The Conjunction of the Sun and Moon: Aurora Consurgens

On the left, a figure with a radiant, sun-faced head and armored body rides a lion, holding a shield featuring a dark crescent. On the right, a nude figure with a dark, moon-faced head rides a griffin and holds a shield depicting a sunburst. The two figures extend long, thin rods toward one another in a symbolic duel against a flat, solid red background. The contrast between the solar and lunar imagery reflects the chemical marriage of opposites central to alchemical transformation.

This image illustrates the 'chymical wedding' of the Sun (Sol) and Moon (Luna), representing the synthesis of opposites (the conjunctio) in Western alchemy. It originates from the Aurora Consurgens, a 15th-century manuscript traditionally attributed to Thomas Aquinas but more likely written by a contemporary alchemical practitioner.