(i) Thoth Moon Tarot Card YouTube Presentation
My new YouTube channel is : Thoth Tarot Videos. The major arcana videos are yet to be remade.
(ii) Thoth Moon Tarot Card
The Moon is often seen as a glyph for illusion and deception. Unlike the Priestess who represents the most exalted qualities of the Moon, this card represents it more challenging aspects. It represents the unknown, fear and also things that we do not necessarily want to face.
(iii) Rider Waite Moon Tarot Card
(iv) Thoth Moon Tarot Card and The Tree of Life
The Path of the Moon joins Netzach (Sephira 7) to Malkuth (Sephira 10) at the very bottom of the Tree. It takes the seeker far from the Divine Source in Kether, into the material world of Malkuth, The Kingdom, where all the accumulated energies of the Tree take fixed form.
Netzach means ‘Victory’ and here the implication is the conquering of our own demons.
Malkuth is the earthly Sephiroth at the very bottom of the Tree of Life serves as the means for establishing an identification with outer reality.
The implication of this path between Netzach and Malkuth is to look inside ourselves to that which we have repressed/ ignored and have found difficult to come to terms with (moon) , in order to conquer this aspect of our nature (Netzach, Victory) so that we can express ourselves much more freely in our daily life (Malkuth).
(v) Thoth Moon Tarot Card Hebrew and Astrological Attribution
A. Hebrew Association
Qoph (pronounced Koph) is the 19th path within the Tree of Life and the 19th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It means ‘back of the head’ and is related to the cerebellum of the brain which amongst other things is concerned with regulating pleasure and fear responses. Also being at the back of the head it represents that which we do not see and is therefore related to the subconscious. It is shown in the picture below:
B. Astrological Association
The Thoth Moon Tarot Card associated with PISCES. Pisces is very much associated with the subconscious, emotions, intuition and artistry. This is the last of the Major Arcana cards to be associated with a zodiac sign. Pisces is ruled by NEPTUNE named for the Roman God of the Sea (image below), Neptune’s watery depths are associated with dreams, visions, and the imagination which links it in with the qualities of the Moon.
Is it reality or is it an illusion? With Neptune, it is hard to tell. Those with a prominent Neptune may be drawn towards mysticism and spiritual pursuits.
On the negative side, Neptune may lead people under its influence into the depths of drugs, alcohol, delusion, hypochondria and abnormality. It may resort to trickery, deceit, deception, and guilt and with the Moon in a challenging position on the Tree of Life, this explains why difficulties and obstacles are brought up with this card.
(vi) Symbolism of The Moon Card
We will divide the Thoth Moon Tarot Card into a lower and upper half for the purpose of this description.
a) Lower Half of Thoth Moon Tarot Card
Khephra = the beetle in the lower half of the card holding the SOLAR DISK.
Khephra means : “He Who is Coming Into Being” and represents the Sun God in one of his incarnations in Egyptian Mythology. The solar disk represents the conscious mind which descends into our subconscious to confront our fears/neurosis and the things that are holding us back.
The Scarab was one of the most potent symbols of ancient Egypt primarily symbolising the sun, resurrection, transformation and protection.
The scarab beetle was also called the dung beetle because of its practice of rolling a ball of dung across the ground which it then used as a source of food.
The analogy here is that the God Khephra rolls the sun across the sky particularly relating to when the sun first rises from the Underworld , hence the link with resurrection and transformation.
In the Rider Waite Deck we have the crab appearing out of the pool: talking about things that are coming out of the subconscious depth of the personality.
We also have the Sun in this card at the bottom which is being pushed by the God Khephra , who was responsible for rolling the solar disk across the sky.
Blue and Red Waves = huge peaks and troughs , unlike the stagnation of the pool in the Rider Waite Deck. They give the card its watery feel, with the Moon affecting the tides. This wave pattern is also reflected in the top half of the card.
b) Upper Half of Thoth Moon Tarot Card
2 figures guarding turrets :
- Anubis (right)
2. Set (left)
Anubis = is a PSYCHO POMP God of Egyptian mythology. A psycho pomp is a deity in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife as shown in the image below. In the Thoth Moon Tarot Card he represents a guide for souls in the dark as they pass in and out of the conscious and subconscious worlds.
