The Moon

Traditionally, the Moon has a bad reputation. A medieval monarch would not doubt for a second upon seeing the Moon in a spread – there's some conspiracy here!

Something secret, hidden, harboring danger.... This card suggests the presence of unpleasant emotional manifestations in everyday life. These can be envy and jealousy, and where they are, mischief and deception are not far away (and as their form – thefts and losses). Where there is mischief – there is danger; where there is danger – there is uncertainty and fear; where there is fear – there is avoidance. Under the Moon, we either mislead someone, or someone misleads us, or we deceive ourselves about something. The slogan of this Arcana sounds in a whisper: "According to unverified data under unclear circumstances..." and you guess what happened or will happen. But at the same time, consider that everything is not as it seems, and the line between accurately working intuition and imagination generating illusions is now blurred as never before.

Actually, the main message of the Moon is that now one should not embark on any bold adventures, one should not test one's strength.

This is a warning card, saying that caution should be exercised, that the desire to avoid danger should be the main thing now, one must watch every step, as the risk of losing the way is very high. This can be a difficult task, for example, if an enticing prospect of earning well or getting something looms before one's eyes.

It indicates that events developing at present are beyond our full control. They may, as a result of unexpected influence, have unpredictable consequences. Based on incomplete information, it is impossible to draw correct conclusions. Moreover, information may be "incomplete" not because someone is hiding something, but because we ourselves are unwilling to face the truth. There is a hidden danger, risk of falling into a trap, possibility of sudden changes, because hidden forces are noticeably at work in the situation. Who will turn out to be the secret enemy for now can be suggested by other cards, but in fact, we do not really know from where the danger will come.

The Moon foretells difficulties and obstacles, moreover, implicit ones; it's not immediately clear what they consist of and what they represent. The probability of making a mistake is very high. What seemed so clear and understandable yesterday is shrouded in darkness today; reference points are lost. It's like in a forest – everything seems sweet during the day, but at night the sensations are completely different.

A dark period. There is an opinion that we are talking about a period of one month (the lunar cycle).

Dark mysterious energies, irrational behavior, immersion in the world of the Soul, instincts, and fantasies, walking on the edge. The power of the unconscious makes us unreliable people, but it also carries great dreams, premonitions, subtle riches.

The Moon mostly leads into the depths of the soul's imaginative world, dreams, and revelations, but sometimes it also predicts ordinary journeys, not just astral ones. After all, the main thing on this card (after the Moon itself) is the Road! If the Moon falls, for example, as the leading card of an annual spread – this is that darkest hour just before dawn. It says that the person stands on the still dark threshold of a new day. This is a very important and profound, though difficult, moment in their life. It may be experienced as depression, but in fact, during this time, the soul accumulates strength and learns a great deal, as happens in sleep, before awakening to a new life and reaching a new level.

Anxieties and apprehensions, hesitations and uncertainty. The Moon often falls when a person intuitively feels that something is approaching, that various numerous influences (often underlying, even hard to put into words what they consist of) are merging into one threatening force, but they do not properly understand what is happening. An undercurrent is carrying them somewhere. Under the Moon, we cautiously balance on a narrow path, trembling and feeling like tightrope walkers in the dark. Usually, we are quite frightened (if the Nine of Swords is also nearby, then almost to death) and do not know what to do next.

Fear of taking an important step. Feelings of vulnerability and defenselessness, lack of self-confidence, timidity. Sense of danger. The Moon may say that a person experiences discomfort due to piled-up tasks or the necessity to be among people, and they would very much like to avoid both. In any case, they are uneasy and somewhat scared.

On this card, the Moon demonstrates its power over water and over the soul. A person, as is known, consists mostly of water. Psyche, the inner world, is traditionally associated with the water element. This is an archetypal symbol of the unconscious. We find ourselves under the power of mysterious irrational forces. This is not someone's will, as with The Devil. These are some external influences or mysterious undercurrents in one's own soul – we intended to do one thing, but do something completely different, not even fully understanding how it happened. This is twilight. By analogy with the phrase from the film of the same name about my personal heroine, we can say that the Arcana of the Moon is our personal Twilight. These are our personal "Twilight." Twilight of the soul, in which we wander – and sometimes find the road. The Moon gives an opportunity to plunge into frightening yet captivating depths, to become acquainted with what lies hidden within us. It holds sway over fears, secrets and memories, intuition, dreams, and symbolism.

