The Sun is the natural karaka of the 1st house and represents self-identity, individual self-expression, following one’s inspirations, vitality, power, leadership, and authority figures. As the ruler of the sign of Leo, the Sun denotes the supreme power of the heart and mind to burn and purify the consciousness so that an individual understands that self-sacrifice is necessary to create anything truly great within his life and for the benefit of others. To achieve such greatness, a person must embody the innate qualities of the Sun, the Paramatma or “heart of the Creator.”
Innate Qualities:
The Sun is a cruel planet because it causes stress, difficulty, and hardship, and requires hard work and stamina to be successful in the area of life it influences.
As a masculine planet, the Sun indicates where a person takes an active approach and exhibits ambition, drive, and initiative to follow his inspirations and inspire others to create something of lasting value.
As a Kshatriya planet, the Sun is motivated to strengthen and improve the house in which it is placed by using its willpower, command, and authority.
The Sun is of a sattvic guna, meaning it is motivated by its natural inspiration in expressing itself as an individual, unique expression of the greater consciousness. Sattva is the energy of inspiration, lightness, clarity, and truth.
As a luminous planet, the Sun represents the true self and who a person is as a unique, individualized aspect of the infinite, abstract intelligence manifesting itself in time and space. The Sun represents the most direct connection of the soul to Source and how this connection reflects itself in the role a person is meant to play within the grander scheme of life.
The Sun takes the form of a bird, which represents the height and clarity of vision with which a person searches for opportunities to build their personal kingdom so they can express their unique manifestation, role, and purpose within the world.
With regards to sight, the Sun looks upwards, indicating that this planet shapes the way a person relates to the world by allowing them to see a greater vision and to seek possibilities and find inspiration to achieve their goals.
The Sun is a dry planet, meaning it prefers to take a direct, straightforward, and matter-of-fact approach to dealing with life rather than focusing on comfort or enjoyment on the way to success.
General Indications of the Sun through Houses:
Sun in 1st house: Having Sun in the 1st house creates a strong, healthy body and a confident, impressive, and authoritative personality. Just as the Sun shines with brightness and intensity, a person with Sun in the 1st house is a natural-born leader with the type of presence that makes them shine out from a crowd. Having a solid sense of self-identity gives this person the courage to follow their own inspirations while sharing their true essence and authentic self with the world. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this can create an arrogant, prideful, or egotistical nature.
Sun in 2nd house: This placement of the Sun shows a person whose dominant motivation in life is to work hard to build and maintain their wealth and material resources, which they do in a sensible and pragmatic manner. This person is dedicated to living by their personal values and may also be frank or plainspoken in speech. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this person may have trouble with being steadfast in building wealth, or they may develop egotism through over-identification with their material possessions.
Sun in 3rd house: This placement represents a person’s capacity to intelligently and consistently develop and use their skills. This person enjoys competition and takes on a natural leadership role among their peers and siblings. Personal growth is stimulated by being able to express and communicate information and ideas. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this person’s attention may be scattered by many different interests, making it difficult to follow a coherent and steady path of inspiration.
Sun in 4th house: This placement shows a person who may have a private personality and whose personal growth stems from developing inner security, a solid sense of home and family, and a strong foundation or base of operations for their life. This person takes pride in their roots and heritage. If Sun
is in difficult dignity, this person may feel a lack of emotional safety, security, or contentment with their inner sense of self or their home.
Sun in 5th house: Having Sun in the 5th house shows a person whose identity is defined by their creative self-expression. They will have a highly moral and ethical nature, with the discrimination and intelligence to understand right and wrong. This person is able to make sacrifices for the things they love so they can remain true to themselves and build their legacy. Hence, children are of great importance to these individuals. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this person may lose their intelligence or ability to accurately discern that which will support them in living in accordance with dharma.
