The Moon often symbolizes our unconscious mind and inner self.   It can herald a time of inner transformation, initiation or awareness.  The Moon is connected with the night and dreams.  It is the gateway of the soul representing the tides of emotion and consciousness.  It is the primal source of intuition and initiation.  The Moon is the 18th Trump card of the Major Arcana.  18 reduces down to 9 (1+8=9) which is a mathematically magical number - its square root is three and the sum of any number multiplied by nine equals nine when added together (e.g.. 9 x 8 = 72, 7 + 2 = 9).  The Moon is often a card of intuition, mystery, magick and inner consciousness.  It symbolizes a need for introspection; listening to the voice within but doing with a wary approach so that you are truly heeding your inner wisdom and not following false desires or illusions. 

On the Enchanted Moon card we see a richly garbed young girl standing underneath the night sky accompanied by her dog praying to the moon.  The waning crescent moon dangles in the midnight blue sky, smiling down at her.  In the distance a large manor house is visible.  Is this the little girl's home?  What is she wishing?

The Celtic Tarots Moon card shows a woman wearing  a red, hooded cloak climbing out a tower window.  Her face is barely visible.  A wolf and a dog are by her side.  A thin sliver of a waning crescent moon glimmers in the night sky.  She seems to be fleeing something.  This is Sadbh, the wife of Finn MacCumhail.  When they met, Sadbh was a dog due to an enchantment that had been placed upon her.  She marries Finn and they have a son, Oisin.  She is later lured away from her home with Finn and enchanted again, never to be seen among humans again.

Interestingly enough, today has had an especially lunar quality to it.  It has been gray and cold and muffled, almost eerily silent.  I've had dreams that had this type of feel to them.  It's as though you're walking through cotton or something.  Nothing seems quite real.  There are scenes in movies where the only thing that seems real is what goes on inside the house.  Outside is a no-man's land of mist and fog.  There is no way to be sure what exists beyond the fog.  Is there anything left?  I heard sounds that tell me there are others out there like me, stumbling our way through this muggy, wispy, maze.  Is this real or all an illusion I create in my mind? 

If The Moon is a card of the unconscious and dreams, then is there something I'm not understanding in my dreams?  I drew this card reversed so perhaps it's time to look deep within and see what unconscious issues lie there needing to be brought to the surface.  Or is it that I'm not trusting my intuition?  No, I don't think that's true.  I have to say, my intuition right now is telling me that I will not be returning to a traditional 9 to 5 job.  That is part of my past and it is something I will move beyond.  It's actually rather ironic because I have almost completed my Masters in Public Administration (I have about one more semester to go) and by the time I'm finished, it won't mean much to me anymore.  That does seem to be a pattern in my life.  I procrastinate so long at certain things that by the time I've actually completed it, it's more a matter of momentum than of interest.  Oh well, such is life (my life anyway).

It's interesting, I've never truly connected with lunar energies.  Many women I know claim they can sense the cycles of the moon.  I don't.  I have always been much more of a solar child.  When I was younger, and very into Greek mythology, I thought this was because I was very much like Athena - a father's daughter.  Now I realize that it's because in ancient Northern cultures (such as Irish and Scandinavian) the sun was seen in feminine terms.  The moon was seen as connected with masculines deities.  Which makes sense when you think about it.  In ancient time the sun was always there, even if it slept at night.  However the moon would disappear for a few days at a time.  I'm guessing that in tribal cultures, the father was more likely to disappear for periods of time - either to raid, trade or war.  It also makes sense because in northern climes, the sun would be seen as much more gentle and necessary.  In southern climes the sun could be searing and destructive.  Of course this is a very brief, over-simplification but it works for me.

As for hidden,unconscious desires - well I often joke that I'm as deep as a shallow brook.  I'm full of energy and noise but what you see is what you get.  Of course if pressured I will admit to a deeper, darker side (well okay, I never try to hide the dark side).  There are unconscious and hidden desires.  I think that sometimes I avoid dealing with them by not treating them seriously.  I have often said "I know my issues, I just see no reason to worry about them because they don't bother me."  This rather glib retort has served me well on many occasions, but I know there is much more too it than that.  I just don't feel the need to always share the information with others.  I think that's why my work with Tarot has been so beneficial.  It calls me on my own bullshit.  If I ignore it the first time, it finds another way to convey the message.  If I keep ignoring it, then Tarot gets nasty and smacks me upside the head.  Nothing serious, just enough to give me a wake-up call.  And when everything clicks together the way it should, I just find my heart swelling with love and joy for this amazing tool I have been blessed enough to have in my life.

So for me today, the reversed Moon is a message from the Universe that I need to spend a little bit more time mucking around down in the unconscious of mind and see what gets dredged up.  Obviously it's important to my ability to move forward.  And who the hell wants to be suck in one place forever.  I always though I did but I'm starting to realize that's not the case - at least not anymore.

Tarot Affirmations:

• I am change, a natural cycle of waxing and waning, activity and rest.
• I am a messenger of the night, releasing my unconscious wisdom through dreams and meditation.
• I am imagination, open to receiving and exploring images from faraway worlds.