The Moon is the nineteenth card in the Tarot Deck. It is given the number 18 because the very first card (The Fool) is given the number 0.
The Moon represents Rhythms / Cycles / Intuition / Unconscious / Dreams / Healing / Self Reflection / Women’s Mysteries
Let’s look at the picture below of The Moon. The picture is from the Rider Waite Tarot deck which was first published in 1909. It is a great deck for beginners because every card has a picture describing its meaning. Today the majority of Tarot decks are based on the Rider Waite deck. It is also a ‘deep’ deck because the creators of it put multi layered meanings inside it.
We see a dog and a wolf howling at the moon which is pouring down drops/light. Two pillars stand and between them a path leads into the distance towards mountains. A pool is at the front of the card with a crayfish crawling out of it.
SYMBOLS
Moon
The moon represents the Moon – the piece of rock in the sky that has enchanted and mystified people for thousands of years and been a guide to women for tuning into their bodies.
Drops of Light from Moon
These are actually 18 Yods falling down onto the earth. Yod is the first letter in the holy Hebrew name of God. Therefore the Yods falling are the grace of god. Just like the Tower card, God gives us experiences to help us grow and evolve.
Dog and Wolf
The wolf represents our wild instincts that intuition comes from. The dog represents our more refined, conscious awareness. Neither are better than the other – just two aspects within. Sometimes one is more dominant than the other.
Two Pillars
These are the gates that lead to another place. When we walk a path of inner self discovery we go through a process of initiation. The pillars represent the gate into our inner worlds.
Path
The Path represents the path we take when we go within – humans last frontier. When people start to look inside and ‘work on themselves’ they face unconscious and suppressed materials. Issues from the past, fears, phobias, traumas. In order to become whole we must acknowledge all our pain and integrate it into ourselves. This takes time and reflection just like the Hermit who wanders into the wilderness to meet himself. The Moon is the actual meeting.
Water
The water represents our unconscious. The watery depths of the mind. What lies beneath? What external factors stir the water?
Crayfish
The Crayfish represents our most primitive self in evolution. Waite claimed the crayfish was …’that which lies deeper than the savage beast’.The crayfish is neither fully in or out of the water.
Gods / Goddesses
The Moon is ruled by all the Gods and Goddesses that rule over the Moon
Female: Luna, Selene, Isis, Hecate, Diana, Artemis, Phoebe, Pasiphae, Levanah, Coyolxauhqui, Losna
Male: Traditionally most deities associated with the moon are female apart from a few.
However many Middle Eastern moon deities were male such as Baal-Hamon, Nikkal, Sin and Men.
Number
The number of The Moon is 18. 1 + 8 = 9. 9 is the number of the Hermit.
In order to heal, grow, evolve (the Moon) we must go inside and reflect (Hermit).
The Moons light is simply a reflection of the Sun light.
We too must look beyond our own reflection that we show the world.
Who are you really?
What do you really want in life?
What is your deepest soul yearnings?
Astrology
The astrological sign that rules the Moon is Pisces.
Jupiter in older astrology ruled Pisces and Neptune once it was discovered, now rules Pisces.
Pisces rules the watery world of intuition, consciousness and mysteries. Physically it rules the feet and lymphatic system.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that had many teachings based on the mystical Kabbalah of the Jewish nation. When I say Kabbalah forget about monotheism, Judaism, God, and religion for a moment. Kabbalists are mystics in a sense. They believe God is neither male nor female and in fact has many aspects. Their systems are all about learning why we are here, the mystery of the universe and what the big plan is.
Inside the Rider Waite deck is a multitude of Kabbalistic meanings. I will briefly explain a few of the Kabbalistic meanings within The Emperor card. Believe me when I say you could learn for the rest of your life about Tarot and Kabbalah and still only scratch the surface. I’m keeping it superficial but easy to understand. I am also using on purpose the word Kabbalah rather than Cabala.
In Kabbalah 18 is the number that represents life – CHAI. When people are given presents of money it is always in multiples of 18.
The Moon is represented by the letter KOPH – ק
The Moon on The Tree of Life sits on the path between Netzach to Malkuth.
The name of this card is Corporeal Intelligence. This intelligence is what we gain from body consciousness. The moon is the best teacher of our female bodies.
KEYWORDS / KEY PHRASES
Intuition / Deep Healing / Women’s Mysteries / The Unknown / The Unconscious / Psychic Abilities / Divination / Dreams / Magick / Illusions / Reflections
MESSAGE FROM THE MOON
The Moon is telling you to stop and listen. The answers are inside you and the Moon (like the Hermit card) will guide you to your own answers inside. You already KNOW what to do, you simply need to trust yourself.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I feel connected to the moon?
