The Drunken Moon

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Little Baron	30 Jun 2004
Probably way off here but ... I cannot remember if I read somewhere or if it is something I once connected with the card, but does anybody ever see alcohol and problems with alcohol connected to this card? Best wishes Yaboot

lionette	30 Jun 2004
I see addictions as related to the Moon thru concepts of illusion and deception. With addiction, there's a strong desire for escapism. Often there is some need to decieve others and self. Just a few musings. Maybe others have more to add??

Little Baron	30 Jun 2004
thanks lionette that was just the sort of stuff i saw in the card today yaboot

crystal cove	30 Jun 2004
Yes, I do, although I originally made the connection years ago with astrology. The moon is the ruling planet of Cancer and I had read that water signs need to be vigilant of alcohol use. I had an astrologer mention it to me as well. Just seems natural to make the connection to the Moon card in tarot.

TemperanceAngel	30 Jun 2004
I would like to see it in combination with other cards for it to = alcohol, but there is a definate link. The Devil would need to be hanging around (RWS) and perhaps the Five of Cups, just to mention a couple of side kicks for the Drunken Moon. There would be other sidekicks, can't seem to think properly this morning!

Inana	01 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by TemperanceAngel The Devil would need to be hanging around (RWS) and perhaps the Five of Cups, just to mention a couple of side kicks for the Drunken Moon. The Seven of cups is another one i associate with being drunk or drugs use, but not necessarily in an addictive way. In the RWS type decks its all about hallucinations, unreal visions and having the head on the clouds. Five of cups looks more as having serious addiction problems. Anyway, almost all cup cards can be related to alcohol... For the Moon, i cant express it better than Lionette: escapism.

Thirteen	01 Jul 2004
Cups certainly relate to over-indulgence (food as well as drink and drugs) and can be warnings in that direction--though some mildly. Compare 3/Cups for example, a friendly party where just about everyone is going to over-indulge a little, to 5/Cups indicating that the over-indulgence could lose you something important (this could be a drunk-driving card). And then there's 7/Cups where drink or drugs keep you in a blissful haze of pleasant pipe dreams. The kind of card you might get for a pothead who talks about all the things he's going to do...but just spends his days lying on the couch smoking. On the positive side might be 8/Cups: walking away from the indulgence, giving up the drugs or drink or junk food. But for a real addiction, I'd also have to say the Devil. To me it represents the root of a real problem. AKA, that the person has chained themselves to something and why. This as compared to the cups which just indicate the behavior (overindulgence). As for the Moon...Twenty-One is right that it relates to Cancer and us Cancers have to watch, alas, everything. Can't drink too much, have to diet and don't dare even try drugs :P Phooey. HOWEVER, if we're going by the Golden Dawn designations, then the Moon, oddly, is Pisces. Which makes sense in regards to what the card is all about, as said, hallucinations, visions. Pisces is the visionary, however, they're also the water signs most at risk when it comes to drugs and alchohol--Scorpios are the ones most in danger of becoming religious fanatics, and Cancers are, sadly, most in danger of wallowing in depression. Which really depresses me ;) Thus the Moon can certainly relate to alchoholism, a person "drinking like a fish." But I think the main difference I'd put on it from cups or devil is that the Moon focuses on the change in personality rather than the root of the addiction (devil) or tendency to indulge (cups). This is the card that talks about how a person loses control of themselves when drunk, trashes the house and gets into fights. I'd also be inclined to see it relating to hallucinatory drugs. Essentially, whatever they're on, makes them act crazy, as if they were a lunatic. It's a trip to the moon, and it's going to be very hard to get them back. A really scary card, all in all.

Jewel-ry	01 Jul 2004
Brilliant Thirteen! Thanks :)

Little Baron	01 Jul 2004
Thirteen, thanks! Your post was a total eye-opener; you explain the cards so beautifully. Thank you for answering my question, and thanks to everyone else that contibuted to this post. Yaboot

Cerulean	01 Jul 2004
Drinking Alone I take my wine jug out among the flowers to drink alone, without friends. I raise my cup to entice the moon. That, and my shadow, makes us three. But the moon doesn't drink, and my shadow silently follows. I will travel with moon and shadow, happy to the end of spring. When I sing, the moon dances. When I dance, my shadow dances, too. We share life's joys when sober. Drunk, each goes a separate way. Constant friends, although we wander, we'll meet again in the Milky Way. Li T'ai-po translation: Hamil

Thirteen	01 Jul 2004
What a cool poem. Thanks for posting that Cerulean! Very apt!

ros	04 Jul 2004
I had a lady once told me that the 9 of cups reversed was a drinking or addiction card also. (just some input)

The The Drunken Moon thread was originally posted on 30 Jun 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.