The Black Sun-Son; of the Black Madonna

Eight of the Black Veil – The Black Sun-Son; The Spiritual Sun

Sacred altar from the Mysteries of the Black Madonna deck

Whilst all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, They almighty Word, (Wisdom), came down from heaven from Thy royal throne (Wisdom 18:14-15)

The iconography of the Black Sun-Son is a many layered one; it appears in various traditions and cultures and is a potent symbol for the Cosmic Christ; a symbol for the Spiritual Sun, the black dazzling radiance beyond the light of our physical world and it is a metaphor for the dark night of the soul.

The Spiritual Sun refers to the Cosmic Christ or the Christos in Gnostic Christianity.  Through using the word Sun instead of Son, it is not limited to gender. The Spiritual Sun is the light of the Divine behind and beyond our physical sun.  The Black Sun can be interpreted to point to the dazzling radiant Black Light of the Cosmic Womb beyond and behind our physical sun.

The Black Sun, ‘sol niger’ is also the name of the ‘black work’ or ‘nigredo’ in alchemy. Here the blackness stands for the death and rotting of the old false self and is popularly referred to as ‘shadow work’.

The dark night of the soul of the individual spiritual journey can be seen as a literal and symbolic counterpart to the eclipse of the Sun, the Black Sun.  The traditional symbol of the midnight sun is related to the birth of Christ, the Son of the Black Madonna and one cannot fail to see the connection between the midnight sun and the Black Virgin Mother.

This altar contains the Black baby Jesus from the icon of Our Lady of Altotting.  I found this figurine in Prague and took it with me to the Cathedral of the Divine Infant of Prague for a blessing the font of holy water.  That night there was a special mass where the Divine Infant statue (said to have belonged to Teresa de Avila) was brought out for a blessing.

Should you buy this altar I thank you for accepting the role of becoming Keeper of the Sacred Altar

Each altar is unique; set in a wooden three dimensional box, and can be hung (if you attach a small hanger) or stand against something.  The dimensions are 17 cm x 14 cm.  Each altar is signed by myself, has the corresponding tarot card on the back and comes with a card wax sealed.  I ship in carefully foam lined boxes with DHL International Courier Express worldwide – delivery within a week – and this is included in the price.