THE SCENE
Dominating tis card is the Moon at night at the top. The Moon gives off moonlight. In that moonlight are nine Hebrew letters Yod falling in the formation of Neptune’s trident. Neptune, of course is the ruling planet of Pisces. The #9 represents the 9thSephira, Yesod – which is ruled by the Moon.
Inside the moon, we see one of The Fool’s masks. It is, somewhat, distorted, as everything in the moonlight is twisted and deceptive.
Guarding the moon are two Egyptian gods: Anubis and Seth. Anubis is the escort of the souls of the deceased into the underworld. Seth is the God of war, chaos and trickery – as he uses deception to achieve his goals. Therefore, The Moon is also attributed to deception. The subconscious is often a battleground where we are at war with ourselves and this can come through in our dreams.
MUDDY WATERS
On the bottom of the card is VERY muddy and unsettling (wavy) waters. It is the same waters as are seen in The Empress. However, in The Moon – they are polluted! To emphasize the meaning of this murky Path: this is the natural energy from which our physical bodies develop in the womb. It is, thus, a process that is continual throughout our lives, as cells die and are replaced.
Through the waters we see the scarab holding the solar disk. The scarab is one of the most potent symbols of ancient Egypt, primarily symbolizing the sun, resurrection, transformation and protection. Additionally, it represents the lowest form which will eventually evolve and emerge as the highest.
The solar disk represents the conscious mind which descends into our subconscious to confront our fears/neurosis and the things that are holding us back.
Looking up at The Moon is non other than The Fool himself – the first manifestation of the human consciousness.
THE PATH
The Moon is a watery Path of probation on the Tree of Life. It is on this path that we must not only face, but also conquer the ghosts of our minds. It is the Path of animalistic instincts and desires, not being controlled by intellectual, spiritual or moral drives. This Path can bey very cruel. It is a ‘fun-house’ mirror, if you will, that reflects back at us characteristics and aspects of ourselves we prefer not to see in the sunlight. Yet, in order to understand them, we must face them.
In a Tarot Reading, The Moon may mean:
- A time when something in your life is not as it appears to be. A situation that is deceiving.
- You may have lost your way in your life and unsure about the future and which direction to take, like being lost in the dark without sign posts.
- The Moon often represents your ‘shadow’ self a term coined by Jung to represent our subconscious or hidden self. This is harboring negativity which we may have suppressed or are not aware of. Because of that, we need to release this destructive energy through in some way such as spending time with friends, counselling, therapies, meeting new people in a positive environment to refresh our lives.
- Traumatic dreams.
- Feelings from childhood or that have been repressed are having a negative impact on a current situation.
- The Moon tends to show up what we generally ignore, refuse to see, or even deny but the step has to be taken, for without facing up to darkness our path to the Light will be that much harder.
