AT Comparative Study - A - The Sun - 19

contrascarpe

Le Soleil - Die Sonne - El Sol - Il Sole - The Sun.

The 19th card of the Major Arcana. Found toward the end of the cycle in the Fool's Journey.

Keywords - Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success, conscious discoveries, intellect, clarity, revelation, good luck, enlightenment, vitality, greatness, assurance.

Decks covered so far:
Tarot of the Animal Lords
Aquarian Tarot
Blue Rose Tarot
Bosch Tarot
Buckland Romani
Tarot of the Cat People
Celtic Dragon
Cosmic
DaVinci Tarot
Decameron
Tarot of Durer
Egyptian Tarot x 2
Faery Wicca Tarot
Fantastical
Fey Tarot
Goddess Tarot
Golden Tarot
Golden Dawn Tarot
Haindl
Jolandas Tarot
Tarot of the Journey to the Orient
Margarete Petersen
Marseilles - Kris Hadar's
Tarot of the Master
Medieval Scapini
Tarot of Mermaids
Merryday
Morgan-Greer
Napo
Tarot of the New Vision x 2
Tarot Nova
Quest
Ship of Fools
Swietlistej Drogi
Universal RWS
Victoria Regina x 2
Witches Tarot
Witchy Tarot
Zerner-Farber Tarot


Links to other discussions:
Cosmic Tarot
Gothic Tarot
Margarete Petersen
Tarot of the Old Path
Phantasmagoric Theater
RWS
RWS
Secret Tarots
 

contrascarpe

Universal RWS

Symbolism and imagery - A naked youth sits joyfully on strong looking white horse. The sex of the child is undetermined. His/her arms are raised. The child is blue-eyed and smiling with a wreath of small sunflowers in her/his hair. In the left hand the child carries a large red flowing banner. Directly behind her/him, a strong wall stands with larger sunflowers growing out of it. Above it all is a large ornate sun (with a slightly smiling face) in front of a blue sky.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - intentionally left blank - will edit later.

Initial reactions to symbolism/meanings - this is hard to do with the RWS for me since I have used it so many times. However I do get some thoughts when looking at it. The child is not holding onto the horse and in fact, is carry what appears to be a heavy banner. I sense confidence that the world around him/her will take care of his/her needs (which is a very childlike assumption). The wall symbolizes what man can create and it can be strong - so strong that it actually is sustaining the life of the sunflowers. The horse is guiding the child through the scene (sort of an opposite to the Chariot where the man is controlling the external forces. My immediate reaction to this card coming up in a spread would be that one's needs will be met.
 

Ruby7

Victoria Regina

Symbolism and imagery:

The sun massive and glorius dominates the card. The sun wears face paint and has a ring in his lip. He definitely has a masculine look. His facial expression is unreadable, neither friendly nor hostile, but the eyes are fairly intent. There is no visible sky and the sun looks more like a huge sunflower. Below the sun there is a young boy, who is playing a drum and has a happy carefree expression on his face. There is a dog in the corner, beside the boy, looking up to the boy, and the sun.

Initial reactions to symbolism/meanings:

This is a powerful, positive card. The child is happy and active and basking in the glory of the sun. He is not alone, he has his dog as a companion, and seems to be full of rythym and purpose, walking along, beating on his drum. The sun is overlooking the boy with indifference, but also has the look of a guardian, overseeing and protecting, ensuring all is well. This card is definitely linked to the Fool, the boy moving forward in innocence and joy, but he has a more defined purpose than the fool. This is a joyous card, filled with the warming glow of the sun, the happy rythmic music of the drum, and the innocent energy of the young boy and his dog. Whatever they are moving towards is good/happiness.

