Sun and Moon in Alchemy

Hey dear community, first of all I would like to welcome you all to my new contribution and hope you had a weekend which has brought some interesting experiences into your life! In this article I would like to go into something about alchemy and hope you can learn new things.

In the symbolism of alchemy you can often find the sun as well as the moon or other celestial bodies and the sun or Sol was a typical symbol for gold and the moon or Luna for silver and together these celestial bodies are also linked to the principle of duality. The sun was also a symbol of masculinity and the moon for the female aspects which should connect and another example of this duality are darkness as well as light and both merge and form a perfect balance and in Chinese alchemy, this is also linked to the well-known symbol of yin and yang. The sun was typically also associated with the transformation of the own soul while the moon was a symbol of fertility and the humid aspects and the different phases of the moon were also linked with transformation and during the full moon, you could find a dew in the morning hours which should have the ability to make immortal, according to legends. The understanding of the two celestial bodies is of great importance in alchemy and is often found in ancient artworks such as the green lion which stands as a metaphor for Vitriol which devours the sun and brings out gold as a result and in other works of art, the sun is exactly in the center between darkness or light and the sun is also considered the spiritual center of the world and was also seen as a royal symbol. The different phases of the moon are also linked to different cycles from new to full moon and in alchemy, these two celestial bodies are often expressed by gods from mythology and a diverse symbolism has developed around it and when it comes to waxing or waning phases of the celestial bodies, a different meaning has developed.

Many thanks for stopping and I hope you could learn something new about alchemy! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens.