LXXVI — The Sun
Artwork Explained
A naked child, mounted on a white horse, displays a red standard (see “Controversies & Observations” below). It is the destiny of the supernatural East and the great and holy light which goes before the endless procession of humanity, coming out from the walled garden of the sensitive life and passing on the journey home. The card signifies, therefore, the transit from the manifest light of this world, represented by the glorious sun of earth, to the light of the world to come, which goes before aspiration and is typified by the heart of a child. 1
Card Stats
- Nineteen. 19 Success, Clarity
- Element. Fire
- Rune. Sowelu “Sun”
- Crystal/Gem. Amber
- Kabbalah. Resh “Head” ר
- Astrological. Sun ☉
- Astronomical. Shemesh
Basic Meaning
Triumph, success and the glory that follows with it. Clarity—where The Moon was about confusion and illusion—The Sun reveals shadows and illuminates darkness. Happiness, contentment, and positive energy. Holy light and knowledge. Action, creativity, and the heart of a child.Controversies & Observations
The sun is distinguished in older cards by chief rays that are waved and salient alternately and by secondary salient rays. It appears to shed its influence on earth not only by light and heat, but—like the moon—by drops of dew. Beneath the Dog Star there is a wall suggesting an enclosure—perhaps a walled garden—where there are two children, either naked or lightly clothed, facing a pool, and gambolling, or running hand in hand. These are sometimes replaced by a spinner unwinding destinies, and otherwise by a much better symbol—a naked child mounted on a white horse and displaying a scarlet standard. 1
