Rise and shine! The sun might be 92.96 million miles away from Earth, yet it only takes a mere 8 minutes to peak through our window blinds in the morning.

While the thought of light traveling at 300,000 kilometers per second sounds impressive, it actually takes millions of years for any energy to make its way from the core to the surface.

With that said, I’d like to shed some light on the meaning behind the sun tattoo design. A long time ago it was widely viewed as a God, and even worshipped by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. In truth, many regarded the sun to be one of the highest symbols of life on Earth.

When it comes to the Greeks, it’s often associated with the eye of the god Zeus. The ancient Egyptians on the other hand, viewed it as the symbol of: Horus, the rising sun, Ra, the sun’s zenith, and Osiris, the setting sun.

Ancient Chinese believed it represented the cosmic eye in the sky, not to mention the great male principle, the ultimate Yang. For Native Americans, it has been seen as having the ability to heal, and symbolizes itself as the guardian of the day.

In Alchemical, the radiating golden beams from the sky not only are considered to be like the material gold, but also ideas of high intellect and the mind. It’s been said a circle with a dot in the middle represent completed good work.

Today, many men simply attribute the sun design to the idea of going from dark times to literally seeing the light. It’s a lot like the popular Japanese rising sun which is essence is the concept of beginning a new life.

Yet, in order to start fresh or new, you could say the sun is first and foremost a symbol of truth and light. It’s what’s needed to guide us out of those dark times in order to reach our destination.

Perhaps you’ll find a light of inspiration in this collection of the top X best sun tattoos for men. From sleeves with cloud designs to abstract art and ancient tribal styles, there’s plenty of ink to admire. Grab your sunglasses, these ideas are brilliantly bright!