posted July 03, 2006 09:55 PM         

Do you wonder about your life's purpose? Do you feel fulfilled or strangely empty? Your sun sign points towards the answers to these questions, because your sun sign reveals what you are becoming -- the shining destiny that awaits (and terrifies) you. To become our highest selves is why we were born, yet many people will live quietly unhappy lives rather than choosing to share their gifts with the world. Marianne Williamson wrote:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Your sun sign reveals (along with your Moon and Ascendant) how you are meant to shine in this lifetime. It is the challenging creative impulses that may lead you far from home and into your deepest interests. You sun sign will point you to where you seek self-realization, to the fullest expression of your creativity and your generosity, and give you the opportunity to experience your life as deeply charged with meaning.

How do you gauge if you're living "on purpose?" It's pretty simple -- if you feel alive and as if you're moving slowly but steadily towards your goals, then you are on target. And if you're depressed, lethargic and feeling hopeless, you're probably not. If you are not doing what you feel called to do with your life then every cell in your body is calling out through resistance, depression and perhaps even illness. If you're in a deadening job or relationship, you're turning away from your light, and the inertia and frustration you feel is the proof. Deep down you know if you're leaving your life unlived and your potential unexpressed.

The sun and the other planets in the zodiac reveal our life paths, our challenges and especially the spiritual and material help that is so bountifully available to us, once we set our feet unswervingly on our path. This idea is beautifully expressed by W.H. Murray:

Until one is committed there is always hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way . . .

When you're making strides forward, no matter how small, you're helping yourself and coincidentally, help will magically find you. It doesn't matter if you're drawn to be the best dog trainer in the world, or to learn to teach children music, or to swim a 400-meter breaststroke. What matters is that desire, buried under all the concerns of your daily life, still burns quietly. When you're moving towards what you want to be and what you want to do, you'll feel quietly confident that you are unique in what you offer, as is every one else.

The realization and expression of the life's purpose is the underlying archetypal goal for the sun in the horoscope. This may seem to be a wildly different interpretation of sun signs, especially if you have only seen little descriptive generalizations along the lines of "Leos love attention, this is the most generous and most narcissistic sign of the zodiac." Yet, even these generalized, standard interpretations give us a trail of crumbs to follow to our heart's desire, which will manifest differently in a Leo than with a Libra. These simple, basic interpretations can only do so much, as they can't include the effects of the other planets that play important roles in the expression of your energies.