Description
The crab is struggling out of the water onto a rock carved with the spirals of cycles and change. Its shell is cracked. The Moon is full and shines between two old trees, which are casting long dark shadows. The colours of the trees are slightly blue to the left and red to the right. A female face is formed in the branches of the left hand tree and looks down on the crab. The scene is the full moon and aurora borealis in Spring Equinox and the snow has not yet left the North.
A journal entry while studying the Moon card for this project:
I have lived for millennia in the Ocean of Dreams, watching
obscure forms gently morph and sway in the soft waters. I have moved
across liquid Sands of Time, basking in their filtered gaze. In this
moment, I stand in the in the reflected light of the sun, and deep shadows
lay before me. This place of transition frightens me for its gifts lie
beyond the darkness of the forest before me...
Who waits for me in the darkness? Should I fear them? Or
are they like me - but shadows on the cavern wall? I must sacrifice the
light and pass through my fear for the wisdom beyond the shadows.
Life hurts. My shell is brittle on the surface - and broken.
I feel the shattered pieces pierce my soft flesh and as I bleed in this
strange place, I am mocked by courage. I bathe my wounds in the healing
silver drops of the Moon.
The tree spirits beckon me into the shadows that lead to
the moonlit path. I crawl out of the shards of my past, despite its painful
release. The path ahead is indistinct, I feel my way to the threshold
of the Moons illumination and receive her gift, where my fear is transformed
into beauty.
Symbolism
Numerologically, the Moon (18) is connected to the Hermit (9).
Where the Hermit teaches inner knowledge, the Moon translates
that to the outer world. Visually, it has a deep connection with
the High Priestess as the Moons landscape is what that lies behind
her.
The crab represents our primitive self, locked in a moment and
full of fear. Its shell is cracked indicating the need for a change,
painful as it may be. The two trees are the gateway to the light
and wisdom, but the crab must first pass through the shadows sacrifice
the light for knowledge and wisdom. The crab crawls up a rock
carved with spirals, symbols of flux and reflux.
The trees and their shadows represent the gateway that must be
passed through. The tree on the left (subconscious) side is slightly
blue, representing water. The tree on the right is slightly red/brown to
represent fire (conscious). The extremes of either will cause
the crab to lose its way. It will take courage to pass between
them. The opposite of fear is trust and the crab must trust itself
and the universe to avoid losing its way.
Card Meaning
Dreams, facing fears, imagination, illusion, anxiety, shadow self, intuition, cycles, change, visions, transition
Artistic Media
Acrylic paint on masonite, photographed and titled in Photoshop.
Artist's Bio
Bat Chicken (Michelle) is a doodler and graphic designer that always wanted to be an artist. She took up the brush in 2001 and started painting. In 2004, she was introduced to the Tarot and began an exciting journey of discovery. BC found this project to be an incredible learning experience on many levels. She learned a lot about her shadow self.
Go back to the project index, read the traditional card meaning, or get a free automated reading with this deck.
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