In the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, two cards prominently feature sunflowers: The Sun and the Queen of Wands.

The Sun card depicts a large, shining sun and a line of sunflowers, symbolising positivity. Sunflowers are joyful flowers of happiness and warmth, which is appropriate for this card. The Queen of Wands holds a sunflower, and they are also emblazoned on her throne. Their tall, sturdy stems represent strength, resilience, and vitality.

The sunflower’s name comes from their resemblance to the sun, and they are often linked to solar deities such as the Greek god Helios, the personification of the Sun. He is often depicted as a charioteer driving the sun across the sky.

Another Greek god associated with sunflowers is Apollo. The myth of Apollo and Clytie is a story from Greek mythology that revolves around unrequited love and transformation. Clytie was a water nymph who fell deeply in love with Apollo, the god of the sun, music, and prophecy. However, Apollo did not reciprocate her feelings, as he was in love with Leucothoe, another nymph. Heartbroken and unable to win Apollo’s love, Clytie spent her days pining for him. She would gaze at the sun, following its movement across the sky. In some versions of the myth, it is said that she kept turning her face towards the sun, and as a result, the gods took pity on her and transformed her into a sunflower, forever facing the sun.

This myth explains the origin of the sunflower’s tendency to follow the movement of the sun across the sky. This behaviour is captured by William Blake in the opening lines of his poem about this flower.

“Ah Sun-Flower! weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the Sun:
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done.”

Their shape and colour match the symbolism of the sun. And the colour yellow is often seen as a happy and uplifting colour. Therefore, if you are drawn to them during a Tarot reading, they suggest positive energy and good fortune.