Since the dawn of time, people have gazed in wonder at the sun. Some believed it to be a god, others thought it was a force of nature. Today, most people view it as a heavenly body. Everybody, no matter who they were or what they believed, always understood that without the sun, there would be no life on earth. The vast sacred beliefs about the sun cannot be confined to one single piece of writing or one belief system, but today’s article will explore the magic and power of the sun.
What is the Sun?
Most simply stated the sun is a star that is the center of our solar system. It is a ball of hot plasma that is heated by a process called nuclear fusion. It is over 100 times the size of planet earth, and everything in our solar system revolves around it. NASA says that even though the sun is the reason we have life on earth, it’s not the only star that does this. There are billions of stars like it in our galaxy, the Milky Way. It is composed of hydrogen and helium, and it is 4.5 billion years old. The sun is the reason everything in our solar system stays in orbit.
Each second, 600 tons of hydrogen and helium are fused at the earth’s core making 4 tons of energy. This energy can take up to 170,000 years to escape the core which produces the light and heat we feel and see from the sun. It is estimated that in about 5 billion years, the sun will increase and expand enough to become too hot for life on earth to survive. For now, however, the sun creates light and heat that controls the atmosphere on earth. It makes trees and plants grow, which pump oxygen into our atmosphere, making it possible for us to breathe. In many ways the sun is responsible for the fact anything on the planet even exists. The Sun rules leo and you can read more here: Leo Traits and Love Compatibility
Sun Deities
Some people throughout history have seen the sun as more than just a star. They believed it was either the embodiment of a deity or the deity itself. Some deities were believed to be the sun itself while others were living beings who were an aspect of the sun. Some solar deities from Ancient Egypt to the Germanic lands were Sekhmet, Ra, Ba’al, Belenus, and Sol.
Ra
While the ancient Egyptians had multiple gods associated with the sun, the sun god Ra was one of the most important gods in the pantheon. It was said he was the first pharaoh of Egypt, and he ruled the whole world from the sky to the underworld. He was believed to have created everything in existence, and even humans were born from his sweat and tears. He was believed to move the sun across the sky in his special boat called a solar barque everyday, and he rowed the boat with the sun it to the underworld, where it stayed until it rose again in the morning.
Those who believed Ra rowed the sun believed that once he got to the underworld with the sun, he was attacked by Apophis, a great serpent, who tried to create chaos, but Ra was always able to defeat him and keep the sun traveling on its trip regularly. Priests and worshippers did special prayers to assist Ra daily, and the god Set and the goddess Sekhmet were believed to help Ra defeat Apophis as well. Ra would emerge from the underworld daily and take the sun on its journey without fail. Ra was such an important god, different aspects of him were created. The scarab Khepri was believed to roll the sun across the sky and he fused with Ra. Ra also a human form known as Atum, and he was fused with the falcon headed god Horus as well.
Much of the veneration of Ra centered around prayers, magic, and hymns to help Ra on his journeys with the sun. In the Fourth Dynasty, it was believed that pharaohs were human embodiments of Ra, and they built temples and pyramids in his honor. He was a self-made god who birthed many other gods, created everything in existence, and maintained order in the world. He was a god who had multiple forms and managed the earth with the lifegiving rays of the sun, the sky in his travels, and the underworld. Some devotees of Ra worshiped him exclusively although the Egyptian pantheon had many gods and he was the god who not only created everything, but he made sure that everything stayed alive.
Sekhmet
Sekhmet is the ancient Egyptian goddess whose breath was compared to the heat of the desert, a goddess of medicine and she is called “They Eye of Ra” who avenges the god Ra. She was a daughter of Ra and an aspect of the goddess Bastet as well as of the goddess Hathor. Ra was angry with human beings for not upholding his laws of order, and he created her from the goddess Hathor. She went to humanity and waged war, slaying many and blanketing the earth with their blood. Ra saw all this and felt bad for humanity, but Sekhmet would not stop. Ra asked his priests to get beer mixed with either pomegranate juice or red ochre to pour over the land. Sekhmet thought it was blood, and drank it, becoming intoxicated with the beer, and she fell asleep. When she awoke, the first thing she saw was the god Ptah. They fell in love and married.
