The Sun Burning Bright
The Sun Burning Bright
When a planet is standing close to the Sun, it may speak of qualities and sides to our personality that we have a harder time expressing than others.
Each conjunction with the Sun in the natal chart is important in its own way. Depending on the distance between the planet and the Sun, we can anticipate certain problems in a person’s life and see how ego is built through imagery presented by this conjunction. When the orb between these entities is less than 8 degrees and still not in absolute conjunction - cazimi (less than 16 arc minutes on each side of the Sun), we call this combustion, to say that the planet is burnt or hidden under rays of the Sun, unable to fully express itself.
Struggles of Ego
Defenses built in early childhood and things we actively did in order to survive may be labeled as trauma, but we all really had to adapt in ways that are not completely in tune with our authenticity presented by the Sun. When analyzing any chart, we must keep in mind that the confidence and the sense of Self each individual has in the present moment is a complex issue that is deeply rooted in recognition found in their family and throughout their upbringing.
The Sun speaks about our self-awareness and basic self-respect, the feeling in our gut that is pulling us towards things in life or pushing us away. Our ability to listen to this gut instinct is what shows the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy use of our Sun’s qualities. Always remember that each position, however difficult, has the potential to express the core of the authentic truth and talent.
Sun’s Natal Position
Children born with their Sun in Fire signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, seem to be supported to burn bright, even when there are numerous emotional problems hiding below the surface that are hard to see. Such positions often show the ability for respect when other people trigger some deep wounds and when situations become hurtful or sad. This does not deprive all fiery Suns of egotism, but it helps overcome problems that may arise when they relate to others, as it is simpler for them to find middle grounds where everyone can be supported in their authentic expression.
In a different extreme, the Sun in the element of Air, especially Libra and Aquarius, seems to be misjudged by other people, as if authenticity is misplaced or taken personally by early authority figures that should have supported their light. We will often see that individuals with such positions find it harder to express themselves freely and find middle ground with people they get in conflict with. They will also often be more mellow or eager to please, when in reality they need stronger boundaries and to reflect on their own instinct so they can use the potent position through self-expression and communication, as they should.
Between these extremes, we will find the Sun in Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) dealing with a practical plane and in need of expression through the material world. These Sun signs have the strongest need to rely on that belly feeling in different situations in life and while they can be set in their ways, they are deeply protective and in need of healthy grounding on a daily basis. The element of Water on the other hand, speaks of talents that are ready to be expressed and the struggle to do so due to passive choices and the inability to metabolize criticism of our surroundings.
This is exactly the reason why we often connect Earth and Water signs in supportive relationships, as one provides protection for the other and with enough love, the flow of self-expression can come out to light even when it has been buried by lack of acknowledgement and lack of recognition for years.
Every Sun has its own backstory and we may gather additional information through its disposition (its ruler) and aspects it forms in one’s natal chart.
Standing Too Close
When there is a conjunction of the natal Sun with any planet, with an orb larger than 16 arc minutes and up to 8 degrees, we say that the planet in question is burnt or in combustion. This practically means that the rays of the Sun are too bright for full expression of the “sidekick planet” to become possible. While burnt planets are usually dominant in our charts and extremely important for the way we feed our ego, they seem to become minions that only serve the big boss, losing their actual value in the process when we carry too many defenses or try too hard to fit in where we don’t really belong.
Due to the Sun's natural size and dominant role in a chart, it seems to take up a lot of space, often being the strong center of gravity even when we need qualities of the burnt planet to balance us out. To see the planet in the sky as a “star”, with the Sun setting or rising, it needs be get dark enough to see that glowing reflection. Every position that comes too close seems to eat up the light that we would see in different settings and with just a little more distance between the two.
Burnt Planets
The most common case of a burnt planet is our little Mercury, cruising around the Sun back and forth, several times each year. This seems to be the exact reason why self-expression and the Sun’s trouble with Air signs is so intense. Themes of communication and fitting into society become dominant here, leaving us in one of two scenarios - either a person will try to shine brightly conditioned by expectations of the society and force themselves to achieve what others find appealing, or they will dim their light and find themselves ashamed of their authentic Self for the same reason.
Every other planet speaks of a different kind of conditioning. Venus burnt will get us into relationships that the ego chooses rather than prioritizing love. Mars burnt will speak of the need to ignore instincts because something else seems “smarter” or “a grown up” thing to do. Moon in this close relation to the Sun will push our inner child away to serve the idea of success. Whatever the specific case, we will see the struggle of the ego, being torn between a planet’s specific function and too much attention given to something else.
Over time, this suppression pushes a person to act out of character, act out in general, with spikes of random moves that will bring balance to the scenery. The hunger in our stomach becomes the unconscious force that is pulling us to respect the nature of the other entity, reminding us through all sorts of relationships and situations that status is not our goal and that joy isn’t found in things that don’t make us feel passionate and lit.
When the pressure rises to step outside of our authenticity, the Sun becomes a dominant masculine energy that simply doesn’t allow or make room for what we also need to nurture. Instead of us embracing all parts of our personality, some remain hidden due to forsaken loyalties and beliefs that are not in tune with who we are.
The Right Thing To Do
The first thing we must remember is that the Sun is not maleficent and its position in any chart is not a negative thing to observe. It is the main figure in the Solar system and it should be respected as such. The problem that comes to surface dials down not to our personal Sun as the center of our being and personality, but to the imposed images of what we should and could be under someone else’s authority.
This means that each time the nature of the planet in conjunction with the Sun is pushed aside, the foundation to this move is not really in our authenticity, but in the personality and the role that we are currently in for someone else. This can be a smaller or a major issue, depending on the level of fulfillment we’ve achieved, but whatever the case, the inner truth will always bring out the balance between the two and help us respect parts of ourselves that have been harder to see and express than others.
Giving ourselves the right to be seen fully, and not only in ways that authority figures throughout our lives have found fitting, will help us manage the challenge and face it in healthy ways. Someone with a Sun in low dignity will think that they need to dim themselves to remain a part of society. Those with a fiery Sun will take pride in being capable of meeting the same demands. Either way, the problem remains the same if we are not in tune with the truth of what we wish to achieve in order to be happy.
Healthy Distance
Allow yourself distance from things that your gut is pulling you away from. They don’t need to be discarded, but they can be respectfully left behind. It makes no difference if you are feeling able or unable to meet the demand. What matters is that you ask yourself if it fits your true desire and what you really need at this moment in time. Does it serve a purpose in your life and does it bring you joy? Every time that your natal conjunction repeats itself in the transits, spend some time analyzing your current situation to recognize the moment when you give up on parts of yourself for a goal, or burn yourself through actions that you didn’t really feel like making.
Most importantly, give yourself enough time and rest to process things and get in tune with your inner authority instead of relying on outer figures that are in this role. No other person is perfect enough to know you completely and the only one that can discover and nurture the unseen parts of you is you. Given time, the world will benefit greatly from you choosing to express yourself as everything that you truly are.