Anubis holds the ankh which is a composite of Neptune (which rules Pisces) and Venus which is exalted in Pisces.
Set = the figure on the LEFT side. His facial characteristics of a narrower snout, longer neck and larger ears He holds the ankh of MERCURY which is a planet in its detriment in Pisces. Mercury represents the logical mind, rational thinking which is not really useful for gaining access to the subconscious emotions. He is known as the God of war, chaos and is sometimes called the trickster God as he is involved in deception to achieve his goals. The moon is also attributed to deception ! The subconscious is often a battleground where we are at war with ourselves and this can come through in our dreams.
Phoenix Wand = held by Set and Anubis as is the symbol of resurrection which happens after we conquer the demons of the subconscious.. They are found extensively in the Wands Minor Arcana.
Nephesch = the jackal representing the animal soul (survival procreation) who devours those who ignore the warnings of Anubis. Nephesch is the part of the soul situated in Yesod and is associated with the cerebellum at the back of the head.. which relates to the Hebrew letter Qoph which we discussed earlier
Dripping Yods = 9 in total, the number of the 9th sephiroth which is ruled by the Moon. they are also in the form of the Neptune glyph. Like menstrual blood, it represents the potential (seed of life, sperm) which has not been fulfilled and they are in the unfertilised womb as we can see made from the wave patterns around the towers:
Crescent Moon = waning moon which is partially eclipsed by the bluish sphere which is the Earth.
In red we see a figure resembling the Hebrew letter KAPH
Kaph is associated with Jupiter and the Wheel of Fortune Card :
Jupiter = good fortune, wisdom , optimism , broadening of ones horizon. Since the letter Kaph is on the blue sphere eclipsing the Moon, here we have a positive influence (finally) within the card as the energy of the Moon is overcome by the insights gained from delving into the subconscious and conquering our demons and pressured thoughts/emotions.
(vii) Star to Moon Transition
Transition of the Fool between the Star and Thoth Moon Tarot Card:
Summary of the transition
This transition is about escaping from lower mind and using the insight we have gained from the flow of spirituality in The Star to sort out what is helping and what is hindering us in lower mind – to see, accept and perhaps transform aspects of our psyche or mind and not be dragged down into it by the attachments that still exist there.
Relevance to the path
A limited sense of who we are as a person, or of what we are capable of as a spiritual seeker, can hold us back from growing into a clear, expressive channel for spiritual insight and realisation; it may also be just too small to cope with the new awareness of who we are that we should be discovering in meditation. We need to free ourselves of a limited view of self that is based on attachment.
The decisions that we made earlier in life about how we want to be and to see ourselves, and how we want others to see us may again have been useful in the past, but they may not be appropriate for an initiate. Initiation gives an opportunity to break free from outdated concepts, thinking and being. To carry the state of Enlightenment and teach others we may need to change how we think of ourselves, of others, of the world, and of life. The Moon represents the process of transforming our sense of self by facing up to what we think we are, and escaping from its limitations.
Difficulties in attempting this transition
This transition is again about applying oneself to the process as well as learning from the process.
Thinking
The seeker may think too much in meditation. They may not understand the requirements and principles behind The Path, they may have the wrong ideas about what is done and why. Although it can be useful to have a goal in mind, we all have the wrong idea of what Enlightenment is because Enlightenment is not an idea ! Conversely, an initiate may get bogged down or stuck in trying to understand The Path rather than actually practising and following it. An initiate may not use the support of Adepts and other initiates to reflect on their progress or direction.
Sense of Self
It can be difficult to let go of and change our sense of who we are when they it has been what we have held on to and based our life around. It can be a difficult process to achieve, to use our conscious mind as a tool to change our subconscious mind – using a part of our mind to change another part of our mind ! This is why using meditation to lift us out of our thoughts is so essential to see and overcome ingrained mental patterns and ideas.
We may also try to create and become an idealised version of a spiritual seeker and deny negative thoughts and what is going on in our minds, again creating a mask and reinforcing a false sense of self rather than integrating all aspects of ourselves into a whole.
We may become very attached to our identity and deny the need for change and growth, or conversely we may try to change too much too soon and lose our mental stability.
Practical advice on making this transition
The transition is much easier to make if the seeker uses the insight and wisdom provided by the previous stage of The Star to make the right decisions and choices.
