The Sun

Here comes the sun,
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright

Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darlin’, it feels like years since it’s been here…

Little darlin’, the smile’s returning to their faces
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here…

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…

Little darlin’, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been clear

Here comes the sun,
Here comes the sun
It’s alright

It’s alright

‘Here Comes The Sun’ by The Beatles (Harrison)

Welcome to my circle of sunshine! It’s my belief that every card in the Tarot has both positive and negative connotations (and why I don’t read reversals per se, rather I’m guided by both the spread and my querent as to whether a card’s energy is light or shadow), but The Sun is BIG on the positivity and doesn’t leave the shadow many spaces to hide. It’s one of the happiest, brightest cards in the deck, and when it comes up in a reading it’s inviting us to rise and shine 😄.

It’s also a pretty straightforward card to understand and to write about (I have nowhere near the pages and pages of notes I made on The Moon card to wade through this time!), because the feeling it asks us to reflect on is a very simple feeling: happiness. I don’t mean it’s easy – God knows if happiness was easy so many of us wouldn’t be so miserable all the damn time! – but it’s simple. Grief, pain, sadness – these are all complex feelings, wrought out of many strands of emotion and memory. But happiness is a big, golden now, that washes over us and asks us to let go and just soak in its glow. Under the sun everything becomes simple, joyous, physical, and we find ourselves totally alive with childlike joy. And it’s a joy that is very much a verb, a doing word – something that happens when we are out in the world in a sunny field, not alone in a library with our dusty books. As Rachel Pollack notes: “Enlightenment is an experience, not an idea.”

Even if this card crops up at a dark time in our lives, one of the most straightforward, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin ways to interpret The Sun is as a reminder that going outside into the sunshine is an excellent way to boost happiness. As Maddy Elruna points out, “the sun’s energy is the original source of life’s energy on this planet… Plants photosynthesise using the sun’s light and form the start of the food chain for the planet’s animals. The bright, bold sun represents our connection with that life source, whether we see that as… energy or a deity”. Go! The Sun urges us: go outside and feel the light on your skin. Go and frolic in the fields! All is well. After all, “sometimes in the darkest moments you get the brightest cards to lead you out”.

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Beddingfield (Brisebois/Beddingfield/Rodrigues)

The Sun in a reading is therefore linked with optimism, success, good health, gratitude, and happiness, as well as a sense of clarity and understanding. A. E. Waite (co-creator of the classic RWS deck) wrote of the card that it signifies “the transit from the manifest light of this world, represented by the glorious sun of earth, to the light of the world to come, which goes before aspiration [aka Judgement] and is typified by the heart of a child“. The card asks us to open ourselves up to the warmth and wonder of the world just like we did when we were children, running across the lawn naked on a hot day to escape the arc of the sprinkler: “strip yourself bare (metaphorically)! Let the Sun shine down on your (metaphorically) naked body!” (Jen Cownie & Fiona Lensvelt). To this extent, as Meg Jones Wall explains, “The Sun archetype teaches us to stop hiding, to be transparent about our desires and needs, to believe in more. Just like the sun’s warm and life-giving light, we need hope to survive and thrive”.

Despite being a pretty straightforward card, there’s still a lot of symbolism going on with The Sun (quelle surprise!) in many of the ‘classic’ Tarot decks (such as the RWS, above). Much like the moon in The Moon card, the central image in any Sun card tends to be the sun, natch! The over-arching quest of the Tarot (like many other systems of spirituality, religion, and therapy) is to integrate and accept the different parts of ourselves. We can see in the RWS image the sun’s rays alternate between straight/active/masculine and wavy/passive/feminine. We need to recognise and honour both these types of energy in ourselves. The sun represents the contentment we feel when our lives (and selves) are balanced. Some Tarot scholars have suggested that the twenty one rays we see in the RWS could represent the twenty one (other) Major Arcana. By omitting itself from this representation The Sun “reveals the importance of illuminating others. The Sun could turn the light inward, but instead chose to turn it outward” (John Taylor). However, it certainly could be the case that there was meant to be twenty two rays (or even twenty four); note the abortive little black squiggle up by the numerals. It’s of course very possible that this is an “oops” line where Smith realised if she kept drawing in rays she was going to run out of room for her ‘XIX’, so just cut off halfway through. Who knows? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar 😂

