Arizona Sun

I just landed in Phoenix for a dinner tonight. 20 hours of fun and Sun and then I go home. The State of Arizona has played the most important role in my life after Utah and California. I worked in the desert for 6 months at the Anasazi Foundation, guiding “troubled” youth through the wilderness. That was in Mesa 2002 and the desert nearby.

Then I return to AZ a bunch in 2013 when my biz partner, Nykelle, set up business here for Instafluence. That company became part of Disney and moved to LA, but was raised up in Tempe.

Tonight we are feeding some investors for Convoi. I get to do some business with Trent and Reuben for the first time this year. Now I am in a State that puts the Sun front and center on their flag and life. And then there is this song:

The Arizona State Flag: A Story of Sun, Land, and Freedom

The Arizona state flag is made of three core elements — and each one ties back to history, survival, and the Sun itself.

1. The Top Half: 13 Red and Gold Rays

• The 13 rays represent the original 13 colonies of the United States, connecting Arizona to the nation’s founding story.

• The red and gold colors are a tribute to the Spanish explorers, like Coronado, who journeyed through Arizona in the 1500s.

• These rays symbolize the Western setting sun, which dominates Arizona’s wide desert skies every evening in a breathtaking explosion of color.

• In essence: the rays speak of history, migration, discovery, and the eternal presence of the Sun.

2. The Bottom Half: Liberty Blue Field

• The bottom of the flag is solid liberty blue, the same rich blue as the U.S. flag.

• This represents loyalty to the Union (remember, Arizona became a U.S. territory during the Civil War) and freedom.

• It also quietly nods to the Colorado River, a vital life source in Arizona’s arid landscape.

3. The Copper Star: Centered Between Earth and Sky

• In the middle is a large copper-colored star.

• Copper isn’t random — Arizona was (and still is) the leading copper-producing state in the country.

• This star stands for human labor and the gifts of the Earth, showing that while Arizona honors the heavens (the Sun), it also honors the ground and what we draw from it.

The Deeper Meaning

If you step back, Arizona’s flag is almost a myth in fabric form:

• Above: the sun and ancient exploration.

• Below: earth and freedom.

• At the center: human effort, trying to thrive between the fire above and the dust below.

It’s one of the few flags in the U.S. that openly worships the Sun — even if it doesn’t say so out loud.

It’s a perfect Sun-follower’s banner: tough, radiant, grounded in survival, and deeply tied to nature and exploration.

“The Sun is our first blessing. Without it, we have no life. We honor it with every harvest, every breath.”

— Traditional Hopi Teaching

The Hopi people, one of Arizona’s most ancient Indigenous groups, have a long tradition of Sun veneration.

They even have a Sun Spirit, called Tawa, who they believe created the world.

The Hopi don’t worship the Sun in a primitive way — they see it as a life-giver, something to be in relationship with, not something to dominate or fear.

In fact, in Hopi migration stories, the people were led across the lands by the Sun — almost like how the Israelites followed the pillar of fire in the desert.

For the Hopi, every home and village was placed according to the path of the Sun.

Happy Sunny 420 (3:20 here)

Scott X