AT Comparative Study - A - The Sun - 19

mooncat2

faces

Sacred circle Sun also has a face.
 

hyatt

sun comparison/Romani Deck

Deck: Buckland Romani

Symbolism & Imagery/First Impressions

The card is boardless with a white hot sun at the top of the card. The sun is actually so bright that it is completely white, but the rays leave the sky a beautiful saturated yellow. There is dark haired child (boy?) about the ages of 7-10 years old riding a brown horse in a field of large sunflowers. There is no saddle and the boy looks joyful as he waves his banner. The banner is blue and yellow with a symbol of the sun on it.

Initial reactions to symbolism/imagery

I see this card meaning happiness, sheer joy and fruition of whatever situation is at hand. There is only happiness to bask in. Unlike the Waite deck there is no wall. I like the wall in that deck because I feel like it means that the hard stuff is behind you - your goal has been accomplished. The flowers are the same in both cards with a little exception. The sunflowers in the Romani card are so lushious they actually cover most of the horse. I feel that the boy riding the horse really trusts the horse because there is no saddle. He has full confidence on the horse and in his path through the flowers.

From the Book:
Upright-"satisfaction, happiness, attainment, love, joy,pleasure in the simple way of life, just rewards, contentment."
Reversed-"loneliness,unhappiness,delayed victory,loss of friendship" - Raymond Buckland
 

mercenary30

Golden Dawn Tarot

Symbolism and imagery – This is a pretty standard image, with the sun shining down from a clear blue sky. There are yods raining down from the sun. There is a wall that arcs across the whole picture. You cannot see what is behind the wall. In front of the wall stand two children, hand in hand. They appear to be twins. Both of them are nude. The boy is on your left and is standing on solid ground. The girl is on the right and is standing in the water. The ground in front of the wall is covered in green grass, and flowers that are growing sporadically. They look like they may be daisies. (I wonder who is pushing them.)

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks – This is different than RWS and its child on a horse, beyond that it is very similar. Flowers, a wall, Sun in the top center of the card……. The yods seem very similar to the tiny hands that I discussed in the Egyptian Tarot sun card. Both seem to depict the blessings that are received from the sun.

Initial reactions – The most interesting point that I notice with this particular card, besides the less than stellar art work, is the symbolic tie of the male twin standing on land, and the female standing in water. Kind a Yin/Yang thing going on here; with water signifying fertility, life, cleansing and the earth as a foundation, producer, strength.
I wonder what is behind that wall. I almost seems to me that this picture forces a utopian view, and the wall is hiding something; reality maybe. It just leaves me wondering what it is I am not supposed to see.

Book Notes – I don’t have any books for this deck.
 

Alissa

The Sun, from the Decameron deck. :D

I feel, to understand this deck, you must be willing to speak in the metaphor of sexuality, and then apply the message to your reading. For some, it seems a difficult jump to make... bridging the gap between the sexual act often depicted on these cards, and the divinatory knowledge they convey, is sometimes too difficult if they are challenged by what they see.

But, since this is one of my favorite decks, and I believe it deserves more study, I'd like to use it as an example here.

The card shows two figures lying on their sides, facing each other. One figure is leaning towards the groin area of the other, who has a look of rapture about his expression. He caresses the head of the leaning figure. The two are lying under a setting desert sun of pure white light. Yellow sand and scrub surrounds them, as well as their discarded armor and clothing. A lance is buried, as if in rest, in the ground behind the two.

What is not immediately noticable to most is that these are both young men who lay together.

The Little White Book, which I believe is the only one ever worth keeping, and mine is well wrinkled, says, "Affection and passion come from truth, not pretense. Everyone can find themselves in their nudity and can stop pretending."

These two have abandoned their "duties," as signfied by the discarded armor and weapons, and given themselves to what they feel inclined to express. They have shed themselves of pretenses, and "roles". This reminds me of the repressive wall of the RWS card. It is left behind.

They are giving and receving pleasure, and the card speaks of finding that place of abundance within, where one is bountiful enough to both give and receive easily (like the RWS child, who doesn't judge but opens his/her arms to us freely).

The fact that these are two young males speaks to this being an affection "born of equals." There may be a person involved in the Sun card that is seen as an equal, and/or one with whom you feel no need to "hide" who you are inside. Blessed is such a friendship.
 

