The Moon
Tarot Card Meanings
The Moon’s light can bring you clarity and understanding and you should allow your intuition to guide you through this darkness.
The Moon Tarot Card Description
The Moon card depicts a full moon in the night sky, between two large towers. The Moon represents intuition, dreams, and the unconscious. Its light is dim in comparison to the sun, and it only illuminates the path to higher consciousness that winds between the two towers slightly.
A small pool in the foreground represents the watery, subconscious mind. A small crayfish crawls out of the pool, representing the beginning stages of consciousness. A dog and a wolf howl at the moon in the grassy field, representing both the tamed and wild sides of our minds.
NOTE: The Tarot card meaning description is based on the Rider Waite cards.
The Moon Keywords
- Illusion
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Intuition
- Release of fear
- Repressed emotion
- Inner confusion
- Clarity
Upright Moon Meaning
The Moon represents your fears and illusions, and it frequently appears when you project fear into your present and future based on past experiences. You may have had a painful memory that caused you emotional distress, and instead of dealing with it, you pushed it deep into your subconscious. These emotions are reappearing now, and you may find yourself subject to their influence on a conscious or subconscious level.
For example, if you were in a car accident as a child and did not deal with your emotions, you may feel sad or anxious every time you get into the backseat of a car. Connect with your subconscious mind to release any fears or anxieties that are holding you back. Hypnosis, therapy, and shamanic healing can support this process.
The Moon can indicate a period of uncertainty and deception when nothing is as it appears. When The Moon appears, avoid making hasty decisions because you may later realize you only had half the information you needed. You must listen to and trust your intuition to see beyond what is directly in front of you.
Feel into situations rather than trying to figure out what they mean. Allow your intuition to guide you instead of your conscious mental blocks or negative self-talk. If you listen and use your judgment to help interpret subconscious messages, your dreams, intuitions, and inner guidance will lead you to higher levels of understanding.
When The Moon card appears in your Tarot reading, pay close attention to the lunar cycles and use ritual, visualization, or Tarot readings to attune to its divine power. Connect with the divine feminine to gain deep intuitive insights and visions of what lies beyond the mundane. Set your intentions and plant the seeds of opportunity on the New Moon so they can grow. On the Full Moon, celebrate your accomplishments and consider what you need to let go of for new aspects of yourself to shine.
Reversed Moon Meaning
The Moon Reversed indicates that you have been dealing with illusion, fears, and anxiety and that the negative effects of these energies are beginning to fade. You’re working through your fears and anxieties, figuring out how they affect your life and how you can break free from such limiting beliefs. This is a truly liberating and life-changing experience.
To avoid your dark shadows, you may try to bury these feelings even deeper within your subconscious. You may be avoiding your emotions by pushing them to the side and acting as if nothing is wrong. This strategy may work in the short term, but you will eventually need to resurface these emotions and confront them.
The Moon in reverse can also indicate that you are receiving intuitive messages and psychic downloads but are unsure what they mean for you. The message may be perplexing, or your interpretation may differ from that of others. When the Moon is reversed, you are being asked to listen to your inner voice rather than the voice of another. Trust that the answers you seek are already within you, and listen to your inner guidance system for confirmation.
Keep a dream diary and pay attention to your dreams because this is how many of your subconscious messages will be relayed to you. If you’re still stuck, record the messages you receive and return them when you have more clarity.