Clarity, joy, freedom and vital fullness: the light in which everything is seen distinctly and there is nothing to hide. Noon, the dawn fulfilled; the innocent, shameless joy of being.
'The Sun bearing the image of a rose upon a green hill.' The rose is the flowering of the solar influence. Around the edges are the signs of the Zodiac in their normal position (Aries rising in the east), the Zodiac as a childlike representation of the body of Nuit. A green hill aspires toward the heavens; its summit is encircled by a wall (the aspiration of the New Aeon does not mean the absence of control). Before the wall are two children, male and female, ever-young, shameless and innocent, dancing in the light and upon the earth. At their feet are the Rose and Cross of the old Aeon: they have already risen above them. The Cross has expanded into a Sun with twelve rays (the number of the signs of the Zodiac and of the title Hua); the limitation of the number four has vanished.
☀️The Sun with twelve rays — the letter Resh ('head'), the luminary the Sun; the Cross has expanded into a Sun, the limitation of the number four has vanished
👫The two dancing children — ever-young, shameless and innocent; a new stage of humanity, full freedom as both cause and effect
🌹The rose on the green hill — the flowering of the solar influence; fertile soil and the aspiration toward the heavens
🧱The wall around the summit — the path from Hod to Yesod; the aspiration of the New Aeon does not mean the absence of control
♈The Zodiac around the edges — a childlike representation of the body of Nuit, the chosen girdle of the Lady of infinite space
Interpretation
The Sun is clarity, joy, freedom and vital fullness: the light in which everything is seen distinctly and there is nothing to hide. Liberation from old limitations — sin and death in their former sense; the innocent, shameless joy of being, like that of the two dancing children. This is one of the simplest and clearest cards: Heru-ra-ha, Lord of the New Aeon, manifesting as the Sun spiritual, moral and physical.
If the Moon was the midnight and the Gate of Resurrection, the Sun is the noon, the dawn fulfilled. Freedom brings sanity; a new stage of humanity, where full freedom is both the cause and the effect of a new influx of solar energy. The daytime side gathers thus: a clear mood, warmth, the joy of life, optimism and generosity, and at depth — a significant step toward maturity, a return to simplicity.
The counsel is to come out into the light, to act openly and freely, to trust the renewed influx of vital force; to remember that the freedom of the New Aeon does not abolish control (the wall around the hill) but lifts false prohibitions. It is a time to make plans light-heartedly, to be filled with life and to rejoice in it, to show yourself to advantage, to display warmth and generosity; the counsel is added to take the matter lightly.
The Moon The Moon — a direct contrast and continuation: midnight gives way to the noon of the New Aeon. The Aeon Aeon and the Universe The Universe — cards of the same epoch: Heru-ra-ha here and in the Aeon is the Lord of the Aeon, and in the Universe the dancing maiden is his partner. Lust Lust — the solar Lion of the same epoch of Horus; the Star The Star — the body of Nuit, which the rays of the Sun freely pierce.
The shadow of the card is a light not yet accepted: a joy one cannot reach; a freedom one fears or confuses with licence. This is success, health, creative flowering, the union of masculine and feminine in innocence.
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Advice & forecast
✦ The card's advice
Come out into the light: act openly and freely, without hiding yourself or your intentions — in this light there is nothing to hide. Trust the renewed influx of vital force, be filled with life and rejoice in it, make plans light-heartedly, show warmth and generosity, present yourself to advantage. Take the matter lightly: the joy of the New Aeon lifts the false prohibitions of sin and shame. But remember the wall around the hill: freedom does not abolish control and is not the same as licence. Accept the innocent, shameless joy of being, like that of the two dancing children — and do not cling to the weight of old, outlived prejudices.
🔮 What the forecast holds
Ahead lie clarity, joy, freedom and success: a light in which everything is open and there is nothing to conceal, a renewed influx of vital force. There may be flowering, healing, liberation, creative and personal fullness; a new impulse, confidence, an excellent mood, a mature perception — an awareness of your aim. This is the noon fulfilled after the midnight, one of the most favourable cards of the deck. The shadow of the forecast: if the light is not yet accepted — a joy you cannot reach, a freedom you fear; the weight of old prejudices delays the flowering, though the Sun shines just the same.
