The Marriage of the Lights Talismans
"
The marriage of Sulphur
and Quicksilver, Sun and Moon, King and Queen,
is the central
symbol of alchemy."
(Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy 1960)

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Marriage of Light Talismans
By the
artist David Weitzman
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Talismans from the arcane world of ancient
The new 'marriage of the lights' talismans are a combination of
astrological, alchemical and magical concepts and symbolism coming from
the arcane world of the ancients. The roots of the talismans are
extensive and profound in their uses and meanings. They stem from
an age when the sacred and spiritual marriage of the sun and the moon
was considered the symbol of the union of the most fundamental and
archetypal polarities in the nature of the cosmos and the nature of the
soul.
Both talismans are a combination of the metals ruled by the lights:
gold symbolizes the sun; silver symbolizes the moon, and their ancient
astrological glyphs. They are made ('born') during specific
astrological times to draw out, intensify, reinforce and bring to life
those symbols.
Sun and Moon in Astrology
In astrology the sun and moon are considered the two sides of
everything in our earthly existence. There is nothing in this
world that cannot be separated into these two principles, they
constitute the most basic split of the absolute 'one' (monad) or prime
energy in the hierarchy of descent into matter. These two half's are
two aspects of the 'one' that become distinguishable in the physical
existence and are what makes it possible in the first place.
“
The sun is the father and the moon
is the mother “
The Emerald tablet
One active (sun) and the other receptive (moon), the sun and moon are
the rulers of the most basic breath and rhythm of life. Exhaling and
inhaling energy as reflected in the cyclic movements of every component
in biological life and the vibrating fabric of all matter.
The sun in astrology is the symbol of the higher self, the emanating
life force and the eye of consciousness, it is the animating principle,
the self generating cause of life, movement and action, and it is the
source of light which is reflected from every part of our being, just
like the light of the sun is reflected from the wandering planets.
Sun and Unity
Therefore it can be said that the sun is by itself a unity, and it
encompasses all. But from the perspective of the earth and
earthly life it is equal in size to the moon, and the rule of the cycle
of time is divided by both as expressed by the rhythm of the night and
the day.
As the sun is a unity, so the moon is really a projection of the
feminine aspect of the sun itself, but, from the perspective of the
earth, they have the same weight. Some, like the Hindu
astrologers, say that the moon is more basic and individualized in our
soul and personality and therefore more important to our earthly life
then the sun.
In our reality they are interconnected and are dependent on one
another, just as a biological organism is dependent on the life force
to animate it. However, their raw expressions in our self are
mostly in conflict and we find our self jumping back and forth from
those contradictory needs and motivating pulses.
Sun and moon Symbolism
Sun and moon symbolism- as the reflection of the two primal
interweaving forces of the soul and nature, here are some of their most
basic correlations:
- SUN/MOON
- yang/yin
- positive/negative
- male/female
- light/dark
- day/night
- electric/magnetic
- selective/inclusive
- hot/cold
- dry/wet
- exterior/interior
- heaven/earth
- spring, summer/autumn, winter
- expansive/contractive
- centrifugal/centripetal
- soul/body
- intellect/emotion
- the lower part/the upper part
- the right side/the left side
- decay / growth
The two lights are the two pillars of existence and are continuously
aspiring and longing for the unity of the 'one'. In the 'one' or the
higher aspect of our soul, which is an expression of this prime energy,
those polarities are in union and perfect balance. But in this
third dimension physical reality, this balance is not achievable in its
purest form; the two polarities are in constant battle like the similar
poles of a magnet overcoming one another in the sequence of time.
This results in friction and strife, and a continuum of a dance of
opposing forces, which we reflect in our own soul while in the body.
This is the main force behind growth and evolution.
Achieving Balance
The aim of most occult and spiritual teachings, from Taoism to yoga and
alchemy and many, many more is to reach the state of yin-yang balance,
and in this to reflect the soul's androgynous nature while still in the
body. Real balance can only be achieved by giving each of these
sides of our soul its proper place and expression of its maximized
potential. Balance in this regard is not a static thing; it is not
something bland that smudges the distinction. On the contrary,
balance is harmonized movement of the two poles while each of them
keeps its integrity. Real stability is not without movement, it is like
the movement of a bicycle, the movement forward is what allows for the
balance, stability is achieved through movement.
