The Moon Tarot Card Meaning

The Moon represents the descent into the underworld of the psyche. In the Visconti-Sforza decks, the imagery was largely astrological, focusing on the moon's role as a ruler of the night and feminine cycles. It was often a simple personification of Diana or Luna. The Tarot de Marseille introduced the surreal landscape that defines the card today. *La Lune* depicts a crayfish crawling out of a pool of water (the primitive brain or subconscious emerging). Two dogs (or a dog and a wolf) howl at the moon, representing the domesticated and wild aspects of our nature reacting to the uncanny light. Two towers stand in the distance, marking the gateway to the unknown. The moon itself has a face (often looking down in profile) and sheds multicolored drops, interpreted as dew, tears, or energy descending to earth. Waite’s RWS interpretation emphasizes the journey. A winding path leads from the water, past the dogs, through the towers, and into the dark mountains. This is the 'Night Journey' of the hero. The light is dim and deceptive—things are not what they seem. Waite calls it the card of 'intellectual light' as a reflection, which can be misleading. It is the realm of imagination, but also of illusion and fear. The falling Yods represent the descent of spirit into the subconscious, fertilizing the imagination. Crowley’s Thoth Moon is darker and more intense. He calls it the 'Gateway of Resurrection.' The towers are black and foreboding. Instead of dogs, they are guarded by jackal-headed Anubis figures, the guides of the dead. The moon is waning, associated with Hecate and witchcraft. However, at the bottom of the card, the scarab beetle Kephra holds the sun in its pincers, pushing it through the waters of the underworld. This signifies that the darkest hour is just before the dawn, and that the true light is hidden within the darkness of the subconscious.