Pisces & The Moon Card
February 18, the Sun begins its month-long voyage through Pisces, the sign of the zodiac assigned to the
eighteenth trump of the tarot, the Moon card. Pisces has a traditional ruler Jupiter, associated with the tenth tarot trump, the Wheel of Fortune, and a modern ruler Neptune, linked to the twelfth trump of the tarot, the Hanged Man.
Neptune is the ancient god of the seas, and the Moon, depicted on the eighteenth tarot trump, controls the ocean tides. Appropriately, the sign Pisces belongs to the water element. The tarot’s watery suit of cups illustrates scenes related to love, friendship and vicissitudes of human emotions.
The symbolism of Jupiter and the tarot’s Wheel of Fortune card was discussed in a previous article about Sagittarius and the tarot. This month, the focus will be on Neptune and the sign Pisces.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Moon card (linked to Pisces) shows two dogs baying at the Moon. One dog is dark and the other light, symbols of matter and spirit. A crayfish emerges from the sea, perhaps a reference to the ancient Babylonian tale of the egg containing the grain-goddess and her lover-son Ichthys. The Moon card is often interpreted as a warning that the querent is not seeing clearly or is being deluded in some way. These are also negative manifestations of the sign Pisces.
Hanged Man Tarot Card = The Rider-Waite-Smith Hanged Man (linked to Neptune) depicts a man hanging upside down with his legs assuming the form of a cross. When it appears in a tarot reading, the hanged man advises the querent to pay attention to the spiritual dimensions of the situation.
Tarot Meditations While the Sun Is in Pisces
The period when the Sun transits through Pisces is an excellent time to meditate on the tarot’s Moon, Hanged Man and Wheel of Fortune cards, as well as the suit of cups of the minor arcana. Where in your life are you not seeing clearly? Are your actions motivated by love or by desire? Do you need to act with more compassion rather than like a fire-breathing dragon? Are you neglecting your spirituality for material gain?
To prepare for meditation, sit or lie in a comfortable place and allow your body to be free of tension and distractions. Pay attention to your breathing. Feel your breath go in and out as you inhale and exhale. If distracting thoughts enter your mind, simply observe them and allow them to float by as you gently return your attention to your breathing. When you have established a steady, comfortable rhythm of breathing rhythmically in and out, turn your focus to the tarot card you have selected for meditation.
Observe the card and contemplate its images. Imagine yourself as a character or element in the card. In your mind’s eye, enter the card and become part of its scene. What are you thinking and feeling? What questions are you asking of the other characters in the card? What do they expect of you? What is the story that underlines the scene on the card? How does that story relate to your own life? Take your time playing out the story as if you were in a dream. When you have completed your meditation, you may wish to record your observations in a tarot notebook for review later on.
General Meaning
The Moon represents your fears and illusions and often comes out when you are projecting fear into your present and your future, based on your past experiences. You may have a painful memory that caused emotional distress, and rather than dealing with the emotions you pushed them down deep into your subconscious. Now, these emotions are making a reappearance, and you may find yourself under their influence on a conscious or subconscious level. For example, if you had a car accident when you were young but didn’t deal with the emotions, you may get sad or anxious every time you get into the backseat of a car. To remedy this, connect with your subconscious mind and release any fears or anxieties holding you back. Hypnosis, therapy and shamanic healing can support this process.
The Moon can indicate a time of uncertainty and illusion, when nothing is what it seems. Be careful of making fast decisions when the Moon appears because you may later realise you only had half the information you needed. You need to listen to and trust your intuition so you can see beyond what is in front of you. Feel into situations rather than thinking what they mean.
Let go of your conscious mental blocks or negative self-talk and allow your intuition to guide you. Your dreams, intuitions and inner guidance lead you forward toward higher levels of understanding if you listen and use your judgement to help interpret the messages of the subconscious.
When the Moon card appears in your Tarot reading, pay close attention to the lunar cycles and attune to its divine power using ritual, visualisation or Tarot readings. Connect with the divine feminine and uncover deep intuitive insights and visions of what lies beyond everyday life. On the New Moon, set your intentions and plant the seeds of opportunity so they can grow. And on the Full Moon, honour your achievements and look at what you need to release so that new aspects of yourself can shine.
Compiled by:
Katherine Mongiello
balanceforlife.us