The Sun blazes forth in unambiguous glory, the source of all light and life, the heart of the solar system whose radiance dispels every shadow and nourishes every growing thing. In the Western Mystery Tradition, this card represents the achievement of what the alchemists called the "Great Work"—the transformation of lead into gold, the transmutation of the mortal self into immortal consciousness. The Sun is the "Philosopher's Stone" achieved, the "Christ within" awakened, the Buddha-nature realized. Assigned the Hebrew letter Resh (ר), meaning "head" or "face," The Sun represents the countenance of the Divine turned toward humanity in blessing, the face of God we can behold without being destroyed.

On the Tree of Life, The Sun traverses the thirtieth path connecting Hod (Splendor, the intellectual sphere of Mercury) to Yesod (Foundation, the astral matrix). This is the path of the collecting intelligence, the consciousness that gathers and synthesizes all the data of experience into coherent understanding. The path teaches that the light of reason, properly developed, becomes the instrument of spiritual illumination—not replacing intuition but completing it. The child riding the white horse represents the purified soul, the "divine child" born from the union of all the opposites reconciled in the Great Work. The nakedness shows complete innocence restored, the original state before the Fall regained at a higher level of consciousness.

Under the rulership of the Sun itself, this card embodies pure vitality, consciousness without shadow, the energy that fuels all manifestation and to which all manifestation returns. The wall behind the child represents the protected garden of attainment—not a prison but a paradise. The sunflowers turning toward the light are the natural souls that instinctively orient toward truth, representing the lower nature now aligned with spiritual purpose. The red banner held aloft is the same energy that was wasted in The Devil, trapped in The Tower, now carried triumphantly forward. The straight rays of the sun alternate with wavy rays, representing the dual nature of solar energy as both particle and wave, both masculine and feminine, both electric and magnetic. In readings, The Sun announces unambiguous success, joy without shadow, clarity without doubt, and the simple happiness of being fully alive in the light of consciousness.

Upright: Radiant success, conscious illumination, joy without shadow, the divine child awakened, the Great Work achieved, vitality and health, clarity triumphant, life celebrated.

Reversed: Light temporarily obscured, delayed happiness, ego inflation, burnout from overexposure, the inner child wounded, vitality diminished, success incomplete.