Pearls of Wisdom - The Sun

Rede Seeker

This is one card that I struggle with.

A woman with a Klingon forehead ... Ok, it's a head-dress ....sits on a throne surrounded by a blue-white haze. From behind the throne there are yellow light beams and blue sky. The sun above the throne has a counter-clockwise sworl. This sun doesn't feel as hot as the sun on the Seven or Eight of Cups. The throne looks to be made from red-gold and the lady's outfit is golden all the way down to her shoes. There is a small sun resting on her Crown Chakra. It looks to be part of her head-dress and there is a string of those green beads I saw in on the wrists of the lady in the Seven of Cups.

For all her shining glory, she holds a pair of plain sticks in her hand, similar to the sticks that are at the top of the card. The sticks are attached to puppets at her feet - three children riding a unicorn. The sticks at the top of the card seem to be attached to the lady - is she a puppet, too?

There are three pairs of hands along the border of this card. One set with the puppet sticks; one set with a red and white rose; one holding a filled wine glass while the other hand is open and welcoming.

There is a jar of paint brushes and a climbing vine with flow buds on one side of the card; a key on a hook, a four leaf clover and an upturned horse shoe on the other.

This is the creepiest card in the Pearls of Wisdom deck for me. The Sun really isn't the Sun? It's manipulated by an outside force (the disembodied hands) just as the Sun Lady manipulates the puppets in front of her. It's a player in Life's drama like everything/everyone else? I could use some help with this one.

The Rune Berkano is on the upper left-hand column. Berkano is the Rune of the Birch Goddess, a painful task mistress if the situation calls for it. It is also the Rune of Liberation and Becoming (ref. The Nine Doors of Midgard by Edred Thorsson).
 

Sulis

I too think this is the creepiest card in the deck. In fact it's the one card in the deck that I don't really like.

The Sun to me is a card of enlightenment, childishness, joy, bringing things out into the open and also of freedom.
We usually see 2 children playing near a wall or a child on a horse riding away from a wall - both of these images say freedom to me as the wall is behind the children or child.

Here we have a golden woman on a golden throne. She seems to be wearing some sort of facial mask like a Mardi Gras mask and she holds in her hands sticks which are used to control string puppets of 3 children riding a unicorn.
Above her are large hands which seem to hold strings which are controlling her...
No freedom there then.

There are paint brushes in the bottom right corner of the card; one green, one yellow and one red -I like those, they say creativity to me.
I can also see a four leaf clover and a horse shoe with the points upwards in the left hand border - good luck and good fortune.
There is a key hanging on a peg too - ? freedom - maybe....
A hand holds a full wine glass and looks as if it's raising it in a toast - a blessing? Once again good fortune...

This all looks good so why can't I get past the puppets and strings?

I think the puppets the lady is holding are meant as simple toys so that would tie in with the theme of this card and maybe the strings controlling her are there to tell us that there is a power greater than we are????
I dunno...
 

Skydancer

This card is an oddity to me also.

I like your idea about "maybe the strings controlling her are there to tell us that there is a power greater than we are" -- I mean, there must be somebody pulling the strings, right?

The key is interesting. What is it the key to? The kingdom? The treasure? It's hanging there on a peg so it won't be lost - which implies that it isn't being 'used' so it's just off to one side. Perhaps we are to get it down and use it to unlock ourselves from our keepers; free ourselves from being puppets/manipulated ??

Loads of things to ponder on in these cards. I have yet to see them all as I study them as they come up for me. There are many I have yet to come across.

Since there are masks in several cards I'm sure it is a reference to something she is making a point about. Guess it's up to us and our questions as to just what the significance is.

*S*

"I am ready for battle with no apparent opponent except myself!" ~ from Pearls of Wisdom
 

Rede Seeker

A question for Roxi/Hexi

This is so cool - having you here with us. Welcome.

And now I would like to pick your brain...one card that I have trouble redeing is the Sun. The details that vex me are the 'Klingon forehead/mask' and the puppets.

The Sun has never had manipulative tendancies for me. Here, it seems like an older/Grandmotherly like woman is directing the action of younger generations. The puppet-children ride a unicorn, but they are still puppets, lacking free will. The puppet sticks seem odd - with all the gold and gilt to the Sun card, these sticks are a mundane shape, size, and color.

