by The Sun in the horoscope represents the Logos image, the eternal principle manifested as a vital impulse within the individual.
The myth
At first glance, the mythological attribution of the star to the deity appears quite elaborate. Within the Greek pantheon, Helios and Apollo are two prominent figures symbolising the role of the Sun.
Helios (Gr. Ἥλιος), related to the Latin Sol and the Sanskrit Sūrya, is considered a lesser god and is not part of the twelve Olympian deities. However, in late antiquity, Helios gained greater visibility due to his identification with the solar divinities of the Roman era. As the son of the Titans Hyperion (god of light and alertness) and his sister Teia (goddess of vision), Helios is known for representing the physical Sun. Among his various designations and nicknames, he has been depicted as Elektor, the radiant one; Terpsimbrotos, who cheers mortals; and Hekatebolos, with sharp arrows representing the Sun’s rays).
In various mythologies, Helios is often portrayed as a comely juvenile adorned with a wreath or aura of sunlight who traverses the sky daily through his four-horse-drawn chariot. Besides being considered a personification of the solar disk, Helios embodies the creative force that underpins physical manifestation, the origin of vitality and regeneration.
The following passage discusses the different attributions and roles of Apollo, the god of Olympus, in Greek mythology. Apollo is widely recognised as the god of archery, music, dance, prophecy, healing and disease, protector of shepherds and flocks, and dedicated to caring for youth – a god with different responsibilities. However, in some Homeric literature, Apollo is also portrayed as the bearer of plagues sent to humanity with arrows shot from his bow. In the late Hellenistic period, the cult of Phoebus, one of the epithets of Apollo, began to take hold, which identified him as the god of light and associated him with the Sun. This identification continued in the philosophical texts of the time, as well as in Latin classicism, where the god Sol was referred to as Phoebus. However, it should be noted that, in most mythological narratives, Apollo and Helios remain distinct entities.
During the transition between classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages, Helios underwent several changes and took on the characteristics of other deities. In 274 AD, Emperor Aurelian introduced the cult of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on 25 December. This event brought together features of other deities, such as Mithras and Harpocrates, the Hellenic representative of the god Horus. The figure of Helios became the primary divinity during the reign of Julian, the last pagan emperor. Julian, an emperor philosopher and a Greek author of texts, synthesised Mithraism with Neoplatonic doctrines. Helios appears to be the expression of a trinity that encompasses the One, which governs the realm of Platonic forms, Helios-Mitra, the god of the intellectual realm, and the Sun, the physical manifestation of Helios. Helios, as a centralising representation of this trinity, is the Logos, the divine word.
Within this tripartite schema, the connection between Apollo and Helios is worth noting. The potentiality for manifestation reveals itself as energy and matter, from whose subsequent hierogamy – or attraction – the realm of forms arises. The introduction of the fourth term, which is like an immanent replica of the transcendent One, clarifies the dual attribution of the Sun, of which Helios represents the material vehicle – the chariot of the Sun driven by him along his daily course – while Apollo retains his spiritual characteristics. In a broader sense, it may be posited that some of Apollo’s traits are expressions of the vitalising solar energy, whose harmonisation within the individual is a source of well-being (Apollo the healer). However, in the event of discord, illness manifests itself (Apollo, the bringer of pestilence). The same is true of his beauty, youth, and other attributes. Everything within him reveals the Sun’s centrality, albeit obscured by appearances. This is the concealed Sun, the Sun behind the physical Sun.
During the Roman Empire, the Mithraic mysteries were widely followed and were associated with Helios and the bull-god Mithras. Although the cult’s origins are linked to pre-existing Iranian cults, the Mithraic mysteries have a character of relative originality. Understanding the rites of Mithraism is challenging, given their secretive nature. The Mithraic cult is a sequence of stages that lead the novice to rise above their animalistic impulses and integrate themselves onto the throne of the Eagle. The final stage signifies the elevation and liberation from the domination of nature enslaved to instincts. The “bellow” that sounds from the officiant’s throat is proof of the yoke of the bull. The astrological symbolism of Taurus and Scorpio reveals a sign of this struggle. When Scorpio’s poisonous tail pierces Taurus, the opposite sign, the bond with the earthly density dissolves, and Scorpio becomes the Eagle. In this way, it resolves the dualistic contradiction between spirit and matter, announcing its release from the bonds.
