Thoughts on Major Arcana 18, The Moon

This is an entry for the Jupiter Frequency Tarot Translation Group, where a few tarotists all answer the same question, each in their own way. See what others had to say about the Moon by visiting the Jupiter Frequency Tarot Translation Group page.

The Moon is perhaps the most confusing card in the deck. That is not surprising, though, because one of the key words for the Moon is "confusion." Other key words are "treachery," "illusion," "deceit," "lunacy," "hidden enemies," "psychic work," "magick," "feminine spirituality," "spirituality," "mysteries."

How can one card have such a spectrum of meanings, ranging from danger to confusion to spirituality?

Historically, the actual moon has always been associated with feminine spirituality, i.e. witchcraft. In earlier times, people feared the spiritual power that comes from magick, especially as performed by women. I often think that the demonizing of Major Arcana 18 reflected the sexism of the times in which the early tarotists lived.

But there is a thin line between psychic and psychotic, and between illusion and clarity. Things in the moonlight appear differently than they really are. This is a beautiful allegory for our search for our true spiritual path; our search for enlightenment.

It is easy to miss the path as we journey toward our spiritual truth. It is easy to become waylaid, and taken in by illusion.

Many people see the Moon card as a warning, and maybe it is. Maybe it is a warning for us to trust our intuition, for us to stay on our path and not be fooled by those who would tempt us off it.

The Moon falls in the last third of the Major Arcana, which I see as the journey toward spiritual enlightenment. In its placement between the Star and the Sun we see the need to find our own truth, to pay attention to our dreams and to solve our own spiritual mysteries.

When the Moon comes up in a reading, it often suggests the need to focus on spiritual matters. It may tell you to pay attention to your dreams. It may suggest you have some mysteries in your life that need to be solved. It may tell you to be careful what you trust.

Here is a poem I wrote about The Moon, from my 78 Poems Project.

The Moon

Mistress of the dark is she, and keeper of the light

Emerging from the water's depth, I stumble in the night.

Howling wolves and baying dogs echo in my ear

Behind each rock and shadow lurk treachery and fear.

Moving through the midnight land as one moves in dreams

Nothing under moonlit skies is just the way it seems.

Spirit rains in droplets that dance before in my eyes

Intuition is the enemy of treachery and lies.

Her gift is in the dreamtime, when anything may be,

Her light shines down from blackened skies, and shows my path to me.

What are your thoughts on Major Arcana 13, The Death Card?

Tarot Translation Group

After reading my thoughts on this, see what the others of the group have to say on the Jupiter Frequency page. You can join the group and blog with us on Facebook!

So many folks who do not understand tarot are afraid to see the Death card in a reading. It does sound and look ominous.

Spiritually, the lesson of this card is simple. Change is inevitable. We can't always avoid change. When change occurs we can always choose between seeing it as trauma or seeing it as an opportunity for transformation.

And transformation is what the Death card is really about.

It is interesting that in numerology the Death card is a 4. Four is the most stable number, but Death indicates change. To me this means that change is the only constant one can expect.

Death is ascribed to the element of Water. That indicates the deep emotions we have about change, but also that change is as inevitable as the tides.

Most often, the Death card does not predict a physical death. I often joke that I see it more often to indicate pregnancies and weddings than funerals. That makes sense though, because parenthood and marriage are both drastic changes, although usually joyous ones.

I wrote a poem about the Death card as part of my 78 Poems Project. This pretty much sums it up for me.

Death

For the caterpillar in the cocoon
Does transformation come too soon?
Does the snake mourn the skin after it's free?
If change is the door, letting go is the key.
Does the chick regret leaving the nest?
Would we prefer not to outgrow our mothers' breast?
What is it in us that clings to the past
And dreads the unpredictable, inevitable last?
All things must evolve, age and transform
Every way dies, and new ways are born.

Claiming the Queen of Wands

Tarot Translation Group September 23-29

Read all the responses here.

Question: What is your significator, and why?

I am the Queen of Wands.

By age, gender and astrology I am actually the Queen of Cups. And, truthfully, I am a spot-on Queen of Cups too. I am sensitive, intuitive, sometimes shy, and very emotional, just as a true Queen of Cups should be.

Many years ago, when I first began reading tarot professionally, I realized that, while the compassion and the intuition of the Queen of Cups were helpful to me as a reader, the over-emotionalism and shyness were not.

My rising sign is Leo. The Queen of Wands is bolder than the Queen of Cups, although still warm and intuitive. As a professional tarot reader, I quickly claimed the Queen of Wands as my significator, to empower me in my tarot practice.

It worked. And, since I am a proud ginger, and the Queen of Wands is often pictured as a ginger, that works for me too!

Tarot Translation Group Week Three

Here is this week's Tarot Translation Group entry. To see the other entries, check out the Jupiter Frequency. If you would like to play along, join our group on Facebook.

This week's question is a simple one.

What does September bring for us?

The cards: (Note: this is a three card spread, no specific meanings attached to any of the positions. Cards are listed from left to right.)

Card#1 Knight of Pentacles
Card #2 Three of Rods Reversed
Card #3 Knight of Cups Reversed

Sometimes tarot is so unbelievably simple and to the point that it makes me laugh.

Traditionally, September is a time to "get back to work." The summer holidays are over. We were trained as children that we play in the summer, and in September we buckle down and go back to school. As adults, we continue to follow the same pattern.

These cards clearly reflect the "get back to work" energy. The only upright card is the Knight of Pentacles. He reflects the energy of pursuing work and money, and focusing on practical matters.

The Three of Rods reversed reminds us not to expect immediate success. This is only the beginning of our dedication to hard work. Success comes further on down the road.

The Knight of Cups reminds us that now is not a time of frivolity, or even a time of romance or emotion.

The bottom line is this. Get back to work, everyone! Refocus on your projects, your job, your career and your duties. That is the energy that September supports, so let's use it to get some stuff accomplished!

Tarot Translation Group Week Two

Welcome to the Jupiter Frequency Tarot Translation Group Blog Hop Week Two. To see the list of links, or to join in the fun, visit The Jupiter Frequency.

The premise of what we are doing is this. Each week, we have a question, and three cards pulled to answer it. We each look at the question, and the three cards, and each give our own interpretation of what we see, all based on those same three cards. You can join the group on Facebook and play with us!

Here is this week's challenge, submitted by one of the group members.

The Question: My spouse and I seem to be on different energy cycles lately; my energy is up, when his is down and vice versa. It’s making both of us irritable. In what ways can we work through these ups and downs together?

The Cards: (Note: this is a three card spread, no specific meanings attached to any of the positions. Cards are listed from left to right.)

Using the Shadowscapes Tarot I pulled: The Chariot, The Five of Cups (RX), Nine of Pentacles

My take is this. The Chariot tells me there has been some traveling. Perhaps you have been traveling together, separately, or both. The travel has impacted the vibe between you.

The five of Cups reversed is a clear message to you. You, as the old song goes, must "ac-cen-tuate the positive, e-lim-inate the negative, latch on to the affirmative…" You must do this in your own thinking, and in your conversation with him. You must generate a positive energy. If you do it first, he will pick up on it and his energy level will begin to match yours.

The Nine of Pentacles suggests two things to me. One is that you should not let this period in your relationship make you feel insecure in yourself or in your relationship. Two is that you each need to find the right boundaries for private time and space and time and space together.

Each relationship has energy cycles. Some are more pleasant than others. Things like travel, changes in schedule or tight quarters can causes uncomfortable energy cycles. Be patient and be positive and you will find your balance together.