THE SUN BLESSES AND WARMS

Haze, fog and a light mist on this July 26th morning.  The weather man's forecast of 85 degrees helps us know what to wear.  Through the haze and the fog peeks the Sun that will soon erase the fog and brighten the day.

We take the Sun for granted, like we do with most everyday parts of our lives.  There were years when I could have worn the label of Sun Worshiper.  Laying in the mid-day sunshine trying to get a suntan was one of my all-time favorite things to do.  It was the Sun that darkened my skin and resupplied me with its powerful energy.  For me to blame the Sun for my cancer diagnosis is not even a possibility.....I can only blame myself for exposing my skin to its scorching rays.  Looking back with a more-seasoned mind, I wouldn't lay in the sun like I did.  More proof that wisdom is learned and earned.

I did a bit of research and broadened my knowledge about the giant red orb that is the source of all energy in our solar system....

• The Sun's surface is extremely hot, around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.  Its core is a huge furnace reaching a mind-boggling 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. 
• The Sun is essential for life as we know it....it is the only source of all light and heat on Earth.
• The Sun's gravitational pull keeps the planets locked in their orbits.    
• The volume of the Sun is so huge that it could hold over 1 million Earths.
•  When we look at the Sun on a mid-July day, let us stop and grasp the fact that it is about 93 million miles away from us.  It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the Sun's light to reach the Earth.
• The sun emits an enormous amount of radiation onto Earth...around 44 quadrillion watts of power a year.
• The Sun is continuously orbiting around the Milky Way at a speed of around 503,311 miles per hour.  The Milky Way galaxy is so huge that it takes the Sun about 226 million years to move through it one time. 

Here's a sobering thought.  If the Sun suddenly went out of existence, we'd still see it in the sky for another 8 minutes.  Within a few days, the temperatures would begin to drop, and any humans left on the planet's surface would die soon after.  Within two months, the ocean's surface would freeze over, but it would take another thousand years for our seas to freeze solid.  The atmosphere would collapse, radiation would seep in, and the Earth would be an unwelcoming wasteland drifting aimlessly through space.  (from Curiosity.com)

Ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Aztecs and Greeks regarded the Sun as a deity...their almighty source of life and energy.  Poets have referred to it as the Eye of Heaven.  

Sidebar:  From this moment forward, I promise myself to appreciate the Sun's presence.   The Sun is always up there shining down on us.  On cloudy days, the Sun doesn't go away.  Thick layers of clouds blot out the Sun's rays.   Plato used the Sun as a symbol to define the meaning of Goodness.  Like the Sun shines down its rays, Goodness sheds light on knowledge so that our minds can also see.  Goodness lets us see true reality with our "mind's eye" in addition to seeing it only with our physical eyes.

The consistent progression of the Sun across the sky, and its disappearance during the night, offer us a profound sense of comfort and stability.  It speaks to the circadian rhythm that we talked about a few blogs back, that internal clock that helps us establish routines and live our days with a sense of normalcy. 

The Sun's path and the length of daylight change throughout the year, marking the seasons.  This allows us to look forward to warmer and longer days in the summer and cooler and shorter days in the winter.  Maybe that's why I love living in a 4-season climate.  Maybe it's that reliable rhythm that fosters those feelings.  Having something to anticipate and look forward to.

Every sunrise gives us each a fresh slate.  Never ever before has this day existed.  It's here for us to savor or to spit at.  If one really thinks hard about the Sun, is it possible that the Sun is the Almighty Force that illuminates us and our world?  Is it possible for us to look to the Sun as our Guiding Light?  the spiritual essence we pray to?