Traces of the Sun-Mithras association have been found, but some scholars consider it to be a gloss inserted erroneously by scribes. The initiate of Mithras is the one who “defeats” the Sun, challenging it face-to-face until he integrates it into himself, becoming the “centre.” The seeming contradiction is resolved when the central and centralising role of the Sun is considered. Mithras “resolves” the Sun by ensuring that the human microcosm, through the centre of itself regained, becomes an exact semblance of the macrocosm in which the central star, with its retinue of planets, is the visible image of the occurred reunion.
The solar symbolism
Distinguishing between the Sun as the vital node of the individual and the planes of the horizon and the meridian, which form the cross of incarnation from the terrestrial point of view, can be a challenging task. These are two distinct systems of reference, both encompassing human individuality. The axes of the horoscope chart denote the architecture of the field of consciousness, i.e., the form through which consciousness manifests itself. The intersection point of the axes is the Primum Mobile (first movable), an immaterial point which holds the potential for individual manifestation that unfolds through the axes. However, these chart aspects would be rendered meaningless without the solar presence, from whose light emanates the energy of life and vision. The ego represents its individualising stage in the earthly incarnation, and one may draw an analogy to the Puruṣa-Prakṛti dyad of the Saṃkhyā [1] or Spinoza’s Natura Naturans-Natura naturata [2], while making the necessary distinction.
It is commonly understood that the Sun is merely a representation of the Logos, the permanent principle of which the individual is a temporary manifestation. The Sun, therefore, denotes the potency of the Logos, which manifests itself as the fundamental principle of the individual ego. It is expressed in the architecture provided by the cross of incarnation. The topocentric position of the Sun relative to the domification indicates how the principle is represented in earthly form, that is, in what way and guise the principle integrates into an individual’s life; we could refer to this as the primary destiny.
The solar energy gradient, defined by the inclination of the Earth’s rotation axis on the orbital plane at the origin of the seasonal alternation, is characterised quantitatively by the presence of the Sun in a specific zodiacal sign. This phenomenon causes a variation in the influx of energy and light at different times of the year. This variability is most evident in the temperate latitudes, where the climatic conditions have the widest variety and regularity. In contrast, the poles and the equator represent the extremes, where the symbolic expression of the solar principle attains its maximum strength and weakness, respectively. Consequently, these variations in solar energy will influence the social manifestations of individuals, with proximity to the poles limiting such expressions and tropical areas allowing for greater expressiveness.
Regarding individual characteristics, the solar gradient can be interpreted as an impression created by synchronising an unborn child with the surrounding seasonal environment. This analogical connection, then, manifests itself as the authentic nature of humans – the central theme of their life cycle. While the complete meaning is unveiled by the combination of planetary and zodiacal configurations, the sun sign acts as the underlying motif, weaving the themes of one’s life.
[1] Saṃkhyā is one of the six Darsanas, or Hindu doctrines, which aim to provide a view of reality. It is concerned with the enumeration and calculation of the elements, or tattvas, responsible for the manifestation of all beings. The examination begins with Prakṛti, the universal and undifferentiated substance from which all things originate. Puruṣa, on the other hand, represents transcendent consciousness without attributions. In essence, Saṃkhyā comprehensively analyses the building blocks of existence and their relationship to the ultimate reality.
[2] Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese descent. In his work “Ethica,” Spinoza refers to the concept of Natura naturans as the self-causing activity of nature itself, which he equates with God considered as an eternal and infinite essence. Natura naturata, on the other hand, refers to the passive product of an endless causal chain that follows the necessities of divine expression and cannot be conceived without God. Consequently, Spinoza believes that God and nature are one and the same reality, which he refers to as “Deus sive Natura.”
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