The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
With the Sun leaving Cancer this week and entering its own sign of Leo on Wednesday, it’s no surprise that this is likely to be an important week. With a lot going on in the heavens and here on Grandmother Gaia, let us rejoice and welcome The Sun.
One of the most joyful cards in the Tarot, The Sun heralds victory over the challenges of the “night” cards preceding it in the Major Arcana. In particular, it follows The Moon card in the triumph sequence.
The Moon is often considered a problematic and difficult part of the Fool’s journey, the final challenge in which we must face our deepest illusions and fears.
So when we arrive at The Sun in the Tarot story of the Royal Road, we have emerged from that darkness and our work with the shadow-self. Now we are ready to make the transition to liberation.
In the Fool’s Journey, the Sun celebrates that our long return through the dark subconscious has brought us at last to the light. It declares that the soul’s journey is now triumphant.
Here Comes The Sun
In the R-W-S deck, the Sun has been depicted with alternating straight and wavy rays. This is an ancient way of representing the “philosopher’s Sun” and illustrates the Sun as the source of light (straight rays) and heat (wavy rays)—illumination and warmth, the life-giving energies.
In this garden of sunflowers, which always turn their faces to gaze upon the Sun, a smiling baby rides a white horse.
As we discussed last week when the Knight of Cups was riding one, in many cultures, white horses are benevolent, protective spirit guides. They may even represent the beloved and powerful Epona, horse Goddess of Gaul and Rome. The absence of reins or saddle resonates with many ancient carvings of Epona and indicates a complete integration of will and surrender.
The happy child also suggests that after all is said and done, the mystical journey of the soul requires a return to childlike innocence. Like the open and upward-facing posture of The Fool, the little child rides with arms open wide in trust.
But unlike the untried Fool, this card comes after all the testing of the previous cards.
And isn’t this precisely at the heart of the great dance of our lives? How do we stay resilient and hopeful, even after enduring the most difficult things life may show us?
Like our current Tarot Year, the Wheel of Fortune (which is what the XIX reduces to, before then reducing to one), we are also reminded that life is learning when to push and when to surrender. Here, the baby embodies both: in perfect love, in perfect trust.
Leo and Summer Magic
A lot is moving in the heavens this week.
Recently, another well-known astrologer I follow wrote that they doubted anyone could accurately predict world events with astrology because, they said, “A credible astrological reading of world events would require not just fluency in the symbolic language of the planets, but something approaching the polymathic mastery of a historian, geopolitical analyst, cultural anthropologist, and economist all at once.”
As a matter of fact, I have become convinced that our friend Elisabeth Grace absolutely is such an astrologer. So please don’t miss her full article this week! And not only because there is way too much Sun card-related synchronicity for me to include it all here (for instance, make sure you don’t miss what she has to say about Friday’s Moon’s trine to Jupiter).
Elisabeth tells us that today (Monday):
Jupiter opposed Pluto at 10:44 AM ET. This is the Full Moon point of the Jupiter-Pluto cycle that began with the three conjunctions in Capricorn during 2020.
Jupiter is now in Leo, a placement long associated with kings, heroes, and the belief that leadership flows from the heart—or perhaps from divine sanction. At its best, Jupiter in Leo inspires generosity, courage, and leaders who rule by example rather than fear.
Opposing Jupiter is Pluto in Aquarius, offering a very different vision of power. At its best, Aquarius distributes authority more broadly, empowering the collective rather than the individual. At its shadowiest, it can concentrate power in vast technological networks, algorithms, and systems that transcend the traditional nation-state. Think Silicon Valley. Think AI. Think the Borg.
History reminds us that Pluto in Aquarius is capable of both. During Pluto’s last passage through Aquarius, the midpoint of its cycle witnessed the French Revolution and its cry for liberty, equality, and fraternity—a dramatic shift toward “power to the people.” We are nowhere near that point in the current cycle. The story is only beginning to unfold.
Watch for the larger questions that continue to emerge: Who should lead? Who holds power? Is authority rooted in the individual, the institution, the nation-state…or the network?
