(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
What I See in the Card:
The Sun is life for everything on earth, and the Sun card is appropriately happy, healthy, and safe.
Typically, the card depicts very young children in a lush enclosed space beneath a smiling sun. Usually it’s two children, but sometimes it’s one on a horse. (I prefer two. The pair of children are sharing a life, trusting each other. One child alone feels almost egotistical to me. And why a horse? To journey on, I suppose.)
In my deck, two children share their happiness, making music in a safe walled space while sunshine and joy literally rain down upon them. Everything is warmth and light. The whole scene exudes comfort and joy. The sun is not too hot; it’s just right.
Almost all decks show a sun with a face. A happy personified protective sun.
Many decks, like mine, show an enclosed space, a protective wall. Someone built this wall, possibly you — it can be seen as the good life you’ve built for yourself. The wall suggests intent — this happy place doesn’t appear by chance. It takes effort to make this possible.
The lyre in my card suggests that creativity and art can flourish here. Happiness and joyful expression are possible in this sunny space. You can be a little unguarded here. Have the heart of a child. Get back to who you’ve always been, deep down. Be your authentic self and let your light shine.
It’s not all of life that’s sunny, and you have to learn to enjoy happiness when you have it. Don’t worry about what’s outside the wall. You’re safe here. You made it to this wonderful space.
The card suggests happiness, success, abundance – all the best conditions for growth are here. At this stage in your journey, you’re walking on sunshine.
Does the card have a downside? Maybe: don’t be infantile. Don’t forget there’s a whole world out there, much of which is not so privileged as yours right now. Remember that there have been cloudy days and there will be again. But this is a time of joy for you right now.
When you draw this card, it tells you that things are going your way. This is one of the most positive cards in the tarot deck.
Read will take you to my notes on how to tell a fortune with the Sun — traditional interpretations; what the card might mean in different positions; keywords to help memorize meanings; and questions to ponder or ask the querent.
Write will take you to a few prompts for launching from the Sun into a story. A first line, a setting, and a genre prompt — three possible ways to turn the Sun into fiction.
Tarot will take you to a central Tarot-Prompts page.
Go ahead, shine your light on us.
Images on this page are by the following artists:
Banner (and top box), left to right: Marseilles deck engraved by Nicolas Conver; Dragon Tarot illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland; Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi; Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti; Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington.
Mid-page boxes: Tarot Balbi; the Kitten Tarot.
Catherine Austen 