The Sun is card number 19 in the Major Arcana and the most unambiguously joyful card in the entire tarot deck. After the confusion of The Moon, after all the darkness, the fear, the transformation, and the patient searching of the journey through the Major Arcana, The Sun rises. And in its light, everything is clear. The path is visible. The destination makes sense. And the person who has made it through to this light is genuinely, fully, radiantly alive.
What The Sun Tarot Card Symbolizes
The Sun card shows a brilliant sun in the sky, its rays alternating straight and wavy, representing both the direct, visible light and the more subtle, energetic influence of solar power. In the foreground, a naked child sits on a white horse, arms open wide, wearing a crown of sunflowers and holding a red banner.
The child represents innocence, joy, and the pure, unguarded happiness that is available when all the complexity of the journey is complete. The nakedness is not vulnerability here, it is freedom, the liberation of having nothing to hide and nothing to defend. The white horse beneath the child represents purity and the forward momentum of a being that has earned its joy.
Behind the child grows a garden of sunflowers, each one turning its face toward the sun, modeling the same orientation the card is asking of the reader: turn toward the light. Look at what is genuinely good. Be in the warmth that is actually available.
The walled garden in the background represents the safety and abundance of an inner world that is fully cultivated and genuinely flourishing, not a prison, but a sanctuary that the child has moved beyond into the open field of the sun.
The Sun Tarot Keywords
Upright: joy, success, clarity, vitality, confidence, happiness, achievement, optimism, abundance, warmth, recognition, enlightenment, celebration, playfulness
Reversed: temporary delays in success, dimmed joy, excessive pessimism, self-doubt blocking happiness, the sun behind clouds, temporarily obscured, not gone
The Sun Numerology, Astrology, and Element
The Sun carries the number 19. Nineteen reduces to 10 (1 + 9), which reduces further to 1 (1 + 0). The Sun vibrates at the energy of pure beginnings, the same pure beginning that The Fool holds at the start of the Major Arcana journey, but now enriched by everything that has been lived and learned along the way. This is not naive joy. This is informed, earned, luminous joy.
Element: Fire. The most direct, warm, life-giving expression of Fire, the fire of the Sun itself, which makes all life possible. This is not the contained flame of passion or the testing fire of disruption; it is the open, generous warmth of the source.
Planet: The Sun. The center of our solar system and the central force in astrology, the symbol of identity, vitality, confidence, and the core of who a person is at their most fundamental level. The Sun rules Leo, and at its highest expression carries Leo's warmth, generosity, and radiant creative life force.
The Sun Upright Meaning
The Sun upright means joy is present, success is real, and the clarity of full illumination is available right now.
When The Sun appears, it is one of the simplest, most uncomplicated gifts a reading can offer: things are genuinely good. Or they are genuinely getting there. The light of this card is warm, clear, and abundant, it does not require you to search for meaning or navigate complexity. It simply shines.
This card often appears in readings as a confirmation: the effort was worth it. The path was right. What has been worked toward is either here or very close. And the quality of this success is not brittle or conditional, it is the solid, warm, full-spectrum success of genuine accomplishment.
The Sun also appears when someone needs permission to be happy, when their pattern has been to minimize the good and brace for the next difficulty. The Sun says: let the warmth in. It is genuine. You have earned it.
The Sun Reversed Meaning
The Sun reversed means the joy and clarity of the upright card are present but temporarily obscured, by self-doubt, delays, or an inability to see what is genuinely good in the current situation.
The most important thing to understand about The Sun reversed is that the Sun does not actually go away when a cloud passes in front of it. The reversed Sun is not a dark card. It is the same radiant source of warmth and light, temporarily not reaching its destination as fully as it could.
In practical terms, The Sun reversed often shows up as pessimism blocking genuine good news, success being delayed rather than prevented, or a difficulty allowing oneself to feel the happiness that is actually available. It can also indicate overconfidence, so much optimism that reality testing is being skipped, though this is less common.
The Sun in Past, Present, and Future Positions
The Sun in the Past Position
The Sun in the past position points to a time of genuine joy, success, and clarity in your history that shaped your current situation. A period when things were genuinely good, when you were fully in your element and your life reflected that, that experience is part of who you are and what you know is possible.
Reversed in the past position: A time when success or joy was present but not fully received, when pessimism, self-doubt, or external circumstances prevented the full experience of what was genuinely there. Understanding what blocked the Sun's light then can help you recognize and clear similar patterns now.