Ruby7
 

contrascarpe

Tarot of Durer

Symbolism and imagery - Two young angels are suspended in mid-air bearing fruit (one with grapes, the other with apples, lemons, etc. The Sun above them is ornate and smiling down upon the angels. In the background, the land slopes down to a church/monastary and then a shoreline with a ship leaving. On the left the ground slopes up to a tree-lined cliff.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - More ambitious than the RWS. I like the symbolism of the fruit as an alternate to the sunflowers. There is more a sense that nature in this case is less about life itself and more a tool of sustaining life. The Sun itself seems to be more participatory in this card as well. Instead of just shining light, it is reacting to the angels. The ship departing sort of reminds me of the traditional Three of Wands where one's "ship is coming in". Just like my feelings on the RWS of the presence of a solid man-man foundation (the wall) I get that same sense with the church. In this case, however, I feel that the foundation is more spiritual. One other thing I just noticed is that one of the fruits is falling from the grasp of one of the angels. This could mean abundance.

Initial reactions - As stated, abundance. I get alot of the same sense on this card as I did on the RWS. I feel a wonderful balance between enterprise (another common element with the Wands) and nature. In that sense this could be a card about balance. There is also a sense of community in this card.

LWB - "This sign will bring success". Moral and material satisfaction. Taking in or collecting rewards, winnings, insurances. Inheritance. Increases in economic income. New encounters for life, long-lasting associations, agreement with friends and family. Assured work. Satisfactory progress of specializations such as study, research, exams, professional activities. (The LWB definitions are copyright of Lo Scarabeo).
 

jema

Jolandas Tarot

Solen = The Sun from the Jolanda den Tredjes Tarot (aka swedish witch tarot)

http://www.hansarnold.com/htmls/tarot/tarot19.html
Yesod - Hod
Resh meaning forehead

Symbolism and imagery:
A moose is holding the smiling sun between his horns. We see two children dancing and butterflies and a beetle in the sky and on the ground we see a chicken and a rooster.

Initial reactions to symbolism/meanings:
The beetle is a well known sun-symbol and we all know that the rooster will sound off when the sun rises. The dancing children brings out a feeling of joy and innocence. The moose is the king of the woods in Sweden and fits well with the sun. The sun have a bindi in her forehead, I see that as important from two aspects, one is to connect the card with the hebrew letter Resh - meaning forehead, the other is that in meditation we often imagine being filled by the golden light of the sun just on that spot where out third eye is.

From the book:
The children are symbols of a love that is free from powerplay and intrigues and fear... Let the love in your heart embrace everyone around you and not just one person. The books also goes on to give an example on a sun-meditation.
 

lunalafey

Fey- Sun

Symbolism and imagery -
I well tanned Fey sits on the side of a golden field of grass.
The Sun blazes and the Fey absorbs the warmth with a content smile upon his face.

Initial reactions to symbolism/meanings -
Here is a happy Fey, not a care in the world, nothing could be better than it is now, at this moment. The Sun is in all it's glory, shining it's light upon the Fey's world. This Fey has had a very close relationship with the Sun, for his skin tone is quite darker than most. He spends much time sitting upon the hill. The golden grasses show how natures cycles follow the Sun, for all growth is dependant on the energy of the Sun.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks -
There are no sunflowers, no red banners, no horse and no wall.
The Fey come from a world that is simular in some ways, by very different in many others, than the world we know.
There is a direct focus on the Sun and a simpleness of the image.
It's all golds and blues, bringing about the feeling of that big ball of fire in the wild blue yonder.

From the book:
key words- truth, courage, sincerity, security, certainty, strength,joy, power, glory, light.
The Fey is a farmer and the Sun, the giver of life.
A very positive card, yet, too much of a good thing can be disasterous.
 

galadrial

Ship of Fools

Symbolism & Imagery

A fool (there is a fool on every card of this deck) unwisely builds a fire while a strong Sun blazes overhead. According to the book, this points to the folly of trying to compete with the Sun.

Initial reactions to symbolism/imagery

I see this as possibly meaning that, unlike the Chariot, any success, rewards etc. will not have to be striven for (any more, that is; not that they might not be resultant from previous work). That they will come as naturally as sunrise follows night and that trying to "help this energy along" by building a fire is useless. Better to employ the carefree, childlike trust and joy of the naked, bareback riding RWS child who is not trying to compete with the Sun but is revelling in it's warmth and light.

