Day & Night Symbols

Through the ages, celestial happenings and natural phenomenon have been used to symbolize important thoughts and concepts. The cyclical occurrence of day and night was one of the things occurring in nature that was believed to hold specific meaning. While different civilizations had different day & night symbols to record the passage of time, Day and Night, by themselves, were thought to have strong symbolic meanings.

The recurring phenomenon of day and night was always considered very meaningful as it was believed that the survival of the human species depended majorly on synchronizing bodily and mental functions with the peculiar demands of day & night.

The Day and the Night seem to present two entirely different worlds. Day and night changes even seem to have biological effects on mankind. The creatures that are aggressive, alert and seeking during the day become quiet and inactive at night. The dramatic contrast presented by Day and Night is equated with the disparity between life and death, light and darkness, consciousness and unconsciousness.

Day and Night symbolize, respectively, the birth of the Sun and its death. With the rising Sun, the Day is considered representative of new life and fresh beginnings, possibilities, hopes, and opportunities. It also symbolizes the active, masculine principle and the rise of consciousness.

Afterward, as the sun starts setting, the day begins to give way to the night with its all-enveloping darkness. As the end of the day, the Night symbolizes death, which means ending of life. The darkness of Night also associates it with secrets and dark potentialities.

However, the Night does not have only sinister connotations. As the time when the body and mind are resting, the Night symbolizes innocence and vulnerability, and it also represents the feminine principle and heightened unconscious or psychic powers.