As mentioned in my introductory article mentioned above, the Sun Sign is what most people are aware of because it is easy to calculate. This is one of the reasons it is used most frequently by the general population.
If you think about the Sun, when it shines in the sky it brings us warmth, light (and the ability to see what is around us) and life. At the same time too much of it can damage our bodies. It is also the centre of our Universe.
Symbolically, the Sun gives us a pointer to what we need to 'shine' or to 'feel alive' and whether or not this process has been encouraged in our lives. Another way to put this is to understand how we need to be treated and recognised to feel at the 'centre of the universe'.
The Sun also represents the father figure when growing up and extending this theme further, men in general as we get older. This is particularly true for the majority of women because sometimes they relate to the symbolism of the Moon more easily than the Sun. Therefore the energy of the Sun ends up being projected onto important males in a woman's life.
Like the physical Sun, too much of this symbolism can be detrimental to our self-development. For example, if we demand to be at the centre of attention or become so absorbed in ourselves that we neglect the people that need us.
When I have a look at someone's birth chart I usually ask the individual how he or she experienced their relationship with their father. This tells me a lot about how they see themselves, males and authority figures. On another level the symbolism associated with the Sun in a birth chart also indicates how the process of discovering the self is likely to progress. These indications are found through the house placement, and relationship to the other planets.
The Sun sign tells us who we are, while the Rising Sign shows us who we feel we have to be to fit in to our environment. Since the Rising Sign represents the moment of birth (you can't calculate your Rising Sign without your time of birth), the first place we have to fit into is our family. From there most of us have to learn to fit in to various situations - school, life in general, relationships, etc.
Where the Sun is a conscious, masculine and an outgoing energy that is easy to spot, the Moon is an unconscious, internal, feminine and an illogical energy. I look at the Sun as being what we want, while the Moon symbolism is what we need.
