The Sun: Happiness and Joy and... What?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	13 Apr 2003
I have always had a problem with the Sun card. Most of the time I can talk for ages about the Major Arcana, but when it comes to the Sun card, all I can think of is... 'Hapiness, joy, bliss.' Which is all fair and good, but it doesn't lend itself to a reading very well at all... And I would really like to find the deeper symbolism and meaning within this card, instead of just the above three words! Would anybody be so kind as to help me out? Kiama

Aerin	13 Apr 2003
I've often had it coming up in readings as meaning something about things coming out into the open at long last e.g. the truth about someone or something, an issue becoming very clear. Innocence and openess also. And don't you think the child looks a bit selfish? Everything is for me? I am the centre of attention? Once I interpreted it as being to do with the desire for fame, and being blinded by this perhaps to the exclusion of others. It worked in that particular context. Aerin ps not very deep, but just what things the card has meant to me.

littleneptune	13 Apr 2003
I like to think of the Sun card as the opposite of the Moon. Where the Moon is dark, fearful and uncertain , the Sun is bright, clear and sure of itself. Where the Moon represents unconscious forces at work, the Sun is very conscious and self-aware. Where the Moon is deceptive and maybe even neurotic, the Sun is straightforward and open. My Robin Wood Sun card shows a child, and I think of the Sun as representing childlike energies--playful, fun, mostly happy.

Inana	13 Apr 2003
One of the meanings i more associate The Sun is friendship and good relations with the other people. And sometimes it sounds also like the "holidays" and the summer card. Well, in fact i have the same problem than you, Kiama, cant see many different meanings than happines in this card.

Aoife	13 Apr 2003
I suppose one must first ask, can you have too much happiness? For me the answer is yes, particularly if it serves to deny the shades of light and dark in human experience. So, if something is exposed to the sun for too long it can become dried out, scorched, burned, brittle, inflexible, ossified. We can all have too much of a good thing - even happiness.

HudsonGray	13 Apr 2003
Don't forget there's a downside to the sun--not only will it show a person 'in the spotlight' which may or may not be desired, there's also the fact that too MUCH sun results in a very BAD sunburn. So while the main thrust of the card is happy happy joy joy, to be sure, there are other aspects to it that aren't so rosey.

zorya	13 Apr 2003
i've seen the sun mean clarity in ways that were not apparently happy or joyful. the sun can burn away illusion and sometimes the clarity is shocking or painful at first. in the long run the clarity is for the best and great happiness that was not possible under the illusion can finally occur.

Rose	13 Apr 2003
Some ways to look at the Sun card: Happiness. How can you create a happier life for yourself? Energy. How might you bring energy to a situation? How can you revitalize a stale situation. The power of understanding, clarity. Having an intellectual breakthrough. Light and clarity after a period of confusion. You are capable of rational solutions to problems. Putting your fears aside. The simplicity of wisdom typified by the mind of a child. A time of creativity. The need to reveal your true self to others. The spirit that overcomes adversity and despair. Pleasure in daily existence. Optimism. Being the center of attention. Glory-your day in the Sun. Setting a shining example. Knowing you can succeed. Don't be afraid to take a leadership role. Don't be afraid to let others know of your abilities. The card can represent something that is at the center of your universe-i.e. a life that revolves around work, children, spouse, etc (can be good or bad). Your life may be too intense. Are you heading for burnout. You may be too self-centered-could you be more open-mind or tolerant? Excessive pride. Rose

