The moon is a widely used and potent symbol in paganism. It has many meanings and attributes, among which are the triple Goddess, dreams, womens monthly cycle, the psyche, waxing and waning, etc. As with all archetypes, they have universal meanings, but what is just as important is the personal meanings we associate with them. Here, I want to share with you a few things I have learnt from the moon in contemplation. This may not ring true for you, but it's a personal interpretation which has brought much comfort and insight in the past, and I hope will give some of that to you too.
I'm a Cancerian, so the moon has always held much sway over me. As is widely established, the moon is the ruler of our emotions, it's waxing and waning embodying the fullness and fallowness of our feelings. It tugs at the waters of both physical and emotional life. In my life (and I assume others), I often have difficulty seperating how I feel about something and the reality of that something. As I have often tried to remember, there is a difference between feeling something and being something. For example, there are often time when I feel like a failure, but that doesn't necessarily mean I am a failure - it's just how things feel at the time. Or, just because I am afraid that I have done something that will drive off someone I love, doesn't mean they are going to leave me, despite working myself up into a state where I believe it will happen.
These types of feelings can be found in the meaning of The Moon in the tarot. This card deals with illusions, how we create them, how they affect us, and how to see through them. For me, this card symbolizes that which is subjective, mutable and churning, and the challenge for us is to find that which is solid and real. This can be directly applied to situations in our lives which call for us to differentiate between the perceived and the actual.
Often, meditation is used to help us realise what is real. By distancing ourselves from a person or situation, we gain an objective viewpoint that is critical to have, if we are to disentangle ourselves from the quagmire of our emotions. In meditation you can contemplate things and cultivate non-attachment in a way that can help stop us just reacting to what is going on without consideration and thought of what is actually happenning.
Personally, this objectivity is of great value in two things - my love life and spiritual life. In terms of my love life, as with all couples, we go through good and bad times. There are moments when life is so sweet, and you are just filled to the brim with gratitude and love; and times when you feel you are in a such a deep dark hole there is no way things can ever go back to being how they were. The moon reminds me that our feelings for eachother will naturally fluctuate, but also that underneath it all the truth is we have chosen to be together, for better or worse, because we do love eachother at the end of the day. In regards to my spirituality, I often have doubts about the validity of my beliefs. It's very easy to forget what is meaningful and true when we have to live in the 'real' world of work and society. So again, the moon reminds me that no matter how disconnected I'm feeling, the web of life is always there, pulsing vibrantly just beneath the surface of flux and change.
When I look at the moon, I am reminded that beneath the fluctuating luminosity there is something solid and real. That despite the ever changing face there is constancy and stability to be found. This lesson is so important to me - when we take the time to find the real nuggets of truth in our lives, it makes all the extremes of emotions and experiences worthwhile. Through this lesson, we can find strength in the midst of turmoil - which is never a bad thing.
