Liminal/New Liminal Tarot - Moon

[Bodhiseed]

 

18 – Moon

 

The personification of the Moon is illustrated as a woman, wrapped only in the swirling waves of the ocean. She extends a smaller moon to the Fool (or us) while below a hermit crab rides the waves.

 

As soon as the Fool is rested and healed, the Star pushes him off the high dive into the oceanic waters of his subconscious. The subconscious is the part of the mind not currently in conscious awareness; it is the storehouse of one’s knowledge and prior experience. Like the moon that reflects the light of the sun, it reflects back to us in symbolic language what is stored there. The subconscious is very sensitive to anything perceived that even remotely resembles whatever is in its file cabinet (any possible pattern or similarity); it reacts by releasing chemicals throughout the body (aka emotions). The mind integrates these feelings, applying meaning and rousing an action. Like the hermit crab nipping at our toes, it rarely fails to get a response. No wonder we often find ourselves feeling moody and out of sorts! Though the Moon pulls at our emotional tides and can make reality murky, her intent is not to be detrimental to our journey. She whispers, “Don’t be afraid of what comes from your depths. It is like looking through old photographs that offer clues about how your thoughts and actions have been shaped and conditioned.”

 

“In many cases, we are looking at life through the lens of deceptive brain messages and seeing our circumstances, other people, or ourselves from a distorted and inaccurate viewpoint.”

—Dr. Rebecca Gladding