Sun

The Sun is a prerequisite for all life on Earth; it provides us with light and warmth, and all human cultures have had rituals and ceremonies in its honor. Yet, the Sun can also blind, parch, and harm us, our land, and our resources. (Compare Fire.) Traditionally, the Sun symbolizes the ineffable divine; psychologically, it represents perfect awareness and clarity (Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, p. 129).  

Enlightenment  

On the one hand, the Sun and daylight symbolize awareness and enlightenment. The Sun is the source of life and an image of eternal wholeness. – However, note that a lamp is a more common symbol of awareness in contemporary dreams.  

Sunrise  

Sunrise is the classic image of light emerging after a dark period—a new day, a new life is born. New energy enters the dreamer’s life.  

Collective Consciousness  

On the other hand, the Sun can represent collective consciousness, as it shines equally upon all—it is “everyone’s light.” (A “personal light” or awareness, in contrast, might be symbolized by a candle or something similar.) (Compare Eye.) “[The Sun] is a symbol of the principle of consciousness—not ego-consciousness, but consciousness as a whole,” says von Franz (Creation Myths, p. 203), adding that the sea is its counterpart.  

Intense Sunlight  

A hot day in a dream, with an intense Sun, can symbolize an intense situation—that is, one charged with significant libido. Generally speaking, sunshine and light are considered symbols of desirable awareness. However, recurring dreams of sunshine can indicate a one-sidedness. Instead of basking in the Sun’s light, the more contemplative, balancing moonlight may occasionally be healthier.  

Logos and Eros  

Sunlight belongs to Jung’s concept of logos—“the principle of logic and structure, traditionally associated with spirituality, the paternal world, and the image of God,” which stands in opposition to eros, the relational principle. In his alchemical writings, Jung likened logos to “solar consciousness” and eros to “lunar consciousness” (Jungiansk ordbok, p. 106). In other words, sunlight and other bright lights can indicate an unbalanced emphasis on logos at the expense of eros.  

If the light of consciousness becomes too strong, it turns destructive, just as the Sun can dry out and scorch vegetation. Some things are best left in the shadows to thrive under moonlight. These may include archetypal dynamics or private material within the “sphere of eros” that cannot be communicated to others. “There are secret things in the soul that can only grow in darkness; the bright sun of consciousness burns away their life.”

In fairy tales, the motif of woodland beings—both benevolent and malevolent—dying through petrification or similar effects when struck by sunlight frequently recurs. These creatures can only live in twilight realms (The Feminine in Fairy Tales, p. 102).  

Alchemy  

For alchemists, the “Sun” was a mystical force rather than merely an allegory for a substance, believed to possess transformative qualities. Referring to Dorn, Jung writes:

“Just as the physical Sun illuminates and warms the universe, so within the human body, in the heart, there is a Sun-like secret from which life and warmth flow” (Mysterium Coniunctionis, para. 113).  

In alchemical imagery, from a psychological perspective, the Sun represents both the ego and the Self; the ego rises from the Self, but the Self’s illumination requires the ego.  

The alchemists naturally associated the Sun with gold, but

“... just as ‘philosophical’ gold is not the ‘ordinary’ gold, the Sun is neither merely the metallic gold nor the celestial body” (Mysterium Coniunctionis, para. 110).  

The Black Sun

The alchemists used the term sol niger, “the black Sun”—the Sun when it is in the underworld (at night), or as a designation for nigredo or putrificatio, the state of death. “Like Mercurius, the Sun in alchemy is ambivalent” (Mysterium Coniunctionis, para. 113). Sun and shadow presuppose one another—no Sun, no shadow; symbolically, the shadow becomes a part of the Sun.

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