Planetary Magic: How to Connect to the Joyful Energy of the Sun
Helios on His Chariot by Adam Weissenkircher
Learn how to connect with the archetypal joyful, healing energy of the Sun through planetary folk magic.
A Brief History of the Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of our solar system and has been an object of worship for thousands of years.
Many ancient mythologies depict the Sun riding through the sky in a radiant chariot or boat, only to descend into the underworld each night.
The word ‘Sun’ comes from the Old English sunne, with its roots in Proto-Germanic *sunnōn.
The Sun formed around 4.6 billion years ago at the birth of our solar system.
It’s the brightest object in the sky and is estimated to be brighter than 85% of the stars in the Milky Way.
The Sun in Ancient Greece
The ancient Greeks associated the Sun with the luminous Sun god Helios who drove his golden chariot across azure skies.
But his honoured position proved to be short-lived.
By the Hellenistic period (circa 5th century CE) the Sun had become firmly the domain of the ‘most Greek’ of the Greek gods, Apollon.
The Greeks’ Roman neighbours ascribed the name Sol Invictus to their Sun god.
His name meaning the ‘Unconquered Sun’.
Perhaps, relating to the Sun’s waxing and waning strength as the seasons turn.
Helios rides his chariot, he shines upon men and deathless gods, and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his golden helmet.
Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him, and his bright locks streaming from the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far-seen face: a rich, fine-spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in the wind: and stallions carry him.
Homeric Hymn to Helios
Sun Goddesses
While the Sun is often associated with gods in classical mythologies, this isn’t true throughout the world.
There’s actually many moon gods and sun goddesses.
The Romano-Celtic goddess Sulis, whose warm healing waters can still be visited in Bath England, today, likely has solar connections.
The etymology of her name comes from the Proto-Celtic *sūli which relates to the Indo-European word for sun.
The Sun in Modern Magic
The Sun remains an potent force in magical workings.
I’ve noticed that there’s been an explosion of interest in Sun magic recently.
Which I’m totally here for.
I’m more of a Sun person myself (my Moon is, ironically, in Leo which is ruled by the Sun).
The Sun has many magical associations, including, healing, joy, success, abundance, confidence and power.
The alchemical glyph of the Sun is a circle with a dot in the centre, representing the self.
The colour of the Sun's garments is yellow gold and they are best made of silk and yellow gold.
The Sun's is things that are temperate and good odours like nutmeg, amber and similar things.
The Sun rules gold and diamond among stones.
Picatrix (circa 11th century)
In the next section, you’ll find a basic ritual to connect to the power of the Sun through the creation of an altar and regular offerings.
Sun Correspondences
Day: Sunday
Number: 6
Element: Fire
Zodiac Signs: Leo
Colours: Yellow, gold
Minerals: Diamond, citrine, lemon quartz, pyrite, yellow calcite
Metals: Gold
Plants: Bay, cinnamon, chamomile, frankincense, orange, sunflower
Deities: Apollon, Helios, Mithra, Saule, Sol, Sunna, Sulis
Offerings: Candles, honey, incense, water, wine, yellow flowers
1. Create An Altar to the Sun
It’s Sunday and it’s time to create an altar to the Sun.
One of the best ways to petition a planet and to feel it’s positive influence in your life, is to set up an altar and give regular offerings.
Sun Altar Ideas
Image or statue of a sun deity
Offering bowl
Incense burner
Yellow or white candles
Yellow flowers
Citrine, lemon quartz, pyrite, or yellow calcite crystals
Glyph of the Sun
Arrange your Sun altar in a pleasing manner and keep it clean!
2. Time to Shine
Like the Sun goddess Sulis.
It’s time to cleanse yourself in her healing waters.
Take a hot bath and then dress in clean yellow, gold or white clothing.
Wearing colours associated with the Sun sympathetically aligns you with its planetary energy.
If you’re feeling extra, apply some gold eyeshadow, golden shimmery highlighter or wear a golden coloured hair band.
3. Meditate on the Sun’s Glyph
Glyph of the Sun
Now that we’re clean and dressed it’s time to align your mind with the energy of the Sun.
Sit before your Sun altar and visualise the glowing yellow glyph of the Sun. Concentrate on holding the glyph in your mind’s eye.
