The Sun: Tarot Card Meaning
Major Arcana, card 19
Upright keywords
- joy
- clarity
- warmth
- success
- openness
Reversed keywords
- muted joy
- passing clouds
- self-doubt
- inner light
In short
- Upright
- A clear day after a long night: joy, vitality and the courage to be yourself in plain sight.
- Reversed
- The Sun behind clouds: the light hasn’t gone anywhere, but tiredness, doubt or inflated expectations make it hard to feel.
The Sun: symbolism and imagery
On the Rider–Waite Sun card, a huge sun with a human face blazes in the sky, its rays, some straight and some wavy, spreading everywhere. Below, in front of a grey stone wall with sunflowers peeping over it, a naked child wearing a wreath and a red feather rides a white horse without a saddle. One arm is flung wide; the other hand holds a staff bearing a large orange-red banner.
- The sun with a face
- A light that looks straight at you. It has nothing to hide, and neither do you in its presence: this is a card of clarity, when things are seen as they are.
- The child on the white horse
- Joy without calculation or pretence. The child rides with no saddle or bridle, arms spread, trusting both the horse and the world around them.
- The banner
- A great orange-red banner says that joy isn’t something to hide away; it’s carried in the open. This is vitality you want to share.
- The sunflowers
- Flowers that turn to follow the sun. They’re a reminder that we grow towards whatever we turn our faces to.
- The stone wall
- A boundary with the garden left behind it. It stands for safety and the support of past experience, but the child is already outside, in the open.
The Sun upright
The Sun is the nineteenth card of the Major Arcana and perhaps the brightest in the whole deck. After the quiet hope of the Star and the uneasy fog of the Moon, a clear day dawns: everything is visible, shadows are short and doubts retreat. The card speaks of joy that needs no reason, of vitality and of simple, recognisable happiness: a warm evening with people you love, a job well done, a morning when you actually want to get up.
The Sun’s central theme is openness. The child on the card doesn’t need to seem older or more serious than they are, and right now you don’t have to play a part either. When you stop hiding your wishes and talents, people are drawn to you and things move more easily. It’s a good time to show your work, speak about your feelings, try something you’ve dreamed of for a while.
The Sun doesn’t abolish difficulties; it lights them up so that you can see how to deal with them. This is clarity after a long search: what once seemed tangled suddenly makes sense. If the card has come up for your question, let yourself accept good things without caveats or suspicion. Joy is a resource too, and right now there’s no need to ration it.
The Sun reversed
The reversed Sun is one of the gentlest reversals in the deck. The light hasn’t vanished; there are simply clouds between you and it: tiredness, routine, disappointment that a result turned out more modest than you hoped. Joy still arrives, but muted, and good things seem to pass you by. Sometimes the card points to the opposite imbalance: forced cheerfulness while it’s overcast inside, or plans painted a little too rosy.
The advice here is simple and kind: don’t demand constant radiance from yourself. Rest, return to what used to fill you with warmth, and notice the small bright moments — they haven’t gone anywhere. If you’ve been carried away by daydreams, check them against the facts. Clouds pass; the sun stays where it is.
The Sun in love: warmth you don’t need to hide
Upright
In a relationship
There’s more warmth and laughter between you, and you enjoy each other for no particular reason. The Sun supports openness: saying how you feel, introducing a partner to friends or family, heading off together somewhere bright and spacious. Right now, simple shared pleasures bond you more than serious talks.
If you’re single
Being natural is your best introduction right now. No need to calculate the impression you make or wait for the perfect moment: connections form more easily while you’re doing what you love. Someone who likes the real you is more likely to turn up on a walk or through a shared hobby than by following a script.
Reversed
In a relationship
Things may have cooled a little: everyday routine has crowded out lightness, and small grievances hide the good that’s there. Or one of you pretends everything is fine so as not to spoil the mood. Try bringing back at least one pleasure you shared at the start, and speak honestly about what’s troubling you.
If you’re single
You may be judging yourself so strictly that you hesitate to let others see you. Or you expect a new encounter to light up your whole life at once, and end up disappointed in ordinary people. Start with whatever warms you yourself: a good mood is more noticeable than any words.
The Sun at work: recognition and the pleasure of the task
Upright
At work, the Sun brings recognition and a sense of being in the right place. Your ideas get noticed, and others can see your success too. It’s a good time for presentations, public speaking or launching a project you’re glad to talk about. Share the credit with your team: that kind of generosity comes back.
Reversed
The results are there, but they don’t please you, or nobody has noticed them yet. Burnout may be taking its toll: the work gets done, but the enjoyment has gone. Don’t dismiss what you’ve achieved, and think about where you could rekindle your interest. If a project looks too rosy, double-check its deadlines and promises.
