The Moon Governs Our Inner World: A Look at the Impact of Major Arcana Card Eighteen
In the darkness of the night, The Moon brings her soft glow to the shadow world. She illuminates the things within us we’d rather not notice, but she also shines a light on the fantasies we’ve only ever dreamed about.
The Moon is a force for understanding all that lives below the surface of our consciousness—the things we can’t quite access as well as the notions we’d only reveal in the dark. In this place, the beauty and the beastly of our being comingle. We’d do best to explore the landscape. There is much to be gleaned from the deepest crevasses in our inner world.
It’s also good to keep in mind that The Moon is encouraging us to give in to our dark side. While it wouldn’t be prudent to set up camp there, forgoing the sunnier aspects of ourselves entirely, ignoring our depths would also mean avoiding our deeper truths.
Walking with The Moon as our guide, we may also find that some of the more known aspects of who we are and how we operate feel different somehow. The Moon tells us to take another look.
What darkness needs our attention at present? Our intuition often has the answer. We must listen closely and act bravely. After dusk falls, even the most familiar places feel foreign and sometimes fearsome. The Moon, however, would never leave us completely in the dark.
What follows are four general energy readings. These readings use tarot cards to give an overarching perspective about someone’s present circumstances. They are not meant to answer a specific question or address a specific topic.
The main purpose of this post is to show how The Moon impacts and is impacted by the tarot cards around her. We will also explore how the card’s orientation affects the message. Each reading is written as if I am speaking directly to you.
One other thing to note: This blog post is written in conjunction with the Cup of Sugar tarot newsletter. While you do not need to receive the newsletter to understand the readings below, it will give greater context to the cards. If you’d like to sign up to receive the remaining newsletters in the series, you can do that here.
Spread 1: You Have a Decision to Make; Your Inner Child is Counting on You to Make the Right Call
When we are called to make important decisions, we often feel our deepest fears being activated. That is especially the case when the choice—whichever one we make—will have a significant impact on our ability to feel stable and safe.
The Two of Coins tells me that you are at a crossroads where you must pick a direction or risk losing both opportunities at once. When attempting to set roots, it’s best not to be standing in the waves precariously balancing two objects when your hand is only big enough to grasp tightly to one.
The decision before you now is triggering all sorts of feelings that you’d rather not experience. In the upright position, The Moon is an indicator that there is potential for a dream situation to manifest. This card also tells me, however, that this has also brought up a lot of fears you didn’t know you had around success.
The Eight of Wands is normally a card of excitedly anticipating sunny new horizons. In the reverse orientation, it is an indicator that you feel hesitant to seek out something new and different. If it’s not broke, why fix it?
The question these cards are asking though is whether you’re letting fear dictate that approach or if it really is your intuition telling you to choose the safe bet. I’m willing to say that I think it’s time to go for the scary thing. The reversed Page of Wands tells me that your current situation is negatively affecting your inner child.
The Page is often a card of childlike enthusiasm. She teaches us to go deep within and foster our creative fire. In reverse, she is screaming out for you to stop ignoring your passions in the name of adulting. The time has come to separate your worries from your illusions. What is the truth here? In the stillness of the night, you will find your most honest answer.
Spread 2: Follow Your Dreams for a Better Future
When intuition and intellect align, it creates a special kind of magic. Our wild thoughts often block our ability to listen to the truth that exists within, but every so often, our minds and souls get together and make peace. This is happening for you right now.
The upright Moon and King of Swords are signs that your inner knowing is supported by clarity of thought. Sometimes, the right thing is also the thing that makes the most sense. This is the moment to follow your dreams. A better future is on the other side of this pursuit.
The remaining two cards support this message. The reversed Three of Swords is an indicator that your heart is in the right place. You need to listen to the wisdom that comes from previous experience.
Yes, you may have been hurt in the past, but this is an opportunity to move beyond that experience. In fact, I would say that this card is telling me you were hurt precisely because you went against your heart. Don’t make that same mistake again.
For its part, the Six of Swords is telling you to get moving. This perfect alignment between intellect and intuition, heart and soul will not last forever. It’s time to pack up your things, as for assistance where needed, and set sail for your next great adventure. You have everything you need to make this work. Anything “lost” along the way was meant to remain behind.
Spread 3: Blind Fear in the Face of Change is Debilitating, But There is Another Way
It can be extremely challenging when your worst fears come to fruition. Knowing that this would be the case doesn’t make the upheaval any less disorienting. The reversed Moon and the upright Tower tell me that big and painful changes are afoot. You had been dreading this outcome for some time. It is every bit as bad as you thought it might be.
But now that this massive upset is upon you, there’s little left to do but watch it play out. You cannot stop it or change it’s course. In fact, the only thing you can control is how you respond to the crisis at hand. The cards here offer two options that are really just one.
The Two of Swords says that you feel blinded by indecision. You know that you have choices about how to respond, but neither option feels particularly awesome. You can continue to wander in the dark or you can take off the blindfold and truly see, perhaps for the first time.
Temperance is a sign that there is a soft spot in between the extremes of pretending nothing is wrong and extreme resistance to what is unfolding. This guide is telling you to pause, to remove yourself from the thick of things and view the situation with new eyes. Is it really so bad that you’re being driven in a new direction? Was the old one really as satisfying as you’ve been telling yourself?
You have the opportunity to practice neutrality here. Observe the situation and really feel everything you need to feel. Then, allow the events to unfold as they will. Watch the course of this downfall unfold from the viewpoint of the observer.
This is happening, but as soon as you stop lamenting the fact that it is happening “to you,” you will find the beauty in the aftermath of devastation. What was built could no longer stand. You will rebuild something far better from what’s left in the wake of The Tower’s necessary destruction.
Spread 4: Buck Up Buttercup, the Path to Your Passions Requires a Decisive Approach
As much as we seek happiness, there is often a seductive quality to our despair. It can feel good to wade in the waters of self-pity and disillusion—at least for a bit. I’d normally let you hang there for a little bit longer, but…
This spread tells me that you’re reaching the point of no return. The reversed Moon is an indicator that you’re on the verge of getting lost in your darkness at a point where walking into your light seems like a whole goddamn thing.
Being in the thick of confusion means you have an excuse not to take action. Too bad the Queen of Swords knows better than to take you at your word. She’s calling you back to clarity and calling out your bullshit. It’s time to start slicing through the indecisiveness. You have the intelligence required to make sense of what’s really going on. It’s time to start using it.
The Three of Coins encourages you to pull in collaborators when you need some assistance. We all need to ask for help at some point, whether we want to or not. There’s no need to face our fears alone. The right people are willing to walk through the darkness by your side. They know you’d do the same for them.
The reversed Knight of Wands is a reminder to keep your fire in check. After spending so much time in the watery depths of our sadness, we often course correct by reaching too quickly for our inner flamethrower.
Allow your feelings of passion, anger, willpower, determination to fill you up, but know that you’re an adult. You don’t need to take on the persona of the angry teen to get things going in the right direction. Use the Knight’s energy to buck yourself back up and pull you in the direction of pursuing what you love. Stop short of letting him run the show. No one wants a teen driver behind the wheel for long.