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THE SUN AND THE MOON
For thousands of years, the sun
and moon have filled man with inspiration, admiration and
fear.
The sun, the bringer of light, heat and fire, is one of the
most crucial elements needed on Earth for life. Without the
sun, life would perish rapidly. It is therefore unsurprising
that many human cultures have worshipped the sun, and
sometimes the moon, in acknowledgement of their importance,
their beauty and their magnificent powers.
Throughout the thousands of religions across the globe, the
sun and the moon have been said to be a bewildering range of
entities, from the eyes of a giant in Chinese mythology to
sparks of fire tossed into the air according to the Norse
belief. More often, however, the sun and moon are personified
as gods. |
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Although many sources contend that solar deities are generally
male, and the brother, father, husband and/or enemy of the
lunar deity (usually female), this is not cross-culturally
upheld, as sun goddesses are found on every continent. The
dualism of sun/male/light and moon/female/darkness is indeed
found in European traditions that derive from Orphic
And Gnostic philosophies, but many other European
cultures saw the sun as a maternal force, as did many other
cultures. In some cultures, such as the Scandinavian, some
scholars have misread or misstated the primary texts in order
to declare a male divinity the "sun god".
We may know far more about the sun and moon today, but these
two celestial bodies do not cease to continue to inspire man
with awe, wonder and respect.
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THE SUN: A solar deity is a deity
who represents the sun. People have worshipped the sun and
solar deities for all of recorded history.
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THE MOON: A lunar deity is a deity
who represents the moon. Although the moon has not had
great prominence in the history of religion, the worship
of it has been known since earliest recorded time—in the
oldest literatures of Egypt, Babylonia, India, and
China—and still exists today in various parts of the
world, particularly among certain African and Native
American groups.
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Night and day
in your worship
I forget myself
Akka Mahadevi, Sunlight made visible (12th
century)
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