Oracle of the Radiant Sun

Having seen Oracle of the Radiant Sun on several occasions I became more and more curious about it. However, I can’t say it appealed to me. Eventually, for reasons I can’t entirely explain, I decided to purchase it anyway. The fact that The Moon Oracle, also by Caroline Smith and John Astrop, was one of my earliest decks gave me the final nudge. Unfortunately though, when it arrived and I had the chance to flick through it, I did so without any great enthusiasm. In fact I found myself thinking about options I could have added to my collection instead.

In an attempt to change that I decided the Oracle of the Radiant Sun was going to be my next review and it was. Well … after The Shadowland Tarot and Tarot of the Wandering Star at least. I just didn’t know how to work with this deck. Last night I decided to look through it again. The book had me intrigued but the cards just didn’t work for me. The art style and the fact the deck only works with the seven classical “planets,” rather than the astrological associations I am used to, meant nothing clicked.

Well, right up until it did.

Oracle of the Radiant Sun Cards

So what happened? I sat down at my desk today and started doing the spreads included in the book. As is often the case, cards look different laid out in spreads. Or maybe it’s just that I look at them differently. In any case, seeing them in spreads and reading the explanation for the artistic choices made on each card changed everything. Suddenly, the artwork that I thought was “meh” came to life and I managed to get my head around what I was looking at. All of a sudden I thought they were brilliant.

For the Sun in Sagittarius ‘Enthusiasm’ pictured above, the card image description reads, “A bright intelligent head haloed by the sun sits at the top of a traditional alchemical jar. Within a jar, a figure floats among the stars, sun and moon.” The Jupiter in Aries ‘Enterprise’ artwork also pictured above is described, “The hand diagram of the chiromancers shows the complete set of planetary qualities. Jupiter’s nature in palmistry is to denote the achievement of enterprise and ambition, where full use is made of all talents available. The acorns are simply the seeds of potential.”

These descriptions gave me something to work with. From there I was able to layer my own additional meanings onto the cards. Now I finally understand what drew me to the Oracle of the Radiant Sun. Using these cards as a starting point, I am super keen to expand on my astrological knowledge.

I have been in the process of putting together some astrological information in relation to tarot and this has inspired me to knuckle down and get that work completed. This deck has shown me the benefit of incorporating the two systems at a deeper level.

The Oracle of the Radiant Sun is an 84 card deck. Divided into seven planetary based suits, (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), each suit has twelve cards that cover the astrological zodiac. Design elements further delineate the suits. The title banners are all colour co-ordinated. So for example, Venus is green, Mercury is yellow, Jupiter is blue and the Sun is gold.

To further designate the suit, each has a specific card layout. As you look through they become quite obvious and I find they guide your eye around the card in different ways. Depending on your reading style, the layouts themselves add further information. As I look at these cards now it surprises me that I didn’t gel with them straight up. There is so much to work with and I love that.

I do find some of the keywords off putting though. Others align more readily with how I see the cards. For example, when I see Lust on the Venus in Aries card pictured below, I readily see how it’s represented in the card. However, when I read, “When this card is drawn, it indicates the need to assert oneself – and yet to do this with the utmost warmth and charm. the hard hand in a velvet glove may be the answer” that’s not how I’ve interpreted the image. What I’ve seen is akin to how they describe the Venus/Aries personality though.

Criticism for Mars in Virgo pictured below has the same affect. I think it is because of the potential to focus on the negative connotations of the words. Whilst there is the possibility that someone is being overly critical there is also the notion of the need to be more discerning. As someone with an English degree, the idea of evaluation and analysis should come to the fore, but like most people that is not what I think when I read ‘Criticism’ in bold letters on a red background. The fact that I know Virgo suggests order and discrimination, not just perfectionism doesn’t change that. I understand that this could all just be me though. I feel the more I work with the cards the less influence the keywords will have.

The cards themselves are small. They only measure 6.5 x 10 cm which to my mind is slightly smaller than playing card size. That being said, with 84 cards to shuffle, if they were any bigger they have become hard to handle. At this size I find them easy to manage.

Before I bought them I read that many people were complaining about the flimsy card stock. I wouldn’t describe them that way. For me they’re fine. However my deck is in a two part, pull out box. This is different to what people are describing (a box that incorporates the book into the cover). So, maybe when they improved the packaging, they improved the cardstock.

