The Sun tarot card meaning
The Sun
The Sun is the brightest card in the deck. Card nineteen of the major arcana stands for joy, warmth and vitality, the sense that things are going well and life is opening up in the right direction.
When it appears, it is a clear and welcome yes.
What The Sun means
The Sun symbolises what is essential and life-giving: health, awareness, harmony, and goals coming good. It carries all the warm qualities of sunshine, a sign that good fortune is present and that things are moving smoothly towards what you hoped for.
In a reading The Sun clears away fear and uncertainty and brings a feeling of expansiveness. Goals feel within reach, vitality is high, and body, mind and spirit move in the same direction. It brings a natural harmony to both work and play.
At its heart, The Sun carries a handful of meanings:
- Joy and warmth
- Success and good fortune
- Health and vitality
- Clarity and confidence
- Goals coming within reach
The Sun reversed
Reversed, The Sun still shines, just a little dimmed. It can point to a temporary cloud over an otherwise good time: tiredness, a small setback, or joy you are struggling to feel fully.
Read it as a reminder that the warmth is still there, waiting to break through. If you are not sure how to handle an upside down card, we explain our approach in reversed cards: ignore, turn, or something else.
The Sun in love and relationships
In love The Sun is wonderfully positive. For a new connection it points to happiness, ease and genuine warmth. For an existing relationship it can mean a bright, joyful phase and a real sense of being on the same side.
It asks you to enjoy the warmth and to share it openly. If you want to build a fuller picture around it, our guide to the love tarot reading shows how to place it in a spread.
The Sun and the tarot path
As card nineteen, The Sun is the traveller stepping into full daylight. After the shadows of The Moon, it is one of the happiest points of the path, clear, warm and alive.
New to the cards? Our overview of the major arcana shows how the 22 cards fit together, and what tarot is explains the basics from the ground up.
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The image on this page follows the Rider Waite Smith tarot, the deck most readers learn on. Its clear scenes make a card like The Sun easy to read, because the meaning is right there in the picture.
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