SOLAR CHRISTIANITY

In the creation story in Genesis, God declared “Let there be light” and subsequently placed the celestial bodies in the heavens to both mark time and illuminate the earth, with the sun serving as the primary source of order and light for mankind. As Jack Donovan has extensively written, ancient man’s reverence for solarity has been intertwined with order throughout history, and in our current age of disarray he implores men to  “Be the order. Be the light. In the midst of chaos and darkness, stay solar.”

This solar mindset has become a bedrock of the current movement fighting back against an Elitist agenda imposed to subvert traditional culture and assert dominance across the globe. It’s a mantra that has focused on reclaiming concepts involving traditional masculinity, physical fitness, aesthetics, and virtue, while rejecting the embrace of negative thought and action sometimes called “the blackpill.” It is not worship of the sun, but a symbolic veneration of the positive power that comes with the sun’s energy and light. 

While many ancient cultures did in fact worship the sun in various anthropomorphic manifestations, the Israelites did no such thing, although they, like all people at the time, did associate spiritual forces with the governance of all of God’s creation. As inheritors of that tradition, Christianity too saw the sun as part of God’s creation, but solar symbolism, stemming from the faith’s fusion with Greco-Roman culture, would become ingrained within. 

One such example of this can be found in Christian iconography, with the incorporation of the nimbus or halo depicted around the head of an individual, intended to denote some type of divine or holy status of the portrayed person in their image. While the nimbus is an import from Eastern religions, it was incorporated into Hellenistic Greece and then Rome and finally translated into Christian art once the faith gained prominence within the Roman Empire. This is most prevalent paintings and mosaics of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator, symbolizing His divine image as God Almighty. Furthermore, these solar halos were used in multitudes of artwork to depict the connection to the sacred within the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and later Saints of the Church. 

The story of the conversion of Constantine the Great to Christianity in 312 AD also relates to a solar understanding of divine power. In the Bishop Eusebius’ version of events, while marching his army to battle against his co-emperor Maxentius, Constantine saw a vision of a cross of light just above the sun, emblazoned with the Latin words “In Hoc Signo Vinces” – In This Sign You Will Conquer. And under the banner of the cross Constantine did conquer, defeating Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, allowing him to consolidate power and Christianize the entire empire. 

With this symbolism entrenched in the Christian tradition, modern believers can themselves embrace this solar idealism to reclaim the energy and power given to us by God. 

Essential to this is the realization that as humans we are not simply passive creatures whose only purpose is to worship God, but in fact we were created to establish order and rule over His Creation. We must embrace elements of physicality that are required to accomplish this dangerous mission, as the world is a wild and rugged place. As the sun establishes order within our solar system to keep the planets aligned, Christian men must establish both an internal ordering of our physical, mental, and emotional capabilities in addition to an external ordering of our homes, churches, and communities. 

Writing to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (6:12). Embracing a solar mindset thus serves as a reminder that we are participants in this cosmic war between supernatural powers. Beings created by God and given authority within the cosmos rebelled against Him, corrupting humanity in the process and making us the prized possession in this struggle for power. A solar outlook embraces the idea that we are not bystanders in this war, but allies of the Divine, who through Christ offered us grace to return to His side and fight under His banner.

In an effort to create distance from the Earth worship of Pagans, some Christians have forsaken a connection with nature, falling into the Gnostic trap of eschewing the natural world to protect themselves in the spiritual one. Conversely, the nihilism of secular scientism has reduced the universe to a cold cycle of soulless energy exchanges, while Marxism pits man against man in battle for control over matter itself. Traditional Christians should take a nuanced approach, remembering that the material world is imbued with a divine energy and designed for our use and enjoyment, and we are appointed  its caretakers. We should ground ourselves by walking barefoot through the wet grass, quenching our thirst from the waters that flow down from the mountains. We should ascend to the peaks of those mountains and allow the rays of the sun to saturate our skin, alter its color, and fill us with power.  A solar connection affirms our place at the apex of creation, fostering its growth and the perpetuation of life itself. 

As previously noted, solar idealism grew out of an effort to escape a destructive response to the disorder of the modern age. Donovan saw some men’s eyes turn toward violence and other destructive behaviors and wanted to promote a mindset with a more positive focus. As Christians, our positive focus is built into our faith. Not only are we endowed with the notion that we were created with purpose and given great responsibility, but we know that at the end of the day, when all is said and done, despite any suffering we may endure, the most positive solar affirmation we possess is that our victory has already been secured. With this mindset, like Constantine we can raise the banner of the cross and march against the dark forces of the world, conquering the shadows in the light of the sun.