The Sun – Illumination, Zenith, and the Sacred Return
The Sun, numbered XIX in the Major Arcana, is one of the most joyful and radiant cards in the Tarot. Often interpreted as a symbol of clarity, success, vitality, and innocence, the Sun represents the full bloom of consciousness—a spiritual zenith in the Fool’s journey. It is the card of illumination, revealing all that has been hidden. Yet, for me, The Sun has always carried a much deeper and more mysterious significance.
In my practice as a medium, I have seen the Sun appear consistently in moments of transition—not into new careers or relationships, but into death. Actual death. Physical transition. Often when this card appears in a reading, especially accompanied by a court card—a Queen, King, Knight, or Page—I intuitively know that someone in my client’s life is preparing to cross over. It has never felt morbid or frightening. Instead, it’s as though the soul is reaching its apex—its peak moment of clarity, understanding, and transcendence before returning home.
Where others see joy and celebration, I see the final exhale. The moment when the soul, having traversed every shadow, finally steps into its own light.
The Sun, in this way, is not the beginning of life but the completion of it. The glorious burst of illumination that comes when the ego dissolves and what is eternal shines through.
The Radiant Symbolism of the Sun
In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, The Sun features a naked child riding a white horse, arms open in joy, beneath a glowing sun. A red banner billows above, and sunflowers bloom behind the child—symbols of optimism, life, and warmth.
Each element in this image is potent:
The Child: Symbol of innocence, authenticity, and the return to the divine self. Naked, they are unguarded—fully seen and unafraid.
The White Horse: Represents purity and spiritual strength. It carries the child forward with grace, not haste.
The Red Banner: A nod to vitality and celebration, but also spiritual victory—the successful completion of a sacred journey.
The Sunflowers: Facing the Sun, they mirror the soul’s orientation toward truth and growth. In esoteric tradition, the sunflower tracks the sun’s movement—a metaphor for the soul seeking divine guidance.
The Sun is associated with Leo, the heart-centered sign of creativity, pride, and self-expression. It is also connected to Tiphareth on the Tree of Life, the sephira of beauty and harmony, which serves as the divine mediator between heaven and earth.
The Soul’s Zenith: The Sun in the Major Arcana Journey
In the sequence of the Major Arcana, The Sun follows The Moon—a card of dreams, shadows, and hidden truths. Where The Moon can confuse, The Sun clarifies. It dissolves fear and illusion with light so blinding that all masks fall away.
But this is no ordinary “happy ending.” It is the sacred return.
The Fool has journeyed through transformation (Death), upheaval (The Tower), revelation (The Star), and illusion (The Moon). With The Sun, they no longer fear who they are. They remember. They arrive.
The Sun signals:
Self-realization after the long night of the soul
Alignment between the inner child and the adult self
Celebration not because life is easy, but because truth has finally been seen
This is why it often marks the death of the false self—or, in some cases, the departure of the soul from the body. The Sun is the clear knowing that nothing is ever lost, only transformed.
Carl Jung on the Sun and Individuation
Carl Jung associated the Sun with the archetype of the Self—the organizing principle of the psyche, the source of wholeness. In the individuation process, the Self is the ultimate destination, the “god within” that harmonizes all opposites. Jung believed that psychological health depended on the integration of the unconscious into conscious awareness—a process mirrored by the illuminating power of The Sun.
In Jungian psychology, encountering the Sun archetype is the moment of unity, where inner fragmentation ends. It’s not bliss for the sake of happiness, but bliss that follows deep confrontation with the shadow.
Jung also acknowledged the spiritual power of solar symbols—seeing them as mandalas of divine order. The Sun, then, is not just warmth and positivity—it is the psychic force that integrates all that has been dismembered. It is completion. The spiritual self, awakened.
The Death in the Light
I’ve long felt that Tarot shows us not only who we are but who we are becoming. And The Sun, while joyful, is also the card that whispers: “This life is precious. What will you do with the light?”
It was through this card that I first understood death not as an end, but as culmination—a graduation of the soul. Just as the child on the horse rides forward without fear, so too do our loved ones ride into the great light, welcomed by ancestors and angels.
And while I’ve seen this card mean weddings, births, and major breakthroughs—it has more often meant release. That last, luminous moment before the soul ascends.
Conclusion: The Solar Truth
The Sun is not just joy—it is truth. Not just positivity—it is presence.
It’s the moment you stop hiding from yourself. The moment you say, “This is who I am.” And it’s the card that promises that when you step fully into your light, everything false will fall away.
Whether you are facing a death, a rebirth, or a spiritual breakthrough, The Sun reminds you that clarity is coming. Not the kind of clarity that tells you what to do, but the kind that tells you who you are.
So ask yourself:
What is reaching a zenith in my life?
Where have I been hiding my light?
Who or what am I ready to let go of, with love?
The Sun asks nothing but your full presence. It invites you to stand, naked and unafraid, in the radiance of your own truth.
And when that light comes—for yourself or someone you love—know that it is not an end. It is the return. The great illumination. The soul coming home.
