He’s out there at Sewell Park in San Marcos, taking in the sun, the energy and the calm presence of the waters. As he hollers and spins, park dwellers and swimmers look on confused, content or concerned. This is Dillon Scott, or as most people know him, the Sun God.
Most Texas State students are very familiar with the tan man in shorts that makes his trek into town for his daily routine. Janie Shives, communication design senior, and her friend Lauren Young, Texas State alumna, went on an outing to Sewell during Shives’ freshman year in 2019, where she saw a man dancing and hollering. At first glance, she was concerned. Young filled her in on the story of the Sun God and the rest was history.
“We kind of just sat there and watched him have his fun,” Shives said. “I think everybody has their weird way that they like to connect with the universe, and that’s his.”
What many people see as Scott “worshipping the sun” is not exactly the case. Scott said he doesn’t worship the sun but rather talks to “Dad,” or what he said many people call God. When people come up and ask him questions about what he’s doing, he tells them he’s connecting to a power greater than himself.
“I’m losing my little self and becoming a part of my higher self,” Scott said. “Everybody can do it. Everybody.”
Blaine Tamez, Texas State alumnus, knows that when the sun is out, so is the Sun God. He said he believes the Sun God really gravitates toward Sewell because of the good energy that surrounds the area.
“With the sun, the people and the waters, you can channel that energy into anything,” Tamez said. “I think that’s why he stays there pretty often.”
Scott has a deep connection with San Marcos. As a kid, he said he visited family members in town and swam at one of the three pools available at Sewell Park. As a young adult, he attended then Southwest Texas State for a brief moment in time.
With a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, Scott moved to Houston to work for the Shell Oil Company. For years he said he struggled with drug and alcohol dependency issues. In 1996, he had a spiritual awakening and realized how bad it was on his soul.
“It shuts down your spirit and your soul. It’s an ego thing,” Scott said. “But when I stopped that, my soul started coming out.”
In 1999, Scott returned to San Marcos to stay and take care of his elderly mother. Since then, he said he’s evolved quite a bit. He now lives in a cabin, where he takes care of Sweetie, his indoor cat who he loves tremendously, and other cats around his property. He does some errands before he starts his walk to Rio Vista Park and makes his way into town, where he will work out and do “his thing” at Sewell.
Music is what moves Scott, especially EDM and trance music. He said the steady beats and the bass bring him back to a time before words when people came together and danced in groups to a beat. He listens to artists from around the world and even local artists like Siena Rea, an electrical engineering senior.
“What is so wonderful is that the artist can be from Russia or South America. It doesn’t matter,” Scott said. “It’s all the same music and all the same artists, you know, are like-minded in that way.”
When Scott was introduced to EDM, the music went from his head to his heart and then his hands. When he first started moving the way he moves out in public at Sewell, he said he was a little self-conscious at first, admitting that his ego-driven mindset at the time made him feel that way. After a while, he began to let go and become invested in what he does.
“I was too much into what I was doing to even care,” Scott said. “I don’t even know if there are people around me sometimes. I’m so lost.”
Scott said he doesn’t talk candidly to a lot of people because he doesn’t know where they’re coming from. However, the San Marcos community has grown to appreciate Scott for being an open ear to help them with school, relationships, tough times and more.
Shives said although she has never spoken to the Sun God personally, she feels the good vibes from him whenever she sees him out at Sewell and that he embodies the spirit of Texas State, which leaves a great impact on students.
“He’s here to have fun and just be nice to people, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone having a bad experience with him,” Shives said. “I think he’s just here to be a nice person.”
Tamez said that most universities have an icon of sorts and Sun God definitely takes the role proudly. Although he said that the lore and talk of San Marcos icons has decreased in the past couple of years, he believes everyone should go out to see the Sun God at least once.
“If you haven’t experienced seeing the Sun God, go experience it,” Tamez said. “And that goes for a lot of things in life.”
Scott knows that he may seem different to others, but whenever a kid waves back at him or a student comes up to him and asks questions, he feels good inside. He appreciates people “putting up with him” and having an open mind.
“If we can all become childlike, we can enter the new kingdom,” Scott said. “It’s not the kingdom of heaven. It’s the kingdom within each and every one of us.”
To learn more about Dillon Scott and to check out the River Trilogy, Scott’s spiritual fantasy series, go to rivertrilogy.weebly.com.