The Sun and money: generosity with your eyes open
Upright
The Sun is linked to wellbeing and a generous mood. It’s a good time to enjoy what you’ve earned and to share it. This is an opportunity, not a guarantee: a bright card doesn’t cancel the need for care. Let optimism move you to act, and let the figures set how bold to be.
Reversed
A good mood can prove expensive: buying things “to cheer yourself up”, overly optimistic investments, promises that sound a little too sunny. Or the reverse: there’s enough money, but anxiety won’t let you enjoy it. Look at the real numbers calmly: the picture is often better than it seems on a grey day.
The Sun and health: daylight, fresh air and energy to spare
Upright
The Sun speaks of vitality and feeling well: you want to move, go for walks, spend time in daylight. Use this lift for habits that bring you joy, not just benefit.
Reversed
Your energy may be lower than usual: tiredness has built up, and you’re short of light, rest and simple pleasures. Give yourself time to recover, and if the sluggishness lingers, mention it to a doctor.
This isn’t medical advice: for health questions, please see a doctor.
The card’s advice
Upright
What can you enjoy right now? Let yourself feel it fully, without hurrying on to the next thing.
Reversed
Find one small joy today and linger with it a little longer than usual.
The Sun: yes or no, upright and reversed
Upright
Yes
The Sun is one of the clearest positive answers in the deck. Circumstances are working in your favour, and all you need to do is act openly and with trust. The card answers especially confidently on questions of joy, relationships and recognition.
Reversed
Likely yes
Likely yes, though not as quickly or brilliantly as you might like. The light is there, but clouds are in the way: you may need more time, patience or more realistic expectations.
The Sun as your card of the day
The Sun in spread positions
In the past position
Behind you lies a period when much went well and you felt confident, and its warmth still supports you today.
As an obstacle
What may get in the way is dazzling optimism that hides the risks, or a habit of not letting yourself feel glad.
As advice
Be yourself openly without dimming your light, and allow yourself to enjoy what’s already working.
As the outcome
The situation may lead to clarity and a joyful result, a moment when everything falls into place.
Example
Someone asks whether to show their drawings to the public or whether they’re still “not good enough”. In a three-card spread of situation, obstacle and advice, the Sun comes up as the advice: show them. The card doesn’t promise fame, but work made with joy will find the people it speaks to, and hiding it longer means missing that meeting.
The Sun: combinations with other cards
A brief look at what two cards mean side by side in one spread (in the upright position). Select a card to open its meaning.
With the Major Arcana
The Foolchildlike joy and ease
The Magiciantalent in the spotlight
The Lovershappy love out in the open
The Chariotvictory with a light heart
Strengthvitality on the rise
Deathafter the ending, a sunrise
The Stara dream steps into the light
The Moonfrom night-time doubts to clarity
Judgementa joyful awakening
The Worldthe joy of a grand finale
Did these cards land side by side in your spread? Enter the whole spread and get an interpretation of each card in its position.
Interpret my spreadCorrespondences
- Element
- Fire
- Astrology
- the Sun
- Number
- 19: full strength and clarity after a long road
- Hebrew letter
- Resh
Frequently asked questions
What does the Sun mean in tarot?
The Sun is a card of joy, clarity and vitality. It speaks of a time when you can be yourself openly, when things come together more easily and good things don’t have to be earned, only noticed.
What does the reversed Sun mean?
Joy is muted by tiredness, doubt or disappointment, but it hasn’t disappeared. Less often, the card warns against excessive optimism. Its advice is to rest, reclaim simple pleasures and look at things realistically.
What does the Sun mean in relationships and as feelings?
Warmth, sincerity and lightness. For a couple, the card suggests enjoying each other for no special reason and not hiding feelings; for singles, meeting people through things they love while staying natural. As feelings, the Sun points to open, joyful affection — someone feels happy around you and doesn’t hide it.
Is the Sun a yes or no card?
Upright, it’s a confident yes. Reversed, it’s likely yes, but with a delay or less sparkle than expected: it’s worth being patient and adjusting your expectations.
Why is there a child on the Sun card?
The child is an image of joy that ignores other people’s opinions. It doesn’t hide or play a role; it simply lives. The card reminds you that this directness is open to adults too, whenever we let ourselves be who we are.
Laid out the cards with your own deck?
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Interpret my spreadFrom the blog: How to read tarot cards · Tarot questions to ask
Related cards
Minor Arcana cards of the same number (after X, the number is the sum of its digits).
