Moon
(Luna)
and Sun (Sol)
Moon
- Sister to Mother Earth, Queen of the night. Ruler of emotional
waters
and cycles of growth. Diana - Greek
Sun
- Although there are many mythologies in which the Sun is
female (such as in Japan, whose most important Goddess is
Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess), it is generally considered
that the sun is a male deity or a male attribute, in contrast
to the Moon, which is almost always viewed as female. The
Greek brother and sister, Apollo and Artemis, show this pairing
of the sun and moon as complimentary opposites.
Many mythical connections between the sun and the male spirit
led to identification with men and the daylight, and the gods
of light and fire. whereas female powers were viewed as being
in the darkness, night, the womb, water, and the reflective
light of the moon. Many symbols identified with the sun include
the lion, gold, and the eagle. The Roman emperor Constantine
had images of the sun on his coins, which were dedicated to
the protective powers of the sun lord.
Yet the sun was always lost in the darkness
before he was reborn again each morning, or, with the return
of the sun at
the winter solstice. Ra, Sun God of Egypt, was represented
by a winged sun disc; he died each day as he entered the night/womb,
and was born again each morning from her "eastern gate".
The connotation of the sun god as dying and being reborn is
consistent throughout many traditions; hence the importance
of the "Birth of the Light" with the Christ Child
at Christmas, which also occurs at the time of the solstice.
Sol
and Luna most frequently symbolize consciousness
and the unconscious, respectively.
Fiery
Sol, the Sun, whose corresponding metal is gold (or sulphur),
is the source of
warmth and light (gold was often
called "the sun in the earth").
Watery
Luna, the Moon, whose corresponding metal is silver (or salt),
is dark and cold (water and spirit are often identical;
water also holds death-rebirth symbolism).
Sol
and Luna are equivalent to the Yang (positive, male, assertive)
and the Yin (negative, female, receptive) in Taoist
philosophy, whose reciprocity is the reason for all events
of the universe.
Luna
and Sol often appear as White Queen and Red King;
the symbol of this relationship is a rose. This relates to
their symbolism as the anima, the female principle within a
male personality, and the animus, the male principle within
a female personality, respectively. Jung called this aspect
a "medium between the ego and the unconscious. This is
reminiscent of Rubedo, in which Luna becomes a man, whereas
Sol becomes a woman. According to Jung, both aspects are crucial
to their corresponding Self, and their realization is achieved
through relationships with people of the opposite sex. The
alchemical concepts of Sol and Luna seem to be the unconscious
projections of the animus and the anima
Luna
is often called Anima Mundi, the World Soul which surrounds
cosmos, half-human half-animal Melusina, or even Lilith. As
Melusina, she is similar to Virgo, who is often associated
with the Mercurial Serpent. As the Moon, Melusina
is also compared to Venus or Aphrodite, not unlike Mercurius.
Similarly, Melusina as Lilith, is the first wife of Adam in
Paradise, whereas Mercurius is often associated with Adam before
the Fall. It is only natural to represent Mercurius as the
anima, which alchemists often did.
The
sun represents the masculine principle and the logical or
reasonable aspect of the mind; the moon
represents the feminine principle, the realm of dreams and
the subconscious. The two united offer the means of magical
transformation — a combination of conscious desire and
subconscious activation.
To
become magically adept, the male and female aspects of the
self must be fully recognized and integrated.
The balanced individual, fully acknowledging the anima or animus
within, is thus the HermAphrodite. This is the true goal of
the alchemist, the mixing of silver and gold, sun and moon,
within the self.
Alchemical
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