Under the Moon, contact is established with the secret components of personality, with images of our desires, fears, and strivings – the result can be both depression and inspiration. Under the Moon, we plunge into the dark worlds of the soul. Sometimes it reacts with its appearance to the process of psychotherapy and even simply to reading poetry or prose of the "Silver Age" or touching the art of decadence. Also, its appearance in spreads increases when nights begin to lengthen and it gets colder, and people are seized by despondency, fear, and uncertainty.

The Moon actually redirects information for processing to the unconscious because consciousness turns out to be ineffective for some reason. It remains with us when our almighty ratio abandons us, and for this, it should be thanked. Precisely the Moon performs the "dark" work, staying with us in the darkest hour. Its light shines upon us maternally there and then, "where all other lights go down." We learn from it the peaceful passage along our own path through the darkest and deepest night.

A Moon person is melancholic and withdrawn; it is almost impossible to see them joyful; at the same time, they are characterized by deep feelings, an irrational attitude towards life, developed intuition, and abilities for comprehending secret knowledge, hidden aspects of existence. Moods rule everything. Developed psychic abilities that are difficult to bring under conscious control. They may also be latent, hidden (e.g., excellent abilities for hypnosis). Both refusal to acknowledge and improper use of these abilities are dangerous. The person adapts well to hidden, deep layers of information, but how will this turn out? This is precisely the case when, adapting to others' problems, they risk "pulling" them onto themselves and falling ill with the same diseases (literally or figuratively) – the Moon shines with reflected light.

The Moon describes changeability and inconstancy, heightened and unstable emotionality, cyclically fluctuating, and more often – being in a negative phase of vulnerability, decline, crisis. Well, if you have nightmare dreams, oppressive memories, and bad premonitions, it means you are still human, and you have a soul that lives its own life. Sometimes the Moon speaks of depression, despondency, the absence of clearly defined goals and tasks in life. Because of this, it appears as a "valley of shadows" through which someone gloomily trudges, stumbling, towards a future equally unclear and joyless.

At the same time, the Moon can also describe a phase of emotional tide, "full moon" in the inner world (and how the person endures it – that's another question). Despite its not-so-good reputation, for some people the Moon manifests quite positively, bringing inspiration and respite. In the reality of the unconscious live not only monsters of fears (often symbolically depicted as dragons, snakes, reptiles) but also romantic dreams, deep desires, creative fantasies. Harmony of magical moments, a flow of elusive sensations, thoughts, intuitive understandings. Confronting the abyss of feelings, a person becomes richer and wiser. If they feel at home in astral spheres, in the kingdom of images of the unconscious, then the Moon is perceived by them with interest.

It brings vivid dreams, mediumistic experiences, interesting psychic experience refracted in creativity, archetypal images rising from inner depths. If this sphere evokes distrust and fear, then the Eighteenth Arcana is unlikely to bring anything positive to this person.

The Moon is distinguished by its rich symbolism, which contradictorily affects consciousness and the subconscious.

It makes sense to examine this card carefully if it appears in a spread. It can inspire anxiety and calm with equal success. Sometimes the fragmenting, deceptive light, the image of howling dogs and towers looming in the distance seems like a nightmare. Another time, the droplets of light falling from the Moon proclaim peace and tranquility to all that exists, the reservoir in which the crayfish hides becomes a symbol of depth and refuge, and the influence of the heavens seems like a never-ending miracle that must simply be appreciated.

And truly, what makes the dog and wolf howl at the moon? Horror, delight, yearning, belief that the call will be heard? The third living creature, the crayfish crawling out of water onto land – a symbol of the zodiac constellation Cancer, ruled by the Moon. The crayfish, a symbol of motherhood, patronized by the Moon (therefore sometimes the water is colored with blood, reflecting the pains of birth).

Symbolically, this Arcana represents the process of childbirth: from the warm, safe maternal womb, one must break out through narrow gates into the dazzling light of the world (the next Arcana – The Sun). The winding road between two towers is essentially a portal, a path into the spheres of the astral, powerful and mysterious psychic forces. These are the gates of fear and rebirth, the narrow birth canal. In these gates lie dangers, pain; beyond them lurks the unidentified.

