Celestial Gazing

The Role of the Sun in the Birth Chart

The Sun alone sustains life on earth through its radiating heat and brilliant light. Its placement in the birth chart shows where light enters the person’s life - that area of life in which she will want to shine; lead;  be center stage; and live out many of her life experiences. The Sun shows one’s strenght of character and ability to overcome difficulties in life.

The Sun is the main indicator of a person’s health,  vitality, endurance and stamina and is therefore considered as one of the most critical planets in the chart.

As the smaller self, it represents the expressive side of the personality and takes pride in achievements and enjoys recognition and honor from society. Its placement and condition in the chart indicates how one chooses to present themselves and the degree to which one seeks and receives fame and status.

As the higher self, the Sun indicates one’s spiritual aspirations; the importance one places on living a purposeful life; and the willingness to seek out one's true self.

In terms of family relationships, the Sun represents the Father. The Sun’s placement and aspects in the chart speaks to the life of the father, one’s relationship with him and his influence upon the individual, for better or worse.

From a physical perspective, the Sun is the overall significator of the body. It rules the largest organ, the heart, and is responsible for some of the most critical bodily functions such as digestion, circulation and overall resistance to disease. The Sun is also an indicator of vision – our ability to see – and, more specifically, represents the right eye.

The Sun can be compared to the light shining out of a light bulb. All light bulbs shine and give off light, but the type of bulb will determine how bright that light is and how long it will burn. The Sun’s sign, aspects and house position in the birth chart indicates the type of light bulb and how well equipped it is to support the attributes, activities and significators mentioned above. For example, some Suns are radiant and produce bright light (fire signs); some give tenacity and glow rather than radiate light (earth signs); others feel bright only when there is stimulation and movement (air signs); and yet other's light shines through the emotional body or through one’s intuition (water signs).

“The whole horoscope is the field of prakriti, an individual’s cosmic  expression of his or her personal reality as a part of the macrocosm.”
(Light on Life, Hart DeFouw and Robert Svoboda)

Vedic astrology has two major features that differentiate it from the more commonly known Western-based astrology. 

The first is that Vedic astrology encompasses an entire philosophical-spiritual foundation that is core to the chart interpretation and remedial recommendations. This foundation has as its underpinning several fundamental principals which are discussed below. These are not principals that one must personally embrace in order to benefit from a Vedic astrological reading. However, an awareness of them will deepen the experience you have when receiving a reading.

Secondly, Vedic astrology uses the sidereal method, rather than tropical, to calculate the positions of the luminaries and planets at the time of birth. Depending on the degree position of each planet, the sidereal method will often result in one, or several, planets being placed in signs different than that shown by a tropical-based birth chart. A fuller explanation of the sidereal vs tropical method is provided below. 

Fundamental Vedic Principals

The first fundamental concept is that the planets (grahas) are living energies which represent different aspects of cosmic intelligence – or cosmic consciousness. For example, the planet Jupiter (Guru) holds a particular aspect of the cosmic intelligence which has to do with higher wisdom and spirituality – he is the wise Guru or teacher that imparts in us the ability and desire to understand the deeper meanings in life or to manage our lives in line with a set of higher morals and values. Saturn (Sani) holds that aspect of cosmic intelligence which has to do with discipline and perseverance. He imparts in us the ability to face obstacles and challenges in life by persevering, working hard, going-the-distance. Ultimately, it is Sani who allows the Jiva (human being) to progress through deep, spiritual growth.