The imagery on the traditional Rider-Smith deck shows us a crustacean that has just crawled out of the ocean onto the beach. It is night time and in the distance, dogs are snarling and howling at the full moon. The oceans of the water represent a place where we felt safe, protected. Crawling out onto that beach, there is a feeling of being exposed. Bombarded by lights and sounds and cold air; this change is overwhelming. Our imagination begins to race and we think of all the scary horrible things that wait for us out there in the darkness. It is so tempting to turn around and dive back into the water.
The Moon card is related to the astrological sign of Pisces. Pisces is associated with deep emotion, psychic and intuitive gifts, and a creative and artistic mind. Being able to see things beyond the physical reality is a gift – but can also be a curse. As we can see from the illustration of The Moon Card – Pisces exists on that boundary of change – where emotions can become reality. Our Hero, having just left home – must face their own fears. The reality sinks in that this journey they has embarked on is different from how they had imagined it to be, and there are unseen dangers lurking in dark corners. Will one continue, or turn around and go back home?
We face this type of energy often when we are starting something new. Even when we are highly intuitive and use tools to help us enhance our psychic gifts – we do not truly know what lies ahead. We can easily get caught up in fears, and our imagination creates scenarios that are so terrifying we are frozen in place. OR – that same imagination can allow us to creatively envision the bright future and positive outcome that we can find if we are willing to move past our fears.