The Arcana of the Moon is a symbol of a difficult emotional journey, a path through fears, phantoms rising from the abyss of the soul. Interestingly, the very center of the constellation Cancer corresponds to the 9th lunar day, the adverse influence of which is known to astrologers. This is a day of active delusion, when a person is pursued by illusions and seductions, deceptions and errors, susceptibility to negative influences, bad dreams that cannot be trusted. We receive only bad signs and must soberly consider and evaluate each. A mixture of thoughts and feelings is felt, mental heaviness, the power of inner visions. There is a struggle with phantoms, purification of the abyss of the subconscious, the depths of the soul from fears, defects, and secrets. All this corresponds very well to the mystery of the Eighteenth Arcana, when the focus shifts to the astral plane and "reality" suddenly turns out to be there.

At the stage of The Tower, a person faces threat and danger; the light of The Star gives him faith and strength of spirit, and The Moon speaks of a clash with monsters within oneself. Occultly, this Arcana is interpreted as the Path of Knowledge, leading from the reservoir of human illusions to spiritual liberation through the Gates of Wisdom. Gerd Ziegler writes: "This is the time of the final, and often most difficult, test. The danger of forgetting your true goal in the darkness is very great." But lunar shadows and wavering reflections of genuine knowledge are now still the only available source, and for lack of a better one, one should still approach truth with their help (and not superstition and prejudice).

Eliphas Levi wrote about this Arcana that everything is closed to ignorance, but everything is open to the seeker. It is believed that the crayfish symbol on the card warns that retreating backwards, "into the swamp," is definitely not advisable (the shell symbolizes the gradual ossification of the mind that has refused to move forward). One must go to the end on this road, despite fears and seeming hopelessness. It is also believed that the face of the Universal Mind watches from above the outcome of the struggle in a person's heart, radiating peace and tranquility, as it knows perfectly well that sooner or later, in this life or the next, a person will certainly walk this road.

Esoterically, the card symbolizes a picture of evolution, reflecting the world of plants, minerals, animal nature that has emerged from water onto land (in the foreground of the Arcana, the sea that gave birth to life is symbolically depicted), and man-made works, opposing and protecting themselves from the original environment. From above, the face of the Universal Mind gazes upon this, subject to whose influence everything is. Moreover, the man-made turns out to be the most fragile – in a mystical sense, the Arcana depicts moonlit fields on the site of Babylon; the road passes between the dead structures of a vanished city and melts beyond the horizon. There is an opinion that the zodiac sign Pisces corresponds to this card – two fish, one of which slowly rises upward, beginning to evolve, while the other, embodying the sphere of the subconscious, forever remains in sleep, at the bottom of the sea, so as not to lose connection with the original source, and plays the role of support for new existence.

The crescent inscribed in the disc is a very ancient symbol of the holiness of the Moon. On steles in the Middle East, created by Arameans and Phoenicians, the image of a crescent within a disc is often repeated; in North Africa, especially in the area that was the center of Punic culture, the disc is more often depicted under the crescent. The droplets falling into the water reflect the legend according to which the filling of the sacred Nile with water occurs through the tears of the lunar Goddess.

Psychologically, the towers depicted on the card speak of an unconscious search for protection and control, a desire to cling to once and for all established values, the ego's fear of losing meaning. Esoterically, these two pillars or pyramids symbolize the Pillars of Hercules, beyond which, according to the Egyptians, the sun never sets (again, the next Arcana, which we reach via the winding path of the Moon going beyond these pillars – is The Sun). These towers are outposts of consciousness on the border of the unconscious.

The Moon opens a path into inner space, just as once the path into the outer world was opened to us.

