Shine Brightly In the Light of the Sun by Lisa De La O Wyman
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Shine Brightly In the Light of the Sun by Lisa De La O Wyman
Welcome to the vibrant magnetism of Leo season! A fixed fire sign, Leo is the superstar of the zodiac, the natural performer bringing charisma, creativity, and showmanship to midsummer. Leo governs the heart and spine, awakening zesty passion, generosity, loyalty, and courage. The previous cycle of watery Cancer urged us to go within and deeply explore our emotions, and attachments regarding family, home and security, and to reevaluate what parts of our life we might be ready to release in favor of greater personal development. Now Leo is coaxing us to take empowered action on those emotional insights. What exciting little seeds are ready to be planted? How will you do it differently this time? How will you manage fear and uncertainty as you make your way forward? Are you ready to put yourself out there and be seen in the full light of the Sun?
The Sun is our personal star, the light that sustains life here on Earth. In the Tarot, the Sun card symbolizes illumination, growth, individuality, and affirmation of the life force. We experience its powerful light and heat in The Sun and Strength/Lust cards, the latter being the primary card of Leo, which is ruled by the Sun. Feel the warming glow of our solar friend as we observe its influence on the cards of the Tarot . . .
Ruled by the Sun, Leo energy shines brightly, jubilantly, and with a lot of heat. It encourages rampant growth but can also burn when directed too intensely. The constellation of Leo is named after the mythological Nemean Lion killed by Heracles during the first of his twelve labors. Lions are regal and majestic, the royalty of the savannah. They protect their pride with ferocity, devotion, and tremendous power. Leo is a determined energy, superb at driving progress and bringing inspiration to others, but that same blazing vitality can wreak havoc when too forcefully applied. They can also get sidetracked by squabbles that put them at the center of emotional drama, stoking a tendency toward excessive pride. Yet in its most evolved expression, Leo energy is a regal, loving, and protective force that wants to share its bounty in a spirit of play.
As the center of our solar system, the Sun is a focal point for survival on Earth. An orb of hot plasma heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, its energy mainly consists of light, ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Roughly ninety-three million miles away, it has governed our cycles of growth since the very beginning. Before the invention of artificial light, we built our daily existence around exposure to its light.
Throughout history, the Sun has been considered a deity by cultures ranging from the Sumerians, Egyptians, Aztecs, Incas, Hindus, Greeks, and beyond. Our rotation around it has been the basis of some solar calendars and still influences the Gregorian model in use today. In ancient Egypt, the Sun was known as Amun-Ra, eternally moving across the sky in his solar barge. The Greeks held a similar belief in the majestic Helios, who heralded in the dawn and dusk in his chariot of fire. Gods and goddesses associated with the Sun are often healers as well as sacrificial gods that experience redemption. Christ has been long associated with the concept of both the “Son” and the “Sun,” bringing greater light through the initial surrender of his flame. The glyph of the Sun looks like a fertilized egg or point on a map – it’s a focal point or center of life. It’s also the same symbol as the element of gold!
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The Sun card embodies the experience of the individual here on Earth. Be who you are, express your individual light, be vital with the energy of life, and shine brightly and fully. There is a centrality to the Sun that it encourages within us. It inspires autonomy and a certain degree of self-reliance. It doesn’t need other planets to put forth its light. It sources it from within. It can continually shine and never dim. It is whole. The Sun also symbolizes energy, good health, and hearty vitality. It brings things to light and is connected to the gift of prophecy through the solar god Apollo and his ancient oracles.
Associated with the Hebrew letter “Resh” (head, face), the Sun asks us to authentically show up in the world. In our natal charts, our Sun sign represents our essence and sense of purpose – what we’re here to do, and how. While the Moon signifies our subconscious needs, the Sun is the conscious self, fully awake and participating in the circus of daily life. Are you allowing your inner sun to shine? The great cosmic eye has put you in the spotlight and it’s time to be who you genuinely are without shame. Some illustrations of this card depict a naked child, emphasizing the freedom and uninhibited joy that comes from pure personal expression. Are you comfortable being seen?
The heat and light of the Sun fuel life on Earth and promotes continual growth. However, too much Sun can burn. It’s overbearing – it scorches and can reduce a lush garden to a barren desert in a frighteningly brief amount of time. It can inhibit growth and create wastelands where almost nothing can survive. Consider this in your own life when you might be letting too much personal “Sun” shine on someone or something – are you exerting an excess of personal will? The cosmic Sun may be self-sufficient, but it also needs to coexist with the rest of the solar system. Take occasional stock of your solar expression. Is it imbalanced? How can you adjust so that healthy growth is possible for yourself and others in your orbit?
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The Lust, or Strength, card crackles with the heat of Leo’s fixed fire. To clarify, Tarot decks created in the tradition of the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck depict this card as Strength. It often shows a maiden calmly engaging or even taming an immense lion. Decks fashioned in the tradition of Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot call it Lust, illustrating some version of the goddess Babylon or Babalon. She is a female deity both sacred and profane, holy and sexual.
