As a once-upon-a-time redhead, the sun has always been the antagonist in my story. I burn super easy; it makes my freckles HUGE; I'm photo- and heat-sensitive, so I end up with migraines if I overheat or get blinded by refracted light. So tell me why I live in Texas. Seriously. I'm looking for an answer.

Today's card, however - The Sun - is a fabulous card, and a helpful reminder considering the dark and stormy past few days in our house. It's interesting that The Sun is a card in the Major Arcana, a "theme" card if you will. It reflects on bigger aspects of our lives rather than just the day-to-day. Through all my studying (and note-taking) I feel The Sun can be condensed into five primary themes:

• Success and achievement: The Sun shines down on our victories and highlights our wins. It represents the achievement of our goals.
• Clarity and understanding: The Sun focuses our thoughts to give a clear understanding of our problems and can sometimes shed new light on potential solutions.
• Vitality and Enthusiasm: As a card of positivity, The Sun can promote a renewed sense of life and enthusiasm for your situation.
• Joy and happiness: I mean, look at that baby. He's ecstatic from the happiness at the progress that has been made thus far!
• Enlightenment and illumination: When things are cloudy, The Sun provides new insights and knowledge that can lead to personal growth or spiritual development.

The Sun is just beaming with positivity and victory. And while there is always the possibility of staying in The Sun too long (living those victories a little too loudly), the overall theme of the card is a proverbial pat on the back for a job well done and something to genuinely smile about.

Message of the Day: It's easy to look back on life and recognize the "big" battles. Sometimes the victories are clearly marked, and other times they're mixed in with collateral damage (nothing is ever really black and white, is it?) The Sun card for me is a reminder to look back on all the shit I've made it through. It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows, not by a long shot; and the dark times can often seem to outnumber the light 2-to-1. I'm not one to say that the dark days just make the light days shine brighter, because - quite frankly - the dark days still suck balls. But ya know what? I made it through it - and I'm still here. Plus, as I get older, those dark days seem to be fewer and fewer.

Maintaining a positive outlook is a choice. It is not always easy to come by, especially when life comes at you from all sides and there is literally NO fucking respite ever. It even came at me with a shiv once.

I feel like the decision to try to maintain a positive outlook is also about control. A lot of what happens in life is external to me. I experience it like wheat blowing in the wind. Maybe the wheat gets mad at the wind and puts up its little wheaty-leaves and is like "NOT TODAY, SATAN," while the wind just laughs and blows harder (and throws in some rain for good measure). But what's it going to do? Where's that wheat going to go? It can sit there and be miserable and bitch and moan about the wind and the rain and rising property taxes, or it can accept that sucky shit happens and choose to not let it affect its outlook.

That's hard as fuck to do.

But the more we do it, the easier it becomes and eventually it all sort of falls like water off a duck's back.

Releasing our need for control and letting the (<cough>Tarot<cough>) cards fall where they fall is a good habit to make, but one that takes persistence and genuine effort. Our physical health will improve. Our mental health will improve. I imagine that's why this baby is so happy in The Sun card: he has finally released control of the horse he rides and finally feels freedom and has the SPACE to feel and enjoy the sun on his back. It also helps to try to have a dry sense of humor.

So The Sun, as a life theme card, now kinda makes sense. We can choose to live brightly and allow happiness and joy in, even if it's mixed with the shit and the mire - or we can choose to reside in the darkness of The Moon, lost in the shadows and consumed by the subconscious drek that sits in the bottom of the pool. This outlook has the opportunity to persist for more than just a day - it can truly become a lifestyle if we allow it (and can tolerate it - I mean we all know those people who are just "too" happy, right?")

So finally, The Sun asks us to think on the following:

• What are the happiest days you can recall? What was it that made you truly feel happy on that day? Is there a reason that feeling can't be experienced again?
• What are some practical steps you can take to make positivity and joy a consistent part of your lifestyle?
• Where do you feel control can be released so you, like the baby, can find a renewed sense of enthusiasm and joie de vivre?
• Are you going to let the sun be YOUR antagonist and keep you inside while the joys of life move on without you?

The cards shown above:

• "The Sun" by illustrator Selin Türkü Birben
• The Modern Way Tarot
• "The Sun" by illustrator Tamara Gerasun

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