The Sun Tarot Card Meaning

The Sun is the card of ultimate clarity, joy, and success. In the Visconti-Sforza decks, the imagery was often a simple personification of the Sun, sometimes held by a cherub (putto). It represented the day, clarity, and the benevolent influence of the heavens, contrasting with the mystery of the Moon. The Tarot de Marseille introduced the motif of the two children. *Le Soleil* shows two youths (sometimes ambiguous in gender, often seen as twins like Castor and Pollux) standing or embracing in front of a low wall. The sun above has alternating straight and wavy rays, symbolizing the dual nature of heat (warming) and light (illuminating). The wall represents the limitations of the material world, but the children are happy within it. This imagery suggests brotherhood, reconciliation, and the joy of human connection under the divine light. Waite’s RWS card simplifies the imagery to focus on the 'Eternal Child.' A single naked child rides a white horse without a saddle, controlling it with ease (a contrast to the struggle of The Chariot). He holds a massive red banner, signifying victory. The wall remains but is now covered in sunflowers, turning toward the child. This represents the return to innocence after the trials of the underworld. The child is the reborn self, free from the masks and defenses of the ego. It is the card of 'conscious' enlightenment, distinct from the 'subconscious' mysteries of the High Priestess or Moon. Crowley’s Thoth Sun is an explosion of joy. He depicts two children with butterfly wings (the soul) dancing in the air. The sun is a twelve-rayed star, encompassing the entire zodiac. In the center is the Rose Cross. The green hill beneath them represents the fertile earth, now seen as a paradise. Crowley viewed this card as the liberation of the human race from the restrictions of the old Aeon—a celebration of light, life, love, and liberty.