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.