ASTROLOGY
• BY JULIE LOAR
Beyond Sun Signs What deeper symbolism might the Sun’s fiery nature reveal?
“Some painters transform the Sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the Sun”
Pablo Picasso
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nce regarded by astronomers as a small, and relatively insignificant star, our chief luminary is now believed to be brighter than 85%, and in the top 10% by mass, of the hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Most other stars in our galaxy are red dwarfs. Our Sun is a main-sequence star, about 4.5 billion years old, and contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the solar system with Jupiter containing most of the remainder. The Sun generates energy by nuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium, fusing 430–600 million tons of hydrogen every second. Solar physicists say it takes a million years for the energy created at the Sun’s core to make its way to the surface where it radiates into space. The Sun is about 70% hydrogen and 28% helium by mass, and since its birth, our star has consumed about half of the hydrogen in its heart. It will continue to radiate for another five billion years, and its luminosity is expected to nearly double in that time. At the end of the Sun’s life it will expand to become a Red Giant, expelling its outer layers in a dramatic, glowing planetary nebula. Although the Sun is a huge ball of gas, it appears to have a sharp edge because the energy radiates from the photosphere, a thin layer a couple hundred miles thick, compared with the Sun’s overall radius of 432,000 miles (695,000 kilometers). Above this lies the slightly hotter chromosphere, another relatively thin layer that measures between 1,000 and 2,000 miles thick. Above the chromosphere is the corona, a superheated region where temperatures rise to millions of degrees. Because the Sun’s gravity isn’t strong enough to hold onto such hot gas, the outer atmosphere boils off into space. The corona is invisible in ordinary light; and it is only during a total solar eclipse, when the Moon blocks the much brighter photosphere, that the stunning sight of the corona can be seen. The Sun is a nearly-perfect sphere, and rotates on its axis. But unlike Earth and other solid objects, the Sun is a giant ball of gas and plasma, so different parts of the Sun spin at different speeds. We know this by observing sunspots. The region of the Sun near its equator rotates once every 25 days. The rotation rate decreases with increasing latitude, so rotation is slowest near the Sun’s poles, which rotate once every 36 days. Sunlight travels to Earth in about eight minutes and nineteen seconds and supports life by photosynthesis, as well as driving Earth’s climate and weather. In addition to heat and light, the Sun’s hot corona emits a low density stream of charged particles, mostly electrons and protons, known as the solar wind. The bubble in the interstellar medium formed by the solar wind, called the he-
O
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liosphere, is the largest continuous structure in the solar system, extending well beyond Pluto. The solar wind, and the much higher energy particles ejected by solar flares, can have dramatic effects ranging from power line surges to radio interference, the beautiful aurora borealis, pointing the ionized gas tails of comets away from the Sun, and creating measurable effects on spacecraft trajectories. The most conspicuous features on the Sun are sunspots. Sunspots are the “cool” regions, and their lower relative temperature makes them look dark by comparison. Sunspots are caused by complicated, and not very well understood, interactions with the Sun’s magnetic field. They can last anywhere from a few hours to a few months. Sunspots tend to cluster, with some sunspot groups containing a hundred or more individual spots. These large groups possess powerful magnetic fields and often give rise to flares, the largest explosions in the solar system. A typical flare lasts for five to ten minutes and releases as much energy as a million hydrogen bombs. The biggest flares last for several hours and emit enough energy to power the United States, at its current rate of electric consumption, for 100,000 years. The Moon circles Earth; Earth orbits the Sun; and the Sun in turn orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy, creating what is called the Cosmic Year. Astronomers have calculated that it takes 225-240 million years for
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the Sun to orbit the center of the Milky Way, traveling at the astonishing speed of 782,000 km/hour in a circular path. Our solar system resides in what is called the Orion Arm of the galaxy and is 26,000 light-years from the center. The spiral arms of our great galaxy also twirl through space. The Sun has circled the center of the galaxy about twenty times in its stellar lifetime, and the last time the Sun was in its current position, dinosaurs roamed the Earth. If estimates are accurate, the Sun has thirty more cosmic circuits before it runs out of gas. Legends of the Sun
The Sun is the largest object in our solar system and is defiApollo & Aurora (Gérard_de_Lairesse, 1671) nitely center stage. Our brilliant day star is the source of light and life on Earth and has been revered from time out of mind. Sunrise probably inspired the part, these stories grew out of a desire to exfirst prayers as light returned and dissipated plain the Sun’s apparent motion and daily apthe dark uncertainties of night. Human pearance and disappearance. The most popular symbolic representaminds seek meaning through allegory and metaphor, and some of humanity’s deepest tion of the Sun is an all-seeing eye. A wheel is truths have been transmitted through the next most common theme with the myth—our sacred stories. Myths about the spokes seen as the Sun’s rays. Many cultures Sun and Moon are at the heart of beliefs saw the Sun being drawn across the sky in a about the possible origins of humanity. In
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Number 84 • ATLANTIS RISING 49
ASTROLOGY
Continued from Page 49 chariot pulled by various magical steeds. Scientists claim we are made of star stuff, and mythically the Sun and Moon are always seen as ancestors, heroes or benefactors, but almost always in a parental role. The ancient Persian’s believed that the stars were children of the Sun and Moon. The Greeks called the Sun Helios and the Romans called it Sol. In Western culture, we are accustomed to think of the Sun as male and the Moon as female, but the Sun has been seen as a goddess as often as a god. In certain belief systems the Sun’s heart is seen as feminine and the fiery outer nature as masculine. In the German language, the Sun is feminine and the Moon is masculine, but in Romance languages it is the reverse. In Australia the Moon is male and the Sun female. The Inuit believe that the Sun is the older sister of a male Moon. On the Malay Peninsula, both the Sun and Moon are female. American Indians most often see the Sun and Moon as brother and sister, but in some tribes they are mates. The Egyptian Sun god, Ra, was seen as a child at dawn, an adult at noon, and an old man at sunset. Ra traveled across the daytime sky in a boat and navigated the treacherous underworld at night. Other Egyptian gods, such as Amun, were combined with Ra to increase their power. It is intriguing that Polynesians also call their sun god Ra.
