Sanctuary of the Sun · Rastafarian Order

Who We Are & What We Believe

Sanctuary of the Sun is a 508(c)(1)(a) Faith Based Organization rooted in Rastafari healing livity — a living tradition of whole-person care, community outreach, and incarcerated ministry in Sacramento, California.

Our Vision

Healing the Whole Person

We envision a world where every person — regardless of their past, their address, or their status — has access to the healing wisdom of Rastafari livity. We do not separate the spiritual from the physical, the individual from the community, or the incarcerated from the free.

I and I are one body. The healing of one is the healing of all.

Our Mission

Livity in Action

To provide whole-person care through Ital nutrition, herbal medicine, spiritual counsel, and community outreach — with a particular calling to those who are incarcerated, marginalized, and forgotten by conventional institutions.

We operate as a 508(c)(1)(a) Faith Based Organization, fully protected under the First Amendment, recognized in all 50 states.

Our Framework

The SUN-SOTRO Framework

SUN-SOTRO is the eight-step healing and outreach framework developed by the Sanctuary of the Sun. It integrates Rastafari spiritual principles with practical, evidence-informed approaches to whole-person care and rehabilitation.

Spiritual Grounding

Every healing begins with the acknowledgment of Jah. Before any physical or emotional intervention, we establish spiritual foundation — prayer, meditation, and the recognition of the divine in every person.

Understanding the Whole Person

We assess the full human being — body, mind, spirit, and community context. No symptom exists in isolation. We listen deeply before we act.

Nourishment Through Ital

Ital livity — clean, plant-based, life-giving food and herbal medicine — is the foundation of physical healing. We teach, prepare, and provide Ital nutrition as a sacred act.

Support Through Community

No one heals alone. We build circles of accountability, brotherhood, and sisterhood around every person we serve — inside correctional facilities and in the broader Sacramento community.

Outreach Without Condition

We go where the need is greatest. Our ministry does not wait for people to come to us — we go to them. Correctional facilities, shelters, and underserved neighborhoods are our sanctuary.

Teaching Reasoning & Rehabilitation

Through structured reasoning sessions, we help incarcerated individuals develop critical thinking, emotional regulation, and a vision for life beyond confinement.

Restoration of Dignity

Every person we serve is treated as a child of Jah — with full dignity, full respect, and full humanity. We do not condescend; we walk alongside.

Ongoing Covenant

Our relationship with those we serve does not end at release, discharge, or graduation. We maintain ongoing covenant — a commitment to walk with people through every season of their healing.

Mansions of Rastafari

Three Houses, One Livity

Rastafari is not a monolithic religion but a living movement with distinct houses — called Mansions — each with its own emphasis, practice, and tradition. Sanctuary of the Sun honors and welcomes all three.

Nyahbinghi

The oldest and most orthodox of the Rastafari mansions. Nyahbinghi is rooted in the direct veneration of Emperor Haile Selassie I as the returned Messiah and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Known for its powerful drum ceremonies and chanting.

Oldest mansion

Drum & chant tradition

Orthodox Selassie veneration

Bobo Ashanti

Founded by Prince Emmanuel Charles Edwards, the Bobo Ashanti mansion emphasizes strict livity, priestly order, and the repatriation of African people to the continent. Members are known for their distinctive turbans and robes.

Priestly order

Strict livity

Repatriation focus

Twelve Tribes of Israel

Founded by Vernon Carrington (Prophet Gad), the Twelve Tribes mansion organizes members by birth month corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. Known for its openness to people of all backgrounds and its embrace of the Bible as central scripture.

Birth month tribes

Open to all

Bible-centered

What We Stand On

Six Core Principles

These six principles are not rules imposed from outside — they are the living convictions that animate everything we do at Sanctuary of the Sun.

Jah Is the Source

All healing, all wisdom, and all life flows from Jah. We acknowledge the divine in every person and every act of care.

I and I Are One

There is no separation between self and community. The healing of one is the healing of all. We do not serve — we walk alongside.

Ital Is Vital

Clean, plant-based, life-giving food and herbal medicine are not optional — they are the foundation of physical and spiritual health.

Repatriation of the Mind

Before physical repatriation comes the repatriation of the mind — the liberation of consciousness from Babylon's systems of oppression and self-doubt.

Reasoning Over Reaction

We cultivate the practice of reasoning — deep, respectful, communal dialogue — as the primary tool for conflict resolution, decision-making, and growth.

No One Is Forgotten

The incarcerated, the homeless, the addicted, the grieving — these are not problems to be managed. They are members of our body, and we go to them.

Legal Identity

508(c)(1)(a) Faith Based Organization

Distinct from 501(c)(3)

A 508(c)(1)(a) FBO is a separate and distinct legal category from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It carries a mandatory exception from IRS Form 990 reporting requirements.

First Amendment Protected

Full freedom of religious expression, ministry operation, and faith-based practice without government restriction or interference.

Recognized in All 50 States

Our FBO status is applicable in all 50 states and internationally under the Hague Convention of the United Nations Charter.

Fully Tax-Deductible Giving

All donations to Sanctuary of the Sun are fully tax-deductible to the donor under federal law. Formal acknowledgment letters are provided.

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