Sun in 6th house: This placement shows a person who is interested in self-improvement and who works hard to strengthen themselves by maintaining their health, managing their debts and enemies, and training themselves to be better. They have the vision and intelligence to see that an organized approach to life makes them more productive and able to contribute to the larger whole. If Sun is in difficult dignity, a person may exhibit perfectionist traits that bog them down and keep them from seeing the bigger picture.
Sun in 7th house: With this placement, a person can find success in life by pursuing goals in partnership with others. If well-supported, this Sun will make a person confident in their ability to negotiate and create harmony in relationships. This person’s spouse or business partner may have a strong, authoritative, or domineering personality. Since the 7th house deals with compromise, having the Sun here can pose problems with maintaining balance in relationships because a person may prioritize others’ needs over their own. Doing so pulls them away from their own inspirations. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this person may struggle with maintaining their sense of personal identity and individuality within the context of a relationship.
Sun in 8th house: A person with this Sun placement sees the opportunity for self-development and growth through personal change and transformation. Putting one’s energies toward deep psychological exploration sparks the light of self-knowledge. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this placement may cause a sense of self-insufficiency and lack of contentment that leads to a need for external validation from one’s connections with others.
Sun in 9th house: This placement shows that a person’s sense of identity is built from their teachings and culture. They are able to see the bigger picture of their life, are committed to dharma, and they have a steadfast sense of purpose and direction in life. If Sun is in difficult dignity, it can create stress around marriage and getting along well with one’s culture and one’s parents. A person will have to work hard to make these aspects of their life function well.
Sun in 10th house: A person with this Sun placement is willing to work hard and apply steady effort to gain status and recognition within society. As a result, they may have a good reputation and be respected as a powerful authority figure, such as a high-ranking government official or corporate leader.
If Sun is in difficult dignity, this may indicate that a person has more challenges on their path to success and they may fall from a great professional height or suffer public humiliation at some point in their life.
Sun in 11th house: This placement shows a person who values originality and shines out among a diverse social network. They are future-oriented and look for opportunities to contribute to the advancement of humanity. This person is driven by high hopes, dreams, and a progressive attitude. They set an example of true fellowship among their fraternity, and their friendships and affiliations are an important part of their identity. If Sun is in difficult dignity, it can cause trouble with maintaining clear and consistent goals or a higher vision for one’s life.
Sun in 12th house: Having the Sun in this spiritual house shows an introspective person who prefers to function “behind the scenes” and might enjoy some degree of seclusion from the world. Their will is directed inwards and focused on self-examination. If Sun is in difficult dignity, this person may feel sapped of energy and have low vitality, requiring longer periods of rest to shore up their inner resources. They may also hide their true self from the world.
This Article Was Written by P. Jani, a Year 2 Astrological Apprenticeship Student.
REFERENCES
1. Kurczak, Ryan. Graha and Planets Course. Asheville Vedic Astrology Apprenticeship Program, Fall 2018.
2. Kurczak, Ryan, and Richard Fish. The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology, Volume I. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012.
3. Kurczak, Ryan, and Richard Fish. The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology, Volume II. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.
4. Wilhelm, Ernst. Graha Sutras. Kala Occult Publishers, 2016.
Categories: astrology apprenticeship, learn astrology
Asheville Vedic Astrology 
I hadn’t thought of the Sun as a cruel planet and am curious to know what happens when the Sun is in difficult aspect to another cruel planet, say Saturn, for example. Does it create a battle between them? Or is taskmaster Saturn actually supporting the Sun to greatness somehow — by taking away it’s power? I know I’m getting ahead of things. Just curious to know… I was listening to one of the discussions you had with Cory (Eye of the Veda), where you two are discussing Mars-Sun combinations and thought this might apply to Saturn-Sun as well. Thanks!
Yes, that is way ahead. You will need to take the Grahas and Planets Course and the Avashtas Course before that can be adequately explained. You may get enough details by reading the Lajjitaadi Avashtas section of the Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 2 in the meantime.