Sun

General description

SÛRYA (the Sun), in its visible reflection, exhibits the first, or lowest state of the seventh, the highest state of the Universal PRESENCE, the pure of the pure, the first manifested Breath of the ever Unmanifested SAT (Be-ness). All the Central physical or objective Suns are in their substance the lowest state of the first Principle of the BREATH. Nor are any of these any more than the REFLECTIONS of their PRIMARIES which are concealed from the gaze of all but the Dhyan Chohans, whose Corporeal substance belongs to the fifth division of the seventh Principle of the Mother substance, and is, therefore, four degrees higher than the solar reflected substance.

Seven suns

The Theosophical teachings not only mention the physical sun known by Scientists, but postulates there are "seven Suns", which are the central bodies of the seven systems of planes of being. In one of her writings she relates these "suns" to some of the Orders of Celestial Beings as follows:

Thus, though the seventh principle reaches man through all the phases of being, pure as an indiscrete element and an impersonal unity, it passes through (the Kabala teaches from) the Central Spiritual Sun and Group the second (the polar Sun), which two radiate on man his Atma. Group Three (the equatorial Sun) cement the Buddhi to Atman and the higher attributes of Manas, while group Four (the spirit of our visible sun) endows him with his Manas and its vehicle—the Kama rupa, or body of passions and desires, the two elements of Ahamkara which evolve individualized consciousness—the personal ego.

Central sun

The Central or Spiritual sun has been described as follows:

This “central sun” of the Occultists, which even Science is obliged to accept astronomically, for it cannot deny the presence in Sidereal Space of a central body in the milky way, a point unseen and mysterious, the ever-hidden centre of attraction of our Sun and system—this “Sun” is viewed differently by the Occultists of the East. While the Western and Jewish Kabalists (and even some pious modern astronomers) claim that in this sun the God-head is specially present—referring to it the volitional acts of God—the Eastern Initiates maintain that, as the supra-divine Essence of the Unknown Absolute is equally in every domain and place, the “Central Sun” is simply the centre of Universal life-Electricity the reservoir within which that divine radiance, already differentiated at the beginning of every creation, is focussed. Though still in a laya, or neutral condition, it is, nevertheless, the one attracting, as also the ever-emitting, life Centre.

In ancient Symbolism it was always the SUN (though the Spiritual, not the visible, Sun was meant), that was supposed to send forth the chief Saviours and Avatars.

The closer the approach to one’s Prototype, “in Heaven,” the better for the mortal whose personality was chosen, by his own personal deity (the seventh principle), as its terrestrial abode. For, with every effort of will toward purification and unity with that “Self-god,” one of the lower rays breaks and the spiritual entity of man is drawn higher and ever higher to the ray that supersedes the first, until, from ray to ray, the inner man is drawn into the one and highest beam of the Parent-SUN. Thus, “the events of humanity do run co-ordinately with the number forms,” since the single units of that humanity proceed one and all from the same source—the central and its shadow, the visible SUN.

It is related to the element of Fire in its highest aspect:

Fire is Æther in its purest form, and hence is not regarded as matter, but it is the unity of Æther—the second manifested deity in its universality. But there are two “Fires” and a distinction is made between them in the Occult teachings. The first, or the purely Formless and invisible Fire concealed in the Central Spiritual Sun, is spoken of as “triple” (metaphysically); while the Fire of the manifested Kosmos is Septenary, throughout both the Universe and our Solar System.

The Spirit, beyond manifested Nature, is the fiery BREATH in its absolute Unity. In the manifested Universe, it is the Central Spiritual Sun, the electric Fire of all Life. In our System it is the visible Sun, the Spirit of Nature, the terrestrial god.

This spiritual sun is the real source of life that comes through the physical sun:

The pulsing of vital matter in the central Sun of our System [is] the source of all that life which crowds the earth, and without doubt overspreads the other planets, to which the [physical] Sun is the mighty Minister.

Physical sun

The physical Sun is regarded as "only a reflection of the Central Spiritual Sun", and "the dwelling or the vehicle of a god, and a host of gods".

Regarding its constitution, Mme. Blavatsky said that "the Solar substance is immaterial" in the sense that it is constituted "of matter existing in states unknown to Science". This turned out to be true, since the sun is mainly constituted of plasma, a state of matter unknown at the time.

The Sun's corona has unusual spectral features, which led scientists in the 19th century to suggest that it contained a previously unknown element, "coronium". However, when Master K.H. was asked about this, he gave an answer that agrees with the observations of modern science:

Call it a chromosphere or atmosphere, it can be called neither; for it is simply the magnetic and ever present aura of the sun, seen by astronomers only for a brief few moments during the eclipse and by some of our chelas — whenever they like — of course while in a certain induced state.

In the The Secret Doctrine Commentaries, HPB says:

Do you really think with the physicists that it is the sun which is the cause of Light? We say that the sun gives nothing from himself, because he has nothing to give. He is a reflection and nothing more; a bundle of electro-magnetic forces, one of the countless milliards of knots of Fohat.

This shows remarkable resemblance with a modern description of stars proposed by Stephen Smith, as part of the Electric Universe theory:

In an Electric Universe . . . the stars are not hot, dense balls of hydrogen. Rather, they are plasma. . . . Plasma is a state of matter [with] properties such as filamentation, long-range attraction and short-range repulsion, [etc]. As the electric field intensifies, it . . . forms spinning electrical discharges. At first they glow dimly red, then blaze yellow, and finally they might become brilliant ultraviolet arcs, called stars, driven by the electric currents that created them. . . . Stars are nodes in electric circuits."

Online resources

Articles

• Is the Sun Merely A Cooling Mass? by H. P. Blavatsky
• The Mystery "Sun of Initiation" by H. P. Blavatsky
• Symbolism of Sun and Stars by H. P. Blavatsky
• The Trial of the Sun Initiate by H. P. Blavatsky
• Our Sun And The True Sun by W. Q. Judge
• Spiritual Symbolism of the Sun and Moon by Alvin Boyd Kuhn
• The Sun at Theosophy Trust
• Zodiacal Sun at Theosophy Trust
• The Sun in Theosophy at WisdomWorld.org