The Sun
KEYWORDS
UPRIGHT
Attainment
Glory
Majesty
Celebrity
Eminence
REVERSED
Disorientation
Quiescence
Call of Clarion
"In Divination, Arcanum XIX may be read as Happiness and Joy. Arcanum XIX expresses in the spiritual world, the supreme heaven. In the intellectual world, true happiness. In the physical world, sacred union. Remember, then, son of the earth, that the light of mysteries is a redoubtable fluid, put by nature at the service of the will. She lights those who know how to direct her, she strikes down with a thunderbolt those who ignore her power or who abuse it. If Arcanum XIX should appear in the prophetic signs of the horoscope, happiness awaits thee in domestic life if thou knowest how to strengthen the conjugal circle and guard its sacredness in the sanctuary of the heart."
-C. C. ZAIN, The Sacred Tarot, 1936
Ffiona Morgan, Daughters of the Moon Tarot, United States, 2000
Published in 1984, considered one of the most important 20th Century tarot decks. This deck offers a feminist take on the arcana and a diverse exploration of female archetypes.
The Sun is the nineteenth key to the Major Arcana in Tarot. The Element of the Sun is Fire and the planetary affiliation is with The Sun.
Qualities of the Sun are Vitality, New Life, and Energy. An alternative name for The Sun is Illumination. Symbols are Naked Child(ren), Banner of Victory, White Horse, and Sunflowers.
In German the Sun is called Die Sonne. In French, Le Soleil. And in Italian, Il Sole.
SYMBOLOGY
A child, naked and innocent, rides a white horse, while carrying a fluttering banner of victory. Above the child is an enormous sun, usually depicted as figurative, with a serene, paternal face. This image represents the source of all life on Earth. The card also represents childhood innocence and purity, particularly emphasized through the white horse, a symbol of strength and nobility. In the background, four sunflowers grow above a brick wall. they represent the four kingdoms of nature -- animal, vegetable, mineral, and human -- the four suits of the Minor Arcana -- and the four elements. The Sun rules over them all.
ATTRIBUTES
A new and radiant day has dawned. The Sun gives strength. He offers abundance and vitality. He signifies health and invigoration, clarity and confidence, all without ego. This is the card of attainment and fulfillment. The Sun warms all it touches. Yet he also demands that success is to be shared, that all rewards are distributed equally. He is the clarion call of victory over darkness, of our emergence into the light. He is the source of power and energy, the fuel that drives divine will.
Nino Japaridze, Japaridze Tarot, Georgia/France, 2014
By contemporary artist Nina Japaridze, the surrealistic collage style of the Japaridze Tarot offers a bold and modern take on classic Tarot symbolism.