The Sun is one of the most overwhelmingly positive cards in the Major Arcana. It has virtually no negative interpretations — even the imagery is bright and pleasant.
No matter what you’re experiencing, any appearance of The Sun indicates that things will go well.
About The Sun
- Keywords: Success, positivity, joy, optimism, enthusiasm
- Keywords (Reversed): Pessimism, dampened enthusiasm, a lesser degree of joy
- Yes or No: Yes
- Yes or No (Reversed): Yes
- Element: Fire
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
In most tarot decks, The Sun’s imagery is lush yet simple. For the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, Pamela Colman Smith represented The Sun as a bright yellow sun with a placid expression shining over a field of sunflowers nodding over a gray stone wall.
A young child crowned with flowers and a red plume rides on a white horse, holding a bright scarlet flag. The sky is blue and cloudless, and there’s an overall feeling of fun and optimism.
A.E. White intended, in part, for The Sun to represent the intellect. Just as The Moon stands for anxiety, and the light of the moon as a weaker reflection of the intellect, The Sun represents attained knowledge.
The Sun shines, scattering all of the shadows of fear, illusion, and deceit. Consciousness and knowledge prevail.
The lack of fear and illusion is echoed in the appearance of the child. They are naked save for a flower crown, representing innocence and defenselessness.
They also ride without reins, a saddle, or stirrups. The child is in absolutely no danger here — their posture is relaxed and joyful, they’re smiling, and their arms are held open wide.
See also: Check out Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot decks here.
The Sun Meaning (Upright)
In a general reading, The Sun represents a time of freedom, joy, optimism, success, and fun.
You are (or soon will be) having an easy time right now, and other people are drawn to the happiness you can’t help but exude.
Luck just seems to follow you. Not only are you receiving abundance and positivity from the world, you reflect it onto everyone else around you.
The Sun Meaning (Reversed)
When reversed, The Sun is still a very good card to see in a reading. It’s meaning doesn’t change much from its upright orientation, it just isn’t as strong.
Things are still going very well, and you’re still experiencing joy, enthusiasm, and achievement, just not quite as intensely.
Some readers interpret The Sun reversed as a pessimistic outlook. Things may be going well for you in an objective sense, but you might not be seeing it that way.
It’s possible that your desires are unrealistic, or that negative energy is dampening some of your zest for life.
See also: Check out alternate Tarot decks here.
The Sun Meaning – Love & Relationships (Upright)
In a love reading, The Sun is a wonderful omen. You and your partner are likely to really enjoy each other’s company right now — your relationship is probably full of passion and lighthearted fun.
If there are any problems between you and your partner, expect them to come to light and be resolved for the better. Your commitment to each other might even deepen as a result, culminating in a marriage.
If you’re single, The Sun still represents joy. You may either find that you’re really enjoying your freedom right now, or your search for love is finally at an end. In either case, you’re going to have a good time.
The Sun Meaning – Love & Relationships (Reversed)
When The Sun is reversed in a love reading, things are still pretty good. You might be feeling a bit bored or pessimistic right now, but those feelings may not actually align with your reality.
Do you feel that your partner is taking you for granted, or are you taking them for granted? The Sun reversed is a reminder to look at the blessings in your life, including your love life. Chances are, there are many positive aspects that you’re overlooking.
If you’re single, The Sun reversed is still a sign of positivity and happiness, just to a lesser degree. You might be asking yourself a lot of “what-ifs,” instead of enjoying the freedom and fun of your singleness.
See also: Check out the current top 100 Best-Selling Tarot books in the USA here.
The Sun Meaning – As Feelings (Upright)
Upright, The Sun is an incredibly positive card for feelings. The person in question feels really good about you — they may even be falling deeply in love with you.
Whether your connection is romantic or platonic, there’s a lot of warmth and light here. You make this person happy!
The Sun Meaning – As Feelings (Reversed)
Reversed, The Sun’s usual positivity is overshadowed by something. Daily life might be intruding between you and this person, causing them to lose some of their interest in you.
If The Sun is a bright spark of warmth and love, something is snuffing it out for this person. They could be taking your presence for granted, caught up in something outside of your relationship, or just losing interest with time.
The Sun Meaning – As Reconciliation (Upright)
The Sun upright is a good sign for reconciliation. You and your ex are both in much better places right now and feeling far happier than you did before.
You’ve healed from the trauma of the breakup and are ready to try again. If you reconcile, things look good.
Even if you choose not to for whatever reason, you and your ex are likely to develop a different kind of positive relationship.
The Sun Meaning – As Reconciliation (Reversed)
Reversed, The Sun indicates that now isn’t a great time to reconcile. Your ex is distracted by something else or hasn’t fully healed yet.
Something is blocking the light of warmth and optimism, and this needs to get out of the way before either of you can attempt a reconciliation.
The Sun Meaning – Careers, Business & Money (Upright)
In a business and career reading, The Sun is a great sign. You’re likely to make a lot of big wins right now, and your efforts will be noticed and rewarded. This is the card of promotions, achievement, prosperity, and success. Good job!
Financially, you’re likely to experience a period of abundance. Investments will probably go very well for you, though this shouldn’t be a sign to spend recklessly.
Remember the strategies that won you this degree of prosperity, and remember to pay forward any help you received to get here.
The Sun Meaning – Careers, Business & Money (Reversed)
When The Sun is reversed in the context of careers and business, things are still pretty good. Unfortunately, you may have blinded yourself to that. If you receive a raise instead of a promotion, you might feel disappointment instead of pleased.
There’s still a lot of good around you right now, and The Sun reversed is a reminder to enjoy it. It’s possible that your expectations of yourself are too high. Not only will this make you miss out on a lot, it can eventually burn you out completely.
Financially, The Sun reversed can represent money worries that don’t line up with reality. You may be afraid of ending up in the poorhouse, when there’s no actual sign of imminent financial hardship.
On the other hand, The Sun reversed can symbolize an overly optimistic attitude. If you feel like your next venture’s going to make you an overnight millionaire, it’s time to temper your expectations.
The Sun: Yes or No?
As one of the most positive cards you can get, The Sun is a strong “Yes” for any “Yes or No” reading. It represents positivity, success, and joy.
If you’re asking whether things will turn out well, they will. If you want to know whether to proceed with a decision, you should. This card indicates that conditions are favorable for things to go your way.
Reversed, The Sun is still a “Yes.” If The Sun upright is a sun in full shine, then The Sun reversed is the sun behind a cloud. It’s still shining, there’s still plenty of light, it’s just less intense than it otherwise might be. Your outlook is very good.
The Sun is always a positive card, no matter where or how it appears. Even when it’s reversed, it’s meaning doesn’t change — remember, the sun is always present, even when clouds hide its face for a little while.
It’s a sign to relax and enjoy all of the things you have going for you. By accepting and expressing joy, you open yourself up to receive more.
See also: For more Tarot Card Meanings, check out our full list of all 78 Tarot Cards and their meanings here.
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