The images of the wolf and dog also reflect ancient tradition. According to Zoroastrian myths, during the first degrees of Cancer, the Devil attacked the Creator's creations, and He restored them and gave them guardians – dogs. Therefore, the days of the passage of the first degrees of Cancer received the name of dog days. These are days of cleansing from any filth. During this period, no events were held; in Ancient Rome, the senate was dissolved and state life was suspended. Summer "vacations" began (named after the constellation Canes Venatici – Caniculus). Precisely in the sign of Cancer, 2,000 years ago, the Sun entered at the moment of the summer solstice, hence the name "Tropic of Cancer," from Greek τροπή — turn, i.e., the process of "turning" the sun's movement at the solstice (and the crab "walks backwards"). The dogs, as faithful watchmen, according to the ancients, guarded the correct passage of the Moon and Sun at critical moments. The images of animals on the Arcana correspond to the French name for the hour of twilight "entre chien et loup" – "between dog and wolf," you can't immediately tell who is before you. Moreover, the dog and wolf are symbols of Anubis, a "twilight" deity (neither night nor day), standing on the threshold between life and non-life in his dual guise of a man-jackal. Essentially, the journey through hell is a descent into the underworld, into the depths of the unconscious (astrologically – the 4th house), a journey through the hidden labyrinths of one's soul, among illusions and fears, for the sake of gaining deep self-knowledge. The Moon indicates that period of time when the waking consciousness of all living things is turned off, allowing the subconscious to penetrate all spheres of life, but not comprehending them, only feeling them. Divine flame droplets fall on the Earth plunged into sleep, penetrating souls at the moment when no one can see it. Therefore, every person has the opportunity to return from this journey with a cleansed and renewed soul. The Moon dies in the east, disappears for three moonless nights, and is born again in the west. Therefore, it symbolizes all wanderers, heroes, and liberators who descended into the Lower World for three days and then returned unharmed.

Finally, the number of the Eighteenth Arcana corresponds to the recurrence of the sequence of lunar and solar eclipses over an 18-year cycle.

Traditionally, this is the card of infidelity (here combined are "cooling," for the Moon's light does not warm, and its "inconstancy," changeability). It speaks of the fact that if not outright lies, then at least some hidden motives are present in the relationship, something that the partner prefers to keep secret. Of course, this is fraught with insincerity, which in turn leads to disappointment. Here, a double game is possible (from which the person possibly gets no pleasure, but it just turned out that way), an element of cunning and insincerity, which always arises when the whole truth cannot be told.

Traditionally, "false excuses" are associated with the Moon – precisely the case when one cannot tell it like it is. Possibly, the relationship was superficial from the start, or the person was not entirely free, and now everything has gone far and it's unclear how to get out of it. Whatever the motives and experiences of the person, The Moon conveys the unjoyful news that they cannot be relied upon, at least at the present moment.

At worst, the Moon brings false friends (and hidden enemies), "setups," slander, deceit. How painful the situations may be will be suggested by other cards. In relationships, there is a fog of the unknown, uncertainty. The Moon may indicate that this is an unstable connection, with many emotional and sexual ups and downs (and accompanying hysterics in places). This card can describe not only the nature of the relationship but also some phase of it, filled with mysteries and guesses, half-confessions and hints, hints upon hints, and misunderstood words... tormenting, painful, exciting, and frightening, beating around the bush, when nothing is yet exposed. Bella does not yet know who she has fallen in love with.

Less often (with corresponding surrounding Swords and Cups), scandals, quarrels, and strife occur under the Moon. Generally, though, it is more a card of silence, of what is hidden, secret, and unspoken. That's precisely the problem. Precisely because of this, under the Moon people flounder in the quagmire of distorted perception, delusions, misunderstandings, hidden meanings and motives (their own and others'). When a person has a secret about which they must remain silent, or simply cannot speak, because the tongue does not turn, that's how it turns out. A characteristic feature of the Moon situation is that it is practically impossible to coherently and clearly explain it. "He said, not knowing that the other knew, and the other thought that he knew, and therefore later didn't say..." – and you feel the roof slowly slipping from attempts to understand what's what. Generally, situations described by the Moon can be terribly confusing and burdensome.

The Moon has another meaning, linking it to deep instincts and needs, the abyss of unconscious strivings and yearnings. Mysterious, dubious, enchanting, it possesses a special gloomy attractiveness affecting precisely those sides of the soul about which a person usually pretends they do not exist at all. And this is one of the reasons why

The Moon sometimes (not necessarily) can be an indicator of relationships created on a latently homosexual basis. It touches the hidden part of erotic perception, illuminates "white spots," carries experiences which the person is very afraid of and unconsciously needs. Naturally, they get frightened, do not understand what is happening, but cannot turn off this road because "hidden forces possessing enormous energy" are acting upon them, as written in old interpretation books. Well, imagine a person pricked by a spindle, like Sleeping Beauty, awakening in them what they did not know, though it was always in them. They are scared to death. But such is the path of the Moon – to go into the unknown, through fantasies, instincts, and dreams, myths and emotions, fear and trembling, exploring the most hidden depths, courageously encountering the abyss of one's own feelings and strivings. They help answer long-tormenting questions: who am I? where from and where am I going? what must I do to be happy?

