Sun & Moon

The sun and moon have always played a powerful role in imagery. For many cultures all over the world the sun is an embodiment of male energy, light, and warmth; the moon of female mystery and creation. Both are symbolic of death and rebirth: the sun because of it's daily rising and setting; the moon because of it's monthly waxing and waning between new moon and full moon. The sun's energy warms the land and ripens crops, while the moon's gravity influences the waters, controlling the flow of tides.

Moonstruck Madness

It has long been believed that the full moon brings on or aggravates the symptoms of madness. The word lunatic comes from the Latin "Luna," meaning moon, and originally meant "moonstruck."

Clock Face

Moon's on a clock link time to the movements of the heavens.

Man in the Moon

Although the moon is largely seen as feminine, people often speak of the man in the moon. In popular myth a man was nailed to the moon to atone for his sins.

Baying at the Moon

The moon exerts it's influence over creatures of the night. When wolves howl at a full moon, they reflect the dark or sinister force of the moon.

Eclipse

An eclipse of the moon or sun is regarded by many with fear and seen as a portent of evil. Hindu myth says that an eclipse is caused by the bodiless demon "Rahu," devouring the moon or sun, which then passes through his neck and back into the sky.

Water

The Oceans are governed by the moon, so, like the moon, water has associations with mystery and with the feminine creative principle. Water is central to many creation myths in which a "great flood" is a common theme. The sea represents the unconscious and infinity, the cosmic ocean in which all life has emerged and into which it must eventually dissolve.

Personification of Sun & Moon

The moon, {Diana} wears white, in contrast to the red of her twin brother, the sun, {Apollo}. The flames beneath the sun's feet reflect alchemist's belief  that the sun is the innate fire present in all matter. Diana's foot rests on the moon, of which she is both Goddess and symbol.

Calendar Stone

The Aztec stone calendar, with a sun motif, shows the year divided into 18 short months. The central position of the sun emphasizes it's importance in the agricultural cycle.

Sun Mask

Native American Spirit Mask, the face, represents the sun. It is one of the sky spirits central to it's tribe's beliefs.

Black Sun

In alchemy, the black sun, or "sol niger," represents the dark, destructive aspects of the sun.

Scarab

The Egyptian sacred beetle, is a form of the sun god "Khepri," shown clasping a solar ball and representing new life.

Apollo

Apollo, Greek God of the sun, is the slayer of darkness. His head, surrounded by flames, symbolizes his divine nature, and the ultimate power of the sun.