We cannot only exhale or only inhale; we need to do both to maintain
the cycle and regenerate energy. It is like a pipe, the
only way for it to stay full is by maintaining a balanced flow, if more
is output than is received then it becomes empty. If input
is more than output, it will became blocked and unmovable.
The
alchemical androgynous
In our own soul or psyche these two forces are mostly in a state of
war. The two poles are what Jung (who has contributed to the
revival of alchemy in our century) called the anima and the animus, the
masculine and feminine forces of the soul.
The aim of the alchemists was the transmutation of the soul; this is
the “real work”. The “royal art” of alchemy, is performed through the
process of the unification of opposites. The secret of the marriage is
in an inner alchemical work that tries to balance all the aspects of
this fundamental contrast in our being. The path is through
purification and unification this is done through the mind which is
symbolized by Mercury as the staff of Hermes (caduceus). In the myth of
the Staff of Hermes, each snake that wound itself around his magic wand
conferred on him the opposing powers of "binding" and "loosening,"
which transmute chaos into cosmos and conflict into order.
The alchemical marriage of the sun and
moon
According to Burckhardt, "the two forces represented as serpents or
dragons are Sulfur (sun) and Quicksilver (moon)”. Sulfur is a liquid
fire that fixes and coagulates, while quicksilver is a dissolving force
that blurs and adapts. The basic alchemical slogan 'solve et coagula',
is the process of dissolving (moon) in order to coagulate (sun) the
essential, each time refining the process more and more until it is
pure spirit. In order to evolve spiritually we need to free our self's
from deep social, physical, mental and emotional programming and the
physical, material attachments.
For us to reach our true androgynous nature we must make changes that
purify and dissolve their limitations on our experience, these
limitations as are put there by social orders and herd mentality,
material addictions, and basic, distractive habitual patterns.
These talismans are designed to do just that, they can accelerate this
process strongly; they will push us to be in sync with their
polarity-uniting force which will push away the external polarizing
influence.
The power of Eclipse
The most potent unification of sun and moon energy occurs in an eclipse
(see the
eclipse
talisman). An eclipse was not considered a good thing in ancient
times, because of
its association with disasters, strong changes and cataclysms. Eclipses
are not “bad”. They are shift and jolts that intensify
change for “good” or ”bad” depending on the maturity and perspective of
the soul involved. Where an ordinary person sees a crisis,
the spiritually advanced sees an opportunity. Sometimes a shock
is the only way to stop, change and wake us from stagnating restrictive
'more of the same' energy patterns.
An eclipse symbolizes change and transformation that can occur, in its
extremes, through crises and even pain. No real healing can
happen without a healing crisis, no real awakening can happen
without a sincere and penetrating realization and a severe reversal of
denial patterns. Real progress comes through pushing us out of our
comfort zone. For something new to emerge in our life something
of the old has must 'die', much as a caterpillar transforms into a
butterfly.
This energy potential is intense, the more advanced a person is, the
more true and honest he is to his path and the more willing he is to
make changes. For him, this energy can be maneuvered to
higher levels and greater progress. Those who are not sincere and do
not feel a conscious need for growth and are unwilling to take the
paths that real change dictates, are not advised to wear this talisman.
This talisman can push us to our limits in our quest for
realization. It can make us face our deepest fears (eclipse -
light in our dark places) and be reborn while releasing and freeing us
from old, stagnant energy and patterns. The ease or difficulty can be
shown by the placement of our own sun and moon in our natal chart and
the phases that they make in relation to each other.
An eclipse symbolizes change and transformation that can occur, in its
extremes, through crises and even pain. No real healing can
happen without a healing crisis, no real awakening can happen without a
sincere and penetrating realization and a severe reversal of denial
patterns. Real progress comes through pushing us out of our comfort
zone, for something new to emerge in our life something of the old has
must 'die', much as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.
This energy potential is intense, the more advanced a person is, the
more true and honest he is to his path and the more willing he is to
make changes. For him, this energy can be maneuvered to
higher levels and greater progress. Those who are not sincere and do
not feel a conscious need for growth and are unwilling to take the
paths that real change dictates, are not advised to wear this talisman.
The texts, astrological work and the
basic design and instructions for
the talismans are provided by astrologer Michael Ofek.
Related category
Astrology Jewelry