The Sun - Nineteen

Sun, glorious sun! It is that magnetic force which our whole world revolves around. In this card, the idea of magnetism is illustrated by two people drawn toward each other. The sun is our source of heat and light, it radiates energy toward us. Within the human body, the centre of gravity is somewhere near the navel, or in the diaphragm if we lift our arms. This is where a collection of nerves called the Solar Plexus is located. This nerve plexus is often associated with the Manipura chakra, seated below the diaphragm, behind the navel. Manipura is thought to radiate energy, or vital power, throughout the body. The Solar Plexus, also known as the Surya chakra, is thought to absorb and assimilate energy from Manipura. In the Tarot card you can see one person is gesturing toward the centre of the other person, indicating the "place of resplendence."

Surya Namaskar, or "Sun Salutation" is a well known Hindu mode of worship. A sequence of yogic postures are assumed in successive flowing movements to complete one namaskar. It is considered most auspicious to perform 108 namaskaras a day. It is generally practiced in the morning before breakfast or in evening at least two hours after eating. Surya Namaskar should be performed facing the sun, in whichever direction it may be found at the time. The sun appears to rise in the east, travelling up toward the south, and sets in the west. During the winter, the sun will rise more toward the south-east and set in the south-west. During the summer, the sun will rise toward the norther-east and set in the north-west. During the equinox, the sun will rise due east and set due west.

The sun represents the centre of being. It is a source of light, representing enlightenment of the mind. 1+9=10, the number of completion, the whole. This card links to the tenth card, the Wheel of Fortune. Our solar system revolves around the Sun, like a wheel, or more precisely, as a helix. The sun is not stationary in the cosmos, but revolving around the Galactic Centre. The sun's planets are like specs of dust caught up in the momentum of the sun as it swirls around the vortex of our galaxy. Our ancestors had no way of know this, and so perceived the sun to be travelling around the Earth. Solar deities, sometimes male and sometimes female, are often depicted riding in a chariot across the sky. The sun is a symbol of perpetual motion, of a lifeforce which dies and is reborn, again and again. Witnessing this daily reincarnation of the sun, we can read a message about life and death. Although life appears to have a beginning and end, these are only transitions in an endless cycle. The sun therefore represents courage, triumph, immortality, life force and consciousess.