About the Sun

The Sun is the center of the conscious identity, and the energy center of the chart. Just like the actual Sun is the center of our solar system, and everything revolves around it, everything in the chart exists relative to the Sun, even if the Sun does not directly aspect it.

While the Sun is displayed in the chart as a glyph like any other planet, it’s not like the others at all. The Sun actually defines the entire astrological system, because the natal chart is a representation of each planets position on the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth (apparent because the Earth actually revolves around the Sun). The path of the Sun is the band of the sky that the entire natal chart represents.

Any planet that is aspected to the Sun will be more prominent in a person's makeup. The house that the Sun is in will be a significant area of activity for the person. The house that the Sun rules (the house with Leo on the cusp) will also influence how your Sun is expressed.

The Sun rules Leo and is associated with the 5th house.

The Sun in our natal chart represents:

• our basic personality and how we express ourselves
• our general approach to life
• how we identify, i.e. "I am ___"
• how we derive self-esteem
• our life purpose and drive
• our creativity and self-expression
• our vitality and life force
• how we shine and seek recognition
• the father figure or authority figures in our lives (along with Saturn)
• our leadership style
• the area of life where we seek to make our mark
• our basic needs and what makes us feel alive
• the qualities we most identify with and strive to embody
• our personal power and how we use it
• the part of ourselves we're learning to integrate and express fully

Of all the planets (in astrology, the Sun and Moon are called planets), the Sun takes on the most “flavor” of the sign and house it is in (see below).

The Sun wants to be itself

The Sun is more about "being and becoming" than "doing". For example, Virgos love problem-solving, but who they really are is a person who deeply wants to improve the world and help the people around them. It's by focusing on that essence that we develop our personality and become our full selves.

The Sun rules Leo and the 5th house, which are like your inner child—they are focused on play and what makes us naturally joyful. They are spontaneously creative and interact with the world from a place of intrinsic aliveness.

The Sun wants to create, to express, to be and become, in whatever way is indicated by its sign, house placement, and aspects. It wants to shine energy and purpose through the blueprint of you that is your chart, and out into the world.

Your Sun wants you to be the magnificent and unique being that you are. But to do that, you have to really understand who you are. Here are some questions to help you develop your Sun:

• What do I love? What lights me up? How can I do more of it?
• What is draining to me? How can I adjust my life to decrease or eliminate it?
• Who does my inner child light up around? How can I spend more time with them or find more people like that?
• What feels like play to me? How can I bring the quality of play to different areas of my life?
• What makes me feel creative? How can I bring more creativity into my daily life?
• What matters to me? What do I want to devote my life energy to?

Your Sun sign needs you to love it

To embody your Sun fully, it's imperative that you see your Sun sign positively. As a Virgo, I'm well aware of the criticisms levied at different signs. But if you are a Virgo, you have the right and entitlement to be detail-oriented. You are being who you came here to be. Of course we can all work on not being critical, but the mere fact of caring about details is awesome. That is the attitude you need to have about your Sun sign: love it, own it, express it, live it.

More than anything, the Sun needs permission to shine as it naturally is. It needs support that sees is as intrinsically good and right for being who it is. You can give yourself that support.

To support yourself to develop your Sun, I suggest learning and practicing self-care, self-love, self-acceptance, self-validation, and positive self-talk. There is an incredible amount of negativity and encouragement to compare and self-criticize just floating around in the world. But you can opt out and love yourself exactly as you are, simply because you are.

Here are some affirmations to get you started:

• Aries - Your enthusiasm is contagious and motivating.
• Taurus - Your steadfastness provides stability amid chaos.
• Gemini - Your curiosity enriches every conversation.
• Cancer - You create safe spaces where others can grow and thrive.
• Leo - Your warmth and generosity light up people's lives.
• Virgo - You solve problems others overlook.
• Libra - Your sense of fairness makes the world more just.
• Scorpio - Your intensity drives meaningful change and growth.
• Sagittarius - Your optimism reminds everyone of life's endless possibilities.
• Capricorn - Your discipline turns dreams into reality.
• Aquarius - You inspire others to see beyond the status quo.
• Pisces - You bring compassion to a world that truly needs it.

If you are new to astrology, I recommend reading up on your Sun and Moon sign as a place to start.Be sure to go beyond the surface level descriptions and stereotypes. You can read about the mythology, the associated Gods/Goddesses, the strengths and weaknesses of your sign, as well as more about the element and mode of your sign.

The next step is to look at the house your Sun is in, and learn how the Sun expresses through that house. That combination will tell you a lot about who you are here to become.

Your Sun sign is not an accident. It is exactly where it is for a reason, because your Soul wanted to embody and develop and creatively express this energy in this lifetime!

What is sovereignty?

The Sun rules the sign Leo, which associated with the lion, courage, generosity, and royalty. Whether you are a Leo or not, the Sun still carries the energy of sovereignty, and wants you to develop this quality in yourself.

Sovereignty as a personal quality means:

• fully showing up in your life and owning it
• thinking less about what you are "supposed" to do or be or think or feel, and more about what you actually want to be doing
• being willing to be an individual, to do what is right for you, and not apologize for it
• getting in touch with yourself and developing your you-ness
• saying no to what doesn't work for you, not putting up with things that drain you
• being fully and freely yourself
• becoming the ruler of your own life

How do you develop this? Confidence arises from appreciating your own abilities and qualities. So the first thing to do is really understand what is awesome about you, and be willing to own it. Don't compare yourself to other people—instead, find what is uniquely you and hone it, polish it, and love it. You can get a lot further trying to become fully yourself than you could ever get trying to be someone else.

Unfortunately, there are forces working against this. Sometimes social bonds are formed around mutual self-criticism, complaining, or self-limiting belief systems. Some subcultures or communities have a kind of "who do you think you are?" attitude toward people expressing happiness or developing personal power. So your first act of sovereignty may very well involve adjusting your social circles and local environment (including social media consumption) to be more supportive of who you want to be.