The light of the Moon is faint in comparison to the Sun. Before we came up with a logical explanation to explain the waxing and waning of the Moon, we must have come up with a whole host of theories and stories about why the moon does what it does. Unlike the Sun, we can gaze directly at the Moon. It must have been Mother Moon, with her ever watchful gaze, that taught us a great deal about the nature of time and of the mystery of the night sky…

Our Fears, Hopes and Dreams

As an archetypal energy, the moon represents our fears, our anxieties, our hopes and our dreams. Due to the brightness of the Sun, the stars can’t be seen during the day. But come the dusk, the stars reveal their brilliant tapestry of little diamonds shining in the sky. The moon can reveal the existence of new worlds to us. When the Moon’s energy becomes strong in your life, expect to make remarkable discoveries that you never even thought possible.

With the presence of light comes the awareness of our own darkness. The Moon can reveal to us the traumatic memories of the past that–while no longer in existence–continue to play a tug-of-war battle within ourselves. If you find yourself troubled or bothered by old memories, it may be a worthwhile exercise to revisit them and release them. You can do this with the help of a counsellor, a therapist or a trusted friend.

Reliving the Past

Sometimes, when we imagine that the future will be like the past and vice versa, we end up experiencing unwarranted emotional anguish even before it actually happens. If traumatic memories are present, these must be dealt with by allowing them to emerge from the subconscious mind into the conscious mind before they are fully released. Sometimes, we find old memories resurfacing and we don’t realise that we are heavily influenced by them either on a conscious or subconscious level.

Mind altering substances–be it alcohol, tobacco or other drugs–can also alter the mind in a way that is not only unhealthy for the mind, but also detrimental to our physical well-being. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to get into an unhealthy pattern of craving certain ‘vice’ substances. In small and moderate amounts, it won’t do us much harm, but if we do it over and over again, these habits can wreak havoc on our lives and even in the lives of those who know us.

When it comes to the past, the advise of the moon is to acknowledge, but not to ruminate. Do not repeat or rehash the past. If you feel that unresolved issues from the past are coming up, take steps to resolve it so that you can move forward with your life.

Uncertainty about the Future

Ambiguity is a common attribute associated with the Moon archetype. If you ever feel unsure of what decision to take, the Moon usually asks us to try it, but not get trapped in it. Be wise about the decisions you make and do reorient yourself if you realise that you’ve made a mistake. All you have to do is stop yourself from repeating the same mistake again.

If you have a high level of uncertainty in your life, would more active communication be able to solve the issue? It may not, but it is still worth a try. Perhaps the real issue is that you cannot see eye to eye with another person. It is in your own self-interest to understand how another person thinks.

Repetition is one of the keys to unlocking the power of the moon. If you feel misunderstood, try communicating in a different way. You may have to repeat yourself more than once to ‘get it’ or for a lesson and teaching to sink in. Most of us take a while to remember something unless we already have memory of it in the first place.

Daydreaming and Fantasising

Daydreaming and fantasising are two popular past times I associate with the Moon archetype. Even though we may daydream about big achievements, we may not actually have the drive, the opportunities, the circumstances or the resources to put it all together.

Unrealistic expectations of success is a huge problem. We do not realise that it is not all up to us whether something happens or does not happen. We must learn to release, to let go and to surrender. We must do our best and then leave the rest to God. The Moon usually foretells a time when we have to trust the process and not be overtly focused on the goal.

When the Moon shows up, it reminds us that aggression, force and taking personal initiative will not work in the long run. We will have to surrender some of our need for control, structure and order if we want our lives to work. Uncertainty can be dealt with if we learn to accept it.

The Moon also represents that we need to wait for more data and more information to come in before we can make a final decision. If your gut feeling is telling you to ‘Go’, ‘Stay Put’ or ‘Run’, pay close attention. Why do you have such a response? Is it warranted or is it a product of past traumas? If the trauma is still ongoing, then, yes, it may be a good gut instinct. But if the people or circumstances have moved on or changed, perhaps your response needs to change along with it.

If you are unsure, take your time making the decision. Seek your own inner guidance by retreating to a quiet place where you can be alone with your thoughts. The Moon can also appear when we’ve judged someone or a situation based on appearances when there is a lot more than what meets the eye.

Allow yourself the time and space necessary to make decisions and also to change them, divert them, edit them or iterate them, if necessary.

The Crayfish

The crayfish is one of the three animal motifs on the Moon tarot card. My personal interpretation is that the crayfish represents the middle path of the mind. We should neither be like the fox that is ruled only by its instincts and nor like the dog that is ruled by its conditioning and culturalization process. Rather, we should, choose the middle path… And this is not the Buddhist middle path I am referring to but the path of the crayfish…

The crayfish is a shy and reclusive creature that does not like to be in the public eye. As such, it represents the hidden aspects of ourselves. As humans, we tend to run and hide from scenarios and even people that frighten or upset us. This is, sometimes, but not always, the right approach. In most, but not all, situations; it is better to confront, or at the very least, acknowledge that something is frightening or upsetting us. This is, at times, healthier than running away.

No matter what happens or does not happen, humans have the mental capacity–an inbuilt mechanism, if you will–to fight and to persevere, especially if it’s with regards to something that we truly hold dear to our heart. If we’ve made a mistake and suffered a loss, even if it is a terrible loss, many of us do learn and grow stronger from the experience. For the purpose of self-preservation, we must be smart enough to temporarily back away from energies, people and situations that have proven to be detrimental to our overall well-being.

A crayfish can show us how to ‘get out of jail’, especially if we have made a bad decision. After a certain point, we have to stop wallowing. We, as humans, are permitted to make mistakes. We are, however, not permitted to make the same mistake over and over again, especially if we want a more positive outcome.

The crayfish reminds us that we must eradicate the demon of doubt and move forward fearlessly.

The marvels of the night sky await!