Some thoughts on the Moon

SweetSiren

I've never seen what everyone else has in this card. Everything I've ever read, I've thought, "Where in the world do they get that?"


I have a very positive association with the card. The Moon lights up the dark. And when you think about it realistically, it borrows the sun's light. It's a big rock orbiting us that, like the sun, has an important role for life here on earth. Some write about this card meaning "instability" but that is almost laughable because the moon is the stabilizer for life- the reason why our days are 24 hours, why we have seasons. It shines every night as if to say "You're welcome."


So if anything, I think the card might show up to let you know about something you need, but you don't know you need. I somewhat agree with the "hidden/below the surface" associations with this card, but nothing sinister. And it can denote cycles. I think the card might be saying to pay attention to patterns.

Just some thoughts. What kind of situations does The Moon highlight for you?
 

velvet moon

hey :)

I love the moon! It's been my best friend my whole life ;-)
In Tarot I see the moon as 'emotions are running high' alot people see this as being 'unclear and foggy' but I think that comes from moder societys idea that we're supposed to supress emotion, I think the moon means the querents instinctive emotions are high right now, now is the time to know what you really feel.
so I agree with you.

I do get a little 'uncertainty' in terms sof the practical expansions of the moon but definataly not negative or dark in any way!
 

Emma313

I was travelling as a passenger in a car last year and the Moon was visible for ages in the sky and I was watching it, at first passively and then more intently. For the first time in years after trying to understand in the written word, in foundation course experiments, in astrology books, it never ever clicked, I had a blind spot, the moons phases and all the rest of the stuff, I actually saw it for what it was...I understood the relationship of the rock to the sun and the earth,..but I also realised that it is deceptive and what you see is not what it really is....a sun catcher...now Ive confused/contradicted myself!
Anyway its amazing....andnot scary...no werewolves...just reminds us the sun is justaroundthe corner
(And wehave to get up for work in the morning)

In Tarot I would see it as a benefic card generally
 

Absynthe

As someone who's been intimate friends with this card for some time I'll add my thoughts. The moon we all peer at in the sky is lovely indeed. Even the idea that the Moon tarot card alludes to fey side of life is rather enchanting. But if I'm being honest here this card chronically shows up when I'm about to be broadsided by some massive emotional turmoil that's not easy to get a handle on.

Instability? Not for me. What it usually means is some kind of rite of passage that I have to pass through in order to make sense of something in my life. The Moon tarot card is usually followed by some series of events which are entirely unpleasant in the moment but does reveal insight about my life and how to heal an issue. A big learning curve is what The Moon usually foretells for me in tarot.
 

Thirteen

Unfiltered

Keep in mind that the cheat-sheet for the RWS deck known as the little white book, is incomplete (the deck was originally intended for those who already knew what the cards meant and needed only hints to help them out). It also, as with all decks, contains biases of the creator's time and culture. Thus, the purely "negative" definition we often see for the Moon. It tends to give tarot students the impression that the Moon has no positives. And this leads to readers, like you, protesting that you see it as positive, as if this had to be defended.

It really doesn't have to be defended. The Moon, like every other seemingly negative card in the deck (Tower, Death, 10/Swords) has positives. Just like every seemingly positive card in the deck (Sun, Star, 10/Cups) has negatives.

The Moon can stand for for creativity and keenly attuned instincts that should be heeded. It can stand for visions, dreams, and an ability to communicate with the spirit world. It can indicate an almost preternatural, sympathetic link to animals—pin-pointing someone as a "Whisperer." And it shows heightened powers for artists, poets, romantics...and psychics. The Moon, remember, is the planet of the HPS, who guides us through secret lands. And that, ultimately, is why the Moon gets the bad rap. Because the Moon represents those lands—dark, magical, strange, wild. It is all the unfiltered stuff from the unconscious and the esoteric. Sand and grit and rocks as well as gemstones. Or, to put it more succinctly, nightmares as well as visions, hallucinations as well as dreams, messages you can trust along with nonsense you should not trust. Like the carnival at night, it's beautiful and magical. But in the daylight, you might realize that not all of it was nice or safe.

The HPS is the filter. She gives you only the important stuff from the Moon, the gemstones with none of the sand, the visions that are true instead of illusions that trick you. So, when it comes to the Moon, it's not that it's bad, but rather that you get everything. And it's not always easy to tell what is genuine. That's why you want the guidance of the HPS. To know which is which. The Moon can illuminate the world at night. But it can also make you think the tree outside your window is a monster. It can light your way through the dark, but it can also reveal you to beasts on the prowl for dinner. ;) With the Moon, you get it all.
 

Calcifer

Wow, Thirteen. I absolutely love how you put that. Thanks.
Michael
 

Gwynydd

I have a lot of positive associations with the moon. I'm new to tarot, but I always find, whether I'm using tarot or oracle cards, something with a moon energy or theme always comes up either right before or during my menstrual cycle! Does anyone have that happen?
 

tarot_quest

The Moon can stand for visions, dreams, and an ability to communicate with the spirit world. It can indicate an almost preternatural, sympathetic link to animals—pin-pointing someone as a "Whisperer." And it shows heightened powers for artists, poets, romantics...and psychics. The Moon, remember, is the planet of the HPS, who guides us through secret lands. And that, ultimately, is why the Moon gets the bad rap. Because the Moon represents those lands—dark, magical, strange, wild. ............ The HPS is the filter. She gives you only the important stuff from the Moon, the gemstones with none of the sand, the visions that are true instead of illusions that trick you. ..... That's why you want the guidance of the HPS. To know which is which.

