Nathan BinfordWe were worshipping the Sun long before we were building, taming, or conquering. Long before we knew anything else, we’d figured out that the Sun is divine, it is the source of all life on this planet, and a magical source of healing and renewal. Somehow along the way to modernity though, we’ve forgotten this simple truth, and now the Sun is feared and we’re doing everything we can to disconnect from our greatest source of life and energy.
The Sun has always been associated with health and healing and exposure to the Sun has been used for literally thousands of years to heal all kinds of injuries, illnesses, and disease. And lack of exposure to sunlight bears greater health risks than we have been led to believe.
Living in modern, urban environments virtually guarantees that you are light-starved and vitamin D deficient; which greatly increases the chances you will suffer with preventable diseases. Seasonal respiratory diseases, seasonal affective disorder, and many other illnesses are directly tied to lack of exposure to natural light.
In this episode I look back in history to understand how humanity has understood the Sun in the past, how humans from prehistory to relatively recent times have prioritized exposure to sunlight for boosting health and curing wounds and disease. I’ll examine archetypal frameworks for understanding solar energy like mythology, astrology, and energetics. And I’ll detail some of my favorite ways of working with the Sun magically and as an ally in healing.
Referenced In This Episode
Dematra George, “Ancient Astrology In Theory And Practice: A Manual Of Traditional Techniques, Vol. 1, Assessing Planetary Techniques,” (2019) Rubedo
Chris Brennan, “Hellenistic Astrology: The Study Of Fate And Fortune,” (2017) Amor Fati
Matthew J Lillyquist, “Sunlight & health: the positive and negative effects of the sun on you,” (1985) Dodd, Meade, and Company
Sarah E. Laird, “If Pachacuti Ran Your Hospital : What Inca and Andean Healing Practices Reveal About the Role of Rituals in Medicine,” (2021) Georgetown Library
Anand Sagar Pathak, “Role of Sun in The Healing of Ailments,” (2019) The India Times
Joshua J. Mark, “Utu-Shamash,” (2017) WorldHistory.org
Mesomedes of Crete, “Helios, the Ever-Journeying Light of Life,” (2nd Century CE)
Charlotte Davis, “Asclepius: The Greek God Of Medicine (Facts Explained),“ (2020) The Collector
Shia T Kent, Leslie A McClure, et al., “Effect of sunlight exposure on cognitive function among depressed and non-depressed participants: a REGARDS cross-sectional study – PMC,” (2009) Environ Health
Lars Alfredsson, Bruce K. Armstrong, et al., “Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem,” (2020) Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul
Michael F. Holick, “Chapter 2 – A perspective on the beneficial effects of moderate exposure to sunlight: bone health, cancer prevention, mental health and well being,” (2001) Elsevier
Kimberly Y Z Forrest, Wendy L Stuhldreher, “Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults,” (2011) Nutrition Research
“Shining a light on winter depression,” (2019) Harvard Health
“Seasonal affective disorder,” (2019) Medline.gov
Ana Sandoiu, “Weight loss breakthrough: Sunlight is key,” (2018) MedicalNewsToday.com
Gilberto U L Braga, Drauzio E N Rangel, et al., “Molecular and physiological effects of environmental UV radiation on fungal conidia,” (2015) Current Genetics
Kathleen O’Neil, “Grandma Was Right: Sunshine Helps Kill Germs Indoors,” (2018) NPR.org
P G Lindqvist, E Epstein, “Avoidance of sun exposure is a risk factor for all-cause mortality: results from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden cohort,” (2014) Journal of Internal Medicine
P G Lindqvist, E Epstein, “Avoidance of sun exposure as a risk factor for major causes of death: a competing risk analysis of the Melanoma in Southern Sweden cohort,” (2016) Journal of Internal Medicine
Nathan Binford
