(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
What I See in the Card:
The Moon is a dark card that exudes mystery and vulnerability.
Typically, the card shows a path on which two dogs or wolves howl at the moon. The path is wide and clear, perhaps a bit rough but easy to follow. Travellers coming from either side are funnelled into this one way onward through some dark and creepy territory.
The moon shines brightly but the land is only dimly lit. Both full- and quarter-moon are shown in most cards, reminding us that the moon has many faces and we don’t always see it clearly. It’s not what it seems to be.
The buildings in the distance look like ruins, but also like creepy tenements. You’ll have to pass by them — between them, like gates (in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, there are only posts) — if you want to keep to the path. (And you’ll have to get past the dogs first.) The whole scene reads like a warning, maybe even a dare. The pool looks small but its waters are rough. The landscape is lonely, possibly abandoned. Once you get past those gates, it’s new territory.
A bottom-feeder climbs out of the water at the foot of the path, representing the unconscious rising up (but the light is dim and it’s hard to see what that unconscious message really is). You might want to get away from it. Don’t hang out staring at the moon’s reflection. You have a journey to undertake. This is not a place to stop. You’re just passing through. If you dare.
The Moon is associated with madness, and also with romantic love (which is perhaps a type of madness?). It looks like a light but that’s just a reflection, and a dim one, perhaps untrustworthy. A full moon makes night travel easier, though potentially more dangerous if you don’t wish to be seen.
This is a tough stretch of your journey. The light guiding you can’t be counted on. Your surroundings hold danger. Surprising things rise up out of the darkness. You’d have to really want to explore the other side of this landscape to make this journey worthwhile.
Don’t be hypnotized by the moonlight — it’s prone to cast spells and turn folks into werewolves. And don’t think those dogs might befriend you and show you the way. They’re not trustworthy guides — don’t follow them. Don’t let them stop you, but don’t let them distract you either.
When you draw this card, it tells you that things may not be as they seem. It warns you that you’re vulnerable and alone. Stay calm and surrender to your inner light. Don’t follow false guides. Beware. Be careful.
Read will take you to my notes on how to tell a fortune with the Moon — traditional interpretations; what the card might mean in different positions; keywords to help memorize meanings; and questions to ponder or ask the querent.
Write will take you to a few prompts for launching from the Moon into a story. A first line, a setting, and a genre prompt — three possible ways to turn the Moon into fiction.
Tarot will take you to a central Tarot-Prompts page.
Go ahead, entrance us with your story.
Images on this page are by the following artists:
Banner (and top box), left to right: Marseilles deck engraved by Nicolas Conver; Dragon Tarot illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland; Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi; Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti; Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington.
Mid-page boxes: Tarot Balbi; the Ethereal Visions Tarot by Matt Hughes.
Catherine Austen 