Thirteen
This has to be my favorite card in the deck. A Diana-like woman (spirit? elemental?), with a Diana-like crescent moon in her hair stands majestically and coolly in the foreground, the power of the moon made manifest on Earth. In the background is a Mediterranean style villa with a crescent moon above it. The villa is reflected in what looks to be the ocean waters of an inlet bay. There is a young man playing pipes (?) on a ledge above the crashing waves (I think...).
Dressed in beautiful violet and blue-paisley robes, our "Diana" seems to be listening to both the plaintive playing of that night musician, and the harmonizing howl of the wolf--undoubtedly her wolf--at her side. The white wolf has a subtle, but distinctive red stain coming down from the mouth, so we know that it has recently hunted and killed. We are reminded that Diana, the Moon goddess, is also goddess of the hunt.
I LOVE this card and the way it plays on the traditional Moon. There is the howling wolf/dog of the traditional card, only there's no question that this one isn't tame. This wolf is wild and dangerous and deadly. So we get that savage aspect of the Moon card. There is the crashing sea, with its moon-influenced tidal forces and deep emotions, same as in the traditional card. There is the mirrored image in the waters, suggesting illusions and deceptions and reflections. There is the Villa, which does homage with its twin towers to the two towers in the traditional card, suggesting the safety of civilization--if you can reach it. And if you don't go for the illusion in the water and drown rather than the real thing.
Everything in the usual Moon card is there with added tweaks. And then there are extras. The cool, Moon Goddess coming out of the forest, the man in on the cliff edge, who could fall victim to her in any of her forms (sea, wolf, woman). As if this isn't enough, the whole image is also a clever play on a Grecian pastoral. It looks very much like those old paintings, but we know that in this pastoral world there are wolves preying on the sheep and it's all too easy to drown in those reflective waters. The moon may be quiet and beautiful, but almost every scary creature or scene in this deck is being watched over by the moon.
Dressed in beautiful violet and blue-paisley robes, our "Diana" seems to be listening to both the plaintive playing of that night musician, and the harmonizing howl of the wolf--undoubtedly her wolf--at her side. The white wolf has a subtle, but distinctive red stain coming down from the mouth, so we know that it has recently hunted and killed. We are reminded that Diana, the Moon goddess, is also goddess of the hunt.
I LOVE this card and the way it plays on the traditional Moon. There is the howling wolf/dog of the traditional card, only there's no question that this one isn't tame. This wolf is wild and dangerous and deadly. So we get that savage aspect of the Moon card. There is the crashing sea, with its moon-influenced tidal forces and deep emotions, same as in the traditional card. There is the mirrored image in the waters, suggesting illusions and deceptions and reflections. There is the Villa, which does homage with its twin towers to the two towers in the traditional card, suggesting the safety of civilization--if you can reach it. And if you don't go for the illusion in the water and drown rather than the real thing.
Everything in the usual Moon card is there with added tweaks. And then there are extras. The cool, Moon Goddess coming out of the forest, the man in on the cliff edge, who could fall victim to her in any of her forms (sea, wolf, woman). As if this isn't enough, the whole image is also a clever play on a Grecian pastoral. It looks very much like those old paintings, but we know that in this pastoral world there are wolves preying on the sheep and it's all too easy to drown in those reflective waters. The moon may be quiet and beautiful, but almost every scary creature or scene in this deck is being watched over by the moon.