Astrological textbooks say the Sun represents one's vitality, one's body, one's path. These are all true, but the Sun is more than this. The Sun is central to a life. Because the Sun is the greater luminary, it represents consciousness and, therefore, awareness of the self, ego, and sense of identity.

But we must look deeper than this to see the true meaning of the Sun in natal astrology. What does the Sun rule? Most importantly, the Sun rules the HEART and the SPINE. This is more than a literal rulership; it is a symbolic rulership.

What do we say about people who are cruel or indifferent to others? We say "S/he has no heart", or "S/he is heartless". The Sun is the seat of LOVE in natal astrology. A well aspected Sun will describe a person who has heart, who cares for others both in general, and at the personal level. A poorly aspected Sun will describe a person who either has much more difficulty accessing this love and caring ability, or who can feel it internally, but without the AWARENESS of how to express it.

So, we see that the Sun, as the seat of love, logically has much to do with mercy and compassion. What does it mean when the Sun is in detriment? In Aquarius? It means
that the individual may have difficulty accessing SELF AWARENESS, so that hir expression of love becomes less personal, and more collective. What does it mean when the Sun is in fall, in Libra? It means basically the same thing as the Sun in detriment, except that the focus becomes more narrow and dualistic. "Me and you", where "you" is often what defines, or gives awareness, to "me".

It is apparent to those of us who are acquainted with a few Aquarians, and Librans, that their FOCUS (consciousness) is much more other-directed. There is often a lack of sense-of-self. Instead, there is a need to obtain self-awareness through interaction with others, moreso than the other sun signs require. This does not mean that the Sun
in detriment or fall cannot love. It means that they love differently. Aquarians are often more concerned with the faceless collective humanity than the bag lady on the corner. Librans are often more concerned with values and protocols, and the sorting out of what's fair and just, than in really sitting down and listening to a friend cry, or getting too close to the untidy range of the passions of the heart. But this is not a less important love than the love expressed by any other sun sign: it is simply a different, less personal form of love, but just as important to the world at large.

The Sun, as ruler of the spine, represents the individual's capacity to stand up for what s/he believes in. A well aspected Sun will find it easier to stand up and say "No!"
when an injustice has occurred. An afflicted Sun may feel "No!" inside, but lack the capacity, VITALITY, STRENGTH, WILL, and EGO, to feel s/he has the right to stand up for what s/he believes in. A lot of strong-Sun people are vociferous and active about their sense of right and wrong. A lot of weak-Sun people keep shtum -- they look the other way and keep their mouths shut. Of course they may care, but the inability to EXPRESS this sense of inner authority may literally break their hearts.

So we now have seen that the Sun is the seat of love, and of backbone. The latter brings us to the issue of authority, since the Sun also represents authority. When one can access hir inner love, and her inner courage to stand up for what s/he believes in, she has achieved personal authority. This means s/he can cooperate within whatever hierarchical structure s/he finds herself (at work, in hir community, etc.), but can also make hir own rules, when circumstances indicate that this is appropriate. Personal authority, love, and backbone, argue with corrupt systems, rules, or rulers. They argue long and loudly, and they do not accept that which is unjust, cruel, or an affront to their rights and those of others.

So, as we have seen, the Sun encompasses much more, symbolically, than the simple textbook keywords can convey. The more CONSCIOUS one is, the more one LOVES. It is unavoidable. Can an afflicted Sun be a "good person"? Well, that depends. It depends on the level of willingness to increase AWARENESS and, perhaps with the help of psychotherapies, build up the EGO, which in its proper
place serves as the platform for expressing the Sun. We see that Saturn and/or Pluto, and/or Neptune afflicted Sun people can be very shy; they may not lack love for others, but they can have a hell of a time expressing it. This is where psychotherapies may be of use, in helping an individual to overcome shyness, low self-esteem, self doubts, insecurities, and fear of self-expression.

The Sun is our SELF-CREATIVITY. Who we are determines what we make of ourselves and our lives. This is automatic creative energy with which we fabricate the textures of our lives. If your life is out of whack, it's time to study your Sun and give it a good tune-up. Is it faltering? Can you love? Can you express yourself confidently to others?

When love is repressed by the sorts of difficulties enumerated above, the heart will break. Either literally, or symbolically. Care and maintenance of our Suns determines the sort of world we will live in. With love, or without it? The choice is up to us.

[Edit: December, 2010:  I wrote this article in 2000, or 2001, probably.  The sad truth is there is a lot more that can be wrong with one's natal Sun than just bad aspects, or the outer planets.  Most people do seem to have afflicted Suns, in one way or another.  Additionally, this article is almost as shallow as a sun-sign column - there is so much more to love and good character.  And having a strong Sun does not automatically ensure being a "good person".  Everything always has a context, or several contexts.]

All Rights Reserved; Gail Sandra Klein