She has such powerful anger in battle, she only stops when she feels justice is satisfied. She is a goddess who ravages the land with plagues, but she is called upon as protection from diseases and plagues also. Her priests were part of the royal house and they did prayers and magic asking her for healing. She was believed to be a defender of the pharaoh and his family and she was seen as a fierce mother goddess who could protect as well as destroy. There were about 4,000 names attributed to her and over 700 statues found of her from ancient times. She was worshiped in Memphis and Heliopolis and there was an annual festival dedicated to her. Tens of thousands of people went to her festival and drank beer in honor of her intoxication when she defended Ra. Like the powerful heat of the sun, Sekhmet destroyed but she also maintained order, and was both loved and feared. Read about the magic of black cats: The Magic and Superstitions of Black Cats
Ba’al
Ba’al was not one god, but a title used for many gods, which meant “Lord.” Sometimes it was used before a god’s name like Ba’al Moloch or Ba’al Zebub. There were some specific gods who have become known as just Ba’al, however. One of them was the god El, who was a Mesopotamian deity whose name was found in some versions of the book of Genesis in the form of Elohim. El was masculine, Ohim was feminine, and Elohim was the assembly of gods and goddesses. El was also the father god of Canaanites of the Levant. Interestingly, he was the father of a god whose name was Baal. In Ugarit, Ba’al was the son of a god named Dagan and he was a god of storms and fertility.
El was the father god who created all things and he was a bull headed god, as was Ba’al. At one point, however, Ba’al was associated with the Israelite god Yahweh as was the god El, but later, the Israeites wanted to separate themselves more from the other people’s religions, and those names were discarded. Ba’al at some points just meant “god” and monotheism meant there was one god who was the god of everything. So instead of having a separate god for the storms and the sun, a single god was the god of all things. The name Ba’al was used by different groups in the Middle East in different ways, but in a nutshell, Ba’al was a god of all, and a god who created all and he was the god of the sun as well as everything else in the world.
Belenus
Belenus was a Celtic god of healing and the sun and was considered to be the Celtic equivalent of the Greek god Apollo. His name was probably spelled Belenos originally and he was worshiped in parts of Italy, Rome, the Balkans, the British Isles, Slovenia and Austria. His name meant “shining one” like the sun, and he was worshiped throughout parts of Italy before the Roman period. It is believed the Celtic god Bel, also spelled Beil, was an aspect of him, and places like Belfast contain his name as well as the summer high day called Beltane.
Herodian of Antioch wrote that in 238 CE, the city of Aquileia in Italy was under siege, and the people called upon Belenus to protect them. It was reported he was seen in the air, fighting to defend the town, which he was the patron god of. He was believed to be worshiped throughout the British by different names like Bel, Beli Mawr, and he was a god of hot springs, healing, purification, the sun, fertility, cattle, crops, and success. The Beltane high day has been celebrated in the British Isles for many generations since pre-Christian times to protect the people and cattle from disease and ward off any malevolent energies or spirits the winter season may have brought in. It is believed that druids, or ancient Celtic priests, kept fires burning perpetually at a place called the Hill of Uisneach and such fires were used for ritual purification during Beltane.
Sol
The Germanic goddess of the sun is Sol, also known as Sunna and her name means “the sun.” She drives the sun along the sky in her chariot that is named Alfrodull and is pulled by two horses. Her sister is Mani, the moon. Sunna is pursued by the wolf Skoll and Mani is pursued by the wolf named Hati Hrodvitnisson. It has been foretold in lore that when these wolves catch the sun and moon, they will swallow them, and this will be part of the events of Ragnarok, or the end times of the world as we know it. Sunna is not just the goddess who protects the sun, and keeps it shining, but she is a goddess of healing as well.
It was believed that when a solar eclipse was happening that Skoll had caught Sunna and was about to devour her. People would make a lot of noise to try and distract him so she could get away. It was likewise believed that a lunar eclipse was when the wolf Hati Hrodvitnisson had caught Mani. The name Sunday was named in her honor, and it was said that when the sun does not set in Norway for weeks at a time, she is showing her great power. She is one of the goddesses who chants in one of the famous Merseburg Charms, which miraculously heals the god Balder’s horse.
