The Sun is the Single Most Important factor in Astrology

            Sun worship is the source of all religions. Not only is the Sun the single most important factor in all religions of antiquity, it remains the single most important factor in all religions even today. This fact may be distorted or buried or misunderstood, but the fact remains. The reason is simple; the Sun is the giver of life in the literal sense of the word. At deeper symbolic levels the Sun is the most obvious representation of and manifestation of a greater and more transcendent God. After all, beyond the majesty of the Sun, it may be asked, ‘who or what gives it life, where is its source and what can that are?’ As valid as such a consideration is, especially from a mystical and transcendental perspective, the Sun remains the giver and creative source of not only all life on our planet, but to the planet itself and to all the planets in the solar system. If it were not for the existence and reality of the Sun as a life giving God, we would not exist to ask or wonder. So, while we can speak of higher dimensions or of the galaxy as a whole or of the entire universe, the Sun is a very significant factor, to us here on this planet.         

            The Sun is the single most important factor in Astrology. The Sun represents the core spiritual purpose in a person’s life, according to the perspective of Western Astrology. All other factors in the chart can be seen to be as themes that come under the over riding and core of that of the Sun’s exact position. How and where the other planets and angles are positioned with respect to the Sun together comprise the overall character, purpose and, life themes and destiny of the person or entity in question (companies, cities, countries and any other ‘body’ recognized as an independent entity in the eyes of the law has a birth chart which can be cast). In addition to the Zodiac Sign the Sun occupies at the time of birth, its degree, house position, other planetary and angular aspects and the proximity or phase the planets can be said to share in relation to the Sun are other important factors.

            From a more encompassing perspective, it is exciting to recognize that the Sun symbol is illustrated as a perfect circle with a point or dot in the exact center. There are a number of ways one can interpret this as well. The point in the center can be seen as a source point. Alternatively, it can be seen as the target or bull’s eye, as it were. The outer circle itself is symbolic of a sphere – a two dimensional illustration. Of course, planets, Moon’s and Stars are generally spherical in shape. A circle has longed been considered to be the symbol of spirit, the shape of God, so to speak in as much as it is without beginning or end.  Further, the outer circle can be seen to represent the first ripple that extends in a circular manner, as ripples do when an object, say a stone is thrown into still water. There is much more to say about the symbol of the Sun, but the main point for now is that when approaching symbols of any kind, we can decipher many inner meanings that might otherwise be overlooked. The symbol of the Sun is primary in Astrology and all other symbols used actually can be seen to emerge from the Sun symbol.

            In Western Astrology, the entire chart is actually a circle and at the exact center sits Earth. In this respect, the whole chart encompasses the core themes of the Sun. This brief illustration can be seen to both illustrate the holistic basis of Astrology and to also appreciate the deeper spiritual implications inherent in it this ancient sacred science. From the outset, Astrology was created as a tool of relationship and of symbolic correspondences existing between individuals and/or groups of people and their intrinsic relationship with nature. This endeavor to better understand the communion we share with life was just that. It might be said to have been a means of creating communion, but to the ancients, the communion was already present and active yet a more objective and constructive relationship with nature and its rhythms and cycles was yet to be achieved.

            By extension, the Moon and therefore the Sun/Moon relationship is the basis of understanding all cycles. This basis of the Sun/Moon relationship comes from the waxing and waning Moon cycle. There are 2 primary phases, waxing and waning. Then there are 4 Phases – New, Half Waxing, Full and Half Waning. Then there are 8 where the extra four phases are seen as the mid points between the 4 phases just mentioned. A natural correspondence here exists between the Solstices and Equinoxes. In this respect, the New Moon is symbolically related to Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox to the Half Waxing Moon, Summer Solstice to the Full Moon and Autumn Equinox to the Half Waning Moon. The extra 4 phases that together comprise the 8 can therefore be seen as the mid points or the high points of each season. From both a symbolic and a literal perspective, these correspondences are deeply woven into our psychology and to the cycles we experience in the course of life. In both respects, the Waxing and Waning Moon and the seasonal round as determined by the Solstices and Equinoxes can be seen to share direct relationships to the Sun’s light. This all important fact is essential to gaining a deeper appreciation of the Sun and the Sun’s light and the importance of both as the very core principles upon which Astrology rests.

Beyond these archetypal correspondences with natural phenomenal realities – season and Moon cycle - that further illustrate the ever present reality of the Sun’s energy, warmth and actual light, the Phase of the Moon in one’s birth chart is very important. Again, the phase is determined by the relationship between the Sun and the Moon. How much of the Sun’s light is the Moon reflecting at the time of birth and is the Moon waxing or waning? Beyond the fundamental 8 Phases of the Moon, Astrologers have long honored the approximate 28 days of the Moon (27.5 to be more exact) and have therefore recognized a 28 phase division as well. This is generally recognized, especially in Vedic Astrology, but also in the West as Lunar Mansions.

So, the exact position of the Sun and the exact position of the Moon in a Birth Chart are very significant and the relationship they share is represented by the Moon Phase. Contained within this basic trinity are the more elaborated core features of a person’s character and destiny based on the cycles of change and experience that will unfold regardless of all claims and notions of free will. The fact can be proven quickly and effectively with any person of any age where at least some of the Phase Cycles have been experienced. Although it can be done for younger persons, it is especially evident in anyone 30 years of age and older as the trail of an entire cycle can be traced and they will possess enough memory of life experiences to agree or disagree with the key turning point dates presented by an Astrologer familiar with this powerful technique, namely the Progressed Sun/Moon cycle.