↓ The Sun reversed
The reversed Sun is a light shadowed or not yet accepted: a joy one cannot reach; a freedom one fears or confuses with licence. A clinging to the old limitations of sin and death, the weight of outlived prejudices; a life lived by another's outdated spiritual law. This is the other side of the 'not the time' position: the moment when one should not artificially seek only the bright side, achieve clarity and success at any price, parade one's enthusiasm and be the centre of attention — and to choose the easiest path is premature. Or freedom without the wall — flowering without control, a falling-out of measure. A swamp of psychopathology instead of clear sanity; an innocence lost or made impossible. The Sun shines just the same — but its rays are not accepted, the flowering delayed by the shadow of the past.
The card in spreads
The same card reads differently depending on the spread and the question — compare real spreads:
Spread "Coming into the light"
To understand how to act openly
«How do I show myself at full strength?»
The situation
The Sun
The resource
Lust
The result
The Universe
The Sun in the situation — come out into the light, act openly and freely, be filled with life and rejoice in it. The resource Lust — Lust: vitality, charisma, passion that draw people and luck. The result The Universe — the Universe: fullness, success on a large scale, wholeness. Show yourself to advantage, display warmth and generosity, take the matter lightly. The freedom of the New Aeon lifts false prohibitions, but remember the wall: clarity and joy are not the same as licence.
Spread "After the darkness, the light"
To accept joy after a hard period
«Am I ready for joy after what I have been through?»
What is behind
The Moon
What comes
The Sun
The support
The Star
What is behind The Moon — the Moon: the midnight of the soul, the darkness and fear through which you have passed. What comes The Sun — the Sun: the noon, the dawn fulfilled, clarity and vital fullness. The support The Star — the Star: the generous grace that renews and nourishes hope. Accept the innocent joy of being without clinging to the weight of the past. Beyond the Gate of Resurrection the noon of the New Aeon rises — come out into the light and trust the renewed influx of vital force.
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Spread "Freedom and measure"
Not to confuse freedom with licence
«Where is the limit of my freedom in this matter?»
The light
The Sun
The wall
The Emperor
The result
Adjustment
The Sun — the freedom and joy of the New Aeon, lifting the false prohibitions of sin and shame. The wall The Emperor — the Emperor: control and order, for aspiration does not mean the absence of measure (the wall around the hill). The result Adjustment — Adjustment: the exact equilibrium in which freedom is reconciled with responsibility. Rejoice and act openly, but do not confuse freedom with licence. Flowering without the wall is a falling-out of measure; clear sanity is born where light and control go together.
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How it differs from Waite
Rider-Waite-SmithThe Sun
vs
Thoth TarotThe Sun
The card keeps its name and number XIX in both decks, and in both it is joyful, solar, among the most favourable. In almost every deck the Arcanum shows children — a symbol of light-heartedness, simplicity and the pole opposite to Death: courage and the successful overcoming of difficulties. In the Waite tradition the meaning rests on this daytime fullness: merriment, warmth, optimism, generosity, and at depth — a step toward maturity and a return to the simplicity of life. Here the card goes beyond simple joy: the Sun is the 'experiencing' and 'living through' of higher consciousness, paradise as the highest good coming into view, but still surrounded by an impenetrable wall that is not so easy to break through. Waite stresses clear joy and mature simplicity; here it is the mystical liberation of the New Aeon and the approach to the higher, still separated by a barrier.
WaiteThoth Tarot
MeaningMerriment, warmth, optimism, generosity.The 'living through' of higher consciousness, paradise in view.
DepthA step toward maturity, a return to simplicity.The liberation of the New Aeon, paradise behind a wall.
The childrenLight-heartedness, simplicity.Full freedom as both cause and effect of a new energy.
Symbolism & correspondences
The letter Resh ('head'), the path from Hod to Yesod; the luminary the Sun. The number 19. The card represents Heru-ra-ha, Lord of the New Aeon; the Cross has expanded into a Sun with twelve rays (the number of the signs of the Zodiac and of the title Hua, HUA = 12).
Element
Fire
☉
Astrology
Sun (Sol) — the great luminary, fire, the Leo archetype
✦
Arcana
Major
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