The Moon is card XVIII of the Major Arcana in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of illusion, the unconscious, fear and threshold. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Qoph, path 29 of the Tree of Life between Netzach and Malkuth, the element Water and Pisces in astrology.
illusion · the unconscious · fear · threshold · passage
What does The Moon mean?
Cross the uncertainty without letting fear rule you; what is hidden will come to light in its own time.
Everyday meaning
Illusions, deceptions, fears and uncertainties. It points to a phase of passage in which things are not what they seem.
Psychological meaning
The unconscious with its dreams and fears; the territory in which unacknowledged emotions take shape.
Initiatic meaning
Path 29 from Netzach to Malkuth, the letter Qoph (the back of the head, 100) and Pisces, the mutable water of Jupiter in which Venus is exalted: the dark threshold before dawn. The scarab Khephra pushes the sun through the waters of the night.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, it signals deception, confusion, irrational fears, escapes and dependences.
The Moon reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
Illusions beginning to dissolve and truths surfacing; or fears that take root because they are avoided.
The Moon in love, work and spirit
In love
Doubts, jealousy, projections; clarity and a check of the facts are needed.
At work and career
Unclear situations, misleading information; be careful with decisions and paperwork.
In spiritual practice
Crossing the dark night of the soul, with the certainty that the sun is already rising.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of The Moon
Qoph ק (100) · path 29: Netzach – Malkuth · Water · Pisces
Crowley on The Moon
Crowley's Moon is an unsettling threshold: two black towers and two figures of Anubis with jackals guard the path, while the scarab beneath the waters carries the sun toward morning.
Frequently asked questions
What does The Moon mean in the Thoth Tarot?
Cross the uncertainty without letting fear rule you; what is hidden will come to light in its own time.
What does The Moon mean in love?
Doubts, jealousy, projections; clarity and a check of the facts are needed.
What does The Moon mean for work and career?
Unclear situations, misleading information; be careful with decisions and paperwork.
What does The Moon mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: Illusions beginning to dissolve and truths surfacing; or fears that take root because they are avoided.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of The Moon?
In the Golden Dawn system The Moon corresponds to the Hebrew letter Qoph, path 29 of the Tree of Life between Netzach and Malkuth, the element Water and Pisces in astrology.
