What the Observance of the Sun is.
The shortest possible answer: it is a California religious nonprofit, founded January 2026, whose central practice is silent observance of sunrise and sunset. The longer answer is the rest of this page.
The legal basics
The Observance of the Sun is incorporated in California as a nonprofit religious corporation (CA Entity Number B20260038755) and holds federal Employer Identification Number 41-3900081. The IRS organization record identifies the organization type as Church. IRS guidance generally provides that churches meeting the requirements of §501(c)(3) are not required to apply for a determination letter. This site does not promise any individual donor a particular tax result. See the legal status page for the public summary.
- Founded
- January 2026, Encinitas, California
- Legal form
- California nonprofit religious corporation · Federal EIN 41-3900081 · IRS organization type: Church
- EIN
- 41-3900081
- CA Entity
- B20260038755
- Founder
- Bobby Morong
- Where
- San Diego coast — Encinitas, Cardiff, Del Mar
The practice
The Observance has one practice. Choose sunrise or sunset. Put your phone away — not on silent, away. Watch the light change in silence. Stay with the threshold for a little while if circumstances allow. Return when you can. That is the whole religion. There is no creed to memorize, no service to attend, no tithe to pay. The full step-by-step is on the practice page.
What we believe
We believe that paying close attention to the natural world is a form of devotion. We believe that restraint — of attention, of consumption, of speech — is sacred. We believe that the Sun rises and sets without our help or our permission, and that choosing to notice is the only act required of a practitioner. We do not believe the Sun is a deity. We believe the Sun is the Sun, and that this is enough.
What we are not
We are not a cult. We are not a wellness brand. We are not a meditation app, and we do not compete with one — the practice is free and will always be free. We are not a sun-worship religion in the historical sense, and our doctrine does not borrow from Indigenous solar traditions, Catholic mission feast-day geometry, or Sabbatarian Christianity. We are not the First Church of Cannabis — though cannabis is recognized as an optional sacrament for adult practitioners, it is governed by the same principle as everything else here: restraint.
Why this exists
The Observance was founded by Bobby Morong in January 2026 after years of returning to sunrise and sunset as a private discipline. He did not invent the sky or the act of watching it. The organization gives that simple act a durable religious frame: stop, look up, remain quiet, and return.
Where this is going
We are building a small network of free, open-air gathering places on the San Diego coast — borrowed yards, rooftops, terraces, and bluffs where small groups can sit together in silence at sunrise or sunset. We are not buying property. We are not building churches. We are practicing the discipline of borrowed quiet, and asking people with coastal access to lend it for an hour. If that's you, the gatherings page is the place to start.
How the institution is governed
The Observance is designed to stay legible. Doctrine is public. The founder is named. The legal identifiers are public. The practice is free. We want the institution to be easy to evaluate and hard to mythologize. If you want the structural version of that argument, read Governance. If you want the human version, read Founder. If you are writing about us, start with Press.
How you can help
The practice is free. Voluntary support helps sustain public resources, lawful gatherings, basic stewardship, and local awareness. Giving creates no rank, recognition, access, authority, or spiritual standing. Support the Observance →