Moon Some Phases scholars
speculate that prevailing climate conditions may have influenced the perception of gender for the Sun and Moon. In climates where the Sun scorched the day causing people to seek shelter, the cooler dark of night was seen as more nurturing and therefore feminine. However, in places where the warmth of the Sun was a welcome relief after a bitter winter, the Sun was imagined as a nurturing and feminine influence. One example is the great Sun goddess Saule of the Lithuanian and Baltic peoples who live in harsh northern climes. Important solar festivals have often been held at the solstices, Latin for “sun stands still,” when the Sun appears to stop in the sky before changing direction and shifting its apparent annual motion. These two points in the year are the extremes of light and dark. The symbolic rebirth of the Sun king happens at winter solstice in the northern hemisphere when the length of the day increases again. Many European countries celebrate the festival of Yule at winter solstice. The word comes from yole, or yuul, which means “sun” in several languages. Some linguists suggest it is also the origin of the English word “wheel,” a popular solar symbol representing the turning the year.
Alchemical Astrology
In astrology the Sun is seen as the character of the individuality and the main focus of the soul’s lessons and experiences. From a spiritual perspective, we can view the apparent annual journey of the Sun as the soul’s sojourn through time and the experiences of the zodiac archetypes. If we view the fire of the Sun as an agent of transformation, we can take a brief alchemical look at the the twelve signs. The first sign Aries embodies the initiating force that emerges out of the collective nature of the twelfth sign Pisces. Aries is irresistible force and represents the principles of resurrection and individualization, the symbolic point of all beginnings, and the onset of the circle of the seasons. The second sign Taurus embodies the principle of pure substance. Taurus is the maA "God's view" map of Milky Way as seen from far Galactic North. The trix that absorbs star-like lines center in a yellow dot representing the position of Sun. The the impact of the spokes of that "star" are marked with constellation abbreviations, "Cas" intense energy
for "Cassiopeia", etc. (Wikipedia)
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projected outward by Aries. Energy is action. Matter is reaction. In alchemical symbolism, the matter of Taurus is precipitated from the waters of Pisces, the twelfth sign, by the fire of Aries. The third sign Gemini embodies the principle of motion that is the result of the irresistible force of Aries impinging on the immovable object, Taurus. Spinning motion on an axis is the result. Gemini’s expression is to adjust and adapt in an ever-widening collection of data and search for meaning. The fourth sign Cancer adds the powerful quality of emotion to the mental nature of Gemini. Cancer acts like the womb, and is the universal mother principle—providing the vessel from which all forms are born. The fifth sign Leo brings about the process of individuation through the fire and focus of the individual will. Virgo is the sixth sign and brings the idea of differentiated matter into forms that can become highly specialized. At this phase of the Zodiac, plans can be carried out in detail. Libra is is the seventh sign and embodies balance and the principle of equilibrium, which results from the interaction of Leo and Virgo, a marriage of spirit and matter. The eighth sign Scorpio represents the idea of dynamic power. This potent energy of desire can be used in construction or destruction, death or resurrection, and is characterized by great intensity. This is a path of regeneration of the desire nature. Sagittarius is the ninth sign and embodies the idea of illumination that results from balanced power between Libra and Scorpio. Sagittarius energy is philosophical in nature, seeking wisdom and an understanding of first principles. In the tenth sign Capricorn, matter can now be organized into perfect forms. Capricorn’s energy is governing and conserving, focused on achievement, integrity, recognition, and responsibility. Aquarius is the eleventh sign where the unfolding sequence of the zodiac now expresses in group consciousness. At this stage it is possible to be unified by a common ideal. Aquarius looks for truth in all things and desires to unite with others on a universal level. The twelfth sign Pisces can be seen as the universal solvent which both dissolves the boundaries of separation created by all the preceding signs and creates the fluid environment in which the seeds of a new cycle can germinate. In Pisces the sorrows and joys of others are keenly felt, and this is the sign where compassion is born. Many spiritual traditions have taught that the fire of the Sun can be used for transmutation. If we are open to the spiritual truth that is not apparent in our science, we can be transformed at a deep level, harnessing the power of the Sun, burning away the imperfections in our personalities and radiating our own unique light into the word.
www.JulieLoar.com. The new edition of Julie Loar’s multiple award-winning book, Goddesses for Every Day, published by New World Library, is now available from booksellers everywhere. Number 84 • ATLANTIS RISING 73