September Pixie

The Celtic Dragon Tarot

Symbolism & Imagery:
The card is reddish orange in color with 3 dragons.. 2 in the air behind the main dragon who appears to be breathing fire down onto what looks like the actual suns surface.. inside the dragons fire you see small symbols swirling around.. and the fire seems to be growing.. all dragons appear to be flying.. symbolism to rise above?

First Impressions:
Because the card has a large amount of red and orange.. it provokes thought of time for movement.. its a fire element so something is in great action..

Compare: to Robin Wood Tarot, in Robin Wood we see a small child riding naked on a white pony with lots of sun flowers behind a stone wall with the sun being large and full a large red flag waves in his hand and a red feather in his hair.. the child has a happy and calm expression on his face.. appears also to be a sign of fenced in growth and action.. the flag staff also has some sort of extended wings.. again a sign of rising above? could the white pony and the child indicate purity?

From The Book:
Positive happenings leave you with a sense of freedom and joy. You may be blessed with material gain or recognition of your work. Good news is coming.

From Robin Wood's Book:
Accomplishment, success, material happiness. A good marriage, joy, pleasure. Liberation, freedom, joy, and commitment.

Final Thoughts:
This card still speaks to me as the action of rising above something.. some kind of lifting action.. appears to be positive. The dragons appear to be completely a different take on this card from the Robin Wood deck. I don't see anything that would indicate purity.. contentment though, possibly.
 

contrascarpe

Victoria Regina

Symbolism & Imagery - Since color is not an issue with this deck, we can concentrate on the images themselves. This sun feels less feminine. In fact, I am reminded of Buddha when I look at him. He appears pensive. The child is walking in this picture and could be either sex, but I feel as if he is a little boy. He is playing his drums, sticks in mid-air. A dog is faithfully sitting by his side, tongue out and looking with reverance at the boy.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - As mentioned the sun is pensive, not smiling. The sun is also larger - definitely the focal point of the card. The child is walking, not riding a horse. The drum is something I haven't seen in other decks, as is the dog.

Initial reactions – Pretty much consistent with other decks. Joy and happiness comes to mind. Maybe a talent in the arts or music. The book accompanying this deck compares the boy and his dog with the fool. Sort of an enlightened child as it were.
 

Imagemaker

I'd point out that though the Faery Oracle isn't a tarot deck, Solus certainly looks like and feels like the sun card. Steady stare, radiant gold, the serious (but not judgmental) power of his glow is entrancing in several senses of the word.
 

Imagemaker

Margarete Petersen

The sun in this deck is an intense white center expanding outward into yellow and bright golds. At the bottom of the card there are faint figures and non-sun colors, what the sun is shining on.

In a way it's like the Solus card--no features, though.

Both of these feel powerful and warming to me, more so than other RWS suns. Having the face makes the sun too human for me to feel its real power, considering that it keeps Earth alive!

Anthropomorphism diminishes the transcendent. (How's that for multisyllabic rumination?!)
 

paradoxx

Tarot of the new vision

I don't have this deck, but i have seen this card and i do think it is worth mentioning.

samples visible here http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/onlinecatalog.php?view_title=Tarot+of+the+New+Vision&pageenter=0

the sun card is in the mini deck samples

Its just the RWS scene from the other vantage point. But the sun remains in the sky (two suns one child, one horse, interesting). This time the sun is more stern looking and demanding (as opposed to the standard RWS counterpart with its more friendly face.).

Definetly symbolic of the suns arc throughout the day, it gets unbearble hot during the day in places, other times its departure is frustrating due to the cold. The sun is both the giver of life, and the source of constant frustration. Regardless its role, it fulfills its role with respect and truthfullness.
 

contrascarpe

Tarot of the New Vision

I'm glad someone brought this deck up - in alot of ways, this is the ultimate study deck, especially for someone intimately familiar with the RWS. Unfortunately, it has zero appeal to me as a reading deck, but since I do have it, I will post on it here.

Symbolism & Imagery - The New Vision is a look at the RWS from behind. In this case, we see the child from the back. The Sun is still looking down but seems to be more serious (I think this is just how it was drawn - I believe it was meant to be the same). The wall is now not present and the sunflowers seem more askew as the horse begins to pass through. One thing I did not notice on the original was the red feather on the child's head.

Comparisons/contrasts with other decks - just the reference of the alternate viewing from the RWS. The major point for me on this card is that the sun would have "shifted" in order for it to be viewed from this angle.

Initial reactions – The Sun is omnipresent, therefore the feelings of joy are pure and all-encompassing.

LWB - Clarity, glory, satisfaction, spontaneousness. (Text copyright of Lo Scarabeo).