For today’s post, I have decided to take a brief look at the Moon card in the Tarot. The Moon card is usually numbered eighteen of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. The Moon card can be associated with dreams and visions, as well as disorientation.
The Moon card is one of the cards that can have a highly varied meaning and visual interpretation in different decks. I view the Moon as a card that can be either the height of positive Tarot cards or one of highly negative connections. The Moon card, on the positive aspect, is one that can be associated with dreams, visions, and prophecies. The Moon card, on the negative aspect, is one that can be associated with disorientation, uncertainty, and even possibly psychosis. This is because the moon has long been seen as the cause of mental health issues. We see this in the assumption that the full moon causes madness, and in the word lunatic which literally comes from the Latin word for the moon!
The appearance of the Moon card can herald either a time of prophetic and visionary greatness or a time of confusion and uncertainty. The Moon card can be depicted in various ways, and most often features the full moon in the background. Depending on the deck it could look more comforting and give off the feeling of the positive connections of the card, or it can alternately be a more foreboding card based on the negative connections. The decision of how to portray a card that can have such varied meaning falls upon the Tarot artist, and their personal feelings about the said card. At the end of the day, the Moon card makes its decision based on what it means depending on how it appears in a reading and what cards appear alongside it! This makes it a very changeable and interesting card of the Tarot.
The Moon card can be associated with more positive watery beings like mermaids, or their dark counterparts, sirens. There is also an obvious connection between the Moon card and werewolves, which can be used on some fantasy decks. I hope that you have enjoyed this short post about the Moon card. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a Moon card. I found the image on https://lightseerstarot.com/light-seers-tarot-meanings-the-moon/.
Further Reading
- The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need by Skye Alexander
White Rose of Avalon 