Each expression beautifully captures different facets of Leo energy – the courage needed in the face of fear or the passion that transforms the daily grind into a moveable feast. Crowley himself spoke of Lust as “the joy of strength exercised,” and how good it feels to be alive in a body that is vigorous and aflame with appetites and drives. It’s connected to the Hebrew letter “Teth” or serpent, which recalls the deliciously rising energy of kundalini. We are being awakened to the powers of our body and spirit on many levels, and a mastery of their many desires is required. How do we find a balance between our personal will and harmonious collaboration with the rest of the world? When does pride or ego muddy your intentions? Has your hunger overtaken your awareness of others? How can we utilize your individual power to benefit yourself and others? Sometimes the lion you tame is YOU. Conversely, if life feels like a flat, colorless landscape, it might be time to help that lusty, joyful serpent rise to new heights of pleasure and vitality.
In the Strength depiction, we are called to show fortitude in the face of adversity. Courage is only possible when we are afraid. We must put ourselves in the position to deal with what challenges or terrifies us to display our bravery and inner strength. It’s a hugely vulnerable experience that we’d prefer to avoid. But when we don’t, our spirit shines. Our love and resilience illuminate and grow. Heart and backbone unite as an unstoppable team, and we can conquer anything. Our inner light dispels the darkness.
In both expressions of this card, the human and beast relationship mirrors our inner conflicts of bestial versus evolved desires. We dance between both all our lives, and we get to choose how we take each new step.
We also find the Sun shining upon a handful of other zodiacal cards:
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In the Three of Wands (Sun In Aries), the ambition of the maverick has matured into responsible leadership. They are guided by a sense of noble purpose. The initial drive to embark on a new adventure has led to a place of power. You have gained something through your efforts and now must decide how to handle it. Was your pursuit of the goal just about winning? Was all that action just for the adrenaline rush or was it in service of something more substantial? Is there some deeper value underpinning your intentions? This is the point where the warrior conquers a new territory and has become ruler. Now they must govern, feed the people, offer protection, and consider their future. There is a real opportunity here to exercise wisdom and rationale toward the greater good via your position of influence.
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With the Four of Pentacles (Sun in Capricorn), we arrive at a point of stable, tangible power. We’ve been learning to master the ways of the material world, amassed resources, and constructed something of value. Wealth can take many forms - be it land, status, connections, or even time. However, there’s a certain pressure to this kind of successful acquisition. We are dense with the matters of earth; we have “stuff” that can be both an advantage and a burden. It opens doors of possibility but may also feel like an anchor if we give it more importance than it has. Greed or hoarding tendencies may show up here, as well as, on a more positive note, the security of a “structure” through marriage or family lineage.
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The Six of Cups (Sun in Scorpio) takes us to the moment of rebirth that follows death. Here the Sun that “dies” every night rises again in the morning sky. It is an experience of emotional balance, exchange, renewal, and liberation. When the body ceases its breath, the soul is set free. The feeling of release and renewal is profound and there is a flood of pleasure that refreshes and heals. Healthy emotional exchange in the form of reciprocal love has this power – it uplifts and revitalizes us on many levels while taking us to a new place of possibility. We just have to let something die to get there, like our ego, defenses, attachments, or refusal to change. Something must be sacrificed before rebirth can occur and we can be taken to new heights.
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In Eight of Pentacles (Sun in Virgo), the power of small, sustained efforts shines. Virgo’s meticulous attention to detail, and commitment to the service of something greater, pairs well with the Sun’s steady warmth. Like an egg in an incubator, the gentle and continuous heat and light will foster the growth of new life. You may not see it, but something is progressing behind the scenes. Patience and diligence are our friends here. In other words, “chop, wood, carry water.” Stay on your tasks, and keep with it. Trust in the development over time of something that has its process. Support it. Help it. Nurture it through careful attention to its evolving needs.
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Ten of Swords (Sun in Gemini) often scares people when they see it, and rightly, as the imagery is usually quite dreadful. Someone is usually getting stabbed with many swords, a real overkill. In Tarot, swords represent the mental process and how we communicate it outwardly through verbal expression. At this point, our thoughts and words are working against us. They are no longer helpful and may be actively harming us through cruel inner monologues or arguments that go in circles. The mind has burned itself out with the power of its force. It’s like an engine that has overheated by repeating the same function until it fries. This is the destructive heat of the Sun paired with a cacophony of thoughts and words. It’s probably time to let go of a narrative that no longer serves you. Switch to plan B – anything other than what you keep trying to do. It’s just done to death. Stop trying to approach the situation in the same way. Consider if your perspective or communication style is outmoded or simply out of place in this circumstance. Black-and-white thinking that lacks nuance can lead to mental despair. The good news here is that it can’t get worse, so help pull yourself out of this dark mindset by shifting your thoughts.
May you radiate authentic and vigorous personal light with each new day, my friends. Go out there and get your “sun” on!
Lisa De La O Wyman is a Tarot reader and writer based in Redondo Beach. At Tarot for Empowerment, she works with individual clients, private parties, and special events. Through her work, she seeks to connect people with their innate power as well as encounter the mystery in everyday life. She can be reached via Instagram and Facebook at @tarotforempowerment, email at info@tarotforempowerment.com , and website www.tarotforempowerment.com.
