Astrology 101 — The Sun

Today we are going back to the basics of Astrology 101 — the sun. ☀️ Your sun sign is what people are talking about when they ask ‘what’s your sign’? It refers to the portion of the zodiac the sun was passing through when you were born. There are 12 signs of the zodiac, each contains 30 degrees, and the sun moves one degree a day.

Fun fact — your birthday in astrology is referred to as your ‘solar return,’ as it’s when the sun returns to the same point in the sky as when you were born. Your exact solar return fluctuates each year and can fall within a day or so of the calendar date of your birth.

Just as the sun is the largest object in our solar system, your sun sign in astrology has the greatest amount of influence on who you are as a person – yet many people feel disconnected from their sun sign. Why?

The Sun is the core of our personality – our essence if you will. It contains the qualities that make us shine and separate us from other people. However, my experience has been that for many of us, these qualities are so inbuilt that they are unconscious. I find people are more likely to consciously identify with their moon sign as it governs how we feel, or their Mercury sign as it influences how we think.

Whereas the sun is just how we are. It’s like a fish not noticing the water it is swimming in.

I also find that sometimes we exhibit the more pure qualities of the sun sign in childhood, and have been criticised for them. It can be the place where we are told we are ‘too much’, so we retreat from those qualities to fit in.

For example, I’m a Leo sun, and when I was a kid I wanted to be on the stage. I was happiest on my backyard swingset belting out songs from ‘the Little Mermaid’ and had no qualms about sharing my opinion (or correcting my teachers!)

But I learned pretty quickly that was ‘annoying’ and if I wanted to be socially accepted I should pipe down and blend in – which I did. It’s taken a long time but I have re-embraced the Leo, with maturity. I now know the difference between confident and shouty, and how to take up space without taking up all the air in the room.

Do you resonate with your sun sign?