The Power of Story

The Sun

Sun Facts

But the Sun is progressive. It is an active, dynamic principle which unfolds during the course of a lifetime. We never really finish developing the Sun, for this aspect of the personality is always in a process of becoming, of moving toward some future vision or goal. Some of you may be familiar with what Joseph Campbell calls the “monomyth,” the story of the hero which recurs in every culture’s mythology. The hero myth is a solar myth, for the hero is always on the way to becoming something.

The Luminaries: The Psychology of the Sun and Moon in the Horoscope (Seminars in Psychological Astrology) by Liz Greene and Howard Sasporatas

According to Anna Brones, “We’ve been taking inspiration from the sky since humans started painting on cave walls. History abounds with sun gods and goddesses, and almost every culture employs solar motifs, and even some sun worship.

Illuminated Medieval manuscripts are chock full of hilarious looking suns, personified with human faces. We’ve even attempted to turn ourselves into our favorite celestial body: one fifteenth century prince noted that he wanted to be clothed to look like the ‘living sun’. (“Creative Fuel with Anna Brones” – Nice Things: June Edition) 

A collection of assorted suns from illuminated manuscripts from the Getty Museum.

The Jungian Concept of Self and its Connection to the Sun

In the writings of Boris Herzbeg titled Jung’s Mythical Journey – Astrology, Archetypes, the Sun and the Self, “Jung proposed that the concept of ‘God’ actually represents the most powerful and effective position that the psyche can attain. When the presence of God is not within us, we immediately identify with every impulse instead of recognizing it as something separate from ourselves. In this context, the Self represents the God within. Through the process of self-realization and unity, the individual becomes the vessel through which ‘God seeks his goal’. The Self, hence, is the ultimate position, symbolizing the integration of both the unconscious and conscious aspects of an individual’s being. Jung often represented the Self using symbols such as a circle, square, or mandala.”

Mandala painted by Jung
Source: Jung, C. G. (1973), Mandala Works from The Collected Works of C. G. Jung

In a lecture at Fordham University, Jung likened the human experience of the psyche to that of the Sun. The universal journey of birth and death can be imagined as a solar narrative, offering the promise of rebirth and assigning psychological meaning to a natural celestial event.

The process of integrating the various aspects of personality to create the Self is known as individuation. In this regard, astrology proved to be a valuable tool for Jung, as it aligned with his conclusions. Astrologically, the Self is represented by the position of the Sun in the natal chart. Similar to the Sun, the Self can be seen as the core of human nature, the essence that defines one’s individuality, the very center of one’s existence that provides light and energy, and the stabilizing force within. With this understanding, Jung able to weave horoscopic themes into his description of the individuation process” (Herzberg, Section 6).

Videos and Podcasts

On Jessica Snow’s Parallel Society, our SoulCollage® mentor gives us “Messages from the Sun” :

  1. I am hyper-generous, I’m going to shine on you as long as you are on planet Earth without ever asking for anything in return.
  2. I am dependable, reliable. No matter what happens on this day, you can always know I will “rise” again tomorrow.
  3. You don’t need to do anything to be worthy of the gifts that sunlight brings.
  4. I’m here if you need a little warmth.
  5. I’m here if you need a little gravity.
  6. I’m here if you need a little magnetism, so you can stay centered and draw things you enjoy towards you.
  7. I’m brighter than even the glow of your phone.
  8. If you want to spend time with me – right when I come up over the horizon in the early morning is extra-magical, as well as when I dip down below the horizon at the end of the day.
  9. You can ask me to add my golden power to any aspect of your experience.

Extending Beyond a Heliocentrist – “Solar System” Perspective