In June this year, my family and I made a little trip to Uluru. This was a trip that had been delayed since 2020, but had stayed active in the back of my mind. A lot of expectations were riding on it because the first time when I was there in 2014, my experience was nothing short of phenomenally transformative. During the three short days that I was there, I recalled memories from my other lives. The place and its energy were so familiar. It felt like coming back home.
Not only that, the change in me continued to unravel after I came back from the trip. It opened me up to reconnect with a deeper sense of myself. It moved me out of procrastination and it inspired me to take action. It was the reason that I was able to create, setup and launch this blog, Astro Traveller in just 3 days. So yes, this second time going back to Uluru, I was expecting a lot. I desired much needed change. I needed a spiritual kick of energy. I had been patient for the past couple of years. And now, it was time to go back to Uluru.
Ironically though, the ride wasn’t a smooth one. I felt agitated as soon as I got on the plane. Our booking was nowhere to be found when we arrived. They put us all in one little hotel room on the first night. No one got any sleep… and this culminated in a lot of frustration and anger directed at the situation, as well as at one another. This certainly wasn’t what I had in my mind. I was surprised by the magnitude and volatility of my own feelings over trivial events. But as soon as these pent-up emotions were made aware of themselves, our experiences of the trip got better and better. We were upgraded to a three-storey apartment for the rest of our stay. We saw the most stunning sunset immediately followed by the full moon climbing up behind the red rock. According to our bus driver, this was a phenomenon that only happens once a year. We just happened to be there at the right place, at the right time. Just as I thought this couldn’t get any better, I watched the six stars of the seven-day week (the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) all lined up in the night sky, bearing witness to the rise of the last star – the Sun.
Whilst I was waiting for the rise of the Sun, even in the darkness, a silent sense of anticipation and inevitability permeated through the air. As the first rays sunlight escaped the distant horizon, that sense of anticipation, inevitability and excitement only amplified. People all jumped to their feet, eager to catch that first glimpse. We all knew what was coming. No one could see it, but it could be felt. And experienced. It made me think of how many dark nights a person must have endured before something amazing they created finally saw the light of the day. The sunrise is one single moment. But the experience leading up to this one majestic moment was born from the many moment-to-moment that other people knew nothing about.
At that point, I was able to connect the dots. It was no coincidence that the trip started out a bit shaky. All the initial negative experiences were just bringing my attention to whatever darkness that I still felt inside. They were meant to be seen, acknowledged and released. We cannot release what we don’t know it’s there. And this was just part of the process, preparing me for the real change. Shifting out of darkness, towards my own sun rise.
If you look to astrology, each of us has the Sun in our birth chart. Sun sign astrology, remember? But the Sun in our chart is much more than that. It is the centre of the chart, like it is the centre of our solar system. Liz Greene has once said that everything in the chart must serve the Sun. The Moon (how we feel), Mercury (how we speak), Mars (how we act) and all the other planets in the chart must serve the Sun, which is who we are. Where the Sun is is where you individuate and differentiate yourself. It gives you focus, purpose and meaning. Put simply, where your sun is, you are meant to shine. The sign, the house and the aspects the Sun makes in your chart all point to how it is experienced. They are the what, where and how you are supposed to shine your light in the world. For example, if in the first house, you are to shine just as you are, in the second house, your personal values can shed light on outdated concepts of value and worth, in the third house, the way you communicate draws people in, in the fourth house, you bring awareness to the importance of knowing who your tribe is and where you belong, in the fifth house, your creative endeavours light people up, in the sixth house, you show others the meaning of dedication and true service, in the seventh house, you help others discover the light in themselves, in the eighth house, you are the lighthouse that people look towards to find their way in the dark, in the ninth house, your unique perspectives and outlooks expand others’ views on the world, in the tenth house, your professional contribution to the world can touch more people than you ever know, in the eleventh house, your shed light on social conditioning, indoctrination and injustice to propels which no longer works into the new, in the twelfth house, you are a medium and channel for the yearning, hopes and dreams in the collective by simply sharing your own.
These are all very helpful and worthwhile manifestations of the Sun. But it can go horribly wrong too. When someone is not in touch with their sun, the experience can range from being stuck on a merry-go-round that they feel powerless to get off, to getting into all sorts of addictions as a way to escape the pain of not knowing or being afraid of who they are. What most people don’t understand is, living your sun is not meant to be easy. And it takes time. You are meant to overcome obstacles, be challenged, go through periods of darkness, perhaps even again and again, to test the strength of your light. It is only when you have shown and shone brightly, you become a beacon who guides others in the dark.
When we fully express unapologetically who we are, something magnificent happens. This is a person who is purposeful, who stands tall, and will not be put down. They may not be hugely successful in the conventional sense, but joy, contentment and self-assuredness emanate from them. Living your sun doesn’t promise success, that is beside the point. It is about being who you are, makes you feel the most alive. It also doesn’t guarantee eternal bliss or happiness. Happiness can be dependent upon external validation and circumstances. This can be very fleeting. But the joy which stems from being in your own centre will help you have the faith and conviction to navigate through any challenges. This, stands the test of time. There is no reward for living your sun, except that the price you pay for not living your sun is too great.
When someone is living their sun, this is when we say that they have come into their own. We see it. We feel it. And we are inspired by it. It moves us towards our own sun. When the Sun comes into its own power and shines bright, a new dawn is here. And new lives begin.
Astro Traveller 