New, positive, creative thinking and an open and flexible sense of who we are, are most easily and genuinely created by using insight and acceptance of what and how we are now, developing our strengths and also accepting and (where possible) transforming our weaknesses rather than trying to create a completely new identity from scratch.
Meditate is meditation, do not think; and do not think more when you find yourself thinking !
Try activities you have not done before, put yourself into different situations, interact with a variety of people to push your boundaries and sense of who your are while still holding to the principles of The Path.
Remember to again always look beyond mind to see the potential of spirituality in everyone.
Continue to remember that any fulfilment that can be found in new thinking or sense of self is short-lived and a poor comparison to what can be found in meditation and finding our true Self.
(xiii) Thoth Star Tarot Card Divinatory Meanings
The divinatory meanings of the Thoth Moon Tarot Card can be somewhat negative but we have to take a constructive way of dealing with the Moon if it appears in our reading. It is bringing to our attention the need to deal with negative or destructive subconscious patterns and therefore, by appearing in a spread we have the chance to release this energy which has been holding us back from realising our potential.
Upright
1.Suggests a time when something in your life is not as it appears to be. A situation that is deceiving.
2.You may have lost your way in your life and unsure about the future and which direction to take, like being lost in the dark without sign posts.
3.The Moon often represents your ‘shadow’ self a term coined by Jung to represent our subconscious or hidden self. This is harbouring negativity which we may have suppressed or are not aware of. We need to release this destructive energy through in some way such as spending time with friends, counselling, therapies, meeting new people in a positive environment to refresh our lives.
4.Traumatic dreams.
5. Feelings from childhood or that have been repressed are having a negative impact on a current situation.
6. The Moon tends to show up what we generally ignore, refuse to see, or even deny but the step has to be taken, for without facing up to darkness our path to the Light will be that much harder.
Reversed
1.Generally a reversed Moon indicates the above but over a much longer time period and or intensity so that these energies have become much more ingrained.
2.A struggle over years with periods of depression and feeling life has become meaningless.
3.The infertile womb in the Thoth Card signifies personal crisis, severe depression.
4.Psychiatric disorders , a stay in a Mental Health Hospital.
(ix) Thoth Moon Tarot Card in the Celtic Cross Spread
1 : Heart of the Situation = the way to moving our life forward to to acknowledge that we have suppressed things in our subconscious which needs releasing
2 : Possible obstacle = a situation in which you are being deceived
3 : Subconscious influence = persistent dreams which are traumatic relating to difficult life experiences
4 : Past = previous issues will mental health or addiction
5 : Hopes and goals = to become a stronger more balanced person free from past trauma
6 : Immediate Future = working on that which you have been avoiding dealing with
7 : Self image = reflective but often find that you lose your way in life and get trapped in things from the past which are difficult to resolve
8 : Environment = not supportive. At worst you have people around you with various issues of addiction either physical or psychological. Difficulty seeing where authenticity lies.
9 : Guidance & warning = unless you resolve things from the past you will always be held up in the present. It does not mean that ever last detail has to be dealt with but more of a balance has to be addressed.
10 : Overall Outcome = you have looked deep within yourself and resolved the things which have held you back for so long. This may relate to childhood trauma, experiences as an adult or both. This inner work allows you a freedom to move your life in a positive direction for yourself and others.
(x) Thoth Star Tarot Card Links
The links below are from other YouTube Channels discussing the Thoth Moon Tarot Card
(xi) Further Links
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The Moon card in the rider deck has a lobster, not a crab. This is so obvious. The lobster and scorpion have many similarities and are in the same class Phylum Anthropoda. This leads me to believe that the wait deck Moon card was associated with Isis even though She is associated with the Sun. Because the patriarchy has for many reasons associated the feminine with the moon, in actuality, the feminine is more accurately (in the ancient times and in the progressive) associated with the SUN. Since Crowley was a man he was subjected to the same hegemonic meanderings. With this evidence the Moon Card is more associated with the goddess Isis and symbolically this is spot on because of our world and cultures presently.
Prettttty sure it’s a crayfish, not a lobster
Prettttty sure it’s a crayfish, not a lobster
Prettttty sure it’s a crayfish, not a lobster