The symbolism of the Sun

​The sun is the centre of our solar system and the source of all life on Earth. Nature and, by extension, human beings cannot exist without the solar energy generated by the sun.
 
Mystics see this ‘sun energy’ as the substance of our life in terms of the energetic process at the depths of our being. Seen as the central source of divine fire, the image of the sun ignites our awakening hearts. “Just as the physical sun lightens and warms the universe, so, in the human body, there is in the heart a sunlike arcanum from which life and warmth stream forth.” (Jung, CW14: par. 113) According to Jung the sun motif as it appears in mythology denotes a new consciousness as the light which illuminates the vast darkness.
 
Jung believed the sun to be a symbol of the god-image. The sun “is the only truly ‘rational’ image of God… the sun is the father-god from which all living things draw life: he is the fructifer and creator, the source of energy for our world” (Jung, CW 5: par. 176) In Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1962, 247–253), Jung recognized that Ochwiay Biano’s sense of himself as a son of the sun gave him a proper “place in the great process of being” depicting a meaningful relationship with Nature in the cosmology of the first Nations of America  (Sabini 2001, 49).
 
Alchemy regards the sun (Sol) as “the central celestial fire; it is the fructifying source of heat and light and the root of the life drive… Some of the many metaphors used to describe Sol are light, heat, sulphur, redness, gold, fire and certain kinds of fruit especially oranges and lemons! Sol is thought of as the central source and, appropriately, its alchemical symbol is a circle with a dot in the center. The same symbol is used for gold because they are thought to be of the same substance. Gold is the terrestrial sun-stuff spun into the bowels of the earth by Sol's endless revolutions around the earth” (Edinger, 1995, p. 87). In spiritual traditions, golden light is associated with the highest divine energy. 
 
In these challenging times, remember to feel warmth of the sun on your skin. Bathe in its golden light and notice how the sun caresses the leaves of the trees at dusk, promising return.
 
Image Credit: NASA
 
A social media post I wrote for @jungsouthernafrica
 
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