Celestial Granite: Symbolism of the Sun, Moon, & Stars

Jessica Marie Saxon
July 29, 1985 - March 14, 2004
Cherished Daughter
Beloved Sister
Best Friend
"Our Angel On Earth" - "His Angel In Heaven"

Jessica's gravestone has a wonderful celestial theme -- a star-shaped central granite piece with planters on either side bearing images of the sun and moon. The star may represent divine guidance. According to Douglas Keister's Stories in Stone, the sun and moon together in the cemetery are likely modern symbols relating to the cosmos in general. In the case of Jessica's stone, they appear to me to depict birth and death -- day and night -- light and dark. The Chinese use the combination of sun, moon, and stars to symbolize spiritual wisdom.

(East Shadowlawn Memorial Gardens at Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia. Photo © 2010/1 S. Lincecum.)

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Southern Graves

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