KEYWORDS: Catharsis, reflection.
The Moon card is symbolic of both the lunar heavenly body and the female, or yin, archetype.
For the Piscean-ruled Moon card, I chose an eclectic series of images. The astrological sign Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac, embodies traits of all the other signs, as well as embracing a universality all its own. The planet Neptune rules Pisces and tends to bathe her in mysticism, intrigue and mist.
The woman in the moon is Ixchel, the Mayan Moon Goddess, and the Goddess of disastrous floods. “Crowned with the feathers of an eagle, eagle feathers carefully woven in intricate design into her heavenly throne, Ixchel was known as Eagle Woman and eagles were seen as messengers of her moon essence.” Ixchel is described in myth as a woman who comes and goes as she pleases, obviously a metaphor for the moon’s changing phases. It is not surprising that independent and oppressed women alike take Ixchel for their heroine.
The great Stonehenge looms in the background of the card. These huge stones framed auspicious moments in the paths of the moon and sun. “Stone megaliths and lintels are universally holy constructions symbolizing the os and womb, the sacred doorway to the center of the universe, the dwelling place of the life force.” Stonehenge was an astronomical observatory, as well as being a temple. In this card, these stones stand also as a gateway between the known and the unknown spheres of existence.
Leading up to the center of the stone temple is a winding path; it is flanked by the wild dog or wolf on the left, representing our intuitive side, and the domestic dog on the right, the intellectual side. This image can be traced to the ancient Vedic concept of the moon as death’s gate, ruled by the Goddess and guarded by Her two dogs. According to the Vedic tradition, the Bitch Goddess Saroma was the mistress of the death dogs and a divine huntress like Artemis, Diana, Anath, and other western versions of the lunar maiden. Just as the Goddess has several aspects, so does the dog, her totem animal; “dangerous, nocturnal, primitive on the one hand, and a protector against forces of evil on the other.”
To the left of the path, huddled inside a magic circle, is a coven of witches. As a group, they have gone on an astral journey, leaving only their physical bodies behind, under the watchful eyes of their faithful hounds. This astral journey relates to the aspect of the Moon card which deals with our endeavors to push beyond the boundaries of what is known. Here is the gray area, the astral plane, a place of infinite possibilities, as well as a place where one connects with the “Infinite.”
One of the inhabitants of the pool in the foreground is the dreaded Hydra of Greek mythology. She is symbolic of all the hidden fears lurking beneath the surface of consciousness. According to Robert Graves, the Hydra has another symbolic purpose: he feels that she represented the persecution of the matriarchies. “For every goddess-honoring group destroyed or converted, another sprang forth in its place.”
Pisces is a mutable water sign; it is precisely from the watery depths of this card that we derive the most significance. On the edge of the pool symbolizing the depths of her unconscious, a woman emerges to begin the difficult and potentially dangerous journey to wholeness. She is guided by the intuition and intellect of her loyal hounds. She has immersed herself in her emotions for a long time; now it’s time to come out into the light of day so that she can view her feelings more clearly. She must leave Neptune’s lavender veil and her whirlpool of confusion in favor of lucidity. She needn’t abandon her watery domain forever. It’s simply time for a change, to bravely reach beyond the known.
When one draws this card, it is a time of emotional catharsis, for digging up all those buried fears and feelings, and for “cleaning house,” so to speak. As we all know, viewing an object through water distorts our vision; it’s important to climb out of the watery emotions in the pursuit of clarity. On the other hand, we often need to immerse ourselves in something in order to get the “feel” of it. Truly both the intellectual and the emotional faculties are necessary in the pursuit of wholeness. What is called for in this card is the mastery of the emotions. To deal with feelings, not avoid them, and to cope with and not collapse into the emotions presents quite a challenge.