Can you share some of the history behind creation of the Sun card?
 

Hexi

the sun

Hello Rede Seeker.
Well, this was an interesting card for me too, I struggled with it, and even painted it twice,(one of the very few i re-painted) but both times the same images came, so I just had to "let go" and "let it be" what it is. It was a big lesson for me in the whole painting process.

Caeli also had some difficulty in writing for this card as well, so you are not alone, I realize it isn't the typical Sun card. I burned the "other" painting to return it to the sun's flames and heat.

The overall sense I had for the Sun was that of celebrating creativity, the creative spirit and the urge to create, thus the pottery, paint brushes and puppets, for these are all things that I, as an artist have spent years creating.

But why can I do this, and have such a need to be creative when others don't? Where does the creative inspiration come from, and how does it get from that source, through me to the canvas, and eventually to you?

I realized, especially through this painting, that , though I did not feel "manipulated", I (me my Ego) was not in "control" of the painting, that it came through me from somewhere else, and so I let go of trying to control this painting, or any of the rest after. I quit struggling, (fighting with my Ego) trying to make it right, and just accepted it as it came. I just trusted that the images would be right for the deck. You see I wanted this card to "be" someone else, but both times it was the same person, and I could not make it into someone else it was not my call.

I see the Sun as a card of celebration of the creative spirit, that is in everyone. The suns rays are radiating out, inspiring, enchanting, and challenging. The two roses mean creative energy, the hand raising a glass mean celebration, the good luck charms mean good luck... and the the vine represents growth.

This card, to me, shows that we should celebrate the creative spirit. How does the creative spirit move you? The plainess of the sticks indicates that this really is simple, you don't need anything fancy or elaborate to connect with it.

The concept of the puppets, is that the woman is "animating" them is using her life force "through the strings and sticks", so they appear to be alive, but it is her life force that is animating them, not their own. In turn, the woman's life force, also comes from "somewhere else" the universe the divine, which I feel is the "animating force" - in all things. I didn't consider that she might be manipulating the next generation, I saw it more that she was on stage entertaining the next generation, with her creativity, which comes from beyond her, through her. Celebrating life. Radiating like the sun.

We often see ourselves as detatched from the divine, but in my experiences,I feel that we are "one with it all". So the strings to the "other hands" represent the connection we all have to the divine creative spirit, it does not mean we are puppets or do not have free will, it just means that when we feel connected to it, are "one with it" the force is able to come through us, to create in the here and now through our hands.

I still had the "free will" to choose whether or not to accept this image and keep painting on this journey, which I obviously decided to continue but I also realized that it wasn't my call what came.

The mask, though I never thought of it as Klingon... (ugh) is another aspect of creativity, costume and drama. I used the mask to add to the costume of the woman, so she could be "on stage" with her puppets, and not behind the scenes.

I have found through my dramatic experiences that when we wear a mask, we have the opportunity to not be seen as ourselves and have the opportunity to become or embody someone else. Sometimes wearing a mask allows us to show parts of ourselves that we would not otherwise do. I found, that behind masks people can let go of their ego's (or public selves) and feel free to let go and "act out" speak out, in ways that they might not otherwise, in a sense it gives one freedom to be/portray someone else and let go of the ego if only for a while.

So to me, the freedom of the Sun, is in letting the warmth of the creative spirit move you and come through you warming your soul, inspiring you to create and inspire others along your way.

I love and live by the Rasta saying "I am in all and all is in I."

I am open to your comments...
 

jumaja28

Got my deck! I'm still digesting, but I thought I'd start with this one.

I'm actually not bothered by this card. I had the advantage of hearing from Roxi before seeing it, but I think I would have been okay anyway. I might not have understood the puppet thing, but the feel of the card really is bright and sunny. I definitely don't get "creepy." For a creepy sun, check out the World Spirit. For a generally yucky one, try Revelations or Reflections. This one is definitely not on my bad list.

I do like the jar of paintbrushes. As an avid crafter, I enjoy the association with creativity.