Under the Moon, one must become acquainted with one's subconscious, surrender to the power of inner feeling, processuality; this will give an opportunity to feel harmony and interconnection with the Higher Powers that govern the world. Only one's own fear can hinder approaching one's inner truth. But when this Arcana falls, the person has usually already come too far to turn back. The Moon can describe the initial phase of such relationships when both are nervous, both are scared, they do not yet fully understand their desires but feel instinctive attraction to each other. They will need all their courage to understand how strong their feelings and need for each other are.

Under the Moon go mysterious, intoxicating influences, attractions, and temptations. In astrology, the sign of Cancer, under the rule of the Moon, speaks of deep attachment. This is not the case when one can say "I love because of this, that, and that" – under the Moon, we ourselves are unable to properly explain what is happening, why the connection exists. It may indicate that these are entangled, secret, hidden, or, at a minimum, not publicized relationships. Or – strictly nocturnal, when in daylight (literally and figuratively) people simply do not intersect and no one knows about their affair. Sometimes – completely ephemeral, "a castle on sand," more a dream than real relationships.

In some cases, the Moon speaks of a partner "obsessed" with the querent (or vice versa), of obsession, like that which makes a wolf howl at the moon. This is a kind of obsession, a huge instinctive need for the other, blind and silent, inexplicable strong attraction, perhaps mixed with pain and suffering, with a feeling of unrequited (or not fully reciprocated) love. There is a danger of despair and even suicide (with corresponding surrounding cards). The second participant in this connection shines with "reflected light" (and does not particularly warm). They love because they are loved; their feelings are incomparably weaker, but this does not mean they are ready at any moment to remain on their own.

The Moon has a magnetism that attracts and dominates, and even if the less interested partner is ready at times to howl from melancholy (and from loss of power over themselves), the other affects their subconscious and will in such a way that destruction of this connection does not seem possible. Sometimes the Moon says that the "weaker" partner got involved in these relationships only out of fear of loneliness and emptiness, or driven by some other irrational motive combined with weakness of will. One of the traditional meanings, "forced agreement with something unpleasant, concession, compromise," should be understood primarily in this sense – lack of willpower to act otherwise.

Sometimes the Moon says that at least one of the two is feeling bad and scared now. They are insecure in themselves, afraid of everything, suspecting something, and this insecurity gives rise to all sorts of monsters. They experience embarrassment, confusion, defenselessness, and anxiety, worry strongly about something, are confused. Under the Moon, a person loses orientation, real connection with people and events as they are, and becomes lost and vulnerable. And the more scared they are, the more they drown in emotions and slide into childhood-established behavior patterns, so petty tricks and sobbing into the pillow are common here.

Symbols of moisture and fertility, the power of instincts and emotional depths make this card sexually accentuated. This is emphasized in a number of decks and is noticeably operative in many cases in practice.

The Moon entails trusting the deepest inner impulses, complete dissolution in irrational experience, including sexual experiences. Just as some people fear sex (losing themselves in it, power and control over themselves), so other people (and sometimes the same ones) fear stepping beyond the bounds of ordinary consciousness in any way and setting off on a mystical flight (or voyage) of the spirit, along mysterious waves of meanings and silvery paths of revelations, into the abysses of the soul. Both sex and spiritual search are a special state of consciousness, a search for the highest point, accumulation of what is gained, and the transition of quantity into quality. That is why the Arcana of the Moon links fears, sexual feelings, and immersion into the depths of the soul. Sexuality leads into another world, sometimes frightening, but always creative. Sometimes the Moon is purely a night of love. It carries complete submission to sensual impulses and emotions, immersion in romanticism and enchantment, prompts to wholly trust the urges of passion, the wisdom of ancient instincts, the mighty power and authority of the unconscious.

A partner described by the Moon carries magnetism acting on the deep side of nature; they envelop, attract, and dominate. Almost maternal care and eternal guardianship emanate from them. They penetrate the soul as deeply as only Cancers and Mothers can; with them, the most hidden sides of nature are lived out. The other yields to them as if bewitched and does not necessarily feel happy, confident, and satisfied with themselves. They may feel they have embarked on a "dangerous path of bad influence" (as written in old interpretation books), while in fact they have merely surrendered to the power of secret suppressed feelings. This can also be infidelity – to that partner with whom, perhaps, everything was good in its own way, but these hidden sides remained unengaged.