Very nice analogy! I have two questions. When you say that the moon brings everything esoteric at the surface, do you mean that some of the stuff the the moon brings is false or only ''too ugly or too much too intense to see''?

Also, when I saw the HPS first, I thought that she was more of a virgo type with her secret book of knowledge! What does that book refers too? To our inner knowledge? I am just confuse because this card is the symbol of intuition, but I see this lady as being rational. Anyhow, your analogy with the filtered and unfiltered stuff helps a lot to interpret these cards.
 

Thirteen

Raw emotions, primal instincts

When you say that the moon brings everything esoteric at the surface, do you mean that some of the stuff the the moon brings is false or only ''too ugly or too much too intense to see''?
Yes. I should have been more specific. I don't mean that the Moon always gives you "everything." What I mean is that it's like a grab-bag. A grab bag is when you reach into a container and pick out a wrapped package at random. Sometimes what you come back with is invaluable. Sometimes it's nonsense. And sometimes it's "too ugly or too intense" for you, to deal with. Have you ever been out in a forest where the moon is your only light? On the one hand, it's beautiful and you're grateful to have it. But it's rarely bright enough that you can see everything around you clearly. So, if something large and furry and man-shaped passes by, you can't tell whether it's a man in a big fur coat or Big Foot. And likely you'll give into instinct and run away screaming instead of trying to find out which. ;)

That's the gift/curse of the Moon. Its light, which can both guide you and trick you, brings out raw emotions and primal instincts. Rational thought goes offline, and you end up relying on those—giving into those. So, you wake from a vivid dream, still riding on that wave of emotions and, without a second thought, call a friend at 2am saying, "I had a terrible dream about you, are you all right?" That's good if it was a real vision. Not so good if it was just a nightmare.

It's more useful and less embarrassing in the morning if we train ourselves to recognize what emotions/instincts we should trust and act on. And, thus, not have an angry friend yelling at us for waking them at 2am :D That's the HPS—we don't let the moon lure us into aimlessly exploring, but take short trips, familiarizing ourselves with the lunar wilderness; we learn how to recognize which dreams are visions, which are nightmares. And if we go into dangerous wastelands, we go with a purpose and a way out, not because we wandered off and are now lost.

As to your second question, let me answer that in another post.
 

SweetSiren

Keep in mind that the cheat-sheet for the RWS deck known as the little white book, is incomplete (the deck was originally intended for those who already knew what the cards meant and needed only hints to help them out). It also, as with all decks, contains biases of the creator's time and culture. Thus, the purely "negative" definition we often see for the Moon. It tends to give tarot students the impression that the Moon has no positives. And this leads to readers, like you, protesting that you see it as positive, as if this had to be defended.

It really doesn't have to be defended. The Moon, like every other seemingly negative card in the deck (Tower, Death, 10/Swords) has positives. Just like every seemingly positive card in the deck (Sun, Star, 10/Cups) has negatives.

I'm not too concerned about its negative attributes. It's only that every informative site/book talks more about how vague this card is, and how it could denote a confusing time so be careful. I think the Moon could talk about uncertainty, but I think the presence of the card clears away uncertainty because it points it out. Say you're rather concerned about something, for me, The Moon says, "Hey, you're making this a bigger deal than what it is. It's not that scary." People often compare and contrast The Sun and this card to a fault. The Sun, plain and simple, denotes happiness and the fundamentals to bring about happiness. Some say things coming to light can be something associated with the Sun, but I tend to give this to the Moon.

The Moon can stand for creativity and keenly attuned instincts that should be heeded. It can stand for visions, dreams, and an ability to communicate with the spirit world. It can indicate an almost preternatural, sympathetic link to animals—pin-pointing someone as a "Whisperer." And it shows heightened powers for artists, poets, romantics...and psychics. The Moon, remember, is the planet of the HPS, who guides us through secret lands. And that, ultimately, is why the Moon gets the bad rap. Because the Moon represents those lands—dark, magical, strange, wild. It is all the unfiltered stuff from the unconscious and the esoteric. Sand and grit and rocks as well as gemstones. Or, to put it more succinctly, nightmares as well as visions, hallucinations as well as dreams, messages you can trust along with nonsense you should not trust. Like the carnival at night, it's beautiful and magical. But in the daylight, you might realize that not all of it was nice or safe.

The HPS is the filter. She gives you only the important stuff from the Moon, the gemstones with none of the sand, the visions that are true instead of illusions that trick you. So, when it comes to the Moon, it's not that it's bad, but rather that you get everything. And it's not always easy to tell what is genuine. That's why you want the guidance of the HPS. To know which is which. The Moon can illuminate the world at night. But it can also make you think the tree outside your window is a monster. It can light your way through the dark, but it can also reveal you to beasts on the prowl for dinner. ;) With the Moon, you get it all.

I think this is beautifully written, but how can you use this interpretation in a reading? I do agree that the HP is more likely to tell you to trust yourself and the information you're getting. If you're uncertain about something but have a "hunch" the HP sort of nudges you to trust that. From my standpoint, I guess I'm not necessarily arguing the associations with the moon, like confusion and paranoia, but if this card shows up- I think one should see it as more of a relief, like I said in my previous example, I would say it's telling you to perhaps dial it down, that you're just fine.