The Fool enters the realm of illusion and imagination. He has been lulled by the peace and tranquillity of the Star and arrives here in his dreamy state. The moon is deceptive – she promises to light his way, but she moves quickly; her changing light and deep, dark shadows distort human vision.

The Fool is lost, dazed and confused. The moon is unreliable; unlike the sun, which continues to shine and provide light even on the cloudiest day – sometimes her light is obscured, sometimes she isn’t even in the night sky and sometimes she appears totally dark. The Fool must resort to his intuition to lead him out of trouble. He tunes in to his wild, instinctive self and uses his gut feeling to guide him through the dangerous terrain.

The very nature of this card is amorphous – you can try to grab it but it slips away; its meaning is difficult to pin down. Be prepared to follow your feelings, even if they lead you up blind alleyways. Nothing is ever clear-cut when the Moon appears in a reading. Your client may be withholding pertinent information, she may be confused or is being deceived by others. Consider the other cards around it carefully, to get an indication of how to interpret it.

The Solitary Moon

If the Moon turns up in a one-card reading, then it usually mean that there is confusion around the question being asked. Perhaps the querent is not clear on what they want. Perhaps they have no idea where they are headed. Often they think they know what is happening in a situation, but in actuality they are being kept in the dark. Their best bet is to simply do nothing until a course of action reveals itself. Explain that no-one can make a good decision if they don’t know all the true facts.

Emotions

The tarot Moon is linked to the star sign of Cancer, which is a water sign and ruled by emotions. Therefore, the appearance of the Moon can show that the querent, or someone close to them, is allowing their emotions to dictate their actions. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but they should be aware of it.

Intuition

The Moon reminds us that we should remain aware of the power of our intuition, our gut feelings. In certain situations, instead of attacking the problem with logic or bemoaning the lack of clarity, we should relax and let our intuition guide us. Sometimes it is best to feel your way through a problem, rather than think or talk.

Health

The Moon card can point towards health issues – it is very strongly connected with cycles, so will often mean a disrupted menstrual cycle, menopause, or hormonal imbalance. The Moon influences water, so there may be lymph, blood or kidney problems. The Moon can highlight mental issues – Alzheimer’s in a relative, a breakdown, anxiety, sleeping problems or merely mild distraction.

Love

The Moon could be telling you that a relationship is in a down cycle – there is confusion, mis-communication and misunderstanding. In this situation, the couple concerned need to stand back, take a short break or get some counselling. They need to shine a light on their relationship and hold it up for examination to see whether they are both committed to a future together. The Moon can indicate a lover’s deception but that would require clarification by other cards – for example, the Three of Swords, Seven of Swords, Four or Five of Cups and a reversed court card or High Priestess. Your client may be attempting to justify her attraction for another who is off-limits. Again, look to other cards for confirmation.

Creativity

The Moon is a positive card for those involved in creative fields – it is where the imagination can roam, where nothing is off-limits, where inspiration and fantasy collide. The artist or writer enters the realm of the tarot Moon and allows threads to tangle in ever-more complicated confusion. Dreams have substance and ideas form from nothing.

Useful keywords for the Moon: confusion, illusory, fantasy, fancy, lacking substance, duplicity, hallucination, amorphous, shape-shifting, vague, cycle, water, health, mental health, feminine, feeling, intuition, imagination, artists, writers, poets, fluid, psychic, hidden depths, mystery, lack of clarity, fear, terror, perversion, visions.

I hope this helped you a little – if the Moon has anything to do with it, you are even more confused than before you landed here 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and reading this far. Good luck on your own exploration of the tarot.