The Moon Tarot Card Meaning

The Moon represents a dream-like energy and, ultimately, escapism. It appears when we are choosing to detach ourselves from the world in an attempt to forget about our own reality for a little while. In a positive way, this might look like immersing yourself in healthy activities where you can shut the world out—like painting, writing, or reading.

Those “Moon” activities usually require a full immersion of our mind, body, and spirit. And thus, most of them take a little creativity or imagination. So, The Moon represents a place where our mind can wander without attachment. It has an abundance of imaginative and flowing energy—filled with excitable opportunities for growth. That is, if it’s possible for you to dip into Moon energy and come back out willingly.

As we learned from growing up, you can have too much of a good thing. And sometimes, our escapist activities can consume us. For example, drinking alcohol is fine in moderation—but if we step over the line a little too much, that “fun” activity can be the end of us. The Moon represents the fine line between enjoying a “good thing” and becoming warped by it. So, its position in a tarot reading will help you determine whether your escapist techniques are taken to a healthy or unhealthy level.

Reversed meaning: While an upright Moon card can indicate the upsides to getting lost in the mind (creativity and imagination), a reversed Moon card can represent the opposite. It appears as a warning that you might be getting too sucked into a good thing, and will need to take caution before it consumes you. Think of an enchanted garden… it feels so good to be in its space, that we so often find ourselves unable to get out. So, the downside to The Moon is a propensity for getting lost, disillusionment, or even addiction.

Astrological significance: The Moon is associated with Pisces, the zodiac sign most connected with spirituality, disillusionment, and escapism. Pisces is extremely creative, intuitive, and completely aloof to “normal” society. And it’s from these traits that The Moon gets its esoteric energy. The Moon represents a time when we tap into our creativity. It may also appear during a moment when we’re tapping into our inner voice or gut instincts—what would otherwise be known as our intuition. It is also a great representation of being detached from reality—in both good and bad ways.

When thinking about The Moon’s astrological associations, I also like to think about Pisces’ ruling planet, Neptune. Whatever Neptune touches becomes more hazy, confusing, and completely illegible. It’s like being in Wonderland; everything we know is upside down or sideways—but it’s too hard not to look away or dismiss it as impossible. If we think about this in terms of a passion, activity, or hobby, then we get the darker tones of the Moon’s magnetism. Oftentimes, when we enjoy an activity so much, we can’t help but put all our effort into it. And unfortunately, the “haziness” that Neptune brings to this card can gloss over exactly how deep we’re getting.

Numerological significance: The Moon is the 18th card in the Major Arcana. If you take 1 + 8, you get the number 9. If you think about the number 9, it comes before the number of completion, 10. Because it’s the number before the number of completion, 9 has a bit of an interesting taste to it. Sometimes it represents encouragement—that we’re so close to the end. Other times, it can mean that we’re getting lost in the journey—uncertain of when “the end” will be or even if there is an ending in sight.

Key actions:

• Get creative. Do anything that allows your mind to wander outside the boundaries of reality. Examples include: going to an art show, making art, writing, drawing, reading, or getting lost in a complex movie.
• Remember what is real and what isn’t. Escaping into the ether is fun for a little while—but it is not a solution.
• Good things come in moderation, always. Make sure you’re allowing yourself to have fun with those things, but also that you’re not being sucked into a non-reality.
• Respect your intuition. If you’re pulling this card and receiving unknown inclinations or intuitive nudges around something, follow your gut. Moon energy is a push to listen up.
• We often get stuck in what’s “possible” in our earthly plane. But what if we could extend that reality just a little bit? What would we be able to achieve? This card tells you to dream big and fall into it.
• Find emotional balance. The Moon, a representation of Pisces, symbolizes our mental health. If our mental health is in a positive place, this card may be seen upright. If not, it will likely be reversed. This starts and ends with finding inner peace and calming the anxiety within.
• Find clarity. At times, this card can indicate feeling completely lost. Know when you’re dreaming of the future and when you’re uncertain of where you’re going.
• Balance and align all your chakras. This card is about combining the mind, body, and spirit into one ethereal space—where we can be in-touch with all these things, all at once. Because our bodies don’t operate in that way all the time, it’s important to clear your chakras and identify with them in order to feel the Moon’s energy at full capacity.

Yes/no meaning: In general, The Moon doesn’t say YES or NO. Instead, it says, “Proceed with caution”. Moon energy helps us get to where we want to go. But it’s not the only method we can use to get there. And the reason for that is because it doesn’t have logical capabilities—to make a plan from Point A to Point B. We use the Moon as a method of expansion and encouragement. If we lean too far into it, without a pathway out of the ether, then we risk becoming consumed by something that’s not real.