A few weeks ago I quipped about the meaning of the Sun and promised an expansion on this card. The Sun, birthed at the Winter Solstice, has made its trek to the Summer Solstice, the time of the Sun’s greatest strength. The Sun now makes its gradual decline ever closer to the first harvest called Lughnasadh. The song by the Beatles speaks to the Sun’s promise of light and warmth. Certain ideas that come to mind, and have been addressed in recent ceremonies, are strength and sacrifice. To quote the question from one of my favorite teachers, Donald Engstrom-Reese, “What are my gifts and obligations?” To answer this question, we should look at the meaning of the card itself.

Let’s pretend that the Sun has shown up in a reading for you. This is almost always good news. It means clarity and momentum. Your endeavors

are being shone upon, you are shining, and everything is just downright SHINY (Insert gratuitous SQUEE here)! Even if you are just choosing to work with this card, it brings the energies of renewal and optimism. You become the like small children in the card full of hope and new beginnings. The Sun is pure life force and according to the cards, it’s working for you and the Universe is conspiring in your favor. There is opportunity,you are being noticed, and some part of your world is the proverbial oyster. Awesome, right? Yes! Are you open to this possibility of fabulousness entering your life?

Well… that’s where it gets tricky.

The Sun – BOTA

We can get a lot of information from tarot readings, yet some fall short in the “what do I do now” department. I invite you to think of tarot readings as something like a road map for your personal journey. The Sun is in your cards indicating greatness, yet there is pertinant information to be taken away from this card. The questions that I would ask are; What are my next steps? What direction do I need to be pointing? What does this card say about my strengths? How do I shine on this life journey? What is my role in the big picture?

The simple answer is to pay attention. If the Sun means opportunity and possibility, be aware of who is crossing your path, what messages and situations are coming into your sensory experience. You’re in the Sun’s light now, so there needs to be a willingness to be seen. This is where the ideas of gifts and obligation come into play. I spoke of sacrifice. In relation to this card, it means tapping into your gifts to share with the world. Stepping into your success means giving back to the world community, whatever that means for you. The Sun asks us to be out in the world playing our divine part in things.

Show up. Be present. Be active.

The Sun is not a passive symbol or energy. It pushes us to motivate, take action and revitalizes our Be-ing. Granted the Sun tells us that the way is clear to success, yet in order to take advantage of a traffic free highway, following your road map from point A to B, you still have to get in the car and drive.

by Anabel Vermeersch (Yshtar)

Some of us need to move energy around our symbols either in the forms of mediation or ritual. We live in a culture that does not necessarily encourage us to shine and live out loud in all of our potential glory, so these methods lend an extra push in getting past inner resistance and inhibitions to being seen and acting on behalf of our own success.

Fortunately the symbol of the Sun is one of the most accessible because it is a part of our concrete reality. One can either sit in the sun or envision the Sun’s rays filtering down through the crown of our heads. See

that luminosity fill every cell, releasing any tension or resistance. Let that energy revitalize your being. If you feel inclined, you can envision the Sun’s energy pouring out into your endeavors. Any part of your life that needs a boost can benefit.

Recent ritual focus has been turned toward tapping into our inner Solar nature, using the outer Sun to revitalize our Inner Suns. This lends clarity and light to our strengths and aspirations. Through ritual we become awake and aware through our ally, the Sun. That ally may be seen as Helios, Sunna, Lugh, or Apollo. The sun may also be symbolized by the Lion with his fiery mane. You might taste honey, “liquid sunshine”, or cook with spices to help connect with the Sun’s energies. Fiery colors, candles and fire pits are all your friends in this work.

The Sun illuminates our beauty, reveals what is hidden, and leads us to the Truth of our inner power. However you choose to connect with the light, warmth and inspiration of the sun…