GLORIOUS SUN

Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, partner of the sun god Ra.

The Sun has a special affinity with the sign Leo and in astrological terms is said to rule this sign. The sun is hot and fiery, warming and sustaining, pleasant at the right temperature but destructive when you get too much of it. The sun fires our soul and tempers our character, guiding us to our full potential.

In Alchemy, gold, the metal of the sun, is the ultimate aim of the disciple, for gold symbolises the highest attainment of human nature simply because it is the only incorruptible metal. The so called discipline of Alchemy is not really so, for it does not exist as a discipline to be studied. Alchemy is a life process and can only be lived. The endless books written on the topic are a blind for those who cannot accept the hard road of experience, which alone moulds and perfects us.

 From the alchemical text ‘The Book of Lambspring’, Figure IV reads,

The Sages do faithfully teach us

That two strong lions, to wit, male and female,

Lurk in the dark and rugged valley.

These the Master must catch,

Though they are swift and fierce,

And of terrible and savage aspect.

He who, by wisdom and cunning,

Can snare and bind them,

And lead them into the same forest,

Of him it may be said with justice and truth

That he has merited the meed of praise before all others,

And that his wisdom transcends that of the worldly wise.

Throughout mythology there are many sun gods who represent several things, among which is the hero of legend, the conqueror, the leader of the way symbolised in the magnificence of a beautiful and benign but life giving sun. Joseph Campbell is the well-known author who explores these myths and legends in some great works, not least  The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series)