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What is Sungazing?
Sungazing is the practice of staring directly at the sun during the safe window. If done outside the safe window, it is possible to damage the human eyes due to ultra violet radiation. The safe window is within one hour of sunrise or sunset. When the sun is closest to the horizon, the negative effects of ultra violet radiation are at a minimum. The benefits experienced by some from sungazing are numerous. Sungazing can curb or eliminate the appetite, heal in the mental, emotional, and/or physical realm, increase eyesight, increase energy, alertness, and focus, boosts production of melatonin and serotonin (leading to better sleep and better mood), increase confidence and problem solving ability,and decalcify the pineal gland (leading to increased intuition and connection on the spiritual plane).Sungazing is said to have been done by several ancient civilizations like the Mayans, Aztecs, and the Egyptians.
There is conflicting information on the internet with little or no documented scientific studies to support or discredit sungazing. However, every discovery that is now proven science, started off as a theory or even thought to be impossible. Take for example the thought of half of the world’s population
owning a small computer that could fit inside their pocket and connect with the rest of the world within seconds either via voice or video, not to mention access the internet at high speeds. Twenty to thirty years ago, this would have been an outrageous claim. Today, in 2020, smartphones are owned by nearly
half of the world’s population. As with any information, doing your own research and experimentation is recommended. Always follow your intuition and remember, teachings based out of love that resonate with a calm feeling of truth are more beneficial than teachings based out of fear.
There have been several people who have claimed to have nearly stopped eating due to sungazing and subsequent barefoot walking, or grounding. Nikolai Dolgoruky from the Ukraine and Hira Ratan Manek are said to be two examples. If we take into consideration that all food gets its energy from the sun, hypothetically, it would make sense that it is possible to cut out the middle man of food, eating, and digestion, and skip straight to absorption of solar energy. Plants and solar panels alike are able to photosynthesize using photo receptors and store solar energy for later use. The human body
is able to produce vitamin D by means of sun exposure to the skin. What if we could also photosynthesize with our eyes?
How to Sungaze?
If it is your first time, start out with 10 seconds. Increase the time spent sungazing by 10 additional seconds each time. The practice of sungazing is complete when one reaches 45 minutes of sungazing. This would take approximately 9 months if done consecutively. Be sure to only practice
during the safe window of within one hour after sunrise or within one hour before sunset. (beginners should begin this during sunrise) If possible,
remove your shoes and stand on bare earth. Sand, dirt, or mud is best. If that is not possible, aim for natural ground like grass. Artificial ground is acceptable but not ideal. Make sure you have a clear view of the sun. Trees, clouds, and buildings could all get in the way as the sun rises or sets (more applicable to longer gazing periods).
After the sungazing practice is completed, it is recommended to do grounding, or barefoot walking on the Earth for 45 minutes per day, 6 days per week. If this can be done for one year, then this is the point at which food is said to be not needed anymore. After the one year period of grounding, only 3-4 days per week are needed for maintenance. It is normal to experience temporary effects during or after sungazing like a inability to read your phone screen, or a circular image of the sun or a dark spot in the vision. Sometimes the sun will
even appear dark in the middle with a bright outer edge. This is due to your eyes protecting themselves from higher levels of light. Do not worry, this will go away shortly. Have faith that the sun is part of what sustains life here on Earth, and you also are part of that life. If you do not feel comfortable or
have fear, then you can always discontinue practice.
Here is a step by step guide, based on my personal experience with sungazing:
1. Check the sunrise or sunset time to make sure you can complete your practice within the safe window. This can easily be checked on a weather application on your phone. Check the current time and know how long you will be sungazing for to calculate if the sun will still be in the safe zone.
2. Set an audible alarm/timer on the phone or other device as you will not be able to read for a moment during or after sungazing.
3. Take off glasses or contacts and any eye wear. If possible remove your socks and shoes and stand on the Earth barefoot. In the winter, sungazing from inside a house or a car still works. Just try to gaze through clean, dry, and non tinted windows.
4. Start the timer and gently watch the sun. Breath slow and deep. Relax your mind and body. Like meditation, try to remain focused on the task. If the mind wanders, bring it back to staring at the sun. Keep the sun as your point of focus. For longer durations it is okay to soften the gaze at times as needed.
5. Stop when you hear the alarm, and allow the eyes to readjust. Look away from the sun. Close the eyes for awhile. Keep in mind you will not be able to see very well for a moment. So do not attempt driving, crossing a busy street, or any other activity where vision is needed for safety. Do not worry, full vision will be restored soon.
