Sun-Neptune

Sun-Neptune combines the central sense of identity, and the father, associated with the Sun archetype with the boundlessness and lack of centrality associated with the Neptune archetype.

This combination can be reflected in life as the loss or murkiness of the identity (Sun) that leads to one embarking on a quest to find one’s identity through archetypal imagery (Neptune) and spirituality (Neptune), and the identity (Sun) that is associated with the ocean and water bodies (Neptune), and the identity (Sun) that is not self-centered but rather is centered on selfless service (Neptune) based upon the experience that the “center” and the “self” (Sun) is everywhere and nowhere (Neptune), as well as the idealization (Neptune) of the masculine identity (Sun).

 

Below are examples of famous people born with this combination in their natal charts (natal chart is another word for astrological birth chart, or pictographic representation of the sky when they were born). When we witness how this combination shows up in the lives of others, we can become more self-aware of how this combination shows up in our own lives. The more we are conscious of the ways astrological alignments (otherwise known as “aspects”) show up in our lives, the more the archetypal tensions involved can become integrated in our lives, thus revealing inherent strengths to us.

Please note that the tension of this archetypal combination, as illustrated in the lives and creations of the famous people in the examples below, may be demonstrated in ways that are more integrated or less integrated.

  • Neptune’s association with dreams and the association of the Sun with the father can be seen in the chart and life of Barrack Obama through the title of his book, “Dreams of My Father.”

 

  • Neptune’s association with dreams and reverie, and the Sun’s association with the personal identity can be seen in the chart and work of eminent psychologist Carl Gustav Jung through the Neptunian title of his autobiography (Sun), “Memories, Dreams, Reflections.” As well the identity (Sun) of C.G. Jung is associated with the collective unconscious, the well of images and archetypes that we all have in common, because he was the one who discovered and termed the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious is a realm particularly linked with the archetype of Neptune, because of its connection to a unifying boundless realm that dissolves the barriers between us and inspires our imagination.

 

  • One of the great illustrations in literature of the quality of Sun-Neptune is in the play No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre, who was born with this combination in his birth chart. Neptune’s association with infinite planes can make the Sun’s association with a central identity diffuse and difficult to pin down. In this play Estelle, one of the principle characters, has gone to the afterlife. From there she can see her old home from when she was alive, but in the afterlife she is deprived of a mirror or any sort of looking glass in which she can see her own reflection. Notice how she seeks to find her sense of identity:

“…everything that goes on in one's head is so vague,

isn't it? It makes one want to sleep. I've six big mirrors in my bedroom. There they are. I

can see them. But they don't see me. They're reflecting the carpet, the settee, the window-

- but how empty it is, a glass in which I'm absent! When I talked to people I always made

sure there was one near by in which I could see myself. I watched myself talking. And

somehow it kept me alert, seeing myself as the others saw me...Oh dear! My lipstick! I'm

sure I've put it on all crooked. No, I can't do without a looking-glass for ever and ever. I

simply can't.”

  • The Sun-Neptune combination in the natal chart of musician Robert Smith, of the band The Cure, can be seen in the song Why Can’t I Be You? which reflects not only the tendency to idealize (Neptune) the identity (Sun) of someone, but also the watery, flowing (Neptune) and chameleon-like sense of identity (Sun) that can be associated with this combination.

  • The fluid and chameleon-like quality that the astrological archetype of Neptune lends to the sense of identity that is associated with the Sun can be seen in the life of musician, actor, director Donald Glover, who was born with these two archetypes in tension in his birth chart. At the start of his music career Donald Glover created an alter ego known as Childish Gambino, the name under which he released his music. His fifth studio album, titled Bando Stone and the New World, brings forth another alter ego. And in the track on that album titled “Lithonia” he creates another alter ego known as “Cody LaRae.” Fans speculate online that “Cody LaRae” is the alter ego of Bando Stone. Here we see the fluidity of the Neptune archetype applied to the Sun. The identity seems to easily shift around. The misty, cloudy, and hazy nature of Neptune can also be seen in the fact that fans are left wondering if one alter ego is actually an alter ego for another alter ego. This ability to shift around one’s sense of identity into the realm of make-believe and pretend alter egos was also demonstrated well by another notable musician born with the Sun and Neptune in tension in his birth chart: David Bowie. His fifth studio album, titled “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” showcased Bowie as imaginative alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

    Donald Glover’s ability to adapt his identity can also be seen in his musical style. He commonly composes songs that mimic certain bands or their musical niches. For instance Me and Your Mama, Boogieman, and Zombies, from the album “Awake, My Love!” remarkably recreate the sound of the band Funkadelic. Lithonia, on the album “Bando Stone and the New World” sounds similar to the band Weezer. On that same album Running Around sounds like the song The Middle by the band Jimmy Eat World meets the style of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And the track Dadvocate sounds like a brilliant mash-up between Wiz Khalifa and Lenny Kravitz. The ability to be such a convincing musical chameleon actually creates a versatility that is both novel and impressive.

  • The ability for the Sun-Neptune combination to allow for a fluid blending and merging (Neptune) of identities (Sun) can be witnessed in the example of the co-authors of the fabulously successful science fiction series of novels titled The Expanse. Co-author Daniel Abraham was born with the Sun-Neptune combination in his birth chart. Co-author Ty Franck was also born with the Sun-Neptune combination in his birth chart. The authors essentially merged together to create the pen name James S.A. Corey, the fictitious alter ego credited with writing the series.