jmd	14 Apr 2003
I must admit that I do tend to take this card in very much its more positive forms. Having said this, I find it really wonderful to read what others have had to say, and Rose's comments may certainly emerge during a reading. Apart from some of what I have already written in the XVIIII - Soleil thread, if one uses a traditional depiction (such as found on, amongst others, the Marseille), then the two young people in front of the brick wall may certainly indicate twins. In more ancient times, in some places at least, the birth of twins was regarded as something quite special. Rome, of course, was considered to have been founded by Twins, but more than this, twins seemed to have the ability to enter the realm of the Gods and divine, presumably, more easily than other mortals. I am also reminded of a depiction of this card on the back-jacket of a biography of Crowley (I have, unfortunately, misplaced the book a number of years ago), upon which the card of the Sun was depicted in a manner somewhat similar to the Marseilles, save that the youngsters were somewhat older, one clearly male and the other female, and, rather than in the vertical position, depicted horizontally in coition. Here, then, not only may one talk of the fecundity of the Sun, but of its more earthy representation. At another level, I often see this card as possibly depicting the alchemical union of the Sun and Moon, the male and female (so aptly graphically depicted in that representation just mentioned). As such, it indicates that which will also later be achieved: the integration of the self as Mercury. For myself, and as mentioned in a number of earlier posts, I usually also pair the cards. In this case, then, the Sun is the inner aspects of the Hermit (VIIII/X-VIIII): the outer light which the Hermit shines for others comes from his own inner Sun, from the inner recesses of the PaRDeS in which knowledge has been transcended and not only the Understanding of the Moon, but the Wisdom of the Sun achieved (Kabbalistically, Hockmah - I say this also knowing that the GD & others connect the normal Sun to the central Sefirah of Tifaret). Here, then, is the highest stage to which the ascent can reach - the remainder of the journey is achieved through grace...

firemaiden	14 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by jmd For myself, and as mentioned in a number of earlier posts, I usually also pair the cards. In this case, then, the Sun is the inner aspects of the Hermit (VIIII/X-VIIII): the outer light which the Hermit shines for others comes from his own inner Sun, from the inner recesses of the PaRDeS in which knowledge has been transcended and not only the Understanding of the Moon, but the Wisdom of the Sun achieved (Kabbalistically, Hockmah - I say this also knowing that the GD & others connect the normal Sun to the central Sefirah of Tifaret ). jmd, this is so interesting. I haven't seen these threads on pairing, and would love to read them. Would you mind fetching a link for us? Feeling a bit inadequate to understand everything here, would you mind explaining also what PaRDeS is (paradis?) You mentioned it before on the Judgment Thread, Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I would really enjoy to ponder and discuss with you all this Hermit/Sun pairing in relation to Plato. For all of us: here is a link to a VERY GOOD explanation and illustration of Plato's Allegory of the Cave

skytwig	14 Apr 2003
From Sylvia Abraham: Quote: The sun is the source of power. It is called our day star. The child is nude, which shows honesty, innocence, and openness. The sunflowers are life and the seeds are new ideas. The wall indicates limits in the physical world, although there are none in the spiritual world. The card also refers to the study of science and mathematics. The straight lines coming down from the sun are masculine; the wavy lines are feminine. The red banner shows energy and action. The horse refers to the five senses and also energy. From Eden Grey: Quote: Four sunflowers are turned toward him for their fuller development, rather than toward the sun. They represent the four elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. ... The child holds the red banner of the conquest of life in his left hand, the subconscious; he has passed it on from his right, the conscious. This is what we do with a skill well learned.... the number 19 is considered in mythology and legends as the number of the Sun. For me, too, the Sun card is filled with creativity, our individual realms of giving life!

Dark Inquisitor	14 Apr 2003
Liberation & optimism -- it feels wonderful ! Amulet

jmd	15 Apr 2003
Firemaiden asks about the pairings which I indicated.... there are a number of threads which includes partial discussions, and I'm having problems locating these in a meaningful way. The two threads which follow, however, each contain relevant discussions: Qabalists do the Fool's Journey Backwards! and especially The fool on the top With regards to PaRDeS, it does refer to the paradise - ie, also the garden of innocence - as well as the fourfold means by which to read a text (from its literal to its esoteric aspects). In going back to the original post by Kiama, one of the great areas of discussion regarding this card includes its various representations, especially the two already included within this thread: its image containing a rider upon a horse (with various ages) vs two individuals (usually) standing...

Kiama	15 Apr 2003
Thanks for all your replies guys, it's really helped me see other sides to this card! I am also quite perplexed by an earlier version of the Sun card, where we see two youths, a young man and young woman, sitting on the grass under the Sun, reading from the same book... What does this mean? And how on Eart hdid we get from this image to the naked ugly kid on a horse?! Kiama

The The Sun: Happiness and Joy and... What? thread was originally posted on 13 Apr 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.