From the Book: "The Sun card brings happiness, glory, and rejoicing. Brilliance and clarity comes with the sun. It would be foolish, of course, to attempt to compete with the brilliance o the Sun, and equally silly to "assist" the Sun by lighting signal fires in the daytime. The Sun can scorch or blind, if we are foolish or unlucky, but warmth, ease, and life itself are its gifts." Brian Williams.
 

contrascarpe

Medieval Scapine

Symbolism and Imagery - This card encompasses some common themes. The horse here is strong but there are two naked children riding it. Both have curly blond hair. The horse seems to be bucking but in total control of keeping the children on. In fact, the horse has an air of kindness and love as it looks at the children. The top child is actually holding the sun, red banner draped around him/her. The other child seems to be reaching for the sun or could be holding on for dear life. The horse is standing in a ring of grass and flowers with a horseshoe shaped harp on one side and a cracking egg on the other. There is a wall in the rear which is multi-colored. The sun seems pensive, looking into the sky with a musing gaze.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - similar to RWS with a strong horse, ornate sun, wall in the back, red banner. Two children adorn this card as in the Durer.

Initial reactions - The egg signals a birth or a beginning. The two children a reminder that we need others in our lives to help keep the balance, much like the balance between our creations and nature's creations. There is a sense of control here with the child holding the Sun. We are dependent on the Sun but do we control it? It is a reminder of how important the Sun is to our daily existence - something we probably take for granted.

LWB - Satisfaction. Contentment. Success. Favorable social relationships. Love. Joy. Devotion. Unselfish sentiment. Engagement. A happy marriage. Pleasure in daily existence. Earthly happiness. The contentment derived from extending oneself to another person. A good friend. High spirits. Warmth. Sincerity. The rewards of a new friendship. Pleasure from simple things. Achievement in the arts. Acceptance of life. (The LWB definitions are copyright of U. S. Games Systems).
 

Mimers

Blue Rose Tarot

http://www.tarotpassages.com/PGSun.htm

Brief description:

This card shows a young girl offering a crystal pinapple to the sun. It's facets reflect the light from the sun with beautiful crystal clarity. The facets of the crystal shoot off many different colors. In the backround is a golden field where animals and phesants graze. A small village is at the top of the hill behind her.

The sun in this card looks like a mandala and arching over the sun and the village are 2 rainbows.

What this says to me:

The crystal pinapple represents the crystal clarity that the sun offers in life. It is also the beautiful gem that is enlightenment. The rainbows are the sign of luck and fortune that comes upon us during the times in our lives when the sun is at high noon! The whole field is golden like the suns rays, obsorbing its warmth and energy. The little girl is our childhood innocence that is a freedom that we loose all to soon.

This is the point in our lives where everything becomes clear. We know which direction to go. There are no shadows, no questioning ourselves any more. The sun lights the way.

No LWB
 

paradoxx

Tarot Nova

Description:

A man in brown pants, a green shirt, and a red hat with a red feather (why not) rides a brown rooser with green wings and tail with a red comb and wattle (the red flaps of a rooster for those who are thrown for a loop.) An large 8 pointed sun rests overhead. The Glyph for the sun and a hebrew letter are at the feet of the rooster. A bluebird (a common theme of this deck) hangs in the air behind the man. Teh rooster has his mouth open and is shown to be speaking through the art. The rooster is cawing.

Coss-deck comparison

The man is riding an animal (this time a rooster)
The man has a red fether in his hat (and calls it macaroni)

Analysis
The rooster is a bird that signals the beginning (and oftentimes the ending) of a day and is in tune with the sun at all times, While more of a fantasy situation to ride a rooster instead of ahorse, the symbolism is pretty clear. Its a card of joy, activity, and unchained freedoms. With the rooster involved, its also a card that flat out tells you to "WAKE UP" and eat your Kellogs Corn Flakes.