Sun Magic! (Patreon)

Let’s talk about sun magick! This isn’t as popular as moon magick but with Aries Season here you could incorporate some of these ideas, spells and rituals to harness your inner fire element! Do you work with the sun or the moon more?

In many Pagan traditions today, there’s a lot of emphasis on the magic and power of the moon. However, it’s important to remember that the moon isn’t the only heavenly body out there. The sun itself – something we often take for granted, since it’s out there all the time – has been a source of myth, magic and legend for thousands of years. Let’s take a look at some of the best known folklore about the sun, as well as how you can incorporate it into your magical practice.

Harness the energy of sunrise, noon and sunset.

You might think of this pattern in the same way you’d think of the waxing, full and waning moon cycles.

Sunrise is an excellent time to address matters like new beginnings, money-drawing and fertility.

The afternoons work well for charging and power raising.

Sunset is ideal for things like elimination and binding.

Try making sun water.

Simply fill a glass jar with spring water and set it out in the sun to absorb the natural light. You might choose to include other items associated with the sun. A piece of citrine, a few drops of lemon essential oil or a handful of sunflower petals are nice touches. What you do with the water is up to you. Place it on the altar as a symbol of the divine masculine, pour it your bathwater to “brighten” your mood or use it as a healing water.

Brew some lemon tea.

Don’t throw away those lemon rinds! Lemon is the ultimate sun symbol. The bright yellow citrus captures solar energy and stores it in one power-packed little fruit. Pour it near the roots of a strong tree and make a wish. This can be fun to do with small children.

Chase away the blues.

Sun magic is a perfect mode for addressing the spiritual side of sadness, anxiety and nightmares.

Try this simple sun spell for depression.

Indulge in a citrus-and-sunshine ritual bath.

Try bringing the magic of the sun into your ritual bath space. Draw a cool water bath after an afternoon in the sun to sooth irritated skin. Throw some flowers, orange slices and champagne into the bath water and let the vibes of summer wash over you. For some inspiration click here!

Charge your tools.

If you’re in between full moons, use the sun’s energy to charge and cleanse your tools. Particularly useful for spell items you intend to use in happiness magic, creativity and to dispel darkness.

Create a sun altar.

To draw the energy of sun into your life, try setting up a sun altar. Choose spot with plenty of natural light and include lots of solar symbolism. Gold glitter is especially striking sun symbol. Also consider a yellow altar cloth, a bowl of oranges, or a vase of sunflowers.

Pick-your-own sunflowers.

It’s the sunniest flower on the planet! The bright, smiling face of sunflowers explode out of the ground between July and August. Find out how to do sunflower magick here!

Visit a local sunflower farm. Bring your fam. Make an afternoon out of it.

Once you bring your bounty home, learn how to use sunflowers in witchcraft.

Plan a sacred meal outdoors.

Pack a picnic, find a good vantage point and watch the sunset over a blessed meal. Try eating fresh summer vegetables from the farmer’s market. Toast the sunset with a bright drink, like dry champagne or a citrus cocktail.

Make mini sun cakes.

They taste like summer light.

Try this recipe for lemon sun cakes.

Then, leave them on the altar or in the woodlands as an offering for joy and abundance.

Sun Worship.

Many ancient cultures honored the sun as significant, and the concept of sun worship is one nearly as old as mankind itself. In societies that were primarily agricultural, and depended on the sun for life and sustenance, it is no surprise that the sun became deified.

In some folkloric traditions, babies born at sunrise are considered special – they will be blessed with a long and prosperous life.

Many Native American tribes celebrate the Sun Dance as a way to honor the sun as a manifestation of the Great Spirit. For centuries, the Sun Dance has been performed as a way to not only honor the sun itself, but also to bring the dancers visions.

In some Wiccan traditions, movement in the direction of the sun – or deosil – is associated with positive or gainful magic. Likewise, the opposite direction, widdershins, is connected to banishing or destructive magic.

In the Appalachian mountains, there’s a superstition that if you sweep your home after the sun has set, you’re doomed to live a life of poverty. There are also weather legends connected to the sun – if the sun shines during a rainstorm, that means it will rain again at the same time the next day. A red sunrise means that rain is coming soon. This is similar to the old adage of “Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.”

It’s not uncommon to find deities associated with the sun in a variety of ancient cultures. Most of these are associated with the season of Litha, the summer solstice.

Stone circles, megaliths and pyramids around the globe are aligned to the sun’s position during the summer and winter solstices, as well as the vernal and autumn equinoxes.

Here are just a few of the ways you can incorporate the sun’s power and energy into your magical workings:

- Hold a Midsummer Sun Ritual and celebrate the warmth and power of the sun. Summertime – especially around Litha - is a great time of year to get outside, enjoy the extra hours of daylight, and celebrate the season with family and friends.

- Utilize the sun’s energy to add a bit of magical oomph to your ritual tools, with this simple Tool Recharging Ritual.

- During Litha and Yule, hang solar symbols around your house to celebrate the energy of the sun – remember, at Yule the sun is returning to earth, and at Litha, it’s at its highest and most powerful point in the sky.

- When it comes to plant magic, the sun is associated with a number of flowers and herbs, including sunflowers, daisies, dandelions, chamomile and rosemary. Use these in your workings for a bit of extra solar mojo.

- Got a solar eclipse coming your way in the near future? In some magical traditions, workings performed during an eclipse of the sun are extra powerful.

Here are some extra ways you can incorporate sun magic into your practice!

- wear citrine, amber or sunstone jewelry

- make your own orange juice

- grow sunflowers, and keep some in a vase in your room

- make some rainbow water

- research cosmic witchcraft (after all, the sun is a star)

- hang prisms in your room to paint rainbows on the walls

- try a tarot spread based on the sun, or make your own

- incorporate phoenix imagery into your practice, maybe use it to inspire a spell

- go to the beach to tan (safely!)

- learn to play ‘here comes the sun’ on an instrument

- spend time researching, and maybe even contacting, sun deities like apollo, sulis, ra and sól

- try making sun oil

- flavour more of your dishes with rosemary

- keep all your curtains and blinds open during the day to allow as much sunlight in as possible

- learn about your sun sign (aka star sign)

- research or write your own correspondences for the sun phases (sunrise, noon, sunset, etc.)

- cultivate a cacti/succulent garden

- donate to a “save the bees” organisation (be sure to research them before so that you know the money is being used well and that they’re an effective organisation!)

- listen to a playlist of songs that remind you of the sun, or make your own

- create a south-facing sun altar

Sources:

https://auricwitch.tumblr.com/post/179987820385/little-solar-witch-ideas

https://www.moodymoons.com/2015/04/07/sun-magick/

Wigington, Patti. "Solar Magic, Myth and Folklore." Learn Religions, Aug. 26, 2020, learnreligions.com/solar-magic-myth-and-folklore-2562504.