The Sun and the Moon

Hello Fellow Traveller,

Last week marked the Winter Solstice for those of us living south of the equator.

This was the shortest day, and longest night, of the year — and the point from which the days will progressively get longer.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin word for sun, “sol”, and “sistere”, which means to stand still.

It’s a time to stop and reflect, and to give thanks for both the winters and summers in our own lives.

The image of the sun and the moon reminds me of the union of opposites we so often seek outside ourselves — in partners and friends, communities and places.

But I feel the real grappling with polarities takes place within, and it’s in the spirit of seeking to integrate what seem like opposites that I share this poem.

Thank you for reading or listening,

Jason

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The Sun and the Moon

“Why do you shine so darkly?”
said Brother Sun to Sister Moon,
“Can’t you see the sparkling joy
that exists in the brightness of noon?
Why don’t you run and skip and shout,
Why don’t you feel the glow,
of gardens and beaches,
and all the world’s creatures,
who seek to make life their home?”

“Oh Brother Sun,” replied Sister Moon,
“Why can’t you ever stop?
Can’t you see that all the noise and din
take away from the peace in your heart?
Gaze upon the face of God,
She shimmers among the stars,
Rest easy and gentle,
Feel the delight and the pleasure
of the sultry embrace of the dark.”

“But why do you stay so alone,” said Brother Sun,
“Hiding out in the darkness of night?
Why do you not glimmer
in the playfulness of daylight?
Come out, come out, Sister Moon,
Join us in the warmth of life,
Why do you stay so distant,
in the lofty dreams of the night?”

“There is a reflection in the water, Brother Sun,
that you will never see,
You go from place to place
but don’t know what it is you seek,
There is virtue in being silent,
There is humility in being meek.
I may have fewer friends than you,
But when the nightmares of the world arise,
I have a place of solace
and somewhere I can cry.”

“I will rise in the day, then” said Brother Sun,
“And Sister Moon, you keep to the night,”
“You stay in your space in this endless sky,
and I’ll keep to mine, all right?
I move too much for your sensitive heart,
and you are too still for my inner fire,
So let us wake at different hours,
and shine from the tops
of different towers,
onto the land below.”

But though Brother Sun and Sister Moon
tried to stay apart,
They couldn’t help but see
each other, twice on every day,
And all the world would look up and say
that dawn and dusk were the most beautiful times
as the sun and the moon
danced in the sky,
A fiery light
and a sensual soul,
caught in an eternal eclipse,
Brother Sun and Sister Moon,
creating together
an image of beauty
for the entire world to witness.

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Thank you for reading or listening, and if you’d like to learn more about the symbolic meaning of the sun and moon according to Jungian psychology, you may like to read the short description that Jungian analyst Denise Grobbelaar has shared here.