What an apt way to begin the week of the New Moon in Virgo on September 5.
The Moon is the eighteenth card of the Major Arcana, and it brings with it all the mystery and emotion of the actual moon and the lore around her. If the Sun represents clarity in the Tarot, the Moon represents shadows and mystery. And by shadows, I mean the Jungian idea of the shadow self and shadow work. John Elder from Jung's Theory of The Shadow describes it this way:
"The Shadow describes the part of the psyche that an individual would rather not acknowledge. It contains the denied parts of the self. Since the self contains these aspects, they surface in one way or another. Bringing Shadow material into consciousness drains its dark power, and can even recover valuable resources from it. The greatest power, however, comes from having accepted your shadow parts and integrated them as components of your Self."
In Tarot, the Moon has come to represent this entire notion of the Shadow self and who we are trying to hide. Not in a judgmental or accusatory way, rather the Moon challenges you to look at this part you are hiding, bring it forward, make friends, as John Elder says, "Drain its dark power." It calls us to get honest with ourselves, to find our true motivations, to experience acceptance of all of us.
When I read Tarot, I see a thousand meanings in each card, my gift as an intuitive and seasoned card reader is to figure out which meaning of the card applies to which reading. The Moon is far more than a call to begin the shadow work, though I think it is one of the, if not the, most important aspect of this card. The Moon can be a call for dreamwork, nighttime strength, astral journeying, shamanic journeying. It is a symbol of the Divine Feminine and the Goddess energy. Esoteric knowledge, past life regression...the two pillars in the background of the Moon are said to represent the Conscious and Unconscious Mind, as you travel through to the astral world, the next dimension of consciousness and understanding.
Harkening to that shadow self, when we walk through the pillars, we begin seeing ourselves as Great Spirit sees us, as Divine Beings, Perfect Children of God, Lightbeings. We cease judgement of the Shadow self, and we ask ourselves for acceptance. But this journey is often mired in fear of the unknown, sometimes even danger feels lurking in these subconscious realms. But this is also a form of self-deception, the fear of knowledge of the self. Should we fear meeting, acknowledging, and releasing that which is not serving us?
The Moon, in its stripped down meaning, is an incredibly psychic and intuitive card. It is emotional and deep, the ancient and primal self, the Higher Self, even. The dogs baying at the Moon is that part of us that grows afraid at the world around us, the mysteries in ourselves, and also that part that worships all around us. The Moon cautions that not all is what it seems. But its caution is more of a reminder to your Higher Self. "You know this already," the Moon seems to whisper. How are you self-deceiving? With a lover, or friend, or situation you are pushing through out of sheer will and ego-based ends? The Moon is nothing like a sneaky, pushy bastard, rather the Moon is a mentor and teacher challenging you, asking you to prepare.
Because ultimately, the Moon is a card of ascension and spiritual growth. It is not just this toiling work of looking at the aspect of yourself that you think need to be hidden. It is doing that toward an end--toward spiritual growth and readiness for ascension. You are asked to prepare for enlightenment and holiness. Self-awareness is the key to psychic abilities and intuition. It is a trusting of yourself. I don't think being psychic is gifted to only a few, I believe we all have the ability to increase our intuitive abilities. And the Moon is just asking you to prepare by clearing out of the crap that is making you doubt, question, feel undeserving of God's grace.
It is no mistake that this card follows the Star, a card of hope and dreams. We set on a path toward our dreams, we then have to look at those parts of us that are unwittingly blocking us from our goal. The Moon shadow work is then followed by the Sun, total illumination and understanding of who we are. In many way, this is what I seek to do in my Moon Cycle Coaching--walk with you through the Star, the Moon, and arrive at the Sun.
So, with the Moon this week, why not begin keeping a dream journal? As your guides and Higher Self for guidance on that which is blocking you from your goals, ask to clearly see the ways in which you are blocking yourself. Then keep a notebook and pen by your bed to jot down your dream before you can even process it. Just start writing. Ask your guides for help remembering your dreams before bed. As a lucid dreamer, I developed techniques for myself to remember and dialogue in my dream life, but I believe these are as individual as dreams themselves. Some crystals and stones you can sleep with to help with dreamwork and recall are moonstone, labradorite, blue apatite, clear quartz, or sugilite (among a ton of other dreamstones that help with dream work.) A good affirmation for the Moon is:
I accept and love all parts of me. I am a Divine Being of Light.
Let me know what you feel about the Moon card in your readings and your experience interpreting this card. I am taking clients for Moon Cycle Coaching right now. You can get in touch at themoonandstone(at)gmail(dot)com. I also want to remind you to sign up for my weekly newsletter where I write an article each week and link to my blog posts of the week. You can sign up here.