MDDM23: Croissant

[s~Z]

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven;
a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars: And she being with child cried,
travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
                          (Revelation 12: 1-2)

http://www.artsmia.org/restoration-online/

Q: What is the meaning of the crescent moon that Mary is sometimes
pictured standing upon?

A: The so called Luna, half moon, or sickle of the moon, also
waning and waxing moon, is a sign of fertility, related to life
and death, and thus a popular symbol in many religions. It
pinpoints changing seasons, ebb and tide (and related inundations
as harbingers of fertility), and the feminine menstrual cycle. The
half moon was the attribute of Luna and more specifically of
Selene. It was later transferred to Diana (Artemis), offspring of
the earth mother, and known not only as virgin but also as
protectress of the newborn and symbol of fertility in her own
right. Biblical references use the moon symbol to highlight cosmic
events, divine epiphanies and the ephemeral nature of human life
and history (see, for example, Isaiah 30,26; 60,19; Revelations
21,23). Patristic times saw in the symbol of the moon, or the
"mysterium lunae", i.e. the three phases of the moon: dying
(waning), generating (waxing) and giving birth (full moon) a valid
representation of the Church (ecclesia). Ecclesia is virginal
and"dying" in the encounter with Christ, the bridegroom; she is
maternal and life-giving in her spousal relation with the
redeemer, and resplendent in her grace-filled existence.
http://www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq244.html