enthusiasm or zest for life.

The Sun in a Horoscope Chart

Once we understand a planet’s vibe, it’s easy to brainstorm what the Sun may signify in an astrological interpretation.

For example, the Sun gives us clues for how you might:

• Embrace personal power, consciousness, confidence, and self-expression
• Recognize inner authority for decision making
• Cultivate vitality and healing
• Lead or inspire others, shine your light
• Act with integrity and courage
• Be self-obsessive, narcissistic, selfish, or too egotistical

Of course, this is just a start; use your imagination and see what you come up with for yourself from your own experience of the Sun.

Astrology Glyph for the Sun

The oldest symbols of the Sun included rayed circles or even a crown. Today’s glyph for the Sun is a circle with a dot in the center, an ancient symbol for divinity.

The Greek philosopher Iamblicus explains that the circle with the center dot represents what today’s psychologists call “an internal locus of control.” The symbol was adopted in regular usage for the Sun during the Renaissance.

A person with a strong internal locus of control believes their free will and actions influence the world around them (as opposed to having an “external locus of control,” when someone feels like they are constantly reacting to circumstances beyond one’s own control).

In short, the more Sun-like you become, the more conscious, “free” will you experience in your life.