Some reflections on the moon card.

When I really deepened my tarot journey it was with a Rider-Waite deck, my trusty copy of 78 degrees of Wisdom and plenty of time.

I was pregnant, living off grid and on a remote Scottish island. Much of what I learnt about tarot was by gazing at a tarot card – and finding the story within the images, then cross referencing this with 78 degrees.

As a professional tarot reader I learn a little more with every reading I do. As I see unique card combinations for new questions and different clients- my understanding expands a little each time.

That I why I love Tarot- easy to learn, lifetimes to master.

Here are some of my understandings on the Moon card. From gazing, and reading for clients....

"It’s not what you think it is."

Several times now I have seen the moon saying to a client “don’t make a decision yet- you don’t have all the information. Things are not what you think they are."

Relating this to the moon I think of two separate ideas.

#1 The moon does not shine like the sun does. The moon reflects the suns light. When light is reflected it is distorted- try reading in the mirror.

#2 The moon appears to change shape, it has a changeable affect on our earth (tides and the like) yet the moon itself does not change. Its position might, its relative position to the earth and sun does, our perception of the moon changes (from dark to full). But the moon does not.

Sometimes the moon tells a client- you just aren’t seeing things straight, you don’t have all the information. Wait.

Sometimes the moon tells me- you can’t go any further with this reading. Change the question, or the focus. You aren’t seeing things right.

Never make fear based decisions.

I am not a Tarot academic- there are plenty with a lot more knowledge of the history than me.

I have spent a lot (lot, lot, lot) of time working with, gazing at, being in the tarot cards though.

When I gazed at the moon the first thing I was curious about was the lobster like creature. Why? Reading a little about this I discovered it was a Cray-fish and Waite descried this as our “primal fears”. I see this as archetypal fears. Hidden in our genetic makeup- of death, disease, darkness, predator animals. Those fears that stalk us in our dreams- of shadow men and running and falling.

As I gazed at the card I could feel my anxiety rising- the crawling creature holding all my deepest fears- yet ahead of me the howling beasts seemed large beyond compare. Paralysed by fear, I could not run or fight. Only remain stuck to the place where I stood now.

The longer we remain paralysed by fear, the bigger the fear grows.

Yet as I walked through the cards the howling hounds were only large because of my fear, and the light- the path continues on, and on, and on. And although parts of the path are hidden- there is no indication there are any more beasts.

Often I have seen the moon say “face your fears (they are not as bad as you think) and get on with it!”

Sometimes it’s just bloody hard, and takes longer than you could ever imagine.

Have you ever seen the top of a hill or mountain, put on an extra push- desperate to reach the top before will, or strength desert you- only to find it was a false horizon. You still have soooo far to go.

I can feel the frustrated exhaustion in the moon card. Of endings not bringing rest, rather just another f###ing hill to climb.

We’ve all been there in life I’m sure.

But combine the moon with the 10 of wands- and prepare for hard work.