The Moon
The Ruler of Flux and Reflux; the Child of the Sons of the Mighty
The threshold at midnight: illusion, dread, and the dark passage that has to be walked to reach the dawn.
| Trump | XVIII of the 22 (Atu) |
|---|---|
| Letter | ק Qoph, “back of the head”, value 100, Simple letter |
| Path | Path 29, Netzach to Malkuth |
| Astrology | ♓︎ Pisces, mutable Water, Feb 19 – Mar 20 |
| Old title | The Ruler of Flux and Reflux; the Child of the Sons of the Mighty |
| Rider-Waite | The Moon |
| Colour | Crimson (ultra violet) (King scale) |
In a reading
Illusion, the dark night, the threshold of the unknown, fear, deception, hidden enemies; the passage through the deepest unconscious. Badly placed: madness, falsehood, the darkness taken for the whole.
Working with the card
| Do | Keep walking; verify before you believe. |
|---|---|
| Bring | Nerve, scepticism, a way of telling true from false. |
| Beware | Deception, self-deception, turning back at the gate. |
| Ask | What am I afraid of here, and is it real? |
Correspondences
On the card
A path runs between two towers into a dark landscape under a waning moon; jackal-headed figures of Anubis guard each side; drops of blood fall; below, the scarab Khephra carries the sun through the waters of the night.
Kabbalah
Qoph, the back of the head, on path 29 from Netzach to Malkuth: the primitive brain, the animal soul, the last path up from the material world. Qoph is the letter of the dark and the dreaming; the Moon is the gate through which every ascent must pass.
Astrology
Pisces, mutable Water, ruled by Jupiter (Neptune in modern practice) with Venus exalted: the two fish, the end of the zodiac, the waters before the spring. The decans of Pisces are the Eight, Nine and Ten of Cups.
Number
Eighteen, twice nine, and Qoph's value 100, the square of ten: the tenth Sephirah reflected in itself, matter dreaming of matter.
Depth psychology
The deep unconscious and the shadow-sea: the night journey of the ego, the fear at the threshold, the animal past. Jung's descent and the alchemical nigredo are read here; the scarab carrying the sun promises dawn.
Thoth and Rider-Waite
Waite's Moon shows a dog and a wolf howling between towers while a crayfish climbs from a pool; Crowley makes the guardians Anubis, adds the blood, and puts the scarab-sun at the bottom to show the light hidden in the dark.
The sign in depth
| Dates | Feb 19 – Mar 20 |
|---|---|
| Type | Mutable Water |
| Ruler | Jupiter |
| Exalts | Venus |
| Weakens | Mercury (detriment), Mercury (fall) |
| Motto | “I believe” |
| Body | Feet |
| Opposite | Virgo, The Hermit |
| Gifts | Compassion, imagination, spiritual sensitivity, artistry, empathy, selflessness |
| Shadow | Escapism, victimhood, confusion, deception, addiction, lack of boundaries |
More in the astrology chapters: Pisces.
Related cards
Pairs with
- רXIX The Sun The Moon and the Sun, the night passage and the dawn
- גII The Priestess Pisces and the Moon: the dark reflection and the veiled light
The decans of Pisces
- ♄︎Eight of Cups IndolenceSaturn, Feb 19–28
- ♃︎Nine of Cups HappinessJupiter, Mar 1–10
- ♂︎Ten of Cups SatietyMars, Mar 11–20
Courts ruling Pisces
Other paths touching Netzach
Other paths touching Malkuth
Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system as used in Crowley's Book of Thoth and Liber 777. Paintings by Lady Frieda Harris, © Ordo Templi Orientis. Where sources differ.