“In order to display the splendours of the sky, the Night plunges the earth into darkness, for the things above are not revealed to our sight except to the detriment of those below.”* Oswald Wirth
The Stars above give us hope in our darkest nights and inspire us to achieve goals that during the bright light of day seem impossible and perhaps even nonexistent. But, unfortunately, starlight is dim and very seldom serves to illuminate the below, or physical world. If we want to see both the above and below, we need the Moon.
But, as Wirth points out, we pay a price. The Moon hides all but the brightest stars and is very tricksy about the way she illuminates the Earth. Her palate is limited to silvery gray and white and deepest, darkest black. Her light is dim and confusing, often concealing or disguising dangers that would be obvious in daylight. We are handicapped in both the above and the below.
The Moon is the perfect metaphor for the problems physical beings have in visualizing and understanding their spiritual selves. The very sense that allows us to “see” spirit alters and confuses what we perceive as physical reality. “…we see through a glass darkely…”.** But without that glass, we would see only the glaring colors of the physical world and the crystalline, untouchable perfection of the stars. We need The Moon (or that darke glass) to give us clues about how to relate the above to the below, spirit to matter. Because without spirit (or Universal Energy, or Life Force, or Magic, or God–you fill in the blank) physical existence just isn’t worth it.
Or, as Paul bluntly states in his first letter to the Corinthians, 15:50, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”
“Luckily others have gone before us in this dangerous exploration. Their steps have traced a path where drops of blood are seen. This painful track leads to a goal for him who preservers in spite of obstacles and threats.”*
And those intrepid explorers have left behind advice and guidance. To avoid the pitfalls of The Moon, it’s a good idea to study the religious texts of the world’s great religions and philosophers. They became great because they teach important truths. But which are the truths and which are just the opinions and viewpoint of the earthly author? We can guess, but only Isis or Demeter or God or Allah or Vishnu knows for sure.
The Tarot is another guide along this perilous path. Because a word’s meaning can be misinterpreted or warped to fit isolated circumstances, its authors have chosen to use archetypal symbols to teach the fruits of their explorations. There is no possibility of misinterpretation because nothing is written in stone. There is no set meaning to any key since each of the symbols has different shades and levels of meaning. The seeker reads in them the level and shade of meaning he or she needs at a particular time, but will find new meanings as he or she progresses.
Readers should heed the lesson of The Moon and remember that we are partially blind in the world where we go to interpret spreads. With study and practice our understanding and readings improve, but we still “see through a glass darkely…”
To be continued….
*From the chapter on The Moon in Tarot of the Magicians, The Occult Symbols of the Major Arcana that inspired Modern Tarot, by Oswald Wirth.
**The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:12, King James Version
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