A Journey with the Navagraha (part 7): Surya- The Sun
- brookecannoot
- Jun 13
- 8 min read
From the Ancient Temples to Your Eight Fields of Living
SURYA- THE SUN
OM SOOM SURYAYA NAMAHA (listen to the mantra by Sarah Yantra here)
The King- Leading, Uniting, and Inspiring All.
Although the Sun is the first of the Navagraha, it is near the last of this blog series for one very important reason. The archetype of the Sun can only best be understood within the differentiated aspects and roles of the other Eight.
The Sun is the charioteer, the leader of the Navagraha. Not unlike the CEO of a company, the Sun is knowledgeable on the roles and responsibilities of the other grahas and has the ability to inspire and integrate all aspects of consciousness within the human experience.
The Sun can step in and play the role of the other grahas but must return to its proper leadership position. The Sun is the King of the Court, The Head of the Cabinet.
All the planets revolve around the Sun and the Sun shines equally upon all.
The Sun represents the unified white light from which all the energies of the Navagraha emerge. Just as white light, when refracted through a prism, reveals the many colors of the spectrum, the Sun's singular radiance expresses itself through the distinct qualities and influences of the nine grahas. Each graha can be understood as a unique wavelength or frequency within that greater light, while the white light we perceive remains the integrated and undivided source from which they all arise.
The Navagraha are the differentiated rays of the one consciousness, each expressing a unique force that shapes the human experience.
The Moon: Love & Compassion
Mars: Will and Action
Mercury: Intellect and Communication
Jupiter: Wisdom and Expansion
Venus: Senses and Beauty
Saturn: Physicality and Limitations
Rahu: Uniqueness and Unmasking
Ketu: Mysticism and Liberation
The Sun represents the Inner Self, illuminating inner awareness. Surya, the Sun, is the undifferentiated pure consciousness. The other grahas are not separate from the Sun, they are differentiated aspects of the whole, the one consciousness.
All are one. One truth, Many Paths. This is the motto of the Sun.
The essence of the Sun is represented by the well known Gayatri Mantra which translates as
We meditate upon the divine radiance of Savitr, the source of all life. May that supreme light illuminate and inspire our intellects.
Reciting the Gayatri Mantra is a powerful technique to connect to the pure consciousness which resides within each of us as our inner radiance, Surya.
The most prominent solar figure and expression of this archetype in Western culture is Jesus Christ. As the light of the world, he symbolizes pure consciousness and is revered as the King of Kings. He exemplifies the benevolent leader who, through the cultivation of inner awareness and spiritual illumination, becomes a radiant presence that inspires and empowers others. This represents the Sun’s expression in its most balanced and fully realized form.
When the Sun’s energy is challenged, its radiant leadership can give way to dictatorial tendencies, controlling behavior, self-centeredness, cruelty, and an inflated sense of self. Rather than encouraging others to discover their own strength and potential, the challenged Sun becomes arrogant and controlling, believing its perspective is the only valid one and expecting others to follow without question. In this shadow expression, the Sun no longer empowers others to shine; instead, it becomes consumed by its own importance, insisting on being the center around which everyone else revolves.
Each of us has the capacity to be a benevolent leader in our own lives. The Ancient Ayurvedic system can identify which Field of Living—Physical, Vitality, Dharma, Creative Play, Career, Relationships, Desires, or Spirituality—is governed by the Sun. This reveals where we are naturally called to develop self-awareness, express our unique gifts, and lead from our highest potential.
Surya Yoga is the ideal spiritual path for those whose most dominant graha is The Sun in their Ancient Ayurveda blueprint.
Surya Yoga is the universal, integrative “jack of all trades” approach to spirituality. The Surya Yogi is fiercely independent, a spiritual visionary, and a soul born ahead of their time. They tend to do a little bit of everything and dabble in the other spiritual paths. A Surya yogi can feel at home equally in a Catholic Church, a Jewish Synagogue, a Hindu Temple, and an Islamic Mosque. It is easy for the Surya to recognize there is only one truth and there are many paths to accessing this truth.
Yet, the Surya needs to be their own authority and as they are avant garde in their approach, they often go it alone as their outlook is too broad and universal for others.
The great Indian saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is an ideal example of the Surya path. He actively practiced the world’s many religions, not just an exercise in exploring their philosophies, but a complete experiential approach to rigorously test each path. In order to dispel his male ego, he embodied the experience of being a woman- wearing women’s clothes and adornments as well as adapting feminine movements and speech. Through these practices, he concluded all paths are valid and lead to the same ultimate reality.
As many faiths, so many paths
----Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
The Surya yogi does not want to reduce spirituality to techniques and will be suspicious of claims of achievements related to spiritual progress. Basking in pure knowledge is enough just like basking in the Sun. Those on the path of the Sun feel that they simply just know things but do not know why or how they know.
Those on the path of Surya Yoga simply need to shine and display their inner radiance. They will never accept limitations and demand 110% out of life.
KEYWORDS FOR THE SUN: Radiance, Integral, Universal, Leadership, Wholeness
MESSAGE FROM THE SUN: Do not be afraid to shine and share your inner radiance with others.
THE TEMPLE
Suryanar Kovil (also called Suryanar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Hindu Sun-God, Surya, located in the village of Suryanar Koil. It is stated in one of the inscriptions found in the temple that it was built in the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (1060–1118 CE).