Am I trusting my intuition right now?
Do I feel I understand and know my body?
Am I in tune with my cycles?
Do I love and respect my menstrual cycle?
Am I listening to my dreams?
What instincts need to be refined right now?
Is it time to ‘tune in’ to my internal wisdom?
Do I need to go on a retreat?
Am I evolving?
Am I honoring the spark of deity within me?
Do I wish to explore myself through healing?
Is it time to see a psychologist to learn about myself?
Allow yourself to focus on the healing gentle energy of the Moon. The moon guides us to seek our own internal wisdom that is ancient and beyond words. The moon helps us come back to our intuitive self.
THE MOON REVERSED
When I see a reversed card I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way.
How would The Moon be inhibited?
The Moon is inhibited when we are not in tune with ourselves. Our connection to our unconscious is fractured or sick. Our cycle is not healthy. Our dreams are disturbing. The Moon energy is not in balance. The Werewolf was when a human changed into a wolf during the power of the full moon. The primitive side takes over and the werewolf cannot control his urges. Sometimes this happens to our minds – we cannot control it. Fears, anxieties, phobias and mental disorders can arise. The person cannot tune into their wisdom and intuition which is the light side of the Moon. If you get the Moon card with the 8 / 9 / 10 of Swords you should look for help / assistance. Right now life might be overwhelming for you.
If you get The Moon reversed for yourself or someone else some questions to ask might be…
Am I feeling overemotional or vulnerable right now?
Am I full of fears – known and unknown?
What am I afraid of?
Am I feeling like I am controlled by my hormones?
Am I having nightmares or disturbing dreams?
Am I feeling too open psychically?
Am I opening up to new levels of awareness too quickly?
Am I out of touch with my body wisdom and cycles?
Do I feel like I am going mad?
Right now, do you have self destructive habits?
Do I need to see a counselor / psychologist / psychiatrist?
If you get The Moon reversed you are being overwhelmed by your unconscious and it is flooding your conscious mind. Lunacy is a word that comes from the Latin for Luna – Moon. You may be moody, unpredictable and full of emotions. You might be extra sensitive and may feel out of your body and not very grounded. You may be having bad dreams and odd physical symptoms. Your endocrine and hormonal system could be severely imbalanced. You might suffer from a psychological disorder such as bi polar, severe depression, schizophrenia etc.
TO SUM IT ALL UP…
The Moon (like any other Major Arcana card) is powerful and is the core of women’s mysteries.
Our cycles are linked to the moon and this has been known for thousands of years. The Great Goddess of Laussel (picture above) seen on a cave painting in France from 20,000 years ago was a human calendar. The women has one hand on her lower abdomen, indicating the place from which menstruation comes. The other hand holds a horn with 13 notches in it. A woman from observation knew that there are 13 moons in a solar cycle. She also knew that her body was in tune with the moon. Its most likely she also knew when she was fertile and therefore had the power and ability to make children as she pleased. What greater power was there than that, back in those times? Women were most likely venerated or at least seen as equal with men.
Many women are out of touch today with their bodies and menstrual cycles. They stay on the contraceptive pill until they decide they want children. Today it is very common that women have problems conceiving. The ancient knowledge of fertility is lost. If you get the Moon card over and over again, perhaps it is inviting you to get to know your body whether you are menstruating, in the menopause or after.
The Moon invites you to observe yourself. Like the Hermit, the Moon teaches you that the wisdom you seek is within yourself. All the answers are already within you if you know the path to take to find them. The Moon often gives answers via dreams, symbols, feelings, senses and divination. By taking the path of The Moon, you take the internal initiation to oneself.
To learn about an amazing app that helps you understand your own connection to the moon, then keep reading. ‘Moontime App’ which is more than just a monthly charting app for your phone is amazing, CLICK HERE to check it out. Apart from moon phase tracking this app also indicates the best fertility time and the date of your predicted menstruation. Stunning graphics, inspiring affirmations and archetypal energies. This is the app to have in your phone. CLICK HERE to check out the amazing App website. (I do not have affiliates with this App – I simply recommend it because I use it and love it)
PHOTO CREDITS
The Moon Tarot Card: By Pamela Coleman Smith – a 1909 card scanned by Holly Voley (http://home.comcast.net/~vilex/) for the public domain, and retrieved from http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot (see note on that page regarding source of images)., PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17299755
Venus de Laussel: By photo 120, œuvre dont l’auteur est mort depuis environ 25 000 ans – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5044488
All other photos are from www.pixabay.com which is creative commons and free for commercial use.