The Moon Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning

What position and role does The Moon hold in Tarot?

The Moon is card number 18 in the Major Arcana, sitting between The Star and The Sun. In the journey of The Fool, The Moon is often associated with a phase of darkness and bewilderment, where the light of reason is veiled by the mist of the unconscious. If The Star brings hope and healing, then The Moon draws us into the world of dreams, fears and illusions. This is the card of uncertainty, of questions that have no answers yet.

How did A. E. Waite describe and interpret The Moon in his 1911 book?

In The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), A. E. Waite writes: "The distinction between this card and some of the conventional types is that the moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy, to the right of the observer. It has sixteen chief and sixteen secondary rays. The card represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit. The path between the towers is the issue into the unknown. The dog and wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it. The last reference is a key to another form of symbolism. The intellectual light is a reflection and beyond it is the unknown mystery which it cannot shew forth. It illuminates our animal nature, types of which are represented below, the dog, the wolf and that which comes up out of the deeps, the nameless and hideous tendency which is lower than the savage beast. It strives to attain manifestation, symbolized".

Waite also records the Divinatory Meanings for this card as follows: "Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error". Reversed: "Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error".

It is worth noting: the Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith; while Waite's divinatory meanings were set out in the 1911 book, and are often different from modern meanings.

In today's style of Tarot reading, what does The Moon mean?

In today's style of Tarot reading, The Moon upright is usually understood as intuition, unclear matters, deeply hidden emotions. Reversed, the card is usually understood as confusion, unnecessary anxiety. Common keywords are intuition, vagueness, deeply hidden emotions. This is the practical draw-a-card meaning used by the site, not Waite's divinatory meaning in the 1911 book.

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does The Moon suggest?

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, The Moon is the card of what has not yet been clearly seen. It does not assert the future, but suggests that the querent should pay attention to inner feelings, to the vague signs that reason easily overlooks. The reflected light of the Moon reminds us that our perception can be distorted by emotion, fear or desire. So this is a time to observe slowly rather than jump to conclusions.

What does the detailed symbolism of The Moon include?

What do the path and the two towers mean?

Waite writes: "The path between the towers is the issue into the unknown". In his description, the path between the two towers is the passage into the unknown. He also holds that the dog and the wolf are "the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it". So, in Waite's understanding, the path and the two towers are tied to a step into a region not yet fully perceived, where only reflected light leads the way.

How does Waite describe the Moon in the card?

Waite writes: "the moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy, to the right of the observer. It has sixteen chief and sixteen secondary rays". He also says the card "represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit". So, according to Waite, the Moon in the image is a waxing Moon on what is called the side of mercy, to the right of the observer, with sixteen chief rays and sixteen secondary rays. He also emphasises that the intellectual light here is a reflected light, and beyond it is the unknown mystery which it cannot show forth.

What do the dog and the wolf mean?

Waite writes: "The dog and wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it". He also records: "It illuminates our animal nature, types of which are represented below, the dog, the wolf and that which comes up out of the deeps, the nameless and hideous tendency which is lower than the savage beast". Accordingly, the dog and the wolf are the fears of the natural mind before the passage into the unknown, when only reflected light leads the way. They also represent the animal nature of human beings.

How does Waite describe the creature rising out of the water?

Waite writes of "that which comes up out of the deeps, the nameless and hideous tendency which is lower than the savage beast". He holds that it "strives to attain manifestation". In Waite's description, this is an image symbolising a nameless and hideous tendency, lower than the savage beast, striving to attain manifestation. He does not call it a shrimp or a crab in this passage.

What do the dew drops and rays of light mean?

Waite describes the Moon as having sixteen chief rays and sixteen secondary rays, and says the intellectual light here is a reflected light. He does not use the word "dew drops" in this passage. So when speaking of the rays of light, one should stay with Waite's description: the Moon has chief rays and secondary rays, and its light is a reflected light shining on the animal nature of human beings.

What does The Moon mean in a spread?

The Moon upright

In today's style of Tarot reading, The Moon upright is usually understood as intuition, unclear matters, deeply hidden emotions. The querent may be in a vague phase, finding it hard to grasp matters with pure reason. This is a time to pay attention to inner feelings and to signs that are not yet clear.

Waite records the divinatory meaning for this card as: "Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error". This is Waite's divinatory meaning in the 1911 book, not the modern meaning. These two layers of meaning should be clearly distinguished when looking them up.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: for work, check the information again before deciding; for relationships, say clearly what you feel rather than speculating; for finances, be cautious with plans that are not yet clear; for health, rest and listen to your body. These suggestions are not predictions of the future.

The Moon reversed

In today's style of Tarot reading, The Moon reversed is usually understood as confusion, unnecessary anxiety. The querent may be gradually realising something, or may be complicating matters with unfounded worry.

Waite records the reversed meaning of this card as: "Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error". This is Waite's divinatory meaning in the 1911 book, different from the modern meaning.

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: separate emotion from events to see more clearly; for work, verify the information again; for relationships, avoid reading too much into things; for finances, keep a moderate level of caution; for health, keep an eye on your emotions and sleep.

What is the connection between The Moon and astrology?

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, The Moon is often associated with Pisces, the twelfth zodiac sign, representing sensitivity, intuition and the spiritual world. Pisces is a water sign, and like The Moon, it is tied to the deep layers of emotion, to dreams and to a connection with the universe. However, Pisces is also famous for vagueness and for being easily swept along by illusion. This connection helps us understand that The Moon is not a bad card, but the card of a necessary spiritual journey: to get past the darkness, we must learn to walk through it.

The Moon in well-known decks

Following the history of Tarot, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite. In this deck, The Moon is depicted with symbols such as the path, two towers, dog and wolf, a creature rising out of the water, along with the rays of the Moon. This is the standard image that many modern decks follow.

By contrast, the Thoth Tarot deck, developed by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris in 1943, offers a very different presentation. The Moon in the Thoth deck has no human face on the Moon; instead there is a circle emitting geometric rays of light, along with complex astrological symbols. This shows the diversity in how symbols are interpreted from deck to deck, though the core meaning of the unconscious and illusion remains intact.

What advice is there when The Moon appears?

When The Moon appears, do not panic or assume that something bad is about to happen. Instead, see it as an occasion to pause, observe and listen. Ask yourself: What are you feeling confused about? Is there something you are deliberately not looking at? What is your intuition telling you? Take time to connect with your dreams, keep a journal, or meditate: these activities help you reach the unconscious layer.

Finally, remember that the Moon is not permanent. Its cycle always passes, and after the darkest night, the Sun will rise. The Moon is only a stop on The Fool's long journey: after it comes The Sun, bringing light, joy and clarity. Trust that the illusions will fade and you will find your path.

Quick reference table: The Moon upright and reversed

Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Meanings of the Major/Minor Arcana