The Sun and the Moon

“Three things cannot be hidden for long: the Sun, the Moon and the Truth” Buddha

The Stars and the Sky

The Sun and the Moon are the two guiding lights. The Sun guides us during the day, the Moon guides us during the night. Among the planets they are called luminaries. They always go direct and never retrograde, which means they follow the Universal truth. Always. Sun starts the day and rules the day sky. Nothing else can be seen in the sky during the day, except the glorious Sun. He calls us to work, and asks us to follow our dharma, to grow our resources and wealth. Moon starts the night and reveals the stars. He calls us home, where food is cooked, where loved ones are waiting, where we replenished and rejuvenate ourselves. If Sun shows external wealth and resources, Moon shows the emotional and mental wealth. Having a lot and feeling poor or having little but feeling rich? 

The One and the Two

The Sun represents number one, which is unity, origin, and the source. It is the original source of light and all the planets in our Solar system shine with the reflected light of the Sun; they represent different solar rays. There is only one real light, which is the Sun. The Moon represents number two, which symbolizes duality, reflected light, and the balance of the opposites. Sun projects, Moon reflects it back. And such is their play.

The Soul and the Mind

According to the Vedas, the Sun is the Atman, or the Soul of All, the Self of our entire Universe. It symbolizes cosmic intelligence, pure consciousness, and enlightened mind. The Sun dwells in our hearts as our inner light. It is our local manifestation of the cosmic light. As other planets have no light of their own, but are just reflections of the Sun, all the people in our lives are just reflections of the soul’s karmic reality. The Moon is the mind and therefore, represents dualistic world which is created by the mind itself, constantly drifting between opposites.

The God and the Goddess

As the Sun represents the cosmic static masculine force, the Moon represents the cosmic dynamic and creative feminine force. The Sun is Shiva and the Moon is Shakti. Together they represent the great primal duality as passive and active, fixed and changing, formless and manifested, knowledge and expression. The movement of Sun and Moon is the dance between Shiva and Shakti, creating different angles and forming different relationships each day with each other. This is beautifully elaborated in Jyotisha via lunar days or so called tithis.  

The father and mother

The Sun represents the father, the Moon relates to the mother. As the Sun rules the day, it is a provider of the resources and is the biggest giver. It is the role of the father to shape our sense of self, to provide us with direction and self-worth in life, his love is conditional and is based on our actions. Moon rules the night and shows the utilization of resources, the care and nurture required at night. The Moon, the mother instills the emotional security and confidence and is the main source of unconditional gentle, soothing love, to which we all can return at any time.

Conception and sustenance

The Sun is the ignition, but without the Moon nothing can be sustained. Sun shows the conception of the seed while Moon sustains and develops life of the seed. Sun gives life to the whole Universe, but the Moon gives life to Earth. The Sun is the source of fire, which represents knowledge. The Moon governs water and has a life-giving power. Moon, being the primary significator of food, sustains our fluidity of body and mind; it nurtures and encourages growth through plants and herbs.

The shine and the flow

In a birth chart Sun represents our ego and self-identity. It shows our impulses towards power, prestige, and fame. It shows where and how we shine. The Moon represents our mind and emotions, the place where we can be mostly hurt or where we find our bliss. The Moon, being vulnerable, yet soft allows us to flow through life and see the same situations through different eyes at different times. As the popular saying goes “It’s all in the mind”. As such, Moon is the creative flow of life, which helps us to adapt, to change, to grow, to evolve… 

The scorching and soothing

The Sun burns all the time and represents the eye of dharma. It gives to everybody equally. Moon, however, is also an eye. But a different eye. It is an eye of compassion. Moon waxes and wanes creating tides of compassion, its soothing light is not the same all the time. But Moonlight allows us to make mistakes, and to forgive them too.