Sun cards also often feature sunflowers; beautiful, bright flowers whose young buds famously exhibit heliotropism – that is, they track the movement of the sun across the sky (though interestingly this stops when sunflowers reach maturity – another call back to the importance of embracing our inner childlikeness?) The sunflowers can be taken to represent us seeking spiritual connection within this life, by turning our faces towards the sun – the clear light of truth. As Carrie Mallon, co-creator of the Spacious Tarot (below) points out, the fact that “sunflowers track the light across the sky… [has] much to teach us about embracing radiance”. The four flowers in the RWS card may represent the four classical ‘elements’ (fire, water, air, earth), or the four suits of the Minor Arcana, illustrating the importance of achieving balance and harmony in all aspects of our lives (the intellectual, the material, the emotional, and the spiritual).

Many Sun cards also prominently feature a child, often naked. The nakedness can represent having nothing to hide – being open and unguarded, just like we are as children. Under The Sun’s influence we can be reconnected with a sense of play, and rediscover a lot of the qualities that are inherent to little kids – hope, optimism, and trust that the universe has our backs. Children are often very open to new experience, to learning through play, and enjoy both their failures and successes as part of that process. However, while children often have the inner light of The Sun in abundance, older people “tend to have to cultivate it”. As Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt explain, for many The Sun needs to become “a practice… The Sun doesn’t just live in moments of overwhelming happiness, victory, and extravagantly joyous occasions. It’s also in the simpler things that bring pleasure: the light in the late afternoon, a happy exchange with someone in the park, not missing the bus, something you need being exactly where you thought you left it, a day where everything went well, breathing.” The card can be a message to recognise and consciously connect with these small moments of joy in all our lives.

It was grace
Stunned by the last lights of the sun
Swimming in a green sea as deep as a drum
There are things I must record, must praise
There are things I have to say about the fullness
And the blaze of this beautiful life
Of this beautiful life

From ‘Grace’ by Kae Tempest (Carey/Tempest)

The child (or figure) that features in The Sun card is often sat on a horse, a classic symbol of majesty and freedom. There is often no saddle or reins – instead the rider rides bareback and by instinct, at one with the horse, both free and in charge. This can be taken to symbolise the union of the conscious (rider) and unconscious (horse), brought together in glorious harmony. It’s also a call back to the similar white horse on the Death card – but while that horse brough endings, this one brings new beginnings.

There is often a wall behind the central figure in The Sun card, surrounding the sunflowers in the garden. in ‘Spiritual Tarot‘ Echols et al. explain that the child in The Sun card is “turning his back on the limitation and restriction” symbolised by the wall. We construct walls within ourselves as we grow and develop. As we become adults, these constructs can become restrictive to further growth. In The Sun card, the inner child breaks away from these (self-imposed) barriers, and roams free and liberated. It is like being born again – the card invites us to step into a sense of childlike happiness and innocence once more.

However, it’s important to remember that much of children’s ability to play and trust is dependent on them feeling secure and protected by their parents/caregivers. Children raised in a caring environment will view the world as a fundamentally good and fair place, where they feel safe. It is the wall that provides this safety – just as it kept the walled Garden of Eden a secure little pocket of Paradise. For me this is an element of The Sun card that can hit very different depending on the overall spread and the question we’ve asked. Walls can be prisons we need to escape, or fortresses keeping us safe – context is key.

The Fool is joyous and playful because it is his nature – he knows nothing else. But, much like Jen Cownie & Fiona Lensvelt’s conception of The Sun as a practice of joy, Bakara Wintner notes that The Sun is joyous and playful through choice: “we arrive at The Sun after an extended period of darkness, with a renewed appreciation for life and a hard-earned understanding of this card’s value. We are fully awake to the precious, healing nature of this oasis.”

There is also the feathery-symbolism legacy of the Egyptian god Anubis to consider. Anubis (beloved of many Justice and Judgement cards!) would weigh the hearts of the (recently) dead against a feather (Ma’at). Only if your heart is balanced may you proceed through the Hall of Judgement to heaven. A heart heavier than a feather was not good news – you were immediately devoured by Ammit! If this connection is relevant, than The Sun card could also be reminding us to keep our hearts light (baggage free) so when the time comes we can ‘pass the test’ and move on to better things.

