The Sun

"Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful, and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun."

- Don Miguel Ruiz

Associations / Attributions

Card Meanings / Keywords

Golden Dawn

Glory, gain, arrogance, vanity.

Waite

Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment. Reversed: Same in a lesser degree.

Crowley

Glory, gain, riches, triumph, truth, pleasure, shamelessness, arrogance, vanity, recovery from sickness, sometimes death.

Personal

Abundant life, success, joy, a crossing over of life "into the light" of paradise.

Synopsis

The Sun is one of the most unambiguous trumps in tarot. It is, quite simply, the sun in the sky—the source of life, light, and growth. Many of the human myths of wonder and imagination about the solar disc can be found in this trump; thus, while simple as an outward symbol, it can can also present infinite facets of the same shining light. Its influence is immensely powerful and its personality is often felt strongly when it appears in a reading, usually in a positive respect.

However, the Sun’s intensity can also overwhelm the human experience such as when one crosses a desert without preparation and respect for the sun’s power. So while the Sun can be the source of all of one’s desires and dreams on the earth, it is to one’s favor to be mindful of how much energy this being radiates and prepare accordingly, if possible. The Sun is traditionally associated with the enlightened mind and the dawning of illuminated consciousness: No matter what the situation, the perspective of the Sun allows for the experience of true joy and the bliss of union with the unnameable. The way home is lit before you.

Poiesis

With palms raised skyward
Praise the shining one
Wings wide open the disc behind
calling a messenger for all to behold
Walk the path of bliss overgrown with life
footfalls tracing signs left by those who have crossed beyond the bounds
Sing the sign, circle and point
Dancing into these bodies
each a harmony in the epic tides of joy

Where do I allow the light of awakened awareness shine? How may I bring this light into to the world?