Sun - Astrowiki-en http://wiki.astro.

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Sun
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Astronomy
The sun is the star at the centre of our solar system. It has a diameter of 13! million km and its a"era#e distance
from the earth is 1$ %& '&( km. A#ainst the )ackdrop of the 3*( de#ree circle of the +odiac it has a diameter
of around 3! de#rees of arc, or half a de#ree -.oon/. Its a"era#e diurnal mo"ement is %.1 minutes of arc.
The sun is a )all of #lowin# #as and is the source of the earth0s li#ht, warmth, and life itself. The earth and the
other planets are held in their or)its )y its #ra"itational pull.
1either the sun nor the moon can mo"e retro#rade-- from the earth0s perspecti"e. Althou#h neither is a planet
astronomically, )oth are classified as planets to astrolo#ers. The sun and moon are also called the luminaries.
Mythology
The sun was the supreme planetary #od in many ancient ci"ilisations such as 2#ypt, 3a)ylon, 4ersia, and the
.ayan people. The 5reeks and 6omans, howe"er, #a"e this honour to 7upiter, and 3a)ylonian astrolo#y focused
particularly on mo"ements of the moon.
In 5reek mytholo#y two #ods em)odied the solar principle: 8elios and Apollon -Apollo/, the twin )rothers of
the moon #oddess Artemis -9iana/. 2"ery day 8elios left his palace in the 2ast and dro"e a chariot across
the sky drawn )y four fiery steeds to another palace in the :est. 8is ;ourney was heralded )y 2os, the dawn. 8e
was a)le to see and hear e"erythin# and was therefore a witness at oaths. <ne mornin#, 4haeton, one of 8elios0
numerous sons, clim)ed into his chariot wishin# to emulate his father, )ut he clim)ed too hi#h and crashed down
to 2arth.
Apollo in earlier 5reek literature was not specifically the sun #od. Apollo was particularly the #od of prophecy,
nota)ly on )ehalf of his father =eus -7upiter/. Apollo was also one of the #ods of arts -a)o"e all of music/, the
healin# arts, and archery. Apollo was the son of =eus, kin# of the #ods and the female titan >eto. 8e was fed
nectar and am)rosia as a child, a di"ine form of nourishment which imparted eternal youth and )eauty. 8is most
important worship was at 9elphi, the place at which he had killed the clair"oyant snake 4ython. 8e also played
the lute and the lyre, which he recei"ed from his half- )rother 8ermes -.ercury/.
The su)se?uent association of Apollo with the sun pro)a)ly stems from the similarity of his functions and nature
with the 2#yptian sun-#od 8orus. The ancient 2#yptians called the sun the 2ye of 8orus.
9espite Apollo0s )eauty and artistic talents, the youn# men and women he desired tried to a"oid him, ;ust as
when the sun is a)le to radiate in all its #lory it is too much for mortals to )ear who must protect themsel"es from
its da++lin# li#ht.
Apollo0s oracle in 9elphi had the ma@im: ABnow thyself, so that you may know 5odCA. This is a fittin#
description of the sun0s sym)olism in the horoscope.
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Sun - Astrowiki-en http://wiki.astro.com/astrowiki/en/Sun
Rulerships
The sun is domiciled in >eo, in detriment in A?uarius, e@alted in Aries, and in its fall in >i)ra.
The heart, circulatory system, )ack and spine are associated with the sun. The sun in a natal chart indicates one0s
e#o, identity, or sense of self. 3ecause astrolo#y emer#ed in hi#hly structured societies of the past, where few
people could hope to fully e@press their uni?ue identities in powerful ways, the sun also indicates the people who
could self-actuali+e: one0s kin# or political ruler, the father of the family, and -de)ata)ly/the hus)and in a married
woman0s chart. The sun and >eo also rule a ran#e of emotions related to pride and e"en arro#ance, honour, #old,
and political power.
Interpretation
The sun sym)oli+es the life force itself and the central aspect of the personality. <ne of the principal tasks in life
is to de"elop one0s innate potential represented )y the sun )y si#n and house position. It stands for an indi"idual0s
)asic identity. This mi#ht help e@plain why most astrolo#ical newspaper columns mention only the so-called star
si#n or sun-si#n: the si#n of the +odiac in which the sun is placed.-4opular Astrolo#y/. The sun does indeed ha"e
special si#nificance in the horoscope, )ut it is not the )asis for an entire chart interpretation.
The moon and ascendant are e?ually important as the sun, althou#h they ha"e different ?ualities. The sun plays
an acti"e and creati"e role in the person0s life, the moon shows how his needs can )e met to )est e@press his
solar nature. The ascendant indicates the person0s )ody and outward personality. 9ependin# on the sun0s
position, the nati"e0s sense of identity may )e readily apparent to o)ser"ers or )e well-hidden from "iew.
The sun acts as the conductor in the orchestra of planets and has an inte#ratin# function. The sun0s house and
si#n positions descri)e how and where an indi"idual will feel and de"elop this ener#y. Any planets or a@es the
sun aspects will )e inte#rated into this area of life.
Traditional astrolo#ers #enerally "iew a planet con;unct the sun, with the e@ception of .ars, as weakened )y its
pro@imity to the sun0s o"erwhelmin# li#ht. .odern astrolo#ers, in contrast, )elie"e that a planet con;unct the sun
will indicate ?ualities with which the person identifies. 4lanets in se@tile or trine to the sun su##ests hei#htened
self-confidenceD whereas hard aspects to the sun may indicate self-esteem issues.
A small child is not yet in a position to tap into the full ener#y of the sun, and the de"elopment and process of
acti"e inte#ration usually )e#ins from a)out the a#e of se"en.
Any transits )y the sun last only one or two days and si#nify a process of increased awareness in the area
concerned. >on#er-lastin# transits to the natal sun )y other planets can either )e times of enhanced
self-confidence -trines, se@tiles/ or identity crises -s?uare, opposition./
The sun stands for the fatherly, masculine principle. In a more concrete sense it stands for the actual father or
other fi#ures of authority. In a man0s horoscope the sun is part of his masculine identity, to#ether with the planet
.ars. Eon"ersely, in a woman0s horoscope the sun and .ars re"eal her perception of the masculine principle and
ideal manD althou#h today her sun also stands for her own sense of self independently of the men in her life.
References
5reene, >i+ and Sasportas, 8oward, 1!, The Luminaries: The Psychology of the sun and moon in the
horoscope, Samuel :eiser, Inc.
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Sun - Astrowiki-en http://wiki.astro.com/astrowiki/en/Sun
4aul, 8aydn, 11. Lord of the Light: Exploring the Astrological Sun, 2lement 3ooks.
Theoi 5reek .ytholo#y, http://www.theoi.com/<lympios/Apollon.html
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