Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The sunshine has returned, and the clear skies at night give us a chance to observe the splendor of the heavens. Sun and moon symbolism dates back to the Paleolithic age, perhaps before that. In the biblical account of Genesis, Joseph dreams that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow down to him. The sun symbolizes his father, the moon his mother, and the eleven stars represent his brothers. When depicted together, the sun and moon symbolize the archetypal father and mother – the sacred marriage of heaven and earth, king and queen, the union of divine male and female. The marriage of the Sun and Moon is a theme found all over the world. A full solar eclipse is the ultimate manifestation of the sacred marriage, as for a short time the two heavenly bodies become one.

The moon is the second most important heavenly body in symbolism, the sun being first. Moon is generally a feminine symbol associated with water and the menstrual cycle. It is a universal symbol of the rhythm of cyclical time. It can represent the psyche, the unconscious, or the unknown darker realms. In European pantheons the phases of the moon represent the triple goddess: maiden, mother, and crone. Moon symbolism represents several goddesses and a few gods.

In India the moon is said to rule the senses and emotions, is fickle and changeable. In African lore the moon is seen as an old mother who lives in the west and brings cooler temperatures. According to Aztec mythology, the moon was a goddess who committed murder, and after repenting had her head cut off and tossed into the sky. In Incan mythology the moon is the wife of the sun, as well as the mother of the king and the entire race, however there were no sacrifices to the Moon as to the Sun. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the moon goddess. In Christian symbolism the moon is associated with the Virgin Mary standing on the crescent.

To the ancients, sun was a symbol for the soul and was masculine. Only a few cultures have considered the sun feminine. Sun symbols can represent the intellect, the universal spirit, father of all, all seeing divinity, intuitive knowledge, the bridegroom, enlightenment, and illumination. Throughout history sun ?rays? or ?discs? have symbolized the light emanating from divine beings. The nimbus (halo) above the head of a figure is a ?sun disc? notating their piety or divinity. Sun symbolism has been part of major spiritual systems throughout history and in the ritual worship of occult societies around the world.

Sun symbolism is found in every known culture and was used by pagan sun worshippers before being adopted by the Christian church. In Christian iconography the sun rising in the east symbolizes resurrection. In Incan myths, the sun was worshipped as the divine ancestor of the nation. To the Celts the sun embodies feminine power. Ancient Egyptians worshipped Ra, the sun god at its zenith. In alchemical symbols the sun represents alchemical gold, or the achieved state of perfection. In ancient astrological symbolism, the sun denotes activeness and the moon passiveness.

So now that spring has sprung, we can enjoy the benefits of our ancient and sacred guiding lights, the warm sun that brings new crops and the mysterious moon that reflects the sun with a gentle night time glow.

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