A New Look at the Sun
by Tom Lescher
All manifest creation,
all life as we know it, can be viewed as the Creator or Source
realizing
Itself. The Source, or “All That Is”, at some point
polarized Itself from total Unity into diversity to experience
Itself; hence creation. With this polarization all 3rd dimensional
duality came into existence. The root, or basis of duality, then,
is the Creator/creation, the Void/manifested life, Spirit/matter,
Love/fear – the former existing eternally and the latter
temporally.
When we, as Creator, Spirit,
or Love incarnate into physical form we leave the realm of unity
to experience ourselves through duality. Our lives become a mirror
through which we view our own creation. In so doing, we take
on the reality of 3rd dimensional consciousness which includes
the polarity of fear – that which we are not – the
consciousness of separation.
The Sun in the astrological
birth chart can be seen as the light, the energy, or the fuel
that powers the entire chart (the reality we have created). In
one sense it is the transmitter of Divine intelligence, which
not only powers, but also orders our experience of ourselves
and the world around us. The zodiacal sign in which the sun is
located at the time of our birth is a key to unlocking our spiritual
Self or God-within. It is a unique point within both the birthchart
and “reality”. Consider it for a moment (I find it
best to consider it as I watch it rise in the morning). It is
a huge nuclear reactor in space. It has no “matter” like
any other body in the solar system. If you could take the heat
you could fly right through it. It is a sacred miracle of nature
and it is no wonder the ancients worshipped it – it is
the source for more than light and warmth to our planet!
As fire has
always been associated with spirit, it is not a stretch to imagine
the Sun as the closest access point to spirit while on this planet.
Therefore, when dealing with a birthchart the archetypes associated
with the Sun are a powerful means for a person to consciously
realize the unity of all life (Spirit, Love) while existing within
3rd dimensional reality (matter, fear). The quality of
our life experience is dependent upon our ability to see through
our fear,
our physical reality, and into our God-self. Our God-self is
in unity with all other aspects of creation, and the Sun is in
one sense the polarity to fear = love/spirit.
Shamanic Astrology views each
of the zodiacal signs as its own mystery school illuminating
a particular aspect of the total creation. Of the twelve different
schools, each has its own unique aspect, addition, or contribution
to the circle of life. As such, each sign has its own teachings,
its own realm of expertise, its own “facet of self” to
refine, shape, and sculpt. Each has its own different form of
fuel to power the chart. Each one of these different fuels can
be highly efficient or lacking; nuclear power or coal, depending
on the individual.
What defines the quality of
a life? Are you burning high or low-octane fuel? Clearly, the
amount of love/unity existing within a given experience, as opposed
to that of fear/separation, is the deciding factor. Therefore,
we can say that people with less fear will have a higher-octane
fuel powering their life experience, a higher quality of life.
Further, each individual’s sun sign will indicate what
fear needs to be surrendered, released, or given up in order
to experience this unity. It indicates the area the soul wishes
to explore this lifetime to fully realize its connection with
Source, Creator, or God.
Our sun sign shows
us where we can most profoundly experience ourselves in total
union with
all of creation. Vice-versa, it can indicate where we hold to
our fear, diminish our power, and cut off our fuel supply. This
explains why we can observe individuals with the same sun sign
exhibiting such diverse levels of conscious awareness and resulting
behavior patterns.
Since we are discussing the
sun, let us take Leo, the sign the Sun is said to “rule”,
as an example. An individual born with the Sun in Leo has chosen
to experience the ego aspect of Spirit/God. To fully do so requires
the surrendering of the notion that the ego exists outside of,
or separate from, the Creator. They are therefore born with the
fear that their conscious choices, their sense of power, is not
God, is not OK.
Those with great amounts of
fear will compensate by doing anything in their power to be seen
as great, to be adored and honored, and will desire to rule the “jungle” of
earth, i.e. great egotists! However, as they grow in consciousness
and maturity, they have the ability to surrender this sense of
separation thereby letting go of their fear. They can then relax
their grip, their need to be center stage, and simply be who
they are regardless of external approval/disapproval. As they
surrender their separate egos and move into unity consciousness,
they will see others as equal beings, all of whom possess egos
in need of validation and support. In this way they can serve
as models using their ego as the fine-tuned instrument for the
expression of their Spirit Self while simultaneously helping
others to the same realization In Shamanic terms we would say
that their ego (once refined) is the medicine they carry. They
will have stepped out of the duality of me vs. them, (or me versus
life!) and into unity with others and life.
Another example is Scorpio.
An individual born with the Sun in Scorpio wishes to experience
the unity of earthly passion – the kundalini force or red
energy – with Creator. If they remain in fear, they will
see their passion as not OK, fall further into separation, and
not experience a high quality of life. As they surrender the
notion that their passion is not a part of Creator, but is instead
their true power and gift (medicine), they will step into a whole
different set of “positive” life/passionate experiences.
A high-octane fuel will power the rest of the chart enabling
appropriate choices leading to a life of love.
Capricorn can surrender the
need to control or bring order to all life experiences (and the
world), thereby fully realizing the Divine order. Taurus can
surrender the notion that the body is not Sacred/Divine, thereby
allowing the full enjoyment of all that the senses can offer.
Pisces can surrender the notion that this whole game of life
(the whole show) is actually separate from Creator! They can
then clearly see the divine intervention and grace constantly
occurring in their own and other’s lives. Until then they
could take the game all too seriously, trying to “win”,
and instead, experience disillusionment. These examples
are in no way intended to be all-inclusive, but to show how this
approach
can begin to illuminate the meaning of the sun in the birthchart. You are encouraged to contemplate all the signs and come up with
paradigms that fit your own experience.
In addition, this application
does not reduce the significance of the entire birthchart to
sun sign astrology but deepens our understanding of why so many
can relate to those horrid columns in the newspaper. What
we are speaking of when we refer to energy, or the “fuel” is
the feeling of at-oneness we have when we are centered in our
power. We are speaking of the enthusiasm for life that is engendered
by the absence of our basic fears. The desire to get up out of
bed in the morning and deal with the rest of our lives! The excitement
that comes from feeling our power that enables us to deal with
the possible addictions symbolized by the moon and/or the south
node. The energy to take on the complexes of Saturn and the outer
planets, to accomplish the inner marriage of masculine and feminine
energies indicated by mars and venus. The drive to manifest the
future storyline reflected in the Ascendant and moon’s
north node. The Sun, in this view, is the great integrator, the
power behind the rest of the horoscope.
In conclusion then, we
can see the Sun as a great transmitter of Universal Intelligence,
beaming it down to planet earth. We are as antennae while in
physical bodies. As we tune our consciousness to the channel
of our sun sign, we will receive the main information needed
to power our lives. It is then up to us to freely choose to reduce
the static in the transmission by surrendering our fear of separation.
As we let go of our fear, we will experience an increase in our
life energy (burn high-octane fuel) and enjoy a greater quality
of life. This higher quality of life is the realization of (already
existing) unity and love, eventually leading to our “waking
up” to our own Divinity and life purpose.
Please visit Tom’s website:
www.tom.shamanicastrology.com
