The Moon (XVIII)

Meanings according to Rider-Waite:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Moon in Scorpio as "dark knowledge" (the abyss of the soul), or the Sun in the 7th house as a symbol of descent into the Underworld.

THE MOON The Moon card leads us into the mysterious realm of Darkness and Night, into the imaginative world of the soul, into the world of our dreams, reveries, and revelations. The bright side of the Moon consists of romantic reveries, vivid imagination, and artistic fantasy. However, this card also has a dark side, which opens the way into the very depths of the soul; it is fear, uncertainty, nightmares, gloomy forebodings, and in general prejudice toward everything unknown and unseen. We feel a similar fear when wandering at night through a dark forest that seemed so safe to us by day. The darkness obscuring our path has taught us to fear. It can also be the fear of the terrible demons of antiquity, which in our time have acquired new names: bacteria, viruses, milliroentgens, becquerels, air pollution, acid rain.

From the book: Hajo Banzhaf. THE TAROT HANDBOOK. Translated from German by E. Kolesov. Publisher: Center for Astrological Research, 1999.

18 - THE MOON Pisces The eighteenth card of the MAJOR ARCANA is called THE MOON. It depicts the Moon risen between two towers (one light and one dark), a dog and a wolf sitting on opposite sides of a road and howling at the Moon, and a crayfish emerging from the water. The road passes between the towers, through the dead structures of a city, and disappears beyond the horizon. According to legend, the filling of the Nile with water occurs because of the tears of the lunar Goddess, which, falling into the river, fill it. The two pillars (towers, pyramids) symbolize the Pillars of Hercules, beyond which, according to the Egyptians' notions, the light never sets. The Egyptians also pictured the tropics as dogs which, like faithful guardians, prevent the Moon and Sun from passing too close to the poles. The Crab or Cancer in the symbolism of the ancients signifies the retrograde motion of the Moon. This card symbolizes the road of wisdom. Man, in his search for reality, emerges from the pool of illusions. After overcoming the guardian of the gates of wisdom, he passes through the fortress of science and theology and follows the winding road that leads to spiritual liberation. This card corresponds to the altruistic sign of Aquarius, who pours upon the Earth two streams of water: the dead water of consciousness and the living water of the spirit. The TAROT illustration depicts a woman watering the desert, from whose moistened soil "blossoming nature" grows. The Eighteenth ARCANUM is called THE MOON and is interpreted as "abiding" or simply being present in the life process during the period when the waking consciousness of all living things is switched off, allowing the subconscious to penetrate into all spheres of life — not comprehending them, but only feeling them. The enchantress Moon shines only with the reflected light of the Sun, bringing none of the joy of day, but to those who "understand" her, she can bestow a truly sacred peace. In the foreground of the Eighteenth ARCANUM of the TAROT is depicted the sea, which gave birth to life, and this card corresponds to the zodiacal sign of Pisces — its symbol being two fishes, one of which slowly rises upward, beginning to evolve, while the other, embodying the sphere of our subconscious, eternally remains in sleep at the bottom of the sea, so as not to lose its connection with the primordial source, and fulfills the role of a foundation for new being. The crayfish, crawling out of the water onto the land, is a symbol of motherhood, over which the Moon presides (sometimes the water is colored with blood, reflecting the agonies of birth). Further on, on the shore, on either side of the road leading off into the unknown, a dog and a wolf howl at the Moon. Symbolically, this ARCANUM represents the process of birth: from the warm, safe maternal womb one must, through narrow gates, burst forth to meet the blinding light of the cold world. "THE MOON" awaits at these gates. There are dangers there, fears, pain; and beyond them lurks the unknown. There Anubis awaits you, the twilight God (neither night nor day), standing on the threshold between life and non-life (pre-life and after-life) in his dual guise of man-jackal. In essence, the journey through hell is a journey through the hidden labyrinths of one's own soul. Hence such attributes of the Moon as illusions, hysteria, persecution mania, hallucinations, drugs, escape from reality. But the Eighteenth ARCANUM is also a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious, for upon examining the design of the card, the attentive observer will notice that upon the slumbering Earth fall little tongues of divine flame, which penetrate our souls at the moment when no one can see this. Therefore, every person has the opportunity to return from this journey — to return with a purified and renewed soul, which will no longer be frightened by thoughts of the future. A person on a session with a psychoanalyst is working under "THE MOON"; his task is to overcome the fear of fear itself.

Upright position the MOON card signifies the ability to see what is hidden, what lies in the depths. The card indicates heightened emotionality, an unstable character, a romantic attitude toward life, and a fairly well-developed intuition. Moreover, such a person is easily trusted by others. Overall, THE MOON bears the imprint of twilight: surmises, half-confessions, ambiguities, hidden motives. Possibly misunderstood words, false friends, duplicitous behavior, false pretensions, insincerity, unknown enemies... Sometimes the card also foretells distant journeys.

In the reversed position the ARCANUM of THE MOON indicates that someone is hiding behind a mask. The card may also be connected with a refusal to accept someone in their wholeness, in their unity. In specific cases, THE MOON speaks of heredity, of genes that have led to particular events in life (parents who in their time were exposed to radioactive radiation became the cause of tragedy in their child's life).

Another meaning of the card is a small deception (exposed before it caused harm), a goal achieved for free, "for nothing." You did not have to pay the true price for it (is this a good thing?). Trifling mistakes.

"You have already approached the knowledge of truth — and only fear prevents you from crossing its threshold. But you have come too far to turn back; you need only to go further still and penetrate to the very essence." Papus