For a different perspective, it is interesting to note the theories of Gary Gilligan on his website http://www.godkingscenario.com/gks/ra-re-the-red-sun-god-gks-6 . Mr Gilligan proposes that a cosmic event over five thousand years ago left so much debris in space that the Ancient Egyptians actually perceived the Sun as red, allowing them to observe it more readily than we can in today’s sky.
He does not deny the connection between the Sun and gold, or golden colour, as demonstrated by this short excerpt from his website:
“[…] consider the precious metal gold which was regarded as the flesh of the gods. It was closely associated with the Sun as the following quotes highlight:
“With decorations in gold leaf or yellow paint to represent gold, which both form the flesh of the gods and as a colour had a close association with the Sun god.” (Robins, quoting on the gold funerary mask of an elite woman, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2000, p 146)
“Because of its warm glow and indestructibility, gold was thought to be the flesh of the Sun god Ra and contained supernatural powers.” (Discovery Channel, Age of Gold, 2004)
“The colour yellow was often associated with the Sun-disk and with gold, or nbw. Gold was not only associated with the Sun, it was also the flesh of the gods.” (touregypt).”
[We can also note that the Egyptian word nbw gave its name to Nubia].
Mr Gilligan offers other ideas on why the Egyptians often preferred to use a red disc rather than a golden sphere. While all this is food for thought, Solar Ancestor agrees that gold, and the shape of the sphere, were important to the ancients as representations of the Source of the All, and remain so today in the Solar Sciences.
Credit for Images at Top of Page:
LEFT: http://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/ra3.jpg
RIGHT: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/images/ra.jpg