Conjure up the feeling of being infused with warm sunshine.
See it as shimmery golden rays of light that shine down on you from the sky.
Alternatively, visualise a radiate crown from classical antiquity resting on your head. See it emitting warm rays of golden light.
If you struggle to visualise, hold an image of the glyph in front of you and meditatively gaze at it.
Try to tap into your emotions and really experience the way the Sun makes you feel.
4. Read the Orphic Hymn to the Sun
The next step in our ritual is to invoke the Sun by reciting the Orphic Hymn to the Sun.
The ancient Greeks prayed to the Ouranic gods with arms held up towards the sky, which is appropriate for the Sun.
Stand before your Sun altar, with hands held up towards the sky and recite this hymn out loud.
Orphic Hymn to the sun
Hear golden Titan, whose eternal eye
With broad survey, illumines all the sky.
Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light,
And to all eyes the mirror of delight:
Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car
And leaping coursers, beaming light from far:
With thy right hand the source of morning light,
And with thy left the father of the night.
Agile and vigorous, venerable Sun,
Fiery and bright around the heavens you run.
Foe to the wicked, but the good man’s guide,
Over all his steps propitious you preside:
With various founding, golden lyre, ‘tis mine
To fill the world with harmony divine.
Father of ages, guide of prosperous deeds,
The world’s commander, borne by lucid steeds,
Immortal Jove, all-searching, bearing light,
Source of existence, pure and fiery bright
Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years,
Agil and warm, whom every power reveres.
Great eye of Nature and the starry skies,
Doomed with immortal flames to set and rise
Dispensing justice, lover of the stream,
The world’s great despot, and o'er all supreme.
Faithful defender, and the eye of right,
Of steeds the ruler, and of life the light:
With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide,
When in the car of day you glorious ride.
Propitious on these mystic labours shine,
And bless thy suppliants with a life divine.
5. Make an Offering to the Sun
After the invocation of the Sun, it’s time to make an offering.
The ancient Greeks created kharis or reciprocity between humanity and the gods through the giving of offerings.
Sun Offerings
Bay leaves
Beeswax candles
Honey
Incense
Olive oil
Oranges
White wine
We’ve invoked the planetary energy of the Sun with the recitation of the Orphic Hymn.
But now we’re going to give an offering with a short, informal prayer loosely using the ancient Greek prayer format.
Hear me golden Titan, Fiery and Bright, Bearer of Fruit, Guide of Prosperous Deeds. Or whatever name it most pleases you to be called.
I ask that you fill me with confidence and bless my life with success.
May this offering please you.
Light the incense, pour the libation, or place the offering into the bowl.
Leave the offering on your altar overnight and remove the remnants the next day.
This ritual can be repeated every Sunday at the hour of the Sun.
6. Create a Sun Sigil
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You can utilise the Sun’s magic square to assist you in creating sigils for goals that align with the Sun’s energy.
Each of the seven classical planets have a mathematical magic square associated with them.
The Sun is associated with the number six.
Making sigils with these magic squares is really simple.
I’ve used the chaos magic method of creating sigils and it sets off my perfectionistic tendencies big time!
So, if you’re like me and perfect is not better than done.
Then magic square sigils could be just the thing to overcome the monster of perfectionism.
So, how does it work?
The practitioner chooses a planet that’s most in alignment with their intention and then uses the appropriate magic square as a grid to create their sigil.
The idea is that the sigil will become infused with the energy of the planet.
Choose one or two words.
Or a short phrase that best encapsulates your intention.
Then write down each letter’s number from the chart above.
I AM CONFIDENT
9 1 4 3 6 5 6 8 4 5 5 2
Take out any repeating numbers.
9 1 4 3 6 5 8 2
Draw the sigil directly onto the magic square, connecting each number in order using straight lines.
Start by drawing a circle on the first number (here it would be number 9) and end with a straight line for the last number (here it would be number 2).
Neatly copy the shape of the sigil that you drew on the grid onto a small piece of paper in a yellow or gold pen.
To charge the sigil, meditatively stare at the image until it feels charged, chant your intention, or burn it.
If your sigil is for something like confidence, it might be prudent to carry it around with you until you feel it’s time to burn it.