There are not as many prayers to the sun as there are to the moon because, “The sun was a matter to them of great awe, but the moon was a friend of great love, guiding their course upon land and sea, and their path wherever they went.”¹

Even so, plenty of blessings have survived, and Carmichael tells us: ”There was a man in Arasaig, and he was extremely old, and he would make adoration to the sun and to the moon and to the stars. When the sun would rise on the tops of the peaks he would put off his head-covering and he would bow down his head, giving glory to the great God of life for the glory of the sun and for the goodness of its light to the children of men and to the animals of the world. When the sun set in the western ocean the old man would again take off his head-covering, and he would bow his head to the ground and say: I am in hope, in its proper time, That the great and gracious God Will not put out for me the light of grace Even as thou dost leave me this night.”²

In spite of its heavenly associations with God, however, it can be seen that the sun - like the moon - was commonly regarded as being feminine,³ as the prayer below indicates. This one always seems very appropriate on particularly sunny days, especially after a lot of dull ones, and should be said in the morning after you get up:

The sun

Hail to thee, thou sun of the season,
As thou traversest the skies aloft;
Thy steps are strong on the wing of the heavens,
Thou art the glorious mother of the stars.

Thou liest down in the destructive ocean
Without impairment and without fear;
Thou risest up on the peaceful wave-crest
Like a queenly maiden in bloom.⁴

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