The Moon

Keywords & Phrases:
Intuition. Fear. Self-deceit. Illusion. Blind to the truth. Unrealistic dreams. Feeling confused. Feeling worried and apprehensive. Trusting your intuition. Losing touch with reality. Dreams. The worlds of the invisible. Magic. The hidden side. The receptive side. The soft side. The silent side. A quest. Transformation. Inconstancy. Capriciousness. Deep instinctual forces. Self-deception. A time to be passive and receptive. Strong emotions. Psychic awareness. Secret truths. The female archetype. The creative potential of the unconscious. Fiction. Moonlit fantasy. Escapism. Trickery. Negative moods. Depression. Indecision. Doubt.

Summary:
A complex card because its very nature is deceptive, the Moon is very concerned with our sense of belonging or safety and security. When you are in familiar surroundings or with people you know, you feel safe. But there are times when we experience the darker side of our own natures, the unknown shadowy bits trying to see the light of day. This can make us feel disoriented, afraid, vulnerable, or anxious.

The Moon needs expression and when it occurs in a layout the positive aspect of the Moon is to trust in those deeper realms, and to remember that mystery permeates life at all times, although we usually refuse to acknowledge it. The illusion of the Moon is simply that, and the advice is not to let self-deception or distortion of the truth lead you astray or away from your purpose. You have a goal, so stick with it.

You're carried into the labyrinth of the unconscious to the shadowy world of sleep and dreams. Under its spell, you enter the netherworld of illusion and mystery. The question here is: Will you surrender to fear and the dark light of the soul? If you embark on your journey with eagerness and courage, you may become a dream art scientist who gleans from dreams what is needed to improve waking life.

The Moon connects you to the mysteries and nurturing qualities of the female spirit, to emotions and intuitions, to the seductions and fear of the unknown. It sometimes indicates paranoia, but can also suggest actual deception, sabotage, even psychic attack. Whatever you're going through is only a phrase. Look to your dreams, daydreams, and intuitions for answers and solutions. Right now, logic and reason aren't as important as intuition and insight.

The Moon is the Arcana parallel to that of the Sun. In remote times, the moon was always connected with magic and female power. When the sun stopped shining and normal men went indoors, priests and sorcerers officiated in secret under the eye of the sky: the moon. Even today the moon contains infinite mysteries, like a civilization buried under the sand. The Moon Fey is a sorceress, powerful and sure, who moves alone, following only her Mistress the moon and her instinct.

The essence of the moon is so magical that at times it does not seem to be connected to reality, almost like a mantle of illusion and inconstancy that wraps around its being. In this space - dangerous if one does not have sufficient strength to resist the allure of the night - the most beautiful things can be found, the craziest things never seen before, the shame never spoken of, the sweetest and most unreal desires. The real difficulty, as sorcerers know, is not to enter this place but to leave without losing oneself and abandoning oneself to being insubstantial.

According to tradition, the Moon warns of deceit, lies, dishonesty, confusion, self-deception, and moonlit fantasy (what we think we perceive by moonlight often looks quite different in the light of day). The Moon suggests you are entering a period of fluctuating moods and uncertainty during which you must confront unconscious forces in order to proceed. That which has been invisible or secret is coming to the surface. You can make good use of your creative talents in writing, art, drama, acting, psychology, or psychotherapy. You notice how ingrained patterns from the past are affecting your current behavior. Expect the uncanny.

You should attend to your dreams, feelings, hunches, and intuitions now. It is important to become aware of what lies beneath the surface or buried in the past. Your gut feelings may be more reliable than logical analysis. Awareness of the psychological dimensions of human existence now plays an important role in your life.

In the light of the moon, common landmarks take on a strange and mysterious aspect, and the world is cloaked in a magical enchantment - or a shroud of fear - that it lacks in daylight. Soft moonlight is sufficient to show us shapes and outlines, but details are lost in shadow,m and our imagination is left free to fill them in. Likewise, this card indicates imagination and illusions, leading us to wonder if we are seeing beyond the forms of the world to its spirit or if we are deluding ourselves. This ability to see the world anew can lead to genius or to madness, and often there is a fine line between the two.

The Moon is also a symbol of the night, and as such, it represents our dreams and our connection to our intuitive powers. But this card also warns against getting lost in our dreams. A dream can inspire us, but we must remember that it is only a guide, not reality itself. When we lose that distinction, we risk suffering from lunacy.

I am Selene, the ancient Greek goddess of the full moon, ruler of the tides, emotions, feelings, and dreams. My light reveals, my darkness conceals.

The Moon, benign really, minds its own business in the night sky. It cannot help that it must merely reflect. The Moon can give you nothing more or less than yourself, with a few shadows thrown in just to keep things interesting.

Emotional balance is achieved when we can distinguish illusion from reality and accept both.

Questions:
What have you forgotten? What do you instinctively want to do? What kind of cycle or pattern are you repeating? Are you actions appropriate to this particular situation or are you responding to some past situation? What is bewildering or confusing you? What is real and what is fantasy?