What is the Significance of the Sun in Astrology?

Sun sign astrology is what you get when you look at the horoscope column in your newspaper, or consult an online horoscope site. But astrology is really much bigger than that. There is also your ascendant or rising sign, which some of you may know. And there is your moon sign, and also a sign for each of the eight planets in the solar system (we don’t usually include the earth in astrology, as we’re looking at the sky from a vantage point on the earth.)

But the Sun really is one of the most important figures in astrology, and it’s the first celestial body whose location we plot on a birth chart. So what does it represent?

Who is the Sun?

The Sun in astrology is identified with the Roman god Sol, and with the Greek gods Helios and Apollo. It rules Sunday. Its symbol is a point inside a circle, representing the Sun at the center of our solar system. This more modern symbol, that replaced an older image of a sun with a single ray of light, first appeared during the Renaissance.

Significance of the Sun

In astrology, the Sun represents the conscious self – the ego, the basic adult identity of a person. It helps us to answer the question, “Who am I?”

The Sun represents reason, as opposed to instinct. It represents energy and life force (prana, chi.) The Sun’s location in a chart shows what we identify with, what motivates us and gives us direction, what we are proud of in our lives. It also represents all the things we are learning to be in this life.

The Sun in the Zodiac

In Western astrology, the Sun rules the sign of Leo. This is its natural home in the zodiac, its domicile or (domal) dignity. Sun is exalted in Aries; it has its detriment in Aquarius and its fall in Libra. (If you don’t know what all of these things mean, don’t panic! For now just take your cues from usual meanings of these words.)