Continued from a previous post…
The focal point of this card is, of course, the moon. But this isn’t just any moon. It is a full moon, crescent moon, half moon, and invisible dark moon all rolled into one. A woman’s profile on the half moon is the visual equivalent of saying “the Moon is a Goddess”. This way of drawing the Moon isn’t just Pamela Coleman Smith’s idea. Many of the earlier decks picture her this way.
The artist is doing everything she can to make the viewer understand that this is the quintessential, archetypal Moon. It carries not only the brilliant power of the full moon, but also the vital, initiating force of the crescent moon, the crescendo of the waxing moon, the ebb of the waning moon, and the quiet, regenerative power of the dark moon. It reminds us that lunar energy is ever-changing, rising and falling, ebbing and flooding in a rhythm as regular and nurturing as a mother’s heart beat. It reminds us that life is a cycle; we are born, we grow, we decline, we die, and we are reborn in the midst of the great cosmic dance.
The point of view of this card is from the surface of a pool of water, an accepted symbol of the collective unconscious. This is Carl Jung’s concept of the deep psyche, which is made up of all the accumulated experiences and archetypes of the human race. Our individual unconsciouses arise out of this all-inclusive cosmic soup while still, somehow remaining connected to it. And so the point of view of The Moon card is the beginning of the soul’s journey into life.
We step out of the pool of the collective unconscious and into the material world of animal (crayfish), vegetable (plants at the edge of the pool) and mineral (rocks at the edge of the pool). The crayfish also symbolizes our brain stem or “animal brain” which is responsible for basic life functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and digestion.
As we travel the path between the wolf (nature) and the dog (nurture) we develop our body, mind, and spirit. We learn to reason and deal constructively with our emotions. We become civilized.
Two watchtowers guard the boundaries of the everyday, rational world. Beyond them, “there be dragons,” the places where moonlight is the only light. Wise folk avoid this realm unless they have the equivalent of a AAA map or at least something a bit more substantial than a trail of breadcrumbs. This is what gods and gurus are for.
In The Devil’s Picture Book Paul Huson compares the two towers to The Pillars of Hercules that bracket the narrow opening into the Mediterranean Sea. Imagine being a sailor in ancient times. The Mediterranean was a known, and it was dangerous enough, but the wide, unknown ocean past the gates must have been terrifying. Very few captains had the courage to venture through them. Most of us take maybe one look into this beyond decide that there are enough amazing and confusing things in our everyday world to keep us busy for a lifetime and never venture past those ominous sentinels.
But for those who do, this card’s for you.
To be continued…