The Role of the Sun
In the Healing of the Heart

A moment ago, I said that shifting any pattern was a matter of deep, unconditional self-acceptance – the kind that can only come when the heart is open, clear, balanced and radiant. While the pathway to this state of being can involve different soul tasks in relation to different 4th chakra patterns, this radiance is an expression of the Sun at its best in the 4th chakra.

As I was doing the layout for my first book The Seven Gates of Soul, Ray Charles died. I remembered that my mother used to love Ray Charles, so I took a moment to reflect on his life. In reading the various articles about him on the Internet in the wake of his death, I happened to come across a quote of his that seemed to be the perfect introduction to my book, so I put it in there. He said, “What is soul? It's like electricity – we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.” Now, in retrospect, I would say that Ray Charles was really talking about here was the Sun in the 4th chakra.

Just as the Sun in the sky lights up the Earth, so too does the Sun in the 4th chakra light up the room, or the life in which it is functioning as a clear and vibrant 4th chakra planet. There’s a natural radiance here, a kind of charisma, and a kind of warmth. When you are in the presence of someone whose Sun is radiating in the 4th chakra, or when your own Sun is radiating in your 4th chakra, you feel the love. You walk into the room, and it’s a sunny day. It’s a good day to be alive; and we are glad to be where we are, fully radiant, and fully connected to everything and everyone around us. I think we all know what this feels like – although it is a bit rare.

Just like the Sun – which not only lights up the sky, but occasionally moves behind the clouds and occasionally disappears altogether in stormy weather – for most of us, this state of being comes and goes. When the Sun participates in a 4th chakra pattern, however, it means that the potential is there to be a force that lights up the room – and to a large extent, whether or not we realize that potential depends upon how much healing we do in the 1st and 3rd chakras – where the Sun also has natural affinity.

In the 1st chakra, the Sun refers to our overall sense of constitutional health, our basic sense of vitality, and our basic will to live. So in order for the Sun to be radiant in the 4th chakra, we’ve got to be securely anchored on this earth plane – in a body that is healthy and strong. We’ve also got to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, a reason to live, a reason to want to be alive. If we’re sick; if we are lacking in vitality; if we don’t have any sense of purpose or direction or reason to want to be here, our soul force is not likely to be very radiant. So, if our heart-light is dim or cloudy, this may be where the work is.

Similarly, if we don’t have a functional ego – if we have no idea who we are or what we are doing with our lives – in the 3rd chakra, there’s not going to be much radiance. In speaking about the functional ego here, I want to be clear that I am not talking about the narcissistic ego. Being full of oneself is not the same as being radiant. Radiance is a force that connects us to the rest of the world, not something that makes us special. Having said that, when the Sun is functioning in a healthy way in the 4th chakra, we naturally take our place in the larger scheme of things. We are an important part of the whole, and we have a part to play within the evolutionary unfolding of the whole. We’re on fire, in a good way, and that fire is contagious. This is the feeling of the Sun in the 4th chakra.

This is not the same as learning to function in the world as it is, and find our place within it – which is what the Sun does in the 3rd chakra – but it builds on that capacity. To the extent that we become comfortable in the world, because we know how to be in the world, then it becomes easier to find our place within the whole. Once we find our place, it can be a bit like plugging a light into a wall socket. The light goes on, and we light up the room.

Eastern religions sometimes refer to this as dharma. The dharma of the candle is to burn; the dharma of a flower is to radiate beauty and attract pollinators; the dharma of a human being is to be all that we can be, not just for our own benefit, but as a unique gift to the world.

This is what happens when the Sun functions as a 4th chakra planet – and this is a function that depends upon the Sun being strong and healthy in the 1st chakra and the 3rd chakra.