The rain continued as we set out to visit Surya on Sunday, January 25. Our group, dressed in bright oranges and yellows to propitiate the Sun, stepped through muck and mud amid the crowd and traffic to reach the temple gates. Although the weather might have suggested a gloomy experience, the atmosphere was quite the opposite.
With mud on our bare feet and our hair soaked through with rain, the smiles on our faces were unmistakable.
We were GLOWING!
In accordance with the integrative energy of The Sun, this temple was a one stop shop to visit and propitiate ALL of the Nine - The Navagraha. Unlike the other Navagraha temples where Shiva is the main deity presiding, here it is all about the Sun with the other 8 in orbit around him.
Outside of the gates, we purchased an offering of 10 coconuts - one for Ganesha (the remover of obstacles) and the other 9 for each of the Navagraha. This basket of coconuts was HEAVY and cumbersome which created an incredibly treacherous journey with bare feet on wet, muddied, uneven ground with ancient, steep steps. Luckily, the other temple guests were wonderfully engaging and quick to lend a hand.
As we walked from shrine to shrine we were all too willing to leave this heavy basket of coconuts with that presiding deity. We tried to leave the basket of 10 all with Ganesha but only one was offered to him and we were sternly told to pick up our basket and carry on. We trudged along until finally all nine coconuts were cracked and offered near the shrine to Nine.
Whew - finally our tired arms and legs found sweet relief. That is until we approached the Sun.
In every way, it felt like we were lining up to meet a celebrity—the Sun. We walked up a metal ramp to enter the shrine, and the sense of approach was unmistakably intense and fiery. It was very hot, like stepping into a furnace. The passageway was dark and narrow. Our time with the Sun was brief, and I only caught a quick glance—do not look directly at the Sun.
There was no question that our inner RADIANCE was super charged during our blessed time within this sacred, sunny place.
How Does The Sun Affect You?
The Ancient Ayurveda system describes The Eight Fields of Living: Physical Health, Vitality, Dharma, Creative Play, Career, Relationships, Desires, and—most importantly—Spirituality, or your Spiritual Path.
Each of us carries a unique cosmic blueprint. Within it, the Navagraha—the nine planetary forces—each govern a specific field of living, shaping the distinct expression of who you are.
Depending on which of the Eight Fields of Living The Sun governs in your personal blueprint, reveals how aspects of confidence, inner awareness, and leadership naturally guide your life.
The Eight Fields of Living: Physical
The Field of Physicality determines how we feel in our physical body and how our body may express imbalance and disharmony. It delineates how to achieve optimum health and longevity in accord with your unique physical strengths and challenges.
Unlike conventional Ayurveda, the Indian healing system, Ancient Ayurveda identifies seven archetypal imbalance types: Heat (Sun), Cold (Moon), Lightness (Mars), Heaviness (Jupiter), Dryness (Saturn), Oiliness (Venus) and Mixed (Mercury or Nodes). There are also seven major therapies in the Navagraha Ayurveda System: Cooling, Fomentation, Nourishing, Lightening, Oleating, Drying, and Mixed.
By understanding your unique physicality, allows greater independence in your overall health and well being by delineating the best diet, exercise plan, and therapies to best care for yourself.
The Sun Governs Monique’s Physical (Health) …
With the Sun governing Monique’s physicality and health, her body expresses imbalance with too much heat. Monique was struggling with pain in her back. During her initial session, I learned that Monique participated in hot yoga several times per week. I shared with Monique that hot yoga is detrimental to her well-being because it increases too much heat within her body and likely causing discomfort and pain. Monique requires cooling therapy through food, exercise, and therapeutics.
As part of her therapy, I introduced Monique to the Sun mantra and encouraged her to say it 108x per day for 41 days in order to promote improved well-being and reduce physical symptoms.
Monique shared her experience:
Over the past several weeks, I began intentionally working with the Sun mantra as part of my wellness practice, and the physical effects surprised me more than anything. One of the first changes I noticed was a steady increase in my energy and vitality. Instead of feeling like I had to push my way through the day, my body felt naturally revitalized, supported, and more resilient.
What stood out most was the impact on my digestion and overall physical regulation. My digestion, which had felt inconsistent for quite some time, seemed to re-regulate itself. I felt lighter after meals, less sluggish, and more in rhythm with my body. My mind also felt clearer, my focus improved, and I experienced a greater sense of calm and balance throughout the day.
Perhaps the biggest gift was the feeling of alignment that emerged. My nervous system felt calmer, my body felt stronger, and I found myself naturally wanting to move more, spend time outdoors, and care for myself in healthier ways.
Whilst charging the mantra, I decided to “break up” with heated yoga because it no longer felt supportive for my body. After around six weeks, I decided to try a heated class again out of curiosity. The experience was incredibly telling. While I once would have pushed through the discomfort, afterward my back hurt, my body felt more inflamed, and I realized just how much more attuned I had become to what genuinely supports my well-being versus what simply challenges it.
For me, the Sun mantra became much more than a daily practice. It felt like a gentle infusion of vitality, clarity, and well-being that helped my body remember its natural state of balance.
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW SUN GOVERNS YOUR LIFE?
If you are curious to discover where The Sun and each of the other Nine Forces reside within your Eight Fields of Living, I invite you to schedule a personal consultation. Your blueprint is entirely unique — and profoundly revealing. Book your session here.
CONNECT TO THE ENERGY OF THE SUN
Sun Playlist curated by Brooke on Spotify
Comments