The Merseburg Charms are pagan German magical chants that were written down by a monk over 1,000 years ago and they are stored at The Merseburg Cathedral Chapter Library. A translation from German to English of the healing chant is, “Phol and Woden rode to the woods, Then Balder’s foal wrenched his foot. The did Sinthgnut enchant it, Sunna her sister, then did Freya enchant it. Fulla her sister, then did Woden enchant it as he well could: If a bone-wrenching, if a blood-wrenching, if a limb-wrenching; Bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb, as if bonded.” The Merseburg Incantations - Imperial Cathedral Merseburg (merseburger-dom.de)
Solar Holidays
The sun has been worshiped as a deity and people have also enjoyed major holidays centered around reverence of the sun. Some solar holidays have set times of year when they are enjoyed, and others have been observed on a regular basis. One group of people who were constantly doing things to revere the sun were the Aztecs, and their regular observances were not exactly a festive occasion, but they were a big part of their worship of the sun. The Summer and Winter Solstices are major solar high days that people all around the world celebrate, and people created holidays in ancient times that are still observed by people today.
Aztec Sacrifices
The ancient Aztecs worshiped many gods, one of whom was Huitzilopochtli, a sun god who was also a god of war. His sacred center was at a sacred place called Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan, which was where Central Mexico City is now, and he was the patron god of the Aztecs themselves. It was believed that he fought a constant battle against darkness, and he had to be fed regularly or he would weaken, lose the battle, and the world would end. He was fed with human hearts and blood, and the Aztecs believed that if they did rituals and feedings to their god properly, he would continue to triumph for periods of 52 years, and the people would have put off destruction of the world.
This may horrify modern people to know ritual murder was done by ancient people, but they truly believed this was the only way to keep the world alive. The temple at Tenochtitlan was designed for sacrifices to Huitzilopochtli and sacrificial victims were taken to the top of the main temple, and slain. Hummingbird eggs and flowers were given to the god, and since he was a god of war, some victims' skills were displayed to display the power and ferocity of both him and his people, the Aztecs. The Spanish stated they were horrified by this practice, but they, themselves systematically killed and captured up to 240,000 people of Mexico within two years of invading and waging war to take over.
The Spanish dismantled Templo Mayor and used some of the materials to build their own church and buildings. Some of Templo Mayor was buried, however, but excavations began in the 1800’s. Thousands of artifacts were found, and Templo Mayor was discovered and studied in detail. Today, the artifacts lie in museums people can see, and the main temple structure is open for tours. Some people go on their own, but some companies offer professional tours with docent tour guides who will share the history and lore of the place. You won’t have to offer blood to the gods on your tour to make the sun continue to give light, but you can give them your admiration and learn about them. Aztecs venerated their dead and samhain is a holiday that does: All About Samhain
Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice happens when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, and at its most powerful. In the Northern Hemisphere, it happens on or around June 20-23 and in the Southern Hemisphere, it happens on or around December 21. This is also the longest day with the least amount of night. After this day, the daylight begins to shorten, or wane, and the nights grow longer. Summer Solstice celebrates the sun at its greatest power, and in parts of the British Isles during pagan times, this was a time to bless people and animals, as well as fields. Great bonfires, emulating the power and heat of the sun burned, and coals from this fire were used to brand animals, and ashes from the fires were spread to bless fields. Ashes and coals from the fires were added to food and drink and consumed for blessings and healing.
In some parts of Europe, at sunset on June 23, St. John’s Eve, dedicated to St. John the Baptist begins. Some of the traditions with things like bonfires were carried into the Christian celebration, and celebration of the sun as a powerful life force was transferred to veneration of the life of the saint who was believed to have paved the way for Jesus Christ. Torchlight processions for the saint and baptisms of children are traditional at this time. A tradition in Yorkshire was to share food and drink at a table set up outside the home with whoever passed by and in parts of Ireland, men would throw a torch into the fields to bless them.
There are people today who still view the sun as a powerful life-giving being, but plenty of people see it as a force of nature that was created by their god to give light and life. Celebrations of Summer Solstice focus on prayers for growth, healing, and life regardless of religious beliefs, and the flames of a sacred fire are used to both emulate the life-giving power of the sun and drive off all misfortune or malevolence.