Personal Experience with Sungazing
I started sungazing in February of 2016 in Maui, Hawaii while visiting the islands for my Reiki I,II certification. My practice continued when I returned to Oregon where I was living at the time. In May of 2016, I packed my car with all of my belongings and went on a cross country road trip in orderto move back to Maine. Inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda’s book, Autobiography of a Yogi, I made this into a penniless journey. I did however have a credit card that was used only for gas and minimal food. Not a single other item was purchased, not even lodging. Since technically everything was purchased on credit and I had no money other than maybe $50 for tolls, this was nearly a penniless journey. With complete faith in God/The Universe, I hit the road not knowing exactly my destination other than which state in the U.S. What is typically a 3300 mile drive that can be completed in 49 hours, I did not take a direct route and spent 5 weeks traveling about 8000 miles. Stopping along the
way anywhere I could to sungaze. I slept in my car, tent, or friend’s houses. Even strangers took me in thanks to Couchsurfing app which a friend told me about when I was 4 weeks into my journey. I must have sungazed in 5-10 different states on that trip.
My sungazing practice was completed September 13, 2018. It took nearly 2 and a half years because I did not practice consecutively. There were many times I was unavailable during the safe window due to either sleeping or working. More often than not, I did not have my bare feet on the Earth. Since the weather is cold in Maine, there was a lot of sungazing done from my vehicle. Possible up to 25%. Other times, the clouds and weather blocked my view. In May of 2018, I traveled to Israel and also to England for my Reiki Master certification, where I also participated in sungazing in both countries.
I did not follow the guidelines of sungazing rigidly. I experienced no known negative effects from my variations. I increased the practice by 10 seconds each time, until I got to 9 minutes. Then I increased the duration by 1 minute each time. This seemed to be okay for me since it took quite awhile to get to 9 minutes, my eyes were now used to processing the sun’s energy.
Conclusion
I am most definitely a supporter of sungazing. It has helped me in many ways. It cleared my mind, gave me more energy, increased my mood, decreased appetite, and increased my eyesight (which was already 20/20) by not needing to use the sun visor anymore while driving. I also no longer wear
sunglasses. I feel like sungazing did help decalcify my pineal gland which increased my intuition and promoted a more holistic health and overall sense of well being. I believe sungazing practice helped me in my healing as well. I started eating plant based, eliminating toxins and bad habits, and meditating
everyday during this shift in February 2016, so it is not scientifically possible to determine which change or changes are responsible for which positive effect. However, I am confident that sungazing has helped me. I could feel it during and just after practice. The positive effects were also lasting.
Had I been able to complete the grounding technique, I wonder if I could have eliminated food or had even more lasting benefits. I have not been practicing sungazing much since I had completed the 45 minutes 2 years ago.
At times, I feel like sungazing could benefit me now, and I will be practicing
more. After completing the 45 minutes previously, I am able to sungaze for any duration. I could even sungaze for 45 minutes without having practiced for months or a year, however the eyes would be a little more sensitive than if I was steadily practicing. In conclusion, I would highly recommend the sungazing practice to anyone who feels guided to do so. I do believe that I have experienced all of the listed benefits of sungazing. Is it possible that all
of these benefits were a placebo effect? Sure. But if this practice were to trick my mind into giving me all these benefits, I would still say it was worth it. Sungazing is a relaxing process that connected me more with nature and the main source of heat, light, and food on our planet. The sun is the most
powerful star in our solar system that has been even worshiped by many civilizations throughout time.
At the very least, the sun deserves our respect and admiration. I am happy to have deepened my relationship with the sun. So, when will your next day of sungazing be?
About the Author
Evan Ettinger, aka Risin Son, lives in Orrington, Maine, USA. He is a father of three daughters, a Reiki master, the owner of his businesses, and kind and wise soul. His passion for wisdom and life experience has led him to seek variety in vocation, location, and activity. He has lived in many states, a few countries, and has visited many more. He has been studying energy nearly his whole adult life. First at the University of Arizona for Optical Sciences and Engineering, then at NESCOM at Husson University for Audio Engineering, before shifting into spirituality. Flowing through different formats, Evan began writing as Risin Son with poetry and underground hip hop lyrics before graduating high school. Always seeking meaning, understanding, and having the intent to express and positively impact others, Evan continues writing as one of his personal gifts to the world. He choses a plant based lifestyle and wishes to follow practices of sustainability, one day starting a homestead and hopefully to develop a sustainable spiritual community.