The Sun in the Present Position
The Sun in the present position is one of the most welcome things a reading can show. Right now, things are genuinely good. The clarity, warmth, and joy this card represents are available in your current situation. Allow yourself to feel them fully rather than bracing for what might come next.
Reversed in the present position: The good that is genuinely present right now is not being fully experienced. Something, self-doubt, pessimism, or temporary obstacles, is blocking the full light. Small, honest adjustments toward what is genuinely working will help.
The Sun in the Future Position
The Sun in the future position is one of the most encouraging signs in a reading. Joy, success, and clarity are coming. The path you are on leads to something genuinely good, and what has been worked toward will be rewarded in a way that feels full and real.
Reversed in the future position: Success is coming, but there may be delays or a tendency to minimize what has been achieved when it arrives. Be prepared to receive your own success fully rather than moving past it too quickly.
The Sun Tarot Meaning in Love and Relationships
The Sun in a love reading is one of the most beautiful cards to receive, joy, warmth, and genuine happiness in a romantic connection.
This card points to a relationship that feels life-giving, where both people bring out the best in each other and where the connection is a genuine source of warmth rather than a source of anxiety or effort. For those in relationships, The Sun affirms that what you have built together is genuinely good.
For singles, The Sun can indicate a joyful new connection coming, one that arrives with ease rather than difficulty, and that feels from the beginning like something naturally aligned.
Reversed in love: A genuinely good connection being viewed through a lens of pessimism or self-doubt. A tendency to wait for the other shoe to drop when what is actually in front of you is simply good. Or success in love being delayed by a fear of happiness.
The Sun Tarot Meaning in Career and Finances
In a career reading, The Sun is a card of real achievement, well-deserved recognition, and the satisfaction of work that genuinely matters and is being seen for what it is.
This is one of the strongest possible cards for professional success. A promotion, a project coming to fruition, public recognition, or the simple, deep satisfaction of work done well are all expressions of The Sun in a career reading.
Financially, The Sun brings abundance and the clearing of financial difficulty. This is a good time for financial decisions and for appreciating what has been built rather than focusing primarily on what is still missing.
Reversed in career: Success that has arrived but is not being fully appreciated or claimed. Or success that is close but delayed by the last round of self-doubt or external obstacles.
Is The Sun a Yes or No Card?
The Sun is one of the clearest yes cards in the entire tarot deck, warm, unambiguous, and full of genuine optimism.
Yes. Full stop. And the yes that The Sun delivers comes with warmth, abundance, and the assurance that the outcome is genuinely positive.
Reversed, the answer is still yes, with the qualifier that a little more patience or a slight shift in perspective may be needed before the full yes arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Sun Tarot Card
What does The Sun mean? Joy, success, clarity, and the radiant vitality of being fully alive in a life that is genuinely working. One of the most positive cards in the deck.
What does The Sun reversed mean? The same energy as the upright Sun, temporarily dimmed by self-doubt, delays, or pessimism. The Sun is still there, just behind the clouds.
Is The Sun a good card? Yes, it is arguably the most straightforwardly positive card in the entire tarot deck. When The Sun appears, the news is genuinely good.
What number is The Sun? Number 19. Reduces to 1, the number of new beginnings, now informed by the full wisdom of everything that came before on the journey.
What planet rules The Sun? The Sun itself, the source of light, life, vitality, and the core identity of who a person fundamentally is.
What element is The Sun? Fire, the most open, generous, life-giving expression of the Fire element.
What does The Sun mean in love? Joy, warmth, and genuine happiness in love. A relationship that feels life-giving and truly aligned.
What does The Sun mean in the future position? Joy, success, and genuine clarity are coming. The path leads to something genuinely good.
When to Call a Psychic About The Sun
The Sun is the card that most often comes when someone needs confirmation that what they are experiencing is real, that the good things in their life are genuine, that the success is earned, and that the happiness they feel is not about to be taken away. A phone reading during a Sun period can help you understand what the light is illuminating in your life specifically and how to make the most of this period of clarity and abundance. Call us at 1-800-966-2294.
Related Tarot Cards
The Sun follows The Moon in the sequence, the full clarity of daylight after the confusion and mystery of the night. Judgement follows The Sun and brings the final reckoning of the Major Arcana journey. The Fool shares The Sun's quality of open, joyful energy, The Fool at the beginning of the journey, The Sun at its brilliant midpoint. The Star shares The Sun's quality of hopeful, life-affirming light, and together they form a sequence of increasing clarity and warmth.