The Book

The guide book that accompanies Oracle of the Radiant Sun is fantastic. As I have already mentioned, it really helped me to connect with the cards. Plus, it contains a wealth of information. I like that they point out that:

The human mind is astounding in its ability to make brilliant leaps of imagination and achieve accurate observations

because I wholeheartedly believe that. After all, we don’t see or think in symbols. Instead we “see” what they represent. More importantly we see what they represent for us. For example, if I say horse it’s likely you picture a horse in whatever way your experiences render it. Maybe it’s a rocking horse, a race horse, a horse in a field, a horse in a stable, a picture of a horse, or in my case it’s a chestnut with four white socks a crooked blaze and a cheeky personality. Or, it’s freedom and personal power symbolised. This idea is well worth considering when looking at, and interpreting, cards. Never dismiss your own impressions even when they vary wildly from the suggested meaning.

With that said, let’s get onto the specifics of what you’ll find in this guidebook.

Following the Introduction the book moves on to talk about ‘The Language of Astrology’. Here, tables are used to great effect. There’s a table showing the ‘Symbols for the Astrological Signs’ and another for the ‘Symbols of the Astrological Planets’. There’s also one detailing the ‘Qualities associated with the houses, planets and signs’. Each makes the information easy to access at a glance which ensures the information is readily accessible for complete beginners. Furthermore, the tables are all coloured in a bright yellow, so even if you’re just quickly flicking through the book they stand out.

Better still, the book gives examples of how to integrate all the information both as far as ‘Reading the Associations’ goes and later when explaining the spreads. In other words they don’t just throw information at you. They demonstrate how to integrate the information in a practical sense. This book is definitely beginner-friendly.

Expanded information is provided for ‘The Seven Planets,’ ‘The Astrological Houses’ and ‘The Twelve Signs’ as well. A sample reading is provided in The Astrological Houses section which I’ll share below to give you an idea of one way to work with the deck.

Taking Mars in Gemini, (pictured directly above), in the second house as a reading, for example, we must remember that:

The First House, Aries and Mars all relate to self-expression

The Second House, Taurus and Venus all relate to possessions and material senses

The Third House, Gemini and Mercury relate to communication, and so on.

So for Mars in Gemini in the Second House, we have to combine three sets of associations. As Mars in Gemini is about decision-making and the Second House concerns possessions, this combination can be interpreted as requiring a quick decision with regards to possessions or money.

I found these sample readings really helped me to get my head around things. They explain later how to set up spreads, which is where the Second House comes from.

After this introductory section, the guidebook dives into the cards themselves. The cards are grouped by their planetary associations. Each section opens with information about what the planet represents followed by occupations associated with the planet and then a section on affinities. Taking Saturn as an example some of the affinities listed are Saturday, lead, black, the bones, teeth, crows, crocodiles, narcotics, old buildings.

Each card has a yellow card image, flanked by the House number and keyword title in bold with the planet and sign underneath on one side and the relevant symbols and the keyword for the planet and the sign on the other. Beneath in italics is a description of the card illustration which really helped me to connect with the cards. Next, presented in two columns below is the information about the card. Firstly, information is given from a personal perspective ie how someone with Saturn in Aries would present. This is followed by a paragraph on ‘when this card is drawn in a reading’ and finally there’s a section titled ‘Events’ which suggests potential events linked to the placement.

For example, sticking with Saturn in Aries, events include “A justified risk taken to provoke new possibilities; a sudden regretted action after a long bout of concentrated and patient work; pushing oneself into a position of power through intense work.”

Spreads

Four spreads are included in the book:

The Sun Year (13 cards)
Horary Reading (12 cards but only applicable House related cards turned)
Grand Trine (12 cards but only three turned)
Cardinal Cross Reading (12 cards but only four turned)

How each of these spreads work is made clear through Sample Readings. To be honest I haven’t decided how I will integrate this deck into my practice but I do know that for now I will be using it to help me gain a greater understanding of astrology. I believe it will be a great asset in that sense. I also feel that it helps bridge a gap between the physical and the metaphysical as it grounds the readings into the everyday. There is definitely a lot to take in though so I feel to get the most from this deck will take a high level of dedication and discipline. I look forward to that.

However, don’t worry if that’s not your thing. As the creators point out, you can still gain a lot just by integrating the keywords associated with each planet, house and sign. Whatever your personal approach, if astrology interests you then the Oracle of the Radiant Sun is well worth a look.

To work with this deck alongside your own astrological chart you can create a free natal chart at Cafe Astrology