Finally, the red flag the child holds in some classic Tarot Suns symbolises vitality, energy, good health, and passion. He carries the banner easily, it’s no burden to him. It’s like a Team Happiness flag, and it shows others ‘hey, I’ve got it’. The banner also bears similarities to the scarlet veil we see behind the Justice card – the veil has now been torn away. Nothing is shrouded anymore. The Sun Child is showing his victory in unveiling the mysteries of life and death. Tarot scholars have pointed out the similarities in the iconography of this card and Isaiah 11, which speaks of a future time of restoration and peace under the Messiah: “In that day the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). In Christian art, we sometimes see the resurrected Jesus with a similar banner, symbolising victory over death. The Sun card then may also symbolise a resurrection of sorts, the resurrection of humanity, as well as our own personal victories over death and despair. Reconnected with love and hope, we are ready to seek the world anew. As Parzival notes on the Aeclectic Tarot website, The Sun card “has a weightlessness and joy about it, as if the whole universe [along with the querent] has a great laugh of relief“.

I Can See Clearly Now The Moon Has Gone…

Coming after the indistinct and dreamy waters of The Moon, The Sun card is about the rational mind, about logic, and about seeing clearly in the light of day. You don’t rely on your psychic or intuitive powers with The Sun, nor do you need to. You are fully lucid, seeing all that is in front of you, here and now. As The Moon symbolized inspiration from dreams, The Sun symbolises discoveries made wide awake – hence its link with science and deductive reasoning. As Meg Jones Wall explains, “fear of the unknown no longer dominates us, and instead we understand that we are beings of light and shadow, hope and hesitation, awe and inspiration… And in honouring every step of this journey, in recognising our triumphs and mistakes, in finding joy even in the midst of impossible moments, we experience the delight and satisfaction of right internal abundance”. With The Sun you’re exactly where you want to be, doing what you want to do. And the world makes sense. You’re awake and aware and you can solve any little problem. Reason rules. Harmony rules. Clarity rules. You feel young, you feel energized, you feel on top of things. The Sun isn’t about the hopeful future, like The Star, it’s about the optimistic NOW.

I really like the bright, no nonsense Suns we see in the Tarot of the Crystal World, the Wild Unknown Tarot, and the Genius Garden Tarot. In her review of The Wild Unknown deck, Carrie Mallon draws attention to the how the sun’s rays begin to blend into green and blue colouring, “showing the hints of the ordinary world drenched in light”. The birds in each corner are flying outwards, heralding the sun’s positive energy, and the whole card really captures “how expansive the Sun’s energy is – it is not hemmed in but bursts forth freely. There is an unstoppable sense of LIFE in this card”. What Mallon terms the “unapologetic prominence” of the sun is very visually obvious in all these cards. There is no obfuscating or hiding behind complex symbolism here. This is a card of letting yourself take up space. Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt urge us not to overthink The Sun card in a reading, instead we should take it as a sign to “encourage [us] to be in the moment, to soak it up for all it’s worth, and perhaps to radiate out some of that warmth to those around [us]”.  Rather than “dwelling on past hurts or worrying about the next fork in the road, we [should] turn our faces to the light and allow ourselves to be deeply, fully, authentically present… [To] take delight and pleasure in where we are, feel a sense of personal alchemy, [and] soak up the warmth” (Meg Jones Wall).

The Sun urges us to skip, to dance, to play, and to cherish whoever – or whatever – makes us feel energised and vital. It also teaches us to remember to look for moments of wonder in our daily lives, to dredge nuggets of gold out of the mud of the mundane. I really love Poppy Palin’s take on the card, where the traditional banner carried by the RWS Sun Child has become a smiling young woman’s headscarf. Palin writes, “this image was inspired by someone glimpsed from a train while travelling through a rundown region with its grimy streets and industrial buildings. Just as I mused that such a dismal place could lower your spirits, a lady in a vivid sari appeared, and she had such obvious joie de vivre and panache that I knew my assumption was wrong. This card celebrates all those who shine in dark places, helping us appreciate the resilience and radiance of all beings in this shared moment. Here we all are together in this particular Now – isn’t that wonderful?“

