The Moon in brief
In the Rider-Waite tradition, The Moon stands for illusion, intuition and uncertainty, a time when the path is lit only by reflected light. Modern readers often take it as a sign that not everything is as it seems and that intuition is the better guide, while the reversed card points to confusion lifting, or to emotions pushed out of sight.
Waite wrote that the card “represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit.” Biddy Tarot reads the moon itself as a symbol of intuition, dreams and the unconscious.
The card’s picture
Waite described a moon that is increasing “on what is called the side of mercy,” to the right of the observer, with sixteen chief and sixteen secondary rays. In his notes on older packs, Waite described the scene beneath: two towers with a path winding between them to the edge of the horizon, two dogs or a wolf and a dog baying at the moon, and water in the foreground through which a crayfish moves toward the land. Waite added that the moon sheds “the moisture of fertilizing dew in great drops.”
Waite read the path between the towers as “the issue into the unknown,” and the dog and wolf as “the fears of the natural mind” when only reflected light is there to guide it. Waite read the creature rising from the water as the lowest part of the animal nature, which strives to come up but usually sinks back. Above it all, Waite wrote, the face of the mind looks calmly on the unrest below, and the message is “Peace, be still.”
Modern guides read the same scene. Biddy Tarot reads the pool as the watery, subconscious mind and the crayfish crawling out of it as the early stages of consciousness unfolding. Biddy Tarot and Labyrinthos both read the dog and the wolf as the tamed and the wild sides of the mind. Labyrinthos reads the twin towers as forces whose likeness makes them hard to tell apart.
Upright meaning
Waite’s divinatory list for the upright Moon is hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces and error.
Labyrinthos reads the upright card as an imagination getting the better of a person, walking a path that is unclear in the dark. Labyrinthos also reads it as a call to let intuition be the guide, and to notice what is causing fear or worry so it can be released. Labyrinthos adds that the card can point to illusion, a hidden truth still waiting to be found.
Biddy Tarot reads The Moon as fears and illusions, often old emotions from the past that surface again in the present. Biddy Tarot also reads it as a time of uncertainty when it is wise not to make fast decisions, since only half the information may be at hand. Biddy Tarot adds that the card asks a person to trust intuition, to feel into situations rather than reason them out, and to pay attention to dreams and the lunar cycle.
Reversed meaning
Waite listed the reversed Moon as instability, inconstancy, silence, and lesser degrees of deception and error.
Labyrinthos reads the reversed card as confusion and unhappiness, a wish to move forward without knowing the right step. Labyrinthos also reads it as the forces of confusion starting to fade, with fear and worry being managed and a more positive side coming into view.
Biddy Tarot reads the reversed Moon as the influence of fear and illusion subsiding, a freeing experience. Biddy Tarot also reads it as emotions being buried deeper rather than faced, and as intuitive messages that are hard to understand, with the advice to trust one’s own inner voice.
The Moon in love
In love, Labyrinthos reads the upright Moon as complicated emotions and an atmosphere of misunderstanding. Labyrinthos also reads the card as a prompt to look at old beliefs or past relationships that may be clouding judgment about love.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as confusion and possible deception in a relationship, with intuition needed to find the truth. Labyrinthos adds that hiding the truth, even out of kindness, is never sustainable.
The Moon in career
For work, Labyrinthos reads the upright Moon as uncertainty about one’s career path or goals, or a tense workplace clouded by confusion. Labyrinthos also reads it as a time to communicate clearly and to seek out the facts before making decisions.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card either as confusion at work clearing up, or as misunderstandings growing into deception. Labyrinthos notes that fear about colleagues can make everyone more defensive.
The Moon and money
Labyrinthos reads the upright Moon in money questions as a time when the information at hand is incomplete, a prompt to dig deep and ask questions.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card at best as clarity about one’s situation and goals, and at worst as possible deception. Labyrinthos frames the reversed card as a prompt to listen to instinct while separating fear from intuition.
The Moon as feelings
As feelings, Labyrinthos reads the upright Moon as confusion and uncertainty: someone drawn to another person but held back by fears and insecurities. Labyrinthos also reads it as one’s own intuitive but uneasy state.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads a cloud of confusion, with someone struggling to see a relationship clearly. Labyrinthos also reads the reversed card as one’s own insecurity and lack of clarity about what is wanted.
Questions to reflect on
- What in this situation might not be what it seems?
- Is a worry based on the present, or on an old memory?
- What does intuition say when the mind goes quiet?
- What information is still missing before a decision is made?