Rider Waite Card Meaning - The Moon

XVIII - The Moon - Confusion, Muddles, Deception

Just as the light of the moon is but a dim reflection of the brilliance of the sun, our own thoughts and feelings often amount to little more than a confused and blurred reflection of what we imagine is the truth. Sometimes, we cannot see things clearly at all, and like the hound and the wolf that bay at the moon, we find ourselves driven by impulses, thoughts, and feelings we barely understand. Like the tides of the ocean ruled by the moon, these feelings rise and engulf us in confusion, apprehension, and dark fears.

The Moon describes intense inner struggles, confusion, doubt, and difficulty making sense of one’s own compulsive thoughts and feelings. There can be unwarranted fear, anger, and inexplicable outbursts of raw and savage emotion. The tide of the unconscious is rising, and whatever past issues not yet dealt honestly with within the self will resurface vigorously to confound and confuse. This card denotes messy, unclear, and uncertain thoughts and feelings and deception, either of the self or by another.

Reversed, this card shows the slow, dawning realization of the truth about some matter of personal importance. Confusion and intensity of feeling prompt the questioner to dig deeper, look past appearances, and arrive at some meaningful understanding of the situation. There is perhaps a nagging sense that all is not as it appears.