Yes, our wedding was an eruption of joy,
never to be repeated. But I’m talking
the daily visitations, like a flock
of finches that appears as I emerge,
that circles above the house and me
three times, exactly three, before
heading east and promptly vanishing
against the peaks. The joys
so small they barely register—
the sight of clouds lenticular
advancing over mountains,
a perk of our geography. Coyote choirs.
A cottonwood bedecked with blackbirds,
all with Puerto Rico on their minds.
A spontaneous hug from the one
I’ve been cooped up with every day.
These many joys rain down as grace,
connecting mine to all lives,
mycelia groping through the wet
and giving ground.

‘All Joys Are Small’ by Sharon Corcoran

Black Hole Sun

While I do think of The Sun as a super positive card, like everything in Tarot it comes with some shadow baggage. Bakara Wintner points out that The Sun is benevolent, but also impersonal – it indiscriminately nourishes everything and everyone it touches. Too much Sun energy can leave us perhaps being too rational and too factual (instead of offering the emotional support or quiet reflection someone in our lives might need), or perhaps too optimistic. There’s always a danger of the sort of toxic positivity we sometimes see, or people who are so bright and cheery they ignore the danger lurking in the shadows.

Isabella Rotman observes that “constant sun will make a desert out a verdant garden” – while the sun’s energy can fill us with exuberance and joy, it can also scorch, sicken, and make arid if overused. We can see the threat of this apparent in the above images from the Wayhome Tarot and the Holloway Tarot, and it is for this reason that Bakara Wintner warns us “because it is unyielding in its energetic output, each person must negotiate [their] relationship to this archetype”. The sun can also shed light on things we might prefer to stay tucked away in the shadows. Coming as it does after the “gentle luminescence” of The Star and The Moon, The Sun can be brighter than we’re ready for. Its “indiscriminate glare exposes truths that we had not yet acknowledged, even dragging deeply buried secrets out in a way that is uncomfortable or unsettling” (Meg Jones Wall).

Cownie & Lensvelt note that while The Moon taps into things that might be niggling away in our subconscious, The Sun is about things we can see, recognise, and name. So, if the card feels wrong to us in a pull, it might be time to ask what it is that it’s bringing into the light. Why is it that such a happy card might feel like it “catch[es] on something tender?” This is a question I asked myself, as I got a bit tearful writing parts of this blog post (Tarot is therapy, for real!), more than I have done for any of the ‘harder’ cards like The Tower or Death. Sometimes opening ourselves up to joy and hope feels more raw and painful than living with grief and disappointment. “It’s OK to be happy” can be a tough message to fully sit with, especially in a world that’s so full of devastation and horror right now.  But do. Let yourself be happy. Listen to The Sun! 

Writing on The Little Red Tarot blog, Beth Maiden advises us “if The Sun’s essence feels very foreign to you right now, then let this card witness you and encourage you to take hold of your feelings. This isn’t about ‘pulling yourself together’, neither is it any kind of ‘cure’ for depression or grief. It is more about consciously walking with the idea of happiness, knowing that it is an option, and gently moving in that direction. Knowing that you deserve to feel joy in life. Knowing that it’s possible.” For as Meg Jones Wall points out, “the gift of this card is in calling us to slowly open ourselves to the brilliance around us, to appreciate this benevolent energy, to find triumph in the process of illumination…  We are brave, perhaps wielding more strength than we ever realised. And in this moment, we celebrate.”

In ‘Tarot For Change‘ Jessica Dore tells the parable of the Princess and the Frog (or, The Frog Prince in its original form), as a metaphor for how we need to be prepared to look down into the deep and dark wells inside of us to be reunited with our golden balls (aka the bright, joyful energy of The Sun). As she explains, “the task here is to shine a light on, and in doing so come into a relationship with, the… [parts of us] that we long ago relegated to the bottoms of the damp wells on the edges of our awareness. It is to courageously follow the bouncing ball into the shadowy forests and see what’s there”.

There can certainly be some messages in the card about how we deal with darkness, depression, and feelings of unworthiness. For the most part though, this card echoes the song ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and absolutely everything is going to be alright 🌞

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