The Sun Archetype – Part 3
If it takes a hero’s journey to bring your inner sun to life, how should you go about it?
There is no one right way, and your bright light will be different to mine, or anyone’s, but it’s good to know in general terms what healthy and well-balanced sun energy might look like.
The Light and the Dark
Before outlining some of the qualities of a healthy sun, it’s important to say that lighting up the sun is always a work in progress. And being forged by dark times can be an important part of the journey.
Thomas Moore, author of numerous books on spirituality and depth psychology, writes in ‘Dark Nights of the Soul’ of our need for an ebb and flow of light to develop a depth of character—
“For a feeling of well-being, you have to shine, but your sparkle need not be superficial.”
For Moore it is inevitable that we are shaped by both darkness and light. He likens this process to a cycle of sunrise and sunset over the ocean, “. . .You become the Sun rising out of the night water. You are always being reborn, always slipping back into the sea.”
While this is so, it is also helpful to keep in mind some life affirming direction of your sun’s potential, no matter where you are on your life journey.
Your Sun’s Potential
A healthy sun archetype allows you to:
- appreciate the gifts you have to offer
- find a path to express them (this may be a hobby or a calling or a profession)
- consciously guide your life’s direction
- take the risk to step up and shine
- take pride in your accomplishments
- accept appreciation from others
- have the confidence to be yourself
- feel vital and alive
- play
- be creative
- have healthy self-esteem
- love yourself, flaws and all
This last point could mean different things for different people. For me, it expresses the kind of self-validation expressed in the poem ‘Desiderata’; that “no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here”.
But that’s not me!
The life affirming characteristics listed above are healthy expressions of the solar archetype. They fall in the centre of a wide spectrum of other possibilities.
At one extreme is an ego-driven sun energy, not sourced from the deeper self. It shows up in narcissistic behaviour, a lack of humility, and an inability to let others take centre stage. It can be seen in arrogance, vanity, and self-importance. Such hubris is the fatal flaw of Icarus, that led to his flight too near the sun and consequent downfall.
At the other extreme is where the sun’s energy remains in shadow. Where the sun’s light is given away. This shows up as a lack of confidence, poor self-esteem, approval seeking, and negative self-talk. When the sun is in shadow it feels impossible to step into the limelight, and easier to admire others than to recognise your own unique gifts.
How might you help yourself to shine?
You can begin by taking small steps to
- recognise your talents,
- seek a fulfilling path,
- experiment with ways to have fun or be creative,
- and boost your self-talk in ways that are positive, loving, and confidence building.
Deeper enquiry, with the guidance of a trained counselling practitioner, is also helpful
- for understanding the source of your habitual patterns
- and exploring how you might better rise to your potentials.
You will be guided in Heart’s Plan sessions toward such insight.
Heart’s Plan guidance:
On the Heart’s Plan journey it is especially important to seek connection with your archetypal sun……… In a sense, your solar impulse pulls along all your other archetypes in its wake.
We begin our exploring with your astrological birth chart, where the sun is symbolised by a circle with a dot in the centre. The position of the sun in your birth chart gives us incredible information about your unique nature and your unique potentials.
We will pursue insight into:
- how you are special or gifted,
- your sense of life purpose or direction,
- how you might contribute your light to the world,
- where your quest lies.
The other archetypes that are central to your sun’s character will be shown by
- the sun’s closeness to a planet,
- or by lines that connect the sun to a planet with which it has a powerful angular relationship.
You will be especially conscious of any archetype that the sun shines upon in this way, and it will be a strong theme in your life story. We explore how you may live it fully and well.
As you walk the hero’s journey, with all its travails, insights like these can help you bring your sun to life and be more confident in your nature. The value of time spent upon inner discovery cannot be overstated if, as ground breaking psychiatrist Carl Jung believed, it is the discovery and fulfilment of your Self that motivates your life.
The Shining Sun
No one image can fully describe what it feels like when your inner sun is shining. Yet perhaps the symbols of The Sun tarot card hold a few clues.
The Sun card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck is a happy card. It shows a child riding a white horse, holding a red banner, arms wide open and welcoming, framed by a smiling sun and blooming sunflowers.
We might read this as a renewal of joy, innocence, and radiance, born out of being who you really are. The happiness of being in tune with your Self.
Best wishes on your journey. May your light shine.
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
T.S. Eliot ‘Little Gidding’