Winter Solstice
No less important than the Summer Solstice, the Winter Solstice happens on or around December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and between June 20-23 in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the shortest day of the year when there is more nightfall than any other day of the year, but after this something amazing happens. The days lengthen, the nights shorten, and spring approaches gradually. The Winter Solstice celebrates the rebirth of the sun, or the time when the waning or shortening days are over for the year, and the sun gets stronger, and the light is warmer. Around the world, people celebrate the brilliant power of the strengthening sun, and emulate it by lighting up winter landscapes with fires, candlelit celebrations, and today, electric lights.
One Winter Solstice celebration was observed by the ancient Incans, and it was called Inti Raymi. Their god Inti was their god of the sun, creation, and patron god of the Incas. It was the most important sacred celebration in the city of Cusco in Peru each year. It was a nine day long new year’s celebration that symbolized the origin of the Incas. While it is written that the last huge celebration took place in the 1500’s, this celebration still goes on in some towns although much has been absorbed into the local Christian feast day for St. John the Baptist. There is music, dancing, feasting, and celebration of the planting season. Today it is a cultural celebration which the people take much pride in. You can see a little of what they do here: (79) Peru celebrates ancient Inca festival to the Sun God Inti | AFP - YouTube
Magic with the Sun
You don’t have to worship a solar deity to work magic with the sun. It’s got plenty of power you can work with for at least the next 5 billion years. You can use the power of the sun to cleanse or purify and you can bathe in the sun. You can also give thanks to the sun by feeding it even if you don’t do it the Aztec way!
Sun Cleansing
A simple way to cleanse your home is to open all the blinds and drapes and let the healing power of the sun stream through the windows. Open the doors and let the sun come in unhindered. During winter months, especially, a sun cleansing can bring the light and fresh air into the house, and it is believed by some people to naturally drive out all negativity and malevolent spirits. You can make it a part of your regular magical practice to do this every week. On Sundays, say a prayer like “Radiant sun, bless this home. Remove all disease and evil and fill this home with your healing, and warmth.” Then open the doors, blinds, and curtains, and let the sun do its magic.
Sun Bathing
You can benefit from doing this magic on yourself as well. Some people “lay out” in the sun in summertime to work on a lovely bronze skin tan, but there is something better you can do for yourself. Get out into the sun as often as possible, even when it is overcast. If it is raining, take a walk wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. Even when it is extremely hot or cold, go outside for a short time if possible. The sun will help your body produce a lifegiving source of vitamin D, which a lot of people need more of.
Vitamin D is good for blood cells, bones, and the immune system. It helps provide phosphorus and magnesium and calcium. Sunshine might help shrink fat, especially if you get outside between 8 A.M. and Noon. Sunlight lowers the risk of something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a form of depression that worsens from lack of sunlight. If you are going to be outside for long periods of time, doctors recommend using sunscreen to protect your skin from the UV rays of the sun, but short term exposure to sunlight has been shown to help with skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Allow yourself daily exposure to the sun so your body can benefit from its healing rays.
Feeding the Sun
Another form of magic you can do with the sun is to “feed it” or give thanks to the sun. Throughout history, people have fed the sun by burning sacred fires, or giving gifts to it. You can always light candles or fires to pray for strength for the sun, but you can do offerings to the sun in other ways too. Give the juice of citrus fruits as an offering to the sun by donating it to food pantries or provide water or fertilizer to citrus fruit trees to help them grow. You can also donate water in honor of the sun to animal shelters to homeless encampments in summer months to make sure living creatures hydrate enough when it is hot. You can also donate to NASA, which does research about the heavens, including the sun here: Other Ways to Give - Space Foundation
So, just what is the sun? Is it a star that has no spiritual energy of its own, or is it truly a goddess or god? You will have to decide that for yourself. Either way, ancient people who worshiped the sun were right. The sun is lifegiving and without it, there would be no life on this planet as we know it. Bless and cleanse your house with the light of the sun and heal your own body with it. There are five million more years to enjoy the magic of the sun, and limitless ways to do it.
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About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for SpiritualBlossom, Mysticsense, and she writes for The Green Egg and PaganPages.Org emag.
