Of this card, The Sun from
The Fey Tarot,
Riccardo Minetti writes: "...the Sun is an Arcana that by nature is
without any kind of ambiguity. It has no shadows, no veils, no
half-measures. The sun represents all truths, all certainties...the joy
of fullness and of security, when no doubt troubles the soul."
The Sun card is filled with so much positive energy and is generally
considered one of great joy. When it comes up in a reading or I have to
write about it for a book, sometimes I find I don't have much to say
because it seems so simple and clear. For the forthcoming
Mystic Dreamer Tarot, I wrote: "The Sun brings a simple message of joy."
But perhaps I've been wrong in over-simplifying the idea of joy. As I
thought about it and read what some other people say about joy, it
became clear that joy is complex and very individual. Here are some
thoughts about joy:
"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word—excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."
~Pearl S. Buck
"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."
~William Shakespeare
"I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace—a connection to what matters."
~Oprah Winfrey
"Happiness depends upon ourselves."
~Aristotle
"... joy and sorrow are inseparable…together they come and when
one sits alone with you…remember that the other is asleep upon your
bed."
~Kahlil Gibran
Within this handful of thoughts we find that some people find joy in
doing things. Others, like Oprah, find joy in being rather than doing.
Aristotle is among those who think joy (or happiness) is a state of
mind or a choice. And Kahlil Gribran reminds us of the complex
relationship between joy and sorrow.
So, like most other tarot enthusiasts, I turn to the cards
when I want to discover more about something. Hence, the Rays of Joy
Spread. It can provide very illuminating results, although I'm still
chewing on the fact that Death turned up in my "how do you give or
share joy?" position.
- How do you define joy?
- How does joy connect you to the divine or your Higher Self?
- How do you express joy in your daily life?
- How do you receive joy?
- How do you give or share joy?
- What gives you joy intellectually or how do you experience it intellectually?
- What gives you joy creatively or spiritually or how do you experience it creatively or spiritually?
- What gives you joy physically or how do you experience it physically?
- What gives you joy emotionally or how do you experience it emotionally?