When you see all this Leo turning up, just remember that it is the sign ruled by The Sun. Speaking of which, as mentioned, on Wednesday, we celebrate —
[The] Sun’s entrance into Leo at 3:13 PM ET… the height of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere, and no matter what else came down this week, everyone is encouraged to play, shine—and help others shine, too.
The Sun is especially effective in Leo, the sign it rules — and we are going to see a lot in the news about willpower, solar power, and leaders of business in state over the next several days, as the Sun makes contact with all of those planets in the Barbault basket.
Meanwhile, at 5:48 PM ET, Moon trines Mercury—with another word from our sponsor. Is it for real? With Mercury still retrograde and Moon going void for the next 27 hours, a healthy skepticism is reasonable…Roll with the twists and flake, and don’t make a mountain out of a molehill—or force an outcome before its time.
Observe, gather intelligence, and let events reveal their true significance before making your move.
The Sun as our Tarot guide is almost guaranteed to make sure they will.
For instance, I can’t help but think of how The Sun and the sign of the Lion can team up to remind us there are state and federal “Sunshine Laws.” These have been enacted to ensure that our leaders are required to be transparent in their dealings.
With just a few exceptions, their decisions and debates are supposed to be accessible to the people. However, if we don’t demand this, they can be easily ignored.
Back-room deals with dictators, oligarchs, and corrupt billionaires are incompatible with a democratic government that is of, for, and by the people. Let’s vow to shine a clear, bright light on what our leaders are deciding, and how. And then, in a timely fashion, hold everybody accountable to the law.
Shine With All Your Brilliance
What is happening in your life that needs wholesome sunbeams of truth shining brightly? What fears could be dispelled if only they would see the light of day?
The UV rays of sunlight make it a powerful natural cleanser. They kill microbes and disinfect surfaces. What stale, toxic corners in your life would benefit from a strong dose of natural light?
The Sun declares that you have prevailed, despite a difficult time. Life now becomes clear, simple, and straightforward. This card often heralds news of a wedding, the birth of a beloved child, success, or a happy chapter of life now beginning.
What new vigor and growth could you tap into if you were to streamline your daily routine? Now, while The Sun shines, why not invite more laughter and innocence into your daily routine?
For anyone with a conscience, there is so much fear, darkness, and downright wickedness plaguing us like evil, disease-infested insects. But like any parasites that need shadows to thrive, The Sun defeats what is hiding in the dark. It is proof that good wins the day, especially when stout-hearted people act for good.
Like Emerson tells us, despite how we may be diverted by evil, pain, hunger, mosquitoes, and silly people, the Sun always warms and illuminates. It emerges after the most bitter night and in the aftermath of the cruelest storms.
Why? Because it was there all along.
Trust this. Know this.
This week, let us each sparkle with our unique brilliance. And let us glow with our true beauty, our most stunning inner light, even if–especially if–we find ourselves in dark places.
Let us meet Life with our arms outstretched, for indeed, it’s the only sure way to go.
Here comes the Sun! It’s so good to see this hopeful, joyful card!
Maybe this card points to more and more people in the US seeing more clearly the corruption of the current administration, although it has been blatant rather than hiding in the shadows. We create our own shadows sometimes, seeing what we want to see, making the facts fit our worldview rather than the other way around – maybe the sun can help penetrate even the self-made shadows?
The astrology is interesting – on the one hand emphasizing leadership full of heart, courage and generosity and on the other hand the collective over the individual. In the context of all of the Knights that we have seen this year, I would like to believe we are looking forward to a more positive collective power rather than a shadow collective. All of those different heroes & heroines, bringing the sun’s light while working together to put power back in the hands of the people is a vision that I would love to believe could come true. So much of what has happened in the past few years has been due to so much power being concentrated in one individual; seeing more constraints on that power so that one person cannot use so many of the US institutions as his personal toy would be a lovely thing.
In any event, it is good to see the Sun and bask in the light & warmth!