In Astrology beauty is the province of Venus. She rules the arts and all activities that beautify a person or the world. But the Sun is also a Lord of Beauty. This we know from Kabbala. The sphere of beauty on the Tree of Life, is assigned to the Sun. Moreover, Apollo a Solar God, is the one who commands the Muses – the inspiration behind all art. Not Aphrodite.

So, whenever we encounter these kinds of contradictions, it is a signal that one must go deeper into things. After due meditation I have arrived at the following.

There are two dimensions to beauty. One is the beauty of form. This is ruled by Venus. The other is the “energy” of beauty. The force behind it. This is ruled by the Sun.

Just to give you an example of what is meant here. I was at a lecture some years ago. In the audience was an elderly lady. Physically she was not beautiful. But she had such an aura about her – beautiful flashing colors and light – that one forgot about her physical body. She was beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. This is the Beauty of the Sun.

Another example. Many years ago I was driving through a slum area of Brooklyn. The houses were dilapidated and though I couldn’t see inside, I knew they were rat infested. No it was not a beautiful place. But as I drove through (it was on business) the Sun was setting and it hit the houses at a certain angle. And, lo and behold, the whole scene became beautiful – slums, rodents and all. It was as if I was looking at the scene from a higher perspective. It was beautiful. If I were a painter, I would have painted it. Here too is the beauty of the Sun.