XIX The Sun - 'Life Force'

The Fool has moved beyond the magical landscapes of The Star and The Moon and is now about to reenter the real world in spectacular fashion. He's gazed upon that Star and made a wish; he's witnessed The Moon set arcane magic in motion, and now the brightest of the three celestial bodies will reveal to him the sweetest of secrets. That hope and magic combined can manifest into reality. At number 'XIX' in the Major Arcana, 'The Sun' bursts through the sky in an explosion of positive energy. 

The Sun variations. From left:
Mystic Mondays Tarot, 78 Mythical Tarot and The Oriens Tarot

THE SUN - Life Force

KEYWORDS 

Happiness. Life. Vitality. Joy. Laughter. Fun. Success. Creativity. Truth. Revelations. Good news. Optimism. Health. Enthusiasm. Passion. Freedom. Positive outcome. Answered prayer.

Clouds. Burnout. Unhappiness. Melancholy. Nostalgia. Lack of energy. Pessimism. Ill health. Obstruction. Negativity. Blocked energy. Negative outcome. Failure.

THE LIGHT 

The Sun is without a doubt the most positive card in the Major Arcana. It's always such a pleasure, not to mention relief, to see it turn up. This card represents optimism and happiness. It's a burst of raw, sheer energy that makes you thankful to be alive. The Sun is about passion and endless creativity; about irrepressible laughter and joy; about freedom and a lust for life that knows no bounds. 

This is the card of victory and success. It enhances our confidence, our drive and our enthusiasm. It indicates great physical, as well as mental health. It's almost as if our inner Fool has reverted back to his naturally exuberant self; his true spirit seemingly unaffected by the many obstacles he's encountered and the lessons he's learned along the way. The maturity and experience gained have only made this new joyful state of being that much sweeter and gratifying. 

The Sun spreads much needed, revealing light over the obscure, enigmatic landscape of The Moon. Everything can now be seen as it truly is, no more ambiguity. Happy days are here again. Good news is forthcoming and life could simply not get any better.

Enjoy this glorious reprieve for as long as it will last. We all need and deserve these highs in our lives to counterbalance the inevitable lows that come with living a full life. It's by the frequency of these happy moments that we measure our degree of life satisfaction. 

'The Sun' from the Tyldwick Tarot and the Manuscript of Initiations Tarot

THE SHADOW 

Can a vibrant card like The Sun hide a shadow side? Is that even possible? The answer is yes, of course. This is the Tarot, after all, and no single card is inherently, nor exclusively positive or negative. Tarot cards are the neutral building blocks in a spread. The reader's skill and intuition are what ultimately give purpose, shape and meaning to the symbolism. 

The Sun's shadow side diminishes its positive aspects. Think of hazy days, when the sun seems hidden behind this thin veil of mist, which is somehow opaque enough to prevent most of the Sun's rays and warmth from passing through. Everything is just a little colder, a little less bright, a little less joyful, a little less alive. Melancholy, bittersweet memories and nostalgia fill our minds. There's a hint of regret too. It's a sudden passing cloud that darkens our world, like an old color photograph washed out by the passing of time. Our feelings, our goals, successes and failures, our relationships are all of a sudden toned down, less exciting. 

'The Sun' beautiful variations. 
Left: the 5cent Tarot. Right: the Shadowscapes Tarot

The shadow Sun indicates unhappiness, pessimism, obstruction and negative outcomes to our hopes and wishes. It's also a sign of ill health and exhaustion. Depending on its position in the reading this card can be a warning that we're overdoing it or that things are moving way too fast. It's too much, too soon, too fast and we're at high risk of burning out. 

The Sun can also have a blinding effect on our perception of the world around us. We can become so focused on all the wonderful things happening in our life that we forget to pay attention to others who may not be as lucky as we are. We may even inadvertently destroy their chances at success and happiness in the process.

LITERALLY 

In the most obvious literal sense, The Sun represents a gorgeous sunny summer day. And if you're in the kitchen, maybe try some 'eggs sunny side up'!

TAROT ACADEMIA 

The Sun marks the final step in my theory that the sequence of celestial bodies in the Tarot -- The Star, Moon and Sun -- are an allegory for a magic spell or a religious prayer. If you've read my two previous card studies, you know what I'm referring to. The Star, The Moon and The Sun have seamlessly worked in unison and have realigned The Fool's reality to match his hopes and dreams. It all comes to fruition when the Sun God finally rises, infusing the Moon's overnight magic with vital energy and grants the wishes requested by the spell or the prayer. 

The Star, Moon and Sun magical trifecta
from the Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yoshitani

In various myths and ancient religions around the world, the Sun was often a symbol of life and divinity. Reincarnation, rebirth and resurrection are also associated with the many Sun deities throughout history. It's often believed that the Sun is a male entity and that the Moon is female, resulting in many cultures assigning them the roles of husband and wife, or brother and sister. The strong mythological link between these two astral bodies ensured that occultists paid close attention to their esoteric significance and included them both in their studies and their Tarot decks. 

Early Italian Tarocchi naturally featured both a Sun and a Moon card. It's unclear what they were meant to represent at the time. Some scholars believe that the Sun card in the Visconti decks was a tribute to the family emblem of the House of Visconti-Sforza, that itself features a radiant Sun. The Marseille Tarot celebrates the European cultural worship of the Sun as a symbol of life, light and joy with its depiction of a vibrant Sun and of two children embracing. 

The Sun in the Rider-Waite-Smith and the Crowley-Harris decks follow the Marseille tradition of joyful, youthful symbolism. Both feature happy children surrounded by brilliant sunlight and both are brimming with vital energy. 

This brings me back to my magical trifecta theory and to how well The Sun fits in the sequence of events set in motion when The Fool first catches a glimpse of The Star. His heartfelt, fervent wish travels through starlight, reaches and merges with the ancient magic of the moonlight and is finally materialized and revealed under the bright light of the Sun. The Fool dared to believe that anything is possible and it paid off. He chose to focus on the distant light of The Star, instead of dwelling on the darkness he experienced with The Devil and The Tower. He created his own magic though sheer hope and faith, and he was rewarded in ways he could not have imagined. 

We should all be that brave.

Left: 'I Sole' from La Corte dei Tarocchi

Right: 'The Sun' from the White Sage Tarot

AN EXERCISE 

The Sun adds an extra level of joyful energy to any other positive card it's paired with. But what happens when such a happy, vibrant card is paired with a more 'negative' card, such as The Devil, The Tower or the Ten of Swords? How does one even begin to read such contradictory elements in a spread? This is a time when intuition needs to be kicked into high gear. Give it a try. Pair The Sun with a card, or group of cards, that you consider particularly inauspicious and notice how they affect each other. 

This type of exercise is very helpful to prepare for the eventuality of contradictory card pairings in an actual live reading. Your brain will remember that